“I thank my God every time I remember you.”
Philippians 1:3
There is something very special about traveling thousands of miles from Israel, walking through the doors of a church in America, and discovering that you do not feel like a stranger at all. During my recent ministry trip through Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, I experienced this again and again. I came to visit friends, minister in churches, celebrate what God is doing, and share from my heart about Israel. But everywhere I went, people opened their churches, their homes, and their tables to me with such warmth that very quickly, a place far from home began to feel like family.
I traveled to America hoping to bring encouragement, but something beautiful happened along the way: America encouraged me. I was refreshed by the faith, joy, and love for the Lord I encountered in my brothers and sisters. We prayed together, worshiped together, shared meals and conversations, and sometimes simply enjoyed being together. In a season when ministry in Israel carries many pressures, I did not realize how much I needed some of those moments until the Lord gave them to me. I returned home carrying far more than memories from a ministry trip. I returned strengthened.
As an Israeli Arab pastor and follower of Yeshua, I also understand what a unique privilege it is to stand before churches in America and bring a living testimony from Israel. So much of what people hear about our land comes through headlines—war, conflict, division, uncertainty. Those realities affect our lives deeply, but they are not the whole story. God is also at work here. Jewish and Arab believers are worshiping Yeshua, congregations are serving their communities, families in need are being cared for, relationships are growing across old dividing lines, and bridges are being built where many people believe only separation is possible.
It was a blessing for me to carry some of these stories into American churches and to speak about Israel not simply as a place in the Bible or a nation in the news, but as the place we call home. Behind every headline are people. There are pastors shepherding congregations, believers raising their families, people praying for peace, and followers of Yeshua asking how we can faithfully represent Him in a complicated land. I believe there is great value when the Body of Messiah in America can hear directly from believers who are living and serving here.
Over the years, the Lord has established something precious between believers in the United States and Israel. American Christians have prayed for this land, stood alongside ministries and congregations here, encouraged us during difficult seasons, and helped make practical ministry possible. Those relationships have carried us through moments of great joy and moments when Israel has walked through tremendous pain. They remind us that the Body of Messiah is not limited by geography, nationality, language, or culture.
But one thing became especially clear to me during this trip: a bridge carries something in both directions. I came to America carrying stories from Israel and hoping to strengthen others, but I returned carrying the encouragement America had given me. Again and again, people welcomed me into their homes, invited me to their tables, prayed with me, listened to me, laughed with me, and treated me not simply as a visiting pastor from Israel, but as a brother. Thousands of miles from the Galilee, the Lord gave me a beautiful reminder that in Him, home can sometimes be found in unexpected places.
Perhaps this is part of the mutual blessing God has been building between our nations and churches over many years. We in Israel need the prayers, friendship, encouragement, and faithfulness of our brothers and sisters in America. And we also have something precious to share—a living testimony from the land of the Bible and a reminder that Yeshua is still at work among Jews and Arabs, building His Kingdom in ways that do not always make the news. When we listen to one another, pray for one another, and walk together, both sides of the bridge become stronger.
As I returned home to the Galilee, my heart was full of gratitude. I am thankful for every pastor and church that welcomed me in Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, for every home that opened its doors, every table where there was a place for me, every prayer, every conversation, and every expression of love. I came home refreshed and reminded again of what a beautiful family God has given us in the Body of Messiah.
I traveled across America hoping to strengthen bridges, only to discover that those same bridges were strengthening me.
To everyone who welcomed me and made me feel at home: thank you. I carry your encouragement back with me to Israel, and my prayer is that the Lord will continue to deepen what He has built between us—that across the miles, we will continue to strengthen one another, pray for one another, and faithfully carry the love of Yeshua wherever He has placed us.
May the Lord richly bless you.
Shalom from the Galilee,
Pastor Saleem