Shalom from Jerusalem,

Over the last year, we have seen amazing progress in our work with believing youth through NerYah, our Jerusalem-based youth group, and last month, at our End of Year Party for NerYah, we took a step back to look at the journey of the last year.

We opened the event with a fun activity, followed by a delicious Israeli-style meal. The party’s success was a testimony to the importance of our investment in the lives of the youth, as well as to the caring and dedication of the individual leaders. We truly have been blessed by an amazing team!

For Ro’i, one of the coordinators for NerYah, the End of Year Party was the moment when the believing youth realized how important they are to HFI and how much we invest in them. As we shared with them about our work with soldiers and students, they also realized that they are a part of something much bigger, whose purpose is their support and development. Another thing that stood out to Ro’i from the past year is the number of new friendships which developed, often between teens who had previously not had the opportunity to connect with other young believers.

Additionally, Tigist, who oversees NerYah as well as our soldiers’ and students’ programs, shared, “Teens who were closed off opened up, [and] teens who were insecure received confidence in the Lord. It was a testimony for the leaders as well.”

The amazing testimonies of Tigist and Ro’i are corroborated by the believing youth themselves. In an end-of-year questionnaire, we asked them, “What has God done in your life through NerYah this year?” We would like to share with you a few of their responses.

“I met so many new people, especially believing friends! It was a very interesting [year] and I am thankful for this experience.”

“I learned about God, who and what He is.”

“I thank God for answering my prayer for friendships with believers. God gave me much more than what I asked.”

Regarding our leaders, one teen shared, “God showed me leaders who really listen and who care about our lives. People that I can talk to and feel comfortable [with].” We are so thankful that we can provide a place and an opportunity for meaningful experiences in the lives of these believing teenagers!

Thank you for entrusting your offering to Hope for Israel. Your partnership means a great deal to me, my team, and the many people who are blessed by the ministry’s work. We cannot underestimate the positive impact on these believing teens! May we continue to be a light and a blessing to the next generation!