Rain
This past week has been unusually rainy for this time of the year. Yesterday, some of the Hope for Israel staff even got caught outside when it began to hail (pretty big chunks of hail). Everyone's alright here at Hope for Israel, but 2 people in Israel did lose their life at as a result of the flash flooding. It's definitely a good time to be praying for safety for all out in the rain as well as for a miracle of multiplication of the water as we are still in the midst of a years-long drought. God will provide and it's encouraging to see these latter rains as we draw nearer to the yearly dry season in Israel.

Asylum Seekers Homefree… For Now
One thing we've been praying into here at Hope for Israel has been the plight of some 40,000 asylum seekers in Israel who were facing deportation in early April. The High Court delayed the deportations (that had been ordered by the parliament) until it could be verified that the deportations would be done ethically and that the deportees would have equal or improved living conditions in the target country to those they experienced in their home country (as well as being safe from harm). Ultimately, the parliament ended up cancelling the deportations altogether until such a time as a better plan can be arranged. Illegal border crossings in Israel are a hot topic of debate, but for now, the solution is simply to require asylum seekers to complete temporary residency applications and to renew them every 60 days to verify that they are abiding by the law during their time in Israel. We are praying that whatever happens in the long run, Israel will be a blessing to the asylum seekers and the asylum seekers will be a blessing to Israel.

Memorial Day & Independence Day
This past week, we took time on Israel's Memorial Day to honor those who've lost their lives to war or terrorism. We also celebrated Israeli Independence Day, a day of singing and dancing together in the streets to a wide variety of musical styles by Israeli artists. Independence Day morning is a time for barbecues and festive decorations in celebration of the freedom enjoyed in this nation. As always, in spite of the many attacks (both verbal and physical) coming against Jews and Israel every day, this day is a day to remember that Israel is a place of freedom and a place in which God has been faithful to carry a nation and a people through even the hardest of times.