War Update
It has been a while since we have sent out an update, and we apologize for the large gap. So much has been happening this year, and it’s hard to keep up with getting the information out to you. First, we thank God for the recent ceasefire in the war, where we were able to see the release of 20 living hostages back to Israel. It’s a real relief for us, and we are hoping this leads to the end of Hamas, the rebuilding of Gaza, and the opening the doors for the gospel in that dark area.
This past summer began with a traumatic war with the Islamic Republic of Iran, where Israel and Iran exchanged missile fire for 12-days. It was a globally supported campaign to wipe out Iran’s nuclear weapon program. For our family, it was the most intense time we’ve experienced since living in Israel, as the rockets were far more powerful and targeted than we typically see. We felt the impact of missiles from where we live. People were killed homes destroyed during that time. We spent that time helping displaced families by distributing food, toiletries and activities for the children. We were able to spread the light of Yeshua even in the darkest time.
Right after the that 12-day conflict ended, the lead pastors of our congregation went on their planned Sabbatical for July and August, so we took leadership of the congregation throughout the summer. It was a fruitful time, and we saw welcomed some new families that joined with us. Our services are full, and we estimate that around 50% are Israelis. With that, we’ve also added live AI translation to meet the need of native Hebrew speakers!
Discipleship
We’ve been also very busy with our passion – discipleship: meeting one-on-one with believers to help them grow into the image of Messiah. We meet and pray regularly with Israeli believers, many who are newer in the faith. Some are already being used in powerful ways like evangelism, prophetic, and media ministry. We aim to ensure they are growing, healthy, and strong in their faith and lives. As the body grows, please pray that others will join us in the work of discipleship. We are also still seeing new people come to the Lord, and we had the privilege of baptizing 16 people from our congregation at the beginning of the summer!
New Job
We began working with a new ministry earlier this year, in addition to our pastoral roles. We have always been bi-vocational – meaning that we are pastors, but we also have side work to support ourselves financially. I had been asking for prayer because I was needing to transition out of the company I’ve worked for the past 10 years and find new employment. God provided an answer, and we’ve begun new roles working at a ministry called One For Israel. I (Matthew) am working as a script writer for a new television show that will air on TBN starting November 8th.
Daniela is also working with One For Israel doing music production, and will be singing in some new music videos releasing around Christmas. She also has two concerts planned: the first is our annual Christmas and Hanukkah outreach where we sing carols and share the Gospel message. The second concert is a worship event at Christ Church in Jerusalem – in Hebrew, Arabic, English, German, and Spanish, in collaboration with some worship leaders around Israel. Daniela also continues to work in the background supporting local worship leaders, helping them produce worship songs in Hebrew.
Prayer and Praise
We have so much to thank God for. We’ve already mentioned the hopeful ending of the war, the release of hostages, our safety during the Iran attacks, the new job, and the fruit we are seeing in the congregation. I will also mention that we were able to purchase a newer, much more reliable car – which was badly needed. WE also thank God that we are able to travel to visit the family in the US during Christmas, for first time since 2023.
Please pray for us during our travel. I (Matthew) am also making a quick ministry trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin mid November. Pray for me that God would speak and move through me during that time. And keep praying for peace, that the gospel will go forth in Israel, and that others would rise up to support the work.
Prayer Requests
- For the evangelism and discipleship in the congregation
- Matthew’s Ministry Trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin
- Escobar’s Holiday Travels
- For the delicate peace situation in Israel/Gaza
- Praise God for all the answered prayer!
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