Sukkot is hard to miss in Israel. Suddenly balconies become little temporary homes with built tabernacles, children carry decorations, and sukkot begin appearing everywhere—in gardens, outside apartment buildings, and even squeezed into places where you wonder how anyone managed to build one. For a week, an ancient biblical Feast becomes part of ordinary Israeli life again.
And every year, we find ourselves thinking about something else that happened during this Feast.
Nearly two thousand years ago, Yeshua stood in Jerusalem on the final and greatest day of Sukkot and cried out,
“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink”
John 7:37
It was a very public invitation, spoken in the middle of a very Jewish celebration. Yet today, so many Israelis celebrating Sukkot have never really been told what Yeshua meant—or even had the opportunity to consider Him as part of their own biblical story. This is what is on our hearts as we prepare to bring hundreds of Israelis with us into the Galilee this Sukkot.
We know how these days begin. People get on the buses carrying coffee, bags, and conversations. Someone is late. Friends save seats for each other. There is that familiar buzz at the beginning of a trip—a little excitement, a little curiosity, and people coming with different expectations. They know they have been invited to spend a day with us in the Galilee—a day that will include biblical places, fellowship, time in Scripture, and an opportunity to hear why we believe in Yeshua.
But none of us knows what God may do in a person’s heart along the way.
And that is something we never want to force. There is simply time on a day like this for genuine relationships and honest conversations to develop. Time on the road. Time around a table. Time beside the Sea of Galilee. Someone asks why we believe in Yeshua. Someone else has heard things about Him all their life and wants to know what is actually true. A testimony leads to another question. A familiar passage of Scripture is opened, except perhaps this time it is heard differently.
But all of this also leads toward a very intentional moment in the day. After traveling together, visiting biblical places, sharing a meal, and spending time beside the Sea of Galilee, hundreds of Israelis will gather together for the evangelistic meeting at the heart of the outreach.
Pastor Israel will stand before them and open the Scriptures. He will speak plainly about Yeshua—not as someone disconnected from the story of Israel, but as the Messiah promised through the very Scriptures our people have known for generations. He will share the Gospel clearly: our need for forgiveness, what Yeshua has done for us, and the new life God offers through Him.
And then there will be an invitation.
Those who are ready will have an opportunity to respond personally, to pray, and to begin putting their faith in Yeshua. Others may leave with questions they have never asked before. Some may need more time. We cannot decide what happens in anyone’s heart, and we would never want to. Our responsibility is to share the Gospel openly and lovingly, give people an opportunity to respond, and then continue walking with those who want to know more.
This is why we put so much into these outreaches—not to manufacture a moment, but to make room for one. We have seen before what God can do when Israelis are given an opportunity to hear the Gospel clearly, ask honest questions, and encounter believers who are willing to stay beside them afterward. The gathering may last only part of a day, but for those who respond or begin searching, the relationship does not end when the buses leave the Galilee.
And bringing hundreds of people into a day like this takes something very practical. It costs approximately $100 to bring one Israeli for the complete experience—including transportation to and throughout the Galilee, a shared meal, visits to biblical places, the boat trip on the Sea of Galilee, and the evangelistic gathering where Pastor Israel will share the Gospel.
$25
Help toward one Israeli’s day
$50
Cover half the cost for one Israeli
$100
Sponsor one Israeli
$500
Sponsor five Israelis
Perhaps you can sponsor five people. Perhaps you can sponsor one. Perhaps $25 is what you are able to give. Whatever the amount, your gift helps make room for another person to come—to travel with us, share a meal, open the Scriptures, ask honest questions, and sit in that gathering where they will hear clearly about Yeshua and have an opportunity to respond.
There is something especially meaningful about doing this during Sukkot. Our people have celebrated this Feast for generations. It is part of our history, our Scriptures, and our life here in Israel. Yet so many have never understood the invitation Yeshua gave in the middle of this very Feast: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
Two thousand years later, the invitation still stands.
This Sukkot, hundreds of Israelis will gather in the Galilee and hear that invitation for themselves. Through your prayers and generosity, you can help us make room for one more. Will you help bring one more Israeli to the Galilee?
