Each day in Israel has had its own special blessings and Wednesday was no exception! We awoke to another beautiful day and made our way north to Kiryat Shmona. There, we met and ministered with some of God’s greatest servants!

Kiryat Shmona is a Jewish/Arab city in northern Israel that was targeted more than once by Hezbollah rockets, forcing complete evacuation of the city’s residents. However, a few chose to stay: Pastor Israel Iluz and his family, and some hearty souls committed to be the reflection of Jesus! Just after the October 7 attack on Israeli kibbutzim near Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel from the north. Since then, Pastor Iluz’s son, Yonathan (Yoni), has picked up the mantle of service in the name of Jesus. He turned his restaurant business into a ministry that has fed 200-3400 IDF soldiers with hot, healthy meals every day.

The 23,000 or so residents of Kiryat Shmona evacuated soon after the war started and the city was hit with rocket fire many times until the recent ceasefire. Though the IDF has successfully decimated weapon stockpiles used to fire at northern Israeli cities, and has pushed Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, residents have still not returned to life as normal in Kiryat Shmona. Instead, they are coming during the day to clean up their homes, then going back to temporary living quarters, mostly in the area of Tiberias.

Kiryat Shmona was our ministry target on Wednesday. For those concerned about our safety, rest assured, there is no credible threat in the area. The IDF has done an unimaginable job in destroying Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure. No rockets have flown in many weeks now.

Yet, the effects of those attacks are still evident. Here is an 11-month-old report from Joel Rosenberg at Kiryat Shmona, plus a report of a Hezbollah rocket attack (several months ago) in which the blast wave damaged the newly-renovated Congregation Kiryat Shmona.

The volunteer team there was absolutely amazing! A Swiss couple in their 80’s was incredible. Speaking Hebrew but no English, Nellie gave us instructions regarding how to clean, chop and prepare several pounds of fresh veggies. Meanwhile, her husband, Elias, who could not ambulate well, sat drawing artwork on the aluminum lids to the serving trays to be sent to IDF soldiers in Lebanon. Magnificent.

Dan and Meg “ran the show!” From the US, but long-time missionaries to the Middle East, they are in their 9th year at Kiryat Shmona. Beyond all the cooking and food prep every day, Meg manages to make cakes and tarts to be shared each day at “coffee break,” a 20-minute sit-around-a-table time of fun and fellowship.

While there, the damage from nearby rocket hits was clear. A bomb shelter stood out front, shrapnel marks were seen on the walls, and the blast waves from the missiles broke out every window and caused significant damage to the ceiling.

If that was all, it would have been a most fulfilling day. But there was more!

Following lunch, we traveled back down to the Galilee with stops at Capernaum and Tabgha, two very significant sights in the Galilee, where we literally had the places to ourselves! These sights are usually jam-packed with people. Yet, we were literally the only people in the place for over an hour, when a lone tour bus dropped off a couple dozen people. The same was true of Tabgha! Unbelievable!

As always, those sights never disappoint.

It has truly been an amazing trip, though not without challenges. The missing piece of luggage was shipped from Frankfurt to Tel Aviv and scheduled to arrive on a delivery truck to Tiberias Wednesday, but difficulties continue. Because we move on Thursday, it is likely the bag will not catch up with us for a few more days. Please pray!

Otherwise, please rejoice with us as we have been able to be the hands and feet of Jesus. What a privilege!

Tomorrow is a transition day with some fun things planned. See you here again tomorrow for that report.