“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
In the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, our humanitarian centers in northern Israel were full of activity.
Food was being packed and loaded, families were coming through our doors, and assistance was going out through trusted local partners. By the time the holiday arrived, 500 special food packages had been distributed to families in need, elderly people and Holocaust survivors, and families who have recently made aliyah and are rebuilding their lives in Israel. As we watched the food going out, our prayer was simple: Lord, use what is in our hands to touch hearts and help us be light in the darkness.
And that is what made this distribution so meaningful to us. Behind those 500 packages were people we had the privilege to serve—families arriving at our humanitarian centers in Nazareth and Haifa, elderly people living on limited pensions, and newcomers facing the enormous task of beginning again in a new country. Along with food, we were able to provide clothing and other practical household assistance where needed. These may seem like ordinary things, but when someone is struggling, practical help can lift a very real burden. And for us, this is one of the simplest ways to make the love of Yeshua visible.
One moment during the distribution especially encouraged us.
Maor, a representative of the Nof HaGalil municipality, came to collect food packages for local families. We have served alongside the municipality through many different seasons, and he thanked us for being there “in the hardest times and also in the best times.” Then he added, “We hope we will continue to walk hand in hand.” Those words meant a great deal to us because this is exactly the kind of relationship we have prayed to build here in Israel—not only showing up once, but continuing to serve, listen and stand alongside our neighbors.
We saw another beautiful example when a rabbi came to collect a minivan full of food for people in his community. As he thanked us, he offered a simple hope: “May there be peace between Christians, Jews and Muslims.” Here we were—an Arab Christian ministry helping provide for Jewish families during Rosh Hashanah—and in that very ordinary moment, something much greater than a food distribution was taking place.
This is how many bridges begin:
not with speeches, but with people choosing to care for one another.
Our assistance is always given freely according to need, regardless of a person’s faith or background. We cannot know what God will do through every box of food, every conversation or every person who walks through our doors. Our part is to love our neighbor, serve faithfully and allow the light of Yeshua to be seen through what we do. And this Rosh Hashanah, you helped us do that 500 times.
Thank you for standing with us and making this outreach possible. Your prayers and generosity allowed us to meet real needs while continuing to build relationships between Jewish and Arab Israelis here in the Galilee. Five hundred food packages were distributed—but what we are most grateful for is the trust, compassion and connection growing around them.
May the Lord continue to help us walk hand in hand and be His light together.