Hello all! The last couple of days have been filled with a lot of intense work. Monday we spent the day in Sederot ministering to Holocaust survivors. These people are very elderly and many of them are shut in. We had the opportunity to bring them care packages of food and just sit and visit with them. Even though most of them spoke either Russian or Hebrew, we were still able to communicate our love for them by just showing up and helping them with whatever they needed. Sederot is one of the most poverty stricken areas in Israel. Many of these people live in fear of Hamas attack. There are bomb shelters in every home and on every street corner. It blows my mind to think that these people lived through the holocaust, some of them even survived concentration camps, and yet they still live in fear for their lives because of hateful and evil people. The people were so appreciative that we would take the time to come and visit with them and bring them food. It was really inspirational to meet these people, see their resilience and hear their amazing stories.

Yesterday we spent the day in Tel Aviv volunteering at a soup kitchen. Again, this particular neighborhood has a very high poverty rate. Many of the people we were serving have drug or alcohol addiction, some may be prostitutes, most were elderly and many were refugees from Sudan. The first part of the day was spent in the distribution center. A large shipment of donated clothing was recieved in the morning. It took a long time to sort through all of the clothes and organize them all. We also spent a lot of time making care packages of food items. The soup kitchen opened at five oclock, and people had been waiting outside for several hours. Serving the people was very hectic and kind of crazy but everyone was fed. I learned a lot about having a servants heart even in the midst of chaos and confusion. This experience also made me greatly appreciate all of the blessings I have in my life. Unlike these people, I have never been in need and I have never gone hungry. After having a meal, each person was able to sort through the clothes closet and recieve a bag of food to take home. It was a blessing to me to be a part of this experience. It taught me a lot about being humble and serving others.
"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did for me"
Matthew 25:40


After several days of working with survivors, today we will visit the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Please be in prayer for our group as we continue to minister to these people, so that we can have a better understanding and appreciation for what they have lived through.