Ministry in the Bomb Shelters

During times of war, life can seem to come to a standstill, with many people frozen with fear and losing hope. Yet within Israel’s bomb shelters, God is moving! In the safe spaces, anything and everything becomes a topic for dialogue—even Jesus. 

The word “sheltering” is how our staff families in Israel let us know that they are safe in the bomb shelters and safe rooms as missiles rain overhead. The biblical word for shelter, seter (סֵתֶר), sometimes translated as “hiding place,” appears throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, especially in Psalms. For example, Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the shelter (סֵתֶר) of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 61:4 (verse 5 in Hebrew) reads, “Let me take refuge in the shelter (סֵתֶר) of Your wings.” Our ministry staff in Israel have been witnessing to those sheltering with them from the war outside about where they can find true refuge—in their Lord and Messiah, Jesus.

We encourage you to read the following testimonies from our ministry staff in Israel, who are faithfully sharing the gospel in bomb shelters and meeting the physical and spiritual needs of their communities. The Lord has empowered them to do His work in the land, even during this war. 

One staff member describes:

There is an underground shelter fairly close to where people live. But it is too far for some to run back and forth to the shelter quickly and frequently, so they have brought mattresses, blankets, and even tents and have set up a sleeping area underground. I have also set up camp underground, and one morning, I met a woman in the restroom. She was applying hair products, face cream, and makeup. It looked so out of place while living in an underground shelter. I told her it was wonderful that she could continue her grooming and the use of beauty products. She declared, “I have to! I can’t let them take that away from me!”

I replied, “Yeah, I totally understand.” I explained to her that every morning I wake up and take a seat in a quiet corner to have a few moments before the day takes off. I pray, read the Scriptures, and think about the Lord. I need to take care of my insides, my soul, and my faith, and I do that by reading the Bible and praying. 

She replied, “Wow, in all my life, I never thought about my inside.
I never thought about my soul.” This led to a conversation about faith and having a relationship with God, who takes care of our souls, our outlook on life, our actions, and our words.

With sirens alerting the public to incoming ballistic missiles, another of our workers quickly took refuge in an available shelter in an apartment building’s fortified basement. She relayed:

As I entered the shelter, I was immediately impressed with the work they had done on the bare, concrete room. People had decorated it by bringing down a throw rug and couches. They made it look comfy and welcoming. On the wall, there was one English-language decoration displaying the word “hope.” I commented on the feeling of the shelter and the words on the wall. They said that when they come to the shelter, they hope they won’t get hit by the missile or shrapnel. We all agreed that the word “hope” is a big word and can mean many things. We talked about the hope we have and how the Jewish people have lived through so much, yet still have a lot of hope. I was able to share with them the hope I have in the Scriptures and that my hope is in the Lord. We left with smiles and wishes for a safe and good day.

The next time the siren went off, I intentionally went to the shelter with them again. Through natural conversation, I was able to share my testimony and how I found life-changing hope in Yeshua. It was a tremendous moment, and I pray that those words sank deeply into their minds and hearts.

We recently received this testimony from a staff member who wrote:

As the weeks of the war with Iran go by, we continue to stay close to bomb shelters so that we can reach them quickly when the sirens sound. The country is operating under severe restrictions. All educational institutions are closed, and people may go to work only if their workplace has an official shelter. Numerous businesses, especially small ones, are collapsing. Many people have not worked for weeks, and no one knows whether they will receive any compensation. We do not know when the rocket attacks will end or when we will be able to return to normal life.

Despite this situation, we continue our daily ministry and support our people. Of course, we have many opportunities to share our faith with those around us, which is wonderful. We continue to hold our meetings on Zoom where we pray, study the Scriptures, and spend time together. The Lord is also giving us opportunities to carry out special projects.

We are still providing practical and spiritual support to Holocaust survivors in different cities across Israel. In one city, in cooperation with social services, we distributed emergency aid packages to a group of Holocaust survivors and families in need.

In another city, also in cooperation with municipal social services, we provided special gifts to more than one hundred children from needy families. These gifts included items to help them pass the time in bomb shelters, such as modeling clay, coloring books, paints, and other activities.

On International Women’s Day, we made handmade gifts and distributed them to women with whom we have been working for the past two years.

In northern Israel, we are supporting and helping dozens of families and groups of Holocaust survivors who are in great need. Fifteen families on the brink of financial crisis received grocery cards from us, along with prayer and spiritual support.

We are grateful to the Lord for what He is doing during these days. Over the past few weeks, we have had many opportunities to speak with many people, including ministry leaders and other organizations, to better understand their needs, how we can help, and how we can work together.

Another worker wrote: 

We thank God that when rockets strike and there are casualties, government emergency services can respond quickly and provide necessary assistance. However, there are still many people whose financial and spiritual needs go unmet. Families, elderly individuals, and those living alone are experiencing deep fear and stress. Our team is doing everything possible to support people both practically and spiritually. In this difficult and frightening time, we are using every opportunity to help people find salvation. We all understand how fragile life is right now. Without Jesus, death means eternal separation—but in Him there is hope.

I want to share with you what the Lord has enabled us to do. One of our staff members is holding daily Zoom meetings with Holocaust survivors. During these gatherings, they read Scripture, pray, and simply talk together. Between twenty-five and forty people join each day. For them, this fellowship is deeply important. I also have the privilege of leading daily online Bible studies for unbelievers. We are grateful for the technology that allows us to continue teaching and sharing the gospel. 

Our team receives dozens of phone calls from people we regularly work with, and we answer their questions, address their fears and prayer requests, and just have spiritual conversations. We have provided emotional and practical support to sixteen families facing particularly severe hardship. Some were already dealing with psychological challenges from the almost three years of the Hamas war before these new attacks started from Iran. We connected them with believing counselors. Now, many are again experiencing panic attacks, and we remain in contact with them. 

We organized and delivered dinners for ninety Israeli Air Force soldiers, serving on the front lines without a break. We did not simply send pizza; we made sure they knew this was a blessing from Christians and Messianic Jews who are praying for them, and that God loves them. We distributed more than one hundred gifts to children in their homes and bomb shelters, and handed them out on the streets. We always clearly explain who we are and that these gifts come from God through His children who believe in Jesus. We also seek to connect with parents so that relationships can continue beyond this moment. We purchased and delivered medications to Holocaust survivors and ordered hundreds of diapers and other essential supplies.

As you can see from these inspiring stories, God is still preserving His chosen people today. He is reaching out to them with the good news of the Jewish Messiah, even in bomb shelters with missiles raining down beyond the concrete walls. God sheltered His people in the Hebrew Scriptures in the seter—the secret place where God hides His saints—Psalm 31:20 says, “You hide them in the secret place of Your presence,” and Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” Please continue to pray for God’s protection over Israel and the Jewish people and pray for our ministry team in the Holy Land as they continue to share the deliverance and refuge of Jesus with those sheltering with them in the bomb shelters!