Operation Rising Lion

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Dear Friend,

At about three o’clock Friday morning we were awakened by the air-raid sirens. After heading to the stairwell and waiting 10 minutes we returned to bed. The next morning, we awoke to the reality that Israel was in open war with Iran, the power behind Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and who have threatened development of nuclear weapons to use against us. Classes were canceled, non-essential business were ordered to be closed and we were instructed to stay near protected areas (bomb shelters - stairwells were no longer considered viable). Many, many reservists were called up at the same time to serve.

We are relieved and thankful for the improvements to the alerts we get on our phones of incoming missiles. We now get an initial alert at about ten minutes before they arrive in addition to the one minute alert we had been getting. The bomb shelter in our building is in the basement. We now can get the girls awake and into the shelter as the one minute siren sounds rather scrambling to get out the door of our apartment in time.

Once there, we are joined by the neighbors from our building as well as some from the building next door. They don’t have a bomb shelter at all. We listen to the booms and detonations – some close by, some far away and wait for the all clear signal from the Home Command. We’re thankful for the portable radio we’d been given as there is no wifi or cell phone reception in the bomb shelter.

Friday night three air raid warnings woke us, sending us to our basement bomb shelter. Thankfully, most of the Iranian drones and ballistic missiles sent at us so far have been intercepted, limiting the amount of death and destruction here. Unfortunately, those that have gotten through have been heavy, powerful and have caused death and unprecedented destruction. You can get Israeli news reports that detail events here at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/ or https://www.ynetnews.com

Our congregation met for worship this Shabbat on Zoom. Daryoosh and Sara joined us from the UK. Daryoosh is a former Muslim Iranian Republican Guard soldier whose heart was changed when came to faith, transforming his hatred for Israel into a deep love for God’s chosen people. He and Sara were a part of our congregation for a number of years as a part of showing that love. Daryoosh prayed for Israel and for us at our meeting, as well as for Israelis and Iranians to come to know the Messiah.

Over a year ago Heidi and I applied for our granddaughters to receive United States citizenship based on our (the grandparents) US citizenship. We had previously discussed this with Dasha and Josiah, and she had made sure the girls had up-to-date passports. After her murder, we hired an immigration attorney given the unusual situation that had developed. After applying, we were told that the waiting period for an appointment would be up to two years.

Just after the Passover holiday we received a letter from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services telling us that the grandgirls’ citizenship interview was scheduled for July 31st in New Jersey. We were very surprised but began making plans to come to the States. We were considering our ticket options just as a Houthi missile struck at the Tel Aviv airport. We realized it would be another travel season with disruptions this summer as foreign airlines canceled flights – so we booked a ticket to the States with El Al. Israeli airspace has been closed since Friday. Our flight is scheduled for July 9th and we are praying that the skies will be open by that time. Please pray!

Meanwhile, we rejoice in what the Lord has been doing here in and through our congregation. On May 24th we met as an entire congregation at the Baptist Village for fellowship, teaching, testimonies and baptisms. Ten individuals were baptized, half of whom are the first in their families to receive Yeshua as their Messiah. Here are stories of some of those who were baptized that day.

• Benny was just released from the IDF. He shared that he always believed in God, but he found religious Judaism as too restrictive a lifestyle to seriously pursue it. One day he chose to click on one of the “annoying” internet ads regarding Yeshua and was determined to disprove what he heard. But his efforts resulted in his becoming convinced that Yeshua was indeed who he claimed to be. As he shared with his family what he learned, his younger brother received the good news as well!

• Eran went through a long process to come to the Lord. His initial exposure to the faith was in his youth and he vehemently opposed any “Christian” belief. Like so many other Jewish individuals, he saw Yeshua as “a very bad Jew, who betrayed his people.” For him, faith in Yeshua would involve “betraying Judaism and breaking with the tradition of thousands of years of our Jewish ancestors.” The Lord arranged for him to meet Messianic Jewish believers and eventually opened his eyes to the truth regarding Yeshua. Now, as a man of 50 years of age he has become “a believer in Yeshua despite the problematic background” from which he comes.

• Nof is a 36 year-old woman who spent years in depression seeking enlightenment and truth in all kinds of places - mystic Judaism, Eastern philosophy and religion. Her series of unfulfilling relationships eventually led her back home with her mother and in a state where she was almost unwilling to leave her room. Displaced at the outbreak of the war, she found herself in Haifa in a believing youth hostel. There she met individuals who shared the gospel. In spite of her doubts about Yeshua’s claim to be the Messiah, she searched until He revealed Himself to her. She invited her friends and family to join the congregation for her baptism. While they do not yet believe in Yeshua, they were very excited to hear her testimony and have been pleased to see the changes the Lord has made in her life.

We are humbled by the privilege and responsibility the Lord had placed in our hands with these and so many other young believers in our congregation. Please continue to pray for their growth and the development of young leaders in our midst. Some of young men we consider to be key future leaders recently met with each other to discuss how the congregational leadership might help them grow. They presented their ideas regarding the training they need. As elders we has already been talking and working on a development plan. It was exciting to that they are feeling this need! We hope to finalize plans to begin meeting in the fall to address this need and expand the ministry in the congregation.

We appreciate your prayers for our safety and for the safety of our country. Please remember the people of Iran as well who suffer under the darkness of a radical Islamic regime, many of whom have come to faith in Yeshua over the past decades. We are also grateful for your prayers for the strength we need from the Lord to minister the gospel to those here under these circumstances.

Yours in the Messiah,

Phil and Heidi