Dear Prayer Partners,
          We ended this past month with some much needed rain showers! We also had the joy of seeing the almond blossoms come and go (a sign that Spring has arrived). This month begins with the joy of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasting until Friday evening, April 6th! Moving into this next month we can expect both days of great joy (Israeli Independence Day) and of great mourning (both the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Day & Israeli Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism).

Please join us in interceding on behalf of Israel for:

Holocaust Survivors and their Families
Many holocaust survivors living in Israel face difficult financial challenges, especially if they did not have enough personal retirement savings. For those who immigrated with their children and grandchildren, the situation may be a little better, but for their children and grandchildren, a heavy burden rests on their shoulders in their effort to take care of them. As we observe Holocaust Memorial Day this next month, we not only mourn for those who lost their lives in the holocaust, but we also pray for the well-being of those who still suffer because of the holocaust—those who have medical issues even to this day and those who cannot afford to pay their basic bills.

Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism
This month, we honor those who gave their lives for this nation or who have lost their lives in acts of terror. It’s not right that innocent people have died because of hate. It’s not right that young Israeli soldiers have had to risk their lives every day since even before the re-establishment of the nation of Israel so that those who hate Israel won’t be successful in hurting innocent civilians. Other militaries in the world only require their soldiers to risk their lives in times of war. Israel is in a constant war—the war on terrorism. As we observe this most somber of days in Israel this month, pray with us that those who’ve been affected by terrorism or war in Israel will receive the peace of Yeshua and be filled with the love of God that will overcome all pain.

Israeli Independence
This month, we celebrate 70 years of independence in Israel! Every year of independence is another year that God has shown Himself truly faithful to the people of Israel. Yet, we are all very aware that our independence comes with a heavy price of the lives of many of our loved ones. As we observe this joyful day, join us in praying that God will guard Israel's government from corruption and direct our leaders into increasingly righteous legislation. Pray that all of Israel will come to know our Messiah and receive a revelation of the God who has been with Israel since ancient times. Pray also that God will continue to bless this nation economically and technologically as He has until now. Lastly, please pray for fair treatment of all Israel's citizens, Jew, Arab, & Christian alike, and that Israel will truly be a welcoming place for the foreigner among us to live and thrive in peace.

The Borders
Once again, the Israeli borders have seen some tension this past month. The situation along the border in Gaza is very heated, with Palestinians storming the border as an act of protest of the US Embassy move to Jerusalem. They timed it to coincide with Israel's celebration of Passover, and terrorists from Gaza have been firing at Israeli soldiers guarding the border. Palestinians have died in the process, as well. Additionally, we had two groups of Gazans breach the security fence between Israel and Gaza—one group attempting to destroy construction equipment along the border, another group bringing with them grenades and a knife. There is currently work being done to further secure the border with Gaza, but at the moment, we rely on security patrols to ensure that no terrorists come through the fence. In general, security forces do a fairly good job of keeping infiltrators from getting far in Israel, but in one of the incidents in the last week of March, the infiltrators managed to go hours in Israel (with their grenades and all) before they were caught. The report following the most recent incident was that the infiltrators wanted to get arrested in order to get three meals a day and a warm bed in an Israel detention facility. However, such an incident must not happen in the future in the case that the terrorists truly are looking to hurt people. Please pray for efforts to repair the border fence as necessary as well as all work being done on further securing the border. Please also pray for the intense humanitarian suffering in Gaza currently. People are starving, there is little work, and Hamas continues to rule with an iron fist there, causing the people great suffering.

Following are some ministry requests for Hope for Israel:

Moran
Moran is finishing a very intense winter season with many tours, guests, and visitors from abroad. April will be a much-needed time for him to be at home and in the office. Please pray for this time to be restorative for him, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Please also pray for health as he became sick the last week of March. Lastly, please pray for abundant wisdom for him in various areas of the ministry that will require some important decisions to be made this month..

HFI Board
Please continue to pray for wisdom for our board members as they make important decisions in every area of the ministry. Please pray for protection over them and their families, that the LORD would shield them from illness and spiritual warfare.

HFI Staff
Please pray with us for the health of our staff and families as illness continues to go around here in Jerusalem, as well as for victory over various challenges they are facing at the moment. Please also continue to pray with us for us to find another person to work with the NerYah staff.

NerYah Youth Group
Pray with us that each and every one of the youth will have a personal encounter with the Lord. Pray also for strengthening as they encounter a number of challenging circumstances during their time in school and in their free time. Pray also for our one-on-one conversations with the youth as they come to us for guidance and direction.

Believing Soldiers
Please pray with us for strengthening and encouragement for the soldiers mentally, physically, and spiritually. The military is replete with temptations and people encouraging moral compromise and this reality leads to a number of questions and doubts for believers serving in the military. We’d appreciate prayer that God would strengthen them in this formative time in their adult life, so that they will stand strong and draw even nearer to Him than ever before.

Foundations of the Faith Book
Please continue to pray that every copy of this discipleship resource will have a personal impact on those who read it and draw many into an increasingly deeper relationship with God! Please pray for a wider distribution of the book, that it will reach many people and that they will be strengthened and challenged. Lastly, please pray that the current project to translate the book to Spanish will be blessed and for a fruitful harvest among our Spanish-speaking brethren.

Tours
Thank you for your prayers for our Experience Israel tour in March! It was truly one of the most blessed tours we've had the pleasure of hosting! Please continue to pray with us that the Israel Greece Tour in October will fill up to capacity! These tours generate income for the ministry, which goes to cover our overhead, thus allowing a higher percentage of donations to go to our projects.

We are so grateful for your prayer covering over Hope for Israel and our staff! May the Lord bless you.

In His Service,
The Hope for Israel Prayer Team