Open Doors: Ministry among Arab Christians in Israel

A new and unusual door opened for us to minister among Arab Christians in Israel.  The precious brothers and sisters we met live in a difficult place. There are roughly 3.9 million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, less than 2% of them are Christians. Among these Christians, only 3% are Evangelical. We were privileged to preach in two Arab churches and received a warm and loving reception from everyone.  There are two well-established Bible Colleges among the Arabs in Israel, one in Bethlehem and one in Nazareth.  It was inspiring to sit with Dr. Jack Sara of Bethlehem Bible College and Dr. Azar Ajaj of Nazareth Bible College.  These men are working to train up the next generation of godly Palestinian leaders.

Much thanks to our friends, Pastor Ken Koontz and Pastor Duane Jarman for helping us make these strategic connections.  We have been invited to return and believe that God will allow us to do that in the future.  We were also able to spend some meaningful time with Doctors Alex and Lena Kravtsov, who lead a Messianic Congregation in Haifa, Israel.

Preaching in Rama, Israel

Pastor Ziad and family, Turan Village, Israel

Becky ministering to Messianic Believers in Haifa, Israel

Meeting with Dr. Azar at Nazareth Bible College

Teaching, Encouragement and Prophetic Ministry

Our calling is to “Serve those who serve, minister to those who minister and to equip those that equip.” This journey of ministry had taken us into the homes and lives of many Kingdom leaders.

Before our trip, God gave us a prophetic word through a brother at our church.  It was to watch for the “small people” who were like the woman with the issue of blood who pushed through the crowd to touch Jesus’ garment…these were going to be on God’s agenda for us. In each of these three very different cultures, we found God’s power and the prophetic ministry very sharp and effective.  Praise God!

Preaching at Swansea Valley Bible Church in Swansea, Wales.  This is a dynamic church where revival fires still burn!

Leadership Gathering in Wales – Becky prays over Pastor Andrew and Helen Yeoman who have seen God’s recent healing and the miraculous birth of two children.

Praying over Pastor Russo after a powerful service in Palermo, Sicily.

Downtown London, UK – at All Nations Center Church where we preached Sunday morning and at an after-noon youth service.  This is a great church!

Celebrating 100 years of the Apostolic Movement

We were privileged to be able to attend the Centenary Conference for the Apostolic Church Movement held in Cheltenham, England.  There, we were able to build further relationships with friends both old and new.  While we celebrated God’s faithfulness over 100 years, we were also looking to God’s purpose for our future.   This movement was birthed out of the Welsh Revival of 1904 with a vision to “Belt the globe with the Gospel.”  The themes of prayer, devotion and personal preparation were emphasized in this gathering of thousands from many nations.

“The Richest Person in Church”

This was the word God gave me for “Abby” who has worked as the House Mother at Casa Hogar Orphanage for the last 17 years.  She is a faithful, loving, single woman who has never married.  When she became a Christian, her family rejected her.  She has invested her life into these children for over a decade and a half! It was a powerful time of prayer for her as the children all gathered around to bless her!

We had a very special time of ministry in Aguascalientes, Mexico where we held a city-wide pastor’s training seminar and ministered to the children at Casa Hogar Orphanage.  Pastor Gerardo Esparza with his amazing family are doing a great work in the city and have been among the longest-serving pastors in Aguascalientes.  An added benefit was to be able to see our daughter, Erin, as she is teaching and studying the language in Guadalajara.

One of my highlights was to see Erin translating for Becky at the orphanage.  The children sat transfixed as Becky told a “Father Story” from her childhood, which taught her how to trust God, her Heavenly Father.  Both Becky and Erin have some very special gifts when it comes to ministering to children!

A Miracle for Antonella

“I had to come find you because two weeks ago God gave me a dream of a woman who looked just like you.  In that dream, that woman prayed for me and I was set free.”  This was Antonella’s remarkable plea to Becky after she had driven three hours across Sicily and found the house where we were staying.  Just seven years prior, Antonella was a professional architect, married and all was well.  Following the birth of their son she plunged into a deep postpartum depression.  Her husband left her for another woman, took legal action against her, ruined her career, devistated her financially, and had her son removed from her home.  Her life was in ruins…BUT GOD!  After prayer and ministry, Antonella’s countenance was totally transformed.  The dark cloud of depression and hopelessness was lifted and she became joyfully radiant!

These types of supernatural appointments marked our three and a half weeks of ministry in England, Wales and Sicily.

Before our trip, God gave us a prophetic word through a brother at our church.  It was to watch for the “small people” who were like the woman with the issue of blood who pushed through the crowd to touch Jesus’ garment…these were going to be on God’s agenda for us.