Happy Sunday, dear friends! Today I’ll share a precious testimony from Pastor Israel Iluz, a Jewish man who grew up orthodox but came to know Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah.

Pastor Iluz now serves a Messianic congregation in the north of Israel. The city of Kiryat Shmona has suffered multiple “hits” from Hezbollah rockets since October 7, 2023 and virtually the entire small city evacuated once the war began. Yet Pastor Iluz and a few members of his congregation stayed put while rockets fell. They stayed because Pastor Iluz’s son was a chef in the IDF, and soldiers fighting battles on the Lebanese border needed solid, home-cooked meals!

In February 2025, I led a small group to Israel to do service projects. We served alongside Pastor Iluz’s wonderful people. It was a time of relative quietness, and though we never had to run for cover, we witnessed the pock marks left by shrapnel on the exterior of their building and the bomb shelter that sits just outside their door. The building had actually taken a hit a few months earlier and the kitchen and sanctuary where we prepared meals for soldiers bore the marks of war. Sagging ceilings and displaced items used for worship did not deter us from enjoying sweet fellowship with other believers from different countries, all there to serve the people of Israel during a very difficult time.

Friends, if you are interested in visiting Israel and being the hands and feet of Jesus, there are wonderful opportunities this fall. We have a Return to Israel tour (for second timers) on October 17-27 and a regular tour November 1-10. Sandwiched in between (October 28-30) is an optional extension in which we will engage in service projects similar to our project in Kiryat Shmona. If you desire to roll up your sleeves and serve our Jewish friends, this is the perfect opportunity.

Find out more about the October and November tours (including fantastic itineraries), as well as the extension in between on ONE FOR ISRAEL’s Tour page. I have the blessed privilege of leading those tours and would absolutely love to host you. Please join us for an experience you will never forget.