Dear Prayer Partners,

Shalom and greetings from Jerusalem! We’re jumping into summer in Israel with some real political, security, economic and sanitary concerns. However, we know that we are not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we will let our requests be made known to God. We also know that the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (Philippians 4:6–7).

Fire Terrorism in Southern Israel
Now, terror groups are soaking slow-burning fuses in explosive liquids, causing balloons to drip fireballs as they fly, creating fires in multiple locations. Please continue to pray for Israel’s borders and for God’s continued protection over this nation. This past month saw numerous fires caused in numerous locations in southern Israel. Many acres of crops were lost to damage caused by the fires as were many acres of forests. One incendiary balloon even landed in a kindergarten and would have caused a major fire had it landed only a few minutes before it had (as it was extinguished quickly upon landing since there happened to be people who saw it land). A memorial site in southern Israel was also burned up by fire balloons this past month as well. This form of terrorism continues to haunt southern Israel communities and no real permanent solution has been implemented to ensure and end to this madness. Please pray for those affected for healing from the trauma of constant terrorism from Gaza in multiple forms. Pray also for solutions to be put into place that will see an end to terrorist tactics such as the fire balloon. Lastly, please pray that Israel will be able to solve this issue decisively without a military operation, unless absolutely necessary.

Summer Vacation
Schools in Israel are out as of June 30th! Israel has started a summer school program for grades 1-3 at a drastically reduced rate to help offset the high cost of private summer programs for children for July. Finding affordable childcare solutions in August remains challenging, however. Many families travel during this time as well all over the world. Please pray for viable, affordable childcare solutions for families during the summer time. Please also pray for a time of rest and quality time together during the summer break, as well as safety for families who are traveling. Lastly, please pray for safety on the roads in Israel as many families take road trips during the summer, and we often see an increase in serious (and often, fatal) car accidents.

Sewage Pipeline
Terrorism from Gaza is not Israel’s only concern. Gaza also dumps hundreds of thousands of gallons of sewage into streams that contaminate the water of communities in southern Israel. The Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council in southern Israel decided this past month to begin work this month to take sewage from Gaza that has been contaminating Israeli water and to direct it to an Israeli sewage treatment plant. Please pray for the success of this undertaking and for those affected by the water contamination in the region.

Israel’s Shoreline
A recent report indicated that despite the very clean appearance of nearly all of Israel’s beaches, some 570,000 tons of plastic end up in the sea each year from Israel’s beaches. Please pray both for those visiting Israel and for Israelis to enjoy the beaches of Israel without allowing their trash to end up in the sea. Please also pray for policy makers to pursue solutions that allow for cleaner beaches and seas along Israel’s coasts.

Peace to Prosperity
In the final week of June, the ‏“Peace to Prosperity Workshop” was held in Bahrain at which the US proposed a $50 billion investment plan for improving the quality of life of Palestinian Arabs and encouraging peace in the region while putting aside all calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Numerous Palestinian Arab as well as Jewish and Arab Israeli business leaders attended the conference ready to pursue economic solutions for the region. Additionally, numerous Arab national and business leaders in the region also attended the conference. While the Palestinian Authority boycotted the conference and although Bahrain officially refused to grant Israeli officials permission to attend the conference, the presence of both Israeli and Palestinian business leaders at the conference could lead to the kind of business deals that would see improved living conditions in Judea and Samaria and throughout the region despite corruption among leaders in the Palestinian Authority and despite the oppression of Hamas in Gaza. Please pray that realistic solutions will be reached by those who attended the Bahrain conference and that perhaps even business leaders who did not attend the conference will see the wisdom in pursuing improved quality of life for all within Israel’s borders despite the ongoing disputes over Gaza and the Judea and Samaria regions of Israel.

Moran & Family
Moran had a busy month last month, and he is grateful for your prayer covering! He will travel this coming month to various places in the USA; his family will join him later in the month in California and Ohio. Before then, he will be hosting a special group of young people from the States and facilitate some service projects for them. He will also have a few weeks to wrap up some loose ends in the office before he travels for six week. Please pray for safety as he travels, for health, and for restorative sleep and times of rest in the midst of a busy schedule. Please also pray for him as he prepares his messages for the trip, and for wisdom in the many meetings he will have. Lastly, please pray for safe travels for his family when they fly to join him in late July. *If you would like to know where Moran will be speaking in July & August, please email us at info@hope4israel.org

HFI Board
We just welcomed a new board member! We are blessed and honored that Mr. J Walters has agreed to serve on our board. We pray the Lord's blessing over him and his family in this new season. Please pray for protection over all of HFI’s board members and their families. Pray that the Lord would shield them from illness and spiritual warfare.

NerYah Youth Group
Please keep each and every one of the youth in your prayers during their summer vacation from school. Pray 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 continue to pray for us as we seek to a replacement for our female youth leader as our current one is leaving to study full-time in September. Please also continue to pray for more male volunteers to work with the youth.

Soldiers’ Group
Please pray for the soldiers both that they will excel and that they will be strengthened by God to remain strong in the faith despite 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. Lastly, please pray that the LORD will bring a new leader for the soldiers' outreach.

University Students
The academic year has officially drawn to a close, but the challenges of school aren’t quite over yet. Please pray for the university students that we mentor and support as they finish up their end-of-the-year exams. Some courses are year long courses and an entire year’s-worth of grades for some courses hinge primarily on a single test or lengthy paper to be completed in the week or weeks following the end of the school year. That time is now, and the students are doing their best to demonstrate their mastery of the education they received this past year. Pray for both excellence in their end of the year projects and tests and also that this challenging time of the year will draw them even closer to the LORD.

Newsletter
We are in the printing phase of our next newsletter! Please pray for a blessing of great productivity in this phase of the publication, and for a smooth mailing process. Please pray for all who are involved in sending out the newsletter: Mike, Patty, Nate, Debbie, & Bill. Please also pray for open hearts to receive encouragement and to pray for Israel in the process.

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. We currently have the book printed in Hebrew, English, Russian, & Spanish.

“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, Elad & 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 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 click here to learn more). 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 our Israel-Greece tour will fill up soon with people who are ready to grow in their understanding of Scripture and the lands in which it all began. Please pray 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, and for unity among the leadership team of the tours.

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

In His Service,
The Hope for Israel Prayer Team