Yana made aliyah to Israel, along with her son Maxim, nearly six months ago. They had fled the war in Ukraine in hopes of a better life in Israel, and in reconnecting with their Jewish roots. They eventually settled in Ashkelon, which is our neighboring city where we also have a congregation and humanitarian center.
It was very difficult for Yana and Maxim to adjust to life in Israel, so much so, that Maxim decided to leave Israel for Europe in hope of better work opportunities and a higher quality of life. This was a big blow for Yana, as she lost her pillar of support and was left all alone in Israel.
Yana reached out to Beit Hallel Congregation to find spiritual support and guidance during this hard season of her life. Our follow-up team of Boaz and Yochevet scheduled to meet with Yana and to see how they could support her. When the day of Yana’s visit arrived, our team were already waiting for her in our reception area. We led her to our counseling area and offered her some tea and refreshments, for which she was grateful.
Yana then told us that as she entered our church building, that something touched her heart and she experienced a wonderful sense of peace. As she mentioned this she began to weep. We spoke with Yana for a long time and listened to her story of how hard it had been experiencing the war in Ukraine, and how difficult adjusting to life in Israel was.
We felt that Yana needed to be encouraged in Jesus, and started by sharing our own testimonies of salvation and of how God had changed our loves for the better, blessing us with love more abundantly. We also presented Yana with her very first Bible and explained how to study the Bible day by day, starting from Genesis all the way through to Revelations, as well as how to pray with faith.
Our team then asked Yana if she felt the Lord was speaking to her about receiving Him as her Lord and Savior. She said that she knew the time was right for her to fully commit herself to God’s plan for her life through Jesus, and that she wished to repent of her sins. Yana prayed the prayer of salvation with Boaz and Yochevet, all the while weeping tears of joy and peace.
Yana explained afterwards that she felt a tremendous sense of purpose and destiny after having given her life to Jesus, and that she simply knew everything would be as she walked with Jesus. Yana has slotted into a home group in the meanwhile, and has also been attending our Shabbat services faithfully. She has come a long way and have hope for tomorrow. Hosanna!
Beit Hallel is a Messianic Jewish congregation in Ashdod, led by pastor Israel Pochtar, serving holocaust survivors and the poor and needy locally and throughout the nation of Israel, while building up the body of Messiah in the promised land of Israel.