Dear Prayer Partners,
     The summer heat has definitely set in here in Israel, but this past month we had the joy of seeing rain in various parts of Israel, sometimes even in large quantities. Thank you for your prayers for rain. We even had a high quantity of rain in southern Israel when the fire kite and balloon terrorism was especially bad. The rain helped to give us a day of rest from the terrorism and enjoy some peace and quiet along the border for a change. We really appreciate your prayers and are inviting you to continue in prayer with us this month for some key issues affecting Israel and Hope for Israel.

Southern Israel
We’re going on three months of tensions along Israel’s border with Gaza that has left its mark on the communities in southern Israel. According to the Fire and Rescue Services Commissioner Brig. Gen. Dedi Simchi in the Knesset press release on June 17th, just over 6,000 acres (25,000 dunams) have been burned because of the fire kites and balloons. Primarily forests, wheat fields, avocado orchards, jojoba, date palms, and agricultural equipment have been destroyed. The fires have also come dangerously close to a gas station in the affected areas. The estimated damage as of June 17th according to Simchi was approximately 7 million NIS (nearly $2 million). In addition to damages, businesses and schools in the area have had to pay out of their own pocket to increase protective measures from the fire kites and balloons. Sapir College was mentioned in the June 17th Knesset press release. According to MK Amir Peretz, Sapir College alone has invested an extra 2 million NIS into firefighting efforts in the past 3 months to keep their students safe by ensuring that none of the fires cause damage to the school (as the fires have come especially close to this school). Also, in the middle of June, some 45 rockets were fired into Israel. The tensions are extremely high and the prospects for a cessation of hostilities are currently minimal. Please continue to pray for God’s comfort in the lives of those affected. Pray also for protection from further damage to fields and from injury to people.

Tish’ah b’Av
From the evening of July 21^st to the evening of the 22^nd, Jews all over the world will look back and remember a number of tragedies that have happened in history against the Jewish people—chief among them, the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. In fact, it is because of the mourning the destruction of the Temples on this day that non-Jews in history have referred to the Western Wall in Jerusalem as “The Wailing Wall”. Every year since the destruction of the second Temple, Jews have been coming to the Western Wall on this day to mourn the destruction of the Temple. Also around this time in history, the Jews were expelled from a number of European countries due to rising anti-Semitism there. Anti-Semitism continues to affect the Jewish people in forms such as BDS (a movement aimed at boycotting Israeli-made products), misleading reports in anti-Israel media, terrorism targeting the Jewish people and a lack of religious freedom for non-Muslims (especially Jews) on the Temple Mount. All of these things just point to the reality that we depend on God to bring justice in this land and we must eagerly await Yeshua’s return. Please pray for Jews across the world for the Holy Spirit to reveal His plans for this Land and to encourage them and draw them into a revelation of the truth regarding Yeshua.

The Diaspora and Israel
On the one hand, Israel’s connection to Jews across the world has never been better. With the internet and the affordability of visiting this Jewish state, it’s not hard for Jews all over the world to stay in touch with what’s going on here. On the other hand, the media has done an excellent job of encouraging not only non-Jews around the world to oppose Israel, but also Jews across the World. With the recent embassy moves and the conflict with Gaza, Israel is in quite a tight spot and many of the Jews in the diaspora (who are less aware of the realities on the ground in Israel) are buying into the anti-Israel media. Please pray for a deeper connection between Jews living in the diaspora and the state of Israel. A huge part of what God has done in re-establishing the nation of Israel is restoring a nation that Jews throughout the world can come home to and call their native country and be welcomed with arms wide open each time they return, whether temporarily or for good. Please pray for increased understanding and better relations between Israel’s national leaders and the Jews in the diaspora.

Summer Vacation
This month is the first month of summer vacation in Israel. Schools typically end June 30, and begin again on September 1. Kids are in summer camps or summer school this month. This is also a time when many families are traveling throughout the world (Israelis love to travel!). Please pray for God's protection over the families and children this month, whether they are in camp or traveling. Please also pray for help for families who cannot afford child care arrangements during the summer, and must rely on help from grandparents or other family & friends to help. Lastly, please pray that this time off from school will be a refreshing time of rest for children of all ages.

Moran
Moran is currently traveling parts of the USA on an extended ministry trip. He and his family are scheduled to visit congregations in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and California. His schedule is very full with teachings at many different places, in addition to meetings with people. He continues to run the ministry and the tour operations while on the road, which makes for long days, especially with the time difference between Israel and the USA! Please pray for strength, rest, wisdom, and peace for Moran in all that he has to manage, and for a fresh anointing on him in his teachings. Please also pray for Melissa and the children as they travel with Moran, for peace as they are away from home. Please also pray for a spirit of unity and cooperation among the children, as they are away from home and their friends.

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
We are still praying for the right staff to help us with the tours. We are happy to announce that we have a special friend of Hope for Israel joining us to work with our Believing Soldiers’ Outreach this next year, as another cherished member of the staff transitions out for university studies. Please pray for incoming as well as outgoing staff at this time.

NerYah Youth Group
Please pray for the youth as they begin their summer vacation, both for safety in their summer adventures and for spiritual growth as they have more time also for prayer and study of the Word. We went through the books of Philippians and Colossians with the youth this year during our weekly gatherings and are expecting God to continue opening their eyes to a deeper understanding of His Word.

Believing Soldiers’ Outreach
More than a couple dozen of our youth from NerYah have graduated from high school this year and now are off to the army. Please pray for those whose enlistment is this month, for courage and perseverance as they begin their time of service in the military. Please also pray for those who will be working in our soldiers outreach with these newly enlisted soldiers that they will be successful in blessing the soldiers and helping to bring the light of Yeshua to them during a challenging season of their life.

College Students Outreach
College students across Israel have finished the school year and are hard at work on papers. The way it works in Israel is that students have about one month after classes are over to write final papers and to take tests for each course. Please pray for peace, effectiveness, and increased focus, especially for those students with whom we work.

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. This is a video project where we produce one short video per month 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 to 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, & Melissa. Please pray for His protection over us all and for the truth about Israel to reach to the ends of the earth!

Summer Newsletter
We have printed our latest newsletter! Please pray for the distribution of the printed copy, as well as a wide reach of our digital copy online. Please also pray for open hearts as people read the newsletter, and a willingness to pass it on to family and friends.

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