March 2025 Newsletter

The Chosen People Newsletter

Boris,* a Russian Jewish man, has been attending our staff’s weekly support group for family members of addicts in Brooklyn, New York. His son has struggled with addiction for several years, and one of the women in our group invited him to our meetings. While attending, he encountered the love, prayer, and encouragement of the entire group. He has heard the gospel and seen the impact that Jesus has on the lives of the other attendees who know the same pain and suffering as Boris, each of them with family members—sons and daughters—who have been ensnared by addiction.

He also recently began attending our weekly congregational service, which was a huge step for him. During our most recent communion celebration, he sat in the back of the room, leaned over to one of our staff, and asked, “What does it mean to take communion?” She replied to him, “It means you believe that Jesus is your Savior and that you trust in His sacrifice for your sins. . . . Do you believe this?” With tears in his eyes, he nodded and said, “Yes, I do believe this.” With great joy, he accepted Jesus as Messiah! Please pray for Boris—that the Lord will protect and mature him in the faith, for strength and wisdom for our staff as they disciple him and pour into his life, and for his son to be delivered from addiction and for him to come to know Jesus.

As Bible studies and brunch attendance booms for our Tel Aviv ministry, buying sufficient food within our budget can occasionally be challenging. Though some may say, “Let them eat cake,” food is the first way our staff ministers to participants who battle traffic after a long day’s work (or studying) to fellowship and study God’s Word together. Food also fosters worshipful conversation long before sitting down to study Scripture together. This was the case at a recent ladies’ brunch when a Chinese friend explained how, in her remote village, Jesus revealed Himself to her in a dream, leading her and her Muslim family to faith. Soon afterward, our staff sat to eat with two Jewish Israeli believers: an older lady, forty-plus years in the faith, and a young lady, four years in her faith (she, too, surprisingly, was saved through a dream). Both come from unbelieving homes and came to know the Messiah in their teens. It was moving and worshipful hearing each of their testimonies. Much of this meaningful fellowship would be missed without these meals. Our staff are thankful for God’s provision, even as they pray for His continued provision, as many more people are drawn to our ministry’s programs.

Our staff in Goa, India, run a ministry center with a café and a guest house for Israeli backpackers. They named it Mika Mocha, a play on words on the coffee drink mocha and the Hebrew phrase mi kamocha, meaning “who is like You?” Here are two testimonies from recent ministry there:

A young Israeli couple expressed their thoughts to our staff when they offered them two Hebrew New Testaments. They said, “This is the first time we are hearing about Jesus as compassionate. Previously, people said otherwise, advocating for strict religious lives with consequences for lack of observance. Tell us more about your faith in Jesus and your experiences with Him.” Please pray for the salvation of Dor* and Mor.* A few days later, they returned to Mika Mocha to discuss Jesus further.

An elderly Israeli couple, dear friends with whom our staff have presented the gospel many times, were recently at Mika Mocha. Both are staunch atheists but love our staff dearly. Last year in Israel, they offered their home for us to host an evening presenting the gospel to their friends. We believe the Lord has worked in their lives, especially since the war in Israel. The husband, who rarely mentions God, sent our staff audio messages about his trip to India, ending with “God bless you,” the exact words our staff regularly uses. Our coworkers in India are reaching them with God’s love and the gospel. Please keep this elderly Israeli couple in your prayers.