Dear Prayer Partners,

Shalom and Greetings from Jerusalem! The month of January was yet another month of abundant rainfall and snowfall in Israel. One day this past month we even saw some streams dumping as much as 26,000 gallons of water per second into the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret), a five-year high. In one storm this past month, we had record snowfall that left about 3 feet of snow on Mt. Hermon, and left enough water in Israel’s streams to cause an increase of 8 inches in the water level of Lake Kinneret in just two days! Thank you for your prayers in the past month for rain and snow. Please continue to pray for an abundant rainy season in February!

Israel Attacking Iranian Weapons in Syria
Iran has been mobilizing weapons within Syria for some time now. Syria and Israel share a small border in the northeast of Israel, along the Golan Heights; Israel is very concerned about Iran gaining military power in a country that shares a border with Israel, especially since Iran has been vocal about bombing & destroying Israel. Recently, Israel has attacked various Iranian military sites in Syria in order to prevent weapons from reaching other terrorist organizations, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. The situation is growing more intense, and there is real concern over Israel’s safety from future attacks from Syria and Iran. Please pray for God’s continuous protection over Israel from virulent enemies who have sworn to Israel’s destruction — Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas — as well as continued intelligence to prevent future attacks from these factions. We know it is only because of God’s hand that Israel not only survives, but also thrives.

Preparing for the Elections
Israel’s elections will begin on April 9th. This is something that is important for us to pray for all the way up until the elections. This month, we’d like to encourage you to join us in praying specifically for the truth to be known regarding the charges against Netanyahu. Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit appears likely to file the charges before the election even though him and Netanyahu have been close in the past and despite efforts to delay the charges until after the elections. If the charges are filed before the elections, a different prime minister may need to step into Netanyahu’s place in the near future as Israeli politicians are likely to call for his resignation. Pray that the Attorney General will do his job to the best of his ability and that no political maneuvers will set Israel on a destructive path politically.

Relations with African Nations
Since the Six Day War, Muslim opposition to Israel led to severed ties with a number of northern African nations. Pressures from radical Islamic groups and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) ensured that Muslim-majority nations distance themselves from Israel and sever all ties with Israel. Although many nations succumbed to the pressures, Israel has still maintained some diplomatic relations with certain nations albeit behind closed doors and discretely so as to not provoke radical Islamic groups or powerful Islamic organizations such as the OIC. However, times are changing. Today, Israel enjoys openly positive relations with a number of African nations and Israel’s current Prime Minister has even visited a few of these nations in recent years for the first time in decades. Especially of interest to these nations is Israel’s ability to combat radical Islamic terrorism, as well as Israel’s excellence in the spheres of business, agriculture and technology. Pray for continued improvement in relations between Israel and African nations and for Israel to be a blessing to them despite years of standing alone as those same nations refused to stand with Israel.

Traffic Congestion in Israel
Israel ranks among the worst nations when it comes to traffic congestion. To combat this, a number of projects have been undertaken in the past couple of decades to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion and improve safety on Israel’s roadways. Among those projects are a couple of trains that have gone into use, as well as a number of new roadways. Most recently, the E1 branch of Israel’s Highway 1 has been completed coming into Jerusalem from Judea and Samaria (a route that also has checkpoints as a result of terrorism in the past). Please pray for continued efforts to improve traffic flow in Israel, and for safety on roads that remain congested.

Moran & Family
Moran welcomes the Pastors’ Solidarity Tour participants in February, as well as the Experience Israel Tour at the end of February. These tours require Moran’s full attention and energy, as he will join them full-time and will be teaching every day. It also means he will be away from the office and from his family. Please pray for his family in his absence and for health for Melissa and the kids. Please also pray for the LORD’S covering over them while he is away, and for an extra measure of strength and patience for Melissa. Lastly, please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as Moran writes a weekly commentary on the Scriptures; this can be especially challenging while he is with tour groups because of the busy touring schedule!

HFI Board
Please pray for wisdom for our board members as they begin to implement decisions made during Moran’s recent visit to the US. Please pray for protection over them and their families, that the Lord would shield them from illness and spiritual warfare.

HFI Staff
This has been a tough winter, and the children of many of our staff have been constantly sick. It takes a toll on the staff physically and emotionally, and we ask for prayer for protection over our children’s health! We are still looking for two people to hire in our media and tour department. Please pray that the Lord will continue to guide us to the right people, and that as we await them to join the HFI team, God will continue to equip them to do the job well once they begin.

NerYah Youth Group
Please keep each and every one of the youth in your prayers that they will find NerYah to be a place of encouraging fellowship and guidance through the challenges they face as youth in Israeli society. Please also continue to pray for more male volunteers to work with the youth.

Soldiers’ Group
We are still praying for more volunteers to work with our soldiers’ group. Please continue to pray for the soldiers both that they will excel and that they will be strengthened by God to continue strong in the faith in spite of the many challenges they face. Pray that God will use them powerfully also to encourage those around them as they experience a level of discipline that they have never before encountered. Please also pray for God's protection over them as they serve in a place where war is always a possibility.

University Students
Hope for Israel is working with a number of college students who were once with us in NerYah and a part of our Soldier’s Group. Please pray that all of the students with whom we’re working will continue to develop successful learning strategies and that we will be successful in helping as the need arises throughout the school year. Please also pray for them to be strong in their walk as they are immersed in a system that can be hostile to their faith.

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 publish the book in 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 last year to celebrate the miracle 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, 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
This month, we’ll be leading our Pastors’ Solidarity Tour and beginning our Experience Israel Tour. Please pray especially for those joining us on these tours to be blessed and to grow in their walk with the LORD. Pray also for Moran and those leading the tours with him for peace and wisdom. Please continue to join us in praying for all our tours to be a blessing both to those who join and a blessing to the work of Hope for Israel. We host multiple tours each year (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.

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

In His Service,
The Hope for Israel Prayer Team