They had made Aliyah only two months earlier, and life in Israel was already weighing heavily on them. So when Irina found herself on a small bus heading toward Jaffa and asked what kind of excursion they had joined, our team gave her a simple answer: “We just want you to spend the day with us, breathe, and see some of the beauty of Israel.” Her response stopped us: “You have no idea how much we need this right now.” Far from everything familiar and still finding their footing as new Olim, they had been carrying more than we realized. What they did not know was that we were taking them somewhere where another story was waiting to meet them—the biblical story written into the ancient streets of Jaffa.
By the end of that day, we would stand together near the traditional site of Simon the Tanner’s house, open the book of Acts, and watch as words written nearly two thousand years ago suddenly came alive in the place where they happened. The stones of Israel have a way of telling their story. And as we shared what happened there, spoke about Yeshua, and told them the Good News of salvation, six people would make a decision none of us had expected when that little bus left Ashdod that morning: they would pray to receive Yeshua.
What made the day even more remarkable was that this group had never been planned. We originally expected to take just one family, but the evening before the trip, calls began coming in from others asking to join us. Among them were three new Olim who had first met in Ukraine, later traveled on the same flight to Israel, and remarkably all found themselves beginning their new lives in Ashdod. Now their paths had crossed once more—on this little bus to Jaffa.
The heart behind these journeys is simple.
We believe the Lord is opening a new door for us to regularly bring new Olim and families to biblical Jaffa—to spend a day together, build relationships, and discover the biblical story of the land they now call home. There is something remarkable about opening the Bible in Israel. A passage that once seemed distant suddenly has streets, walls, stones, and a horizon. You read the words, look around you, and realize: this happened here.
Even before we reached ancient Jaffa, something was beginning to change. During a stop at a Christian café, Irina called a friend and tried to describe what she was feeling. “It feels as though I have been reset,” she told them. “I started smiling again.” After hearing how much pressure she had been carrying, those simple words meant something to us. The day had barely begun, and already a woman who had told us how alone she felt was smiling again.
Later, we walked together through Old Jaffa until we came near the traditional site associated with the house of Simon the Tanner. There we opened Acts 10 and read about Peter praying on the rooftop when messengers arrived from the Roman centurion Cornelius. From this ancient city, Peter would go to Cornelius’s home and proclaim the Good News of Yeshua—an extraordinary moment as the Gospel went forth to the nations.
Now, nearly two thousand years later, we were standing inside that same biblical geography.
The ancient streets were around us and the stones beneath our feet as we opened the Scriptures, shared our testimonies, and spoke about Yeshua and the salvation He offers. Then we asked a simple question: having heard the Gospel, would they like to respond personally and pray with us right there?
They did. Six people prayed aloud, opening their hearts to Yeshua. Afterward, we joined hands and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill and lead them. Irina could hardly explain what she was experiencing; she simply said she felt like crying. Galina described it differently: “I feel so light.” Even one of the young sons was in tears as we prayed together.
We began this journey believing the Lord might be opening a new door for evangelism: one bus, one day in biblical Jaffa, one group at a time. There was no large campaign surrounding this first trip. We simply walked through the door God placed before us—and on that very first journey, six people called upon the name of Yeshua.
One bus may not look like much. But when God opens the door, one bus is enough to carry someone toward an encounter that can change eternity.
As we continue these journeys, bringing new Olim and families into biblical Jaffa and creating opportunities to open the Scriptures and share the Gospel, your partnership helps make days like this possible. If the Lord places it on your heart to stand with us, your support helps us keep going—one bus, one group, and one precious opportunity at a time.
