Every week in Jerusalem, our follow-up and outreach team, together with our associate pastor and evangelist Haim, gathers around tables with new immigrants, seekers, and people carrying deep questions about life, faith, and the meaning of prayer.
Over time, these discipleship evenings have become a gentle space where people open up, ask the questions they’ve been afraid to ask, and where the Holy Spirit begins working in ways none of us could orchestrate.
One recent evening painted a beautiful picture of just how powerfully God moves in these moments.
Daniel — A Search Laid Bare
That night, Haim sat with a new immigrant named Daniel, who had recently arrived from Moscow. Back in Russia, Daniel had worked as a sports journalist, but since coming to Israel, he had been searching for something deeper — something solid.
As he and Haim talked, a surprising detail surfaced: they shared a mutual believing friend in Jerusalem.
A small detail, yet one that made our team pause. It felt like God reminding us that He had been weaving Daniel’s path long before he set foot in that room.
And Haim sensed immediately: Daniel wasn’t with us by accident.
As the evening continued, the discipleship topic of the night — prayer — stirred something in Daniel. He shared that during his first weeks in Israel, he had visited different places trying to understand spirituality. In one location, he felt something special — almost like a sense of peace or holiness — but in another place, he felt absolutely nothing.
That contrast left him confused, and he began asking the questions that were on his heart:
- How should a person pray?
- Where does God actually hear us?
- Why do some places feel spiritual while others feel empty?
Haim opened Scripture and gently walked him through Yeshua’s words to the Samaritan woman:
“God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24
He explained that true prayer isn’t tied to a building or atmosphere.
Because of Yeshua, we can pray anywhere — and know God hears us.
You could almost see understanding beginning to settle into Daniel’s heart.
Lyudmila — A First Prayer After a Lifetime of Silence
At the same table sat Lyudmila, who had listened quietly through the whole conversation. When she finally spoke, she shared something deeply vulnerable:
She had never prayed once in her entire life.
Growing up in an atheistic society, she never learned how. She never felt she needed God. But one month ago, when her husband suddenly passed away, everything changed. She found herself standing before grief she couldn’t carry and questions she couldn’t answer.
A friend had invited her to the discipleship evening. When she arrived, it was our follow-up team who welcomed her, sat with her, and gently made space for her story. And all through the discussion on prayer, something in her heart softened.
With tears forming, she asked quietly:
- How do I begin?
- What do I say?
- How do I know He hears me?
It was clear she wasn’t looking for information — she was reaching out for hope.
The Door to the Father
As the evening came to an end, Haim shared the heart of it all:
“The door to the Father is Yeshua. Only through Him can we taste and see that the Lord is good.”
He explained it gently, and our follow-up team stayed close — listening, answering their questions, encouraging them with love. Then Haim asked them the question that changes everything:
“If you believe this, shall we pray together? Shall we invite Yeshua into your hearts right now?” Both responded with a quiet but firm yes.
A Prayer Heaven Heard
Around that simple discipleship table in Jerusalem, with our team beside them, Haim led them in a prayer of repentance and faith.
- Daniel prayed with sincerity and gratitude.
- Lyudmila prayed through tears — the kind that come when the Holy Spirit softens a heart for the very first time.
Before they left, Haim encouraged them to keep praying — even at home — to speak to Yeshua personally about the wounds they carried and the hope now growing inside them. That night, in a quiet room in Jerusalem, two people tasted the goodness of God for the first time.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”
Psalm 34:8
New Life Growing in Jerusalem
Since that evening:
- Daniel has already joined a home group.
- Lyudmila continues coming, hungry to learn.
Their journeys are just beginning, but faith is already taking root. Hope is already rising. And God is already shaping their lives.
This is why we serve. This is why these discipleship tables matter so deeply. And this is why your partnership means so much.
Because every conversation, every question, and every open chair becomes another opportunity for someone searching…
to meet the Savior.
