Some of the most meaningful ministry never begins with a sermon. It begins with a conversation, a helping hand, or a simple act of kindness that quietly earns the right to be heard.
That is exactly how our friendship with Galina began.
Just above our clothing warehouse is a facility for children with special needs. When the organization first moved into the building, overflowing water from their cleaning often found its way downstairs, flooding parts of our warehouse. It was an inconvenience at first, but it also introduced us to Galina—a Jewish refugee from Ukraine who worked there, helping in the kitchen and caring for the facility.
At first, our conversations were brief. Galina was always hurrying from one task to the next, but over time we became acquainted. We shared with her about our clothing warehouse, where donated items are lovingly given to Holocaust survivors, struggling families, new immigrants, and anyone facing hardship. Before long, we simply told her, “If you ever need anything yourself, don’t hesitate to ask.”
She never did.
Then one day, during one of our clothing distribution days, we invited Galina to come inside and look around for herself. She immediately hesitated, quietly insisting that someone else surely needed the clothes more than she did. She didn’t want to take anything that belonged to someone else. Eventually, she agreed to step inside, and within minutes our volunteers had found beautiful clothing for both her and her family. More than the clothes themselves, though, it was the warmth she experienced that touched her heart. She quickly connected with the women serving in the warehouse, and before long she found herself stopping by simply to say hello.
A few days later, as we were distributing food packages, Galina happened to pass by again. We invited her to take some groceries home, and as we talked, the conversation naturally turned toward faith. We asked whether she had ever attended church. She smiled and said she had many years ago in Ukraine, but assumed there probably weren’t any Messianic congregations nearby in Israel.
Standing only a few steps away from our congregation, she had no idea she had been walking past it all this time.
In her mind, a congregation had to be a special building with a cross on top. She never imagined that the people who had welcomed her, served her, prayed for her, and cared for her were themselves the congregation—the living Body of the Messiah.
It reminded us of John’s words:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18
Long before Galina ever attended one of our congregational services, she had already experienced the love of God’s people in practical ways. The clothing, the food, the conversations, and the simple acts of kindness had quietly prepared her heart for something much greater.
Then God surprised all of us.
As we continued talking, we discovered that one of Galina’s closest friends from Ukraine—someone she had lost contact with years earlier—is now faithfully serving in our congregation. We called her immediately, and the two women were overjoyed to reconnect after so many years apart. It was one more reminder that the Lord is always weaving together stories we could never arrange ourselves.
That unexpected reunion opened the door to an even deeper conversation. We shared that God’s congregation is not defined by walls or a building, but by people who have been redeemed through Yeshua’s sacrifice and brought together as His family. We asked Galina if she was ready to ask the Lord’s forgiveness for the years she had lived apart from Him and to begin a new covenant relationship with Him.
Without hesitation, she said yes.
Together, we prayed, and she carefully repeated every word aloud. Afterward, we continued praying for her and for the needs she carries as she builds a new life in Israel.
Today we remain in close contact with Galina. She is looking forward to joining one of our congregational services, and we continue praying that the good work God has begun in her life will continue to grow.
Moments like these remind us that the Lord often prepares hearts long before anyone walks through the doors of a congregation. A warm welcome, a listening ear, a bag of groceries, a few pieces of clothing, or a simple act of compassion may seem ordinary to us—but in God’s hands, they become invitations to something eternal.
Thank you for making stories like Galina’s possible. Through your prayers and faithful partnership, practical acts of love are opening doors for people across Israel to encounter not only a caring community, but the love and salvation found in Yeshua the Messiah.
