Shalom from Jerusalem,

We are so grateful for all your support during these difficult times. Your faithfulness helps us provide the services and ministry that are so needed and important for our people during this long and challenging season.

The impact on our youth has been especially tough, and we want to share a new and encouraging initiative: “Personal Connections.” This project is part of our NerYah believing youth group, and it came from the team recognizing a greater need to serve, encourage, and support our young people in ways beyond weekly meetings.

To that end, we’ve focused on connecting with values we believe are important—like respect, caring, loyalty, service to the community, authenticity, and honesty. One value that really stood out was respect. It’s such a basic value, yet it often gets lost in today’s world. The conversations around this value were deep and impactful. Our youth asked important questions like, “Why should I give respect?” and “How do I show respect?” These discussions allowed us to answer these questions together and gain important insights.

Through these meetings, we also learned that our youth need three key things to succeed: a framework, a teacher, and someone who believes in them. The “Personal Connections” project gives them a space during the week where we can show them we believe in them and encourage them to keep walking in a way that honors God.

One of the testimonies we’ve received is from a youth who struggled with being able to pray. He felt embarrassed and couldn’t express himself. This shame was broken in his life, and in one of our meetings, he was able to bless and thank God with a full and open heart. 

Thank you again for joining us in investing in the lives of these young people. 

We hope and pray to hear good news for all the people in our region soon.