There is a strange moment in every great vision from God when the dream is no longer far away—but it is not finished yet. That is where we are today.
When we first began speaking about a new Lighthouse Humanitarian Center in Nof HaGalil, so much of it required faith. We could describe the families we wanted to serve. We could speak about Jewish and Arab families receiving help under one roof, about new immigrants finding support as they rebuilt their lives, and about practical compassion opening hearts to the love of Yeshua. We could show plans, share the vision, and ask people to imagine with us. Today, I no longer have to ask people to imagine the walls. I can stand between them.
The interior walls and separations have been erected. The spaces that once existed only on paper are becoming actual rooms. We are now moving into the plastering stage—the work that must be completed before painting can begin. Step by step, phase by phase, the Lighthouse is taking shape before our eyes. And I want to say something from my heart: we did not come this far alone.
Friends from around the world believed with us when there was still so much to be done. You prayed. You gave. You helped us take one step, and then another. What is standing in Nof HaGalil today is not simply the result of construction work. It is the result of people refusing to let a God-given vision remain only a dream.
But this is also one of the most critical moments in any great work.
When a vision is only beginning, excitement carries you. When the doors finally open, joy carries you. It is the middle that requires perseverance. The place where you can finally see how far you have come—and, at the same time, see every unfinished detail still standing between you and the goal. We are in that place now. And we have come too far to lose momentum.
The plastering phase before us will cost 8,000 NIS—approximately $2,200. After that, we must install the doors that will protect this center and everything entrusted to us. A large secured entrance is needed to receive humanitarian shipments, along with security doors for those entering the building. Together, these doors will cost 20,000 NIS—approximately $5,500.
These may sound like construction expenses. Plaster. Doors. Security. But every one of these steps moves us closer to the day when humanitarian aid can arrive, be stored safely, and then placed into the hands of vulnerable families across northern Israel. A wall completed today becomes a room of compassion tomorrow. A secured door installed today will soon protect aid destined for a family in need.
This is why I am asking you not to look away now. Perhaps you helped us at the beginning. Perhaps you have followed this journey week after week. Or perhaps this is the first time the Lighthouse vision has truly touched your heart. Wherever you are joining us in this story, there is still a place for you in what God is building here.
Help us complete the next phase. Help us keep the work moving. Help us reach the day when I can write to you not from inside an unfinished building—but from a Lighthouse filled with people, compassion, prayer, and the love of Yeshua. We can see it now. We can stand inside it. And by God’s grace, we will finish what we began.
“Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Galatians 6:9
With faith and gratitude from Nazareth,
Pastor Saleem