Dear Prayer Partners,
           We’re entering the month of August with trees and vines full of fruit and fully aware of God’s blessing on this land in spite of all of the attacks of the enemy against it! Both in reading the Scriptures and in just living here in the Land, it’s impossible to deny that the God of Israel has continued to be faithful to this Land and this people, and that’s a fact that should encourage the whole world. If He’s been so faithful here, he will continue to care for all who call on His name. There are a few key things that we’re praying into this month and we’d love to have you partnering with us in prayer.

Last Month of Summer Vacation
August can be an especially challenging month for parents to find childcare for their children. The summer camps are over, and there is still one month before school begins on September 2nd. Many parents take their main vacation in August, but there are many who cannot, and are left to find creative solutions for their children. There are also many Israeli families traveling all over the world during August. Please pray for all families in Israel who need to find childcare solutions during this month. Please also pray for those families traveling, for protection and rest. Lastly, please pray for all families who will be sending their children back to school, for the funds necessary to buy school supplies, books, and uniforms.

Iran
Iran has threatened the destruction of Israel since the Islamic radicals now in control of Iran first rose to power back in 1979. Back in 2015, a deal was signed between a number of powerful nations and Iran that lifted sanctions against Iran so that Iran would agree to drastically cut back on its stockpile of uranium (used for atomic weapons) and also reduce its supply of uranium enrichment “centrifuges”. One small but major loophole in this agreement is that Iran is allowed to build centrifuge factories, thus increasing its ability to create atomic weapons very quickly if ever the deal were to fall apart. Furthermore, there have long been suspicions that Iran is not being as honest as it should be regarding its nuclear activities. Please pray especially for Israel as Iran continues to openly position itself for increased nuclear weapons development capabilities. Please also pray for the other nations involved in the Iranian deal (from which America has withdrawn), that they would see the danger Iran really presents, and that they would hold the Iranian regime accountable in all areas. Lastly, please pray for the salvation of the Iranian people!

Syria
This past month, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Avigdor Liberman, said that Israel has “identified elements” belonging to Iranian militias in Syria along the border with Israel. Multiple Syrian drones were also flown into Israel this past month. There is a demilitarized zone near Israel’s border with Syria that the Iranian forces got dangerously close to this past month along with Assad’s forces. In response, Israel has also made it clear that it will respond to any military activity in the demilitarized zone as an act of war and respond with force to end all Syrian military activities in that zone. As tensions grow, please remember to pray for peace and protection along Israel’s border with Syria. Please also pray for the efforts of Operation Good Neighbor, an initiative of the IDF in which humanitarian aid is provided to Syrian refugees along Israel’s border with Syria. Lastly, please remember to pray for the salvation of the Syrian people.

Gaza
This past month, nearly 200 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza, a couple even landing in schoolyards. Toward the end of the month in an incident where terrorists in Gaza fired at IDF soldiers in Israel near the border, one soldier (Aviv Levi) lost his life. The fire kites and balloons have also continued to cause fires within Israel’s borders. Although Israel has developed some excellent methods of drastically decreasing the ability of fire kites or balloons to cause fires, they remain a threat to people and agriculture in southern Israel. Toward the end of the month of July, a ceasefire was signed that may minimize or temporarily stop the attacks from Gaza, but it seems that a more serious confrontation with Hamas is unlikely to be put off much longer. Please continue to pray for wisdom in responding to the attacks. Please also pray that other world leaders will stand with Israel in addressing the situation in Gaza and bringing about change in Gaza that will be good for Gaza and for Israel, also remembering to pray for the salvation of the Palestinians in Gaza. Lastly, please pray for the tens of thousands of Israeli citizens living in the range of the Gaza border, who have suffered a great deal the past few months because of increased terror activity from Gaza.

Agriculture
Between the fire kites in the south in recent months and the drought throughout Israel these past few years, the farmers of Israel are facing some serious challenges as they seek to make a living with smaller harvests. Right now in Israel, we are beginning to see the fig trees loaded with beautiful and tasty figs and they’re already showing up in the markets. The pomegranates are also getting pretty big and the grape harvesting season is in full swing (often lasting until about October for certain kinds of grapes). Please pray for all of those working in agriculture in Israel, that they will see an abundant harvest this year and that many will be blessed both in Israel and abroad by the produce grown here in the Land. Please also pray that more Israeli produce will be exported throughout the world, to be an even greater source of support for Israel’s farmers.

Moran
Moran and his family will be returning to Israel the first week of August. They will have been traveling the USA for six and a half weeks, in total. It was a very fruitful and intensive trip! He is grateful for all the prayer lifted on his and his family’s behalf. He will be focusing on transitioning back to Israel, and spending time in the office the rest of August. Please pray for his transition back to the office, that it will be smooth, and that the changes the Lord has shown him to implement while he was away will be received with grace and understanding. Please also pray that he will have some rest days after such a busy ministry trip. Lastly, please pray that Melissa and the children will quickly readjust to being back home, and enjoy a few weeks of rest before school begins in September.

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
Our staff is always grateful for prayer covering for the various things we are all facing, both within the ministry and personally. Many of our staff have faced health challanges recently, so please pray for full and complete healing for them. Please also pray for continued wisdom and direction from the Lord for each staff member, that we would all work unto Him with a full heart committed to His work! Please also continue to pray for the addition of new staff that we are looking to hire in a few areas of the ministry; please pray that He will bring us people best suited for these positions.

NerYah Youth Group
We are currently in the process of developing the plan for next year’s teachings and activities in NerYah. Please pray that God will give us wisdom in this process and speak to us about things to teach and do that will really bring about the fruit of the spirit in each and every one of the youth. We are also looking for a youth activities coordinator. This is a person who not only works with the youth, but also works with us in the office to prepare for the various activities and teachings of each week, along with connecting with other youth leaders to prepare them for their work with the youth each week. Also, in the month of August, we begin seeking commitments from those who will be helping us in the coming year with our youth group (called “NerYah”, meaning “light of God). As we have nearly 100 youth registered for the NerYah, we are praying for quite a few youth leaders to join us who are on fire for the Lord. Please pray that God will speak to those who will work with us this next year and equip them to make an impact on the youth that will bless the youth throughout their lives.

Believing Soldiers’ Outreach
A number of our youth graduated this past year from high school and enlisted this past month in the army. A few more are enlisting in the month of August. Please pray that God will protect and comfort them in this challenging time in their life and that they will learn valuable life lessons that they can carry with them even after they complete their military service. Please also pray for all the believing soldiers serving in the IDF, for opportunities to be a strong witness, and the courage to stand firm for their faith.

College Students Outreach
In Israel, some course’s tests are taken all the way into August. Please pray for those students who will be taking tests this month, that they will be effective in their study time and that God will bring to their memory the right things during their exams. Please also pray for our scholarship program to increase this coming academic year, so that we will be able to bless even more university students with funds needed to get their academic degrees.

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. Please also continue to pray that the current project to translate the book to Spanish will be blessed and bring forth a fruitful harvest among our Spanish-speaking brethren.

“Israel Beyond the Headlines” Video Project
We began this special project in January in honor of Israel’s 70th year of independence (click here to check it out). This is a video project where we produce short videos highlighting a different aspect of Israeli innovation that is making a difference in the world. This project is a means of Israel advocacy, which is an important part of our call as the Body of Messiah throughout the world. But of course, this is also a threat to the enemy and we have experienced some warfare in this area. Please pray for us as we continue to produce powerful & effective videos, and for all involved in this project: Lior, Yoel, Moran, Nate, & Melissa. Please pray for His protection over us all and for the truth about Israel to reach to the ends of the earth!

Tours
Please join us in praying for each and every one of our tours to be a blessing both to those who join and a blessing to the work of Hope for Israel! We host three tours per year: Experience Israel Tour, Israel-Greece Tour, & the Pastors’ Solidarity Tour (www.hope4israel.org/tours). 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. Please also pray that people will not be scared away by recent events in Israel, as Israel is very secure even in these times!

Thank you for joining us in prayer for these things! May the Lord bless you.

In His Service,
The Hope for Israel Prayer Team