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This is indeed the season of light, as both holidays emphasize that light has come to cheer our hearts and enlighten the soul. The parallels between Hanukkah and Christmas are many, but light is certainly a key theme. He is the Light of the world, and the light of the Hanukkah menorah reminds Jewish people of the miraculous workings of God on behalf of His chosen people. As a Jewish believer in Jesus, this season is a great joy for me and my family, and in some ways the holidays blend together in one glorious season of celebration for the Light who came into the world to dispel the darkness!

I am so grateful for you and for the way you have helped us bring the light of our beloved Messiah to the Jewish people throughout the year. But I must admit, it has been a year of contrast between the darkness of this world and the light of God’s presence.

Let me explain by telling you what happened just a few months ago in Israel.

God’s Work Endures Despite Missile Hit

In the heat of the Iranian missile attacks on Israel, my wife and I made our way slowly through check-in at Royal Jordanian Airlines. We were leaving Amman, Jordan, after leading 65 Christian tourists out of Israel. We stopped and prayed at about 7:00 in the morning, knowing that the siren we just heard over Jordan meant that a missile was headed for Israel! Little did we know that this would be the missile that struck our new Messianic Center in Tel Aviv!

Just a few days earlier, on June 14, we had dedicated this new ministry center with joy and thanksgiving. After more than two years of transforming raw cement into a beautiful and functional space for gospel ministry, we were finally ready to launch expanded outreach to families and young Israelis in the Ramat Gan area of greater Tel Aviv.

Now, the thirty-floor, 100-plus-unit condominium building stands severely damaged by the missile, and our newly finished ministry space, located on the ground floor and second floor, is likely inaccessible for at least a year.

We are pretty sure the Iranians did not intend to strike our facility, and we also believe the war we are fighting is not only fought on earth but also in heaven. We might not be the target of Iranian aggression, but we do believe the devil targeted our new facility because he knew that God would use this center in the heart of 4.7 million Israelis to introduce many Jewish Israelis to His Son, Jesus!

But the enemy of our souls did not know that he could not stop our ministry any more than God’s covenant with the Jewish people could be set aside by the One who chose us. Miraculously, our ministry has never stopped, not for a single day.

Ministry in Motion

Thanks to God’s provision—and our decision to maintain the rental property in the same neighborhood—our twenty-five staff members continued their work without interruption. The 1,600 square feet we have been renting for seven years had become our operational hub for evangelism, discipleship, and benevolence ministries—and even more so during the aftermath of October 7.

“We’re not waiting for the building to be restored to minister,” said one staff member. “The needs are too urgent. Every day, we’re meeting with traumatized families, delivering meals to Holocaust survivors, counseling soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, and sharing the gospel with Israelis who are asking deeper questions about God than ever before.”

The recent peace treaty between Israel and Hamas offers cautious hope, but the reality is that spiritual openness in Israel is at an all-time high. Whether the treaty holds or not, our commitment remains the same: to demonstrate the love of Jesus through practical care and the proclamation of biblical truth.

Strategic Location, Strategic Ministry

Our new ministry center is connected via the Tel Aviv light rail to family-oriented neighborhoods such as Ramat Gan and Bnei Brak, one of Israel’s most religious suburbs. We are located in the heart of one of Tel Aviv’s most family oriented Tel Aviv neighborhoods, which comprises families with children, young professionals, and long-term elderly residents of Israel.

Before the bombing, we were hosting monthly concerts and Sabbath dinners that regularly attracted more than 100 people—mostly young Israelis, some believers in Jesus, and many seekers. We ran multiple adult Bible studies each week, as well as special children’s programs. These were not just events; they were relationship-building opportunities where gospel conversations happened naturally over meals and music.

“Space creates ministry capacity,” explained our Israel director. Currently, we are working with limited square footage. However, we will again be able to significantly expand our ministries once we return to our new center, which is expected to occur sometime within the next year.

Rebuilding More than Buildings

This surge of spiritual interest among Israelis is exactly what our new Rebuilding Israel campaign is all about. We are now launching a much needed twelve-month initiative aims to raise $3 million—but not only for building repairs. We do not want to focus just on the bombing or rebuilding the center. We plan to add staff, rebuild programs, and start new gospel-centered initiatives. We are positive and proactive, not just reacting to what happened to our building.

The campaign includes:

• Adding staff to our team of twenty-five, enabling us to seize ever-expanding ministry opportunities. We might add as many as five new staff this year.
• Fixing our new center. We hope to be back in this beautiful center within the year, but we need to be patient as the condominium building received more damage than our ministry space within it.
• Expanding relief and benevolence work among displaced Israelis, including food distribution, housing assistance, and intensive biblical counseling.
• Launching post-war outreach initiatives like our Psalms of Hope, designed to help Israelis discover a relationship with God through Scripture and provide a downloadable book of Psalms in modern Hebrew. Israelis have already downloaded an estimated 10,000 copies.

Israelis Coming to Faith in Yeshua

The Lord is working in Israel to reveal Yeshua as the Messiah to Israelis, and our ministry is continuing to participate in His great work of bringing His chosen people to salvation through their promised Messiah! Here are some coming-to-faith testimonies from our Israeli missionaries:

• “Ori* said: ‘I had planned out exactly how I would take my life. I didn’t even believe in God, but I asked if He was really real that He would save my life. For the next several nights, Yeshua visited me in dreams, and I knew it was Him! He’s totally changed my life!’ Ori grew up as an atheist, but after his encounter with Yeshua in his dreams, he read through the entire New Testament. God saved Ori from taking his own life and, through Yeshua, he has been given new life in Messiah!”
• “A couple of months ago, a young lady named Esther,* from a Jewish religious background, started attending our mid-week events. She shared that four years ago, she came to faith after planning to take her life, but Yeshua came to her in a vision and saved her! God is amazing!”
• “Shai* is an Israeli who came to faith during a Messianic Passover Seder. He shared how it helped him understand the need for redemption and that God Himself would make the way.” 
• “For years, one of our ministry staff has been doing outreach with influencers on social media, through gaming sites, and by video streaming. Yoel* dialogued about Yeshua (Jesus) with one of our staffers for a long time on his gaming and video streams—and he came to recognize Jesus is indeed the Messiah and Savior. His newfound faith has been wonderful to see these past several months. For example, he asked to study the Scriptures, so two of our men met with him to read some verses from the Bible about discipleship. ‘That’s me! I need to be discipled!’ Yoel exclaimed. ‘Wait, that is what we are doing now! This is amazing!’”
• “A young man named Paul,* a social media influencer with more than 250,000 followers, recently came to faith in Yeshua. I have started mentoring him, and we are seeing how God is already using his platform to reach others with the gospel.”

War and destruction have left many Israelis with deep spiritual needs, and our ministry is meeting these pressing needs with the good news of Yeshua. Increased space and resources will give us expanded capacity to guide even more Israelis to faith in their Messiah!

131 Years of Faithful Presence

Chosen People Ministries has maintained a presence in Israel since before the modern State of Israel was born in 1948. We have continued our ministry through wars, conflicts, and countless challenges.

The missile that hit our new center was meant to destroy, but God is using it to mobilize His people for something greater. We are not just rebuilding a facility; we are rebuilding lives, families, and ultimately helping many understand that Jesus is our Messiah.

The new center will reopen. Programs will expand. New staff will join the team. And countless Israelis will encounter Yeshua through the faithful ministry of Chosen People Ministries. From rubble to redemption—that has always been God’s pattern. And it is the story being written in Israel right now.

I recently returned from Israel where I spent a week with our staff who have been deeply impacted by the wars with Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran. Quite a list! There is so much damage, and Israelis often feel a sense of helplessness as they do not know if the peace accord—more like a truce—will hold!

On the other hand, I am also writing with a heart full of gratitude and hope, even as we reflect on one of the most challenging chapters in Chosen People Ministries’ 131-year history of serving the Jewish people.

On June 18 of this year, an Iranian missile struck our newly dedicated center in Tel Aviv. The building we had built out for more than two years—finished just days before—now stands severely damaged, likely unusable for the next several months. Yet, amid this devastation, I see God’s faithfulness and an unprecedented opportunity for ministry.

A Dream Interrupted, But Not Destroyed

Let me take you back to June 15, when we dedicated our new center with joy and thanksgiving. We were finally ready to expand our outreach to the families and young Israelis of greater Tel Aviv. The location was perfect. It was right on the light rail connecting downtown Tel Aviv to the religious suburbs, accessible to families with children who had moved to the area for more affordable living, yet still within easy reach of the young singles working in the city.

We envisioned hosting our monthly concerts and Sabbath dinners that regularly drew over one hundred people—mostly young Israelis, some already believers in Yeshua (Jesus), many still seeking. We planned multiple adult Bible studies each week and special events for children. This was not just about having more space; it was about creating opportunities for life-changing encounters with the gospel. Then, less than a week after our dedication, the missile hit.

The thirty-unit condominium building above our property took severe damage. However, our commercial space on the ground floor was not hit the worst. We believe we can use it again by May, if the building is deemed habitable and safe to enter. But for now, we continue ministering full-time from the rental property nearby that we have used for several years.

Ministry During the War

The bombing of our center is just one challenging story among millions in Israel right now. For months, our staff and the families we serve faced the constant threat of missile attacks, rushing to shelters, wondering if each night might be their last. The psychological toll has been immense—not just from the bombings themselves, but from the political upheaval, the hostage crisis, and the profound losses experienced socially, emotionally, and spiritually across Israeli society.

Even as I write this, Israel and Hamas have just signed a peace treaty. We are cautiously hopeful, approaching this development with both faith and humility, because we simply do not know if the treaty will hold. We rejoice that all the living hostages have returned to their families, bringing closure to one of the most painful chapters of this conflict. But regardless of what happens politically, one thing is certain: The needs in Israel are greater than ever, and so are the opportunities for ministry.

What We Have Been Doing

Despite everything, our twenty staff members in Israel have continued to serve. We have continued providing practical relief work alongside spiritual care. We deliver cooked meals to elderly Israelis and distribute food packages containing oil, flour, and other staples, with a particular focus on Holocaust survivors who have endured yet another trauma in their lives. We also offer short-term housing assistance for five to ten people when needed.

Most importantly, we are providing intensive biblical counseling to help people process their post-traumatic stress. We sit with them in their pain, help them make sense of the chaos, and point them to the hope found only in Yeshua. We visit the elderly, offering companionship to those isolated by fear and circumstance. We support single mothers overwhelmed by the burden of protecting their children through air raid sirens and shelter stays.

We distribute Bibles and provide spiritual care, which is really our forte. While we are committed to benevolent work, our heart is for direct spiritual ministry and discipleship. Most of our evangelism happens through relationships, walking with people over time as they see the reality of Yeshua’s love demonstrated through our actions. We have also launched strategic outreach initiatives like Psalms of Hope, a program that encourages Israelis to read the Psalms and discover a wonderful inside view of a relationship with God.

Why Tel Aviv Matters

You might wonder why our greater Tel Aviv location is so important that we are committed to its restoration. Let me explain.

Ramat Gan, the section of greater Tel Aviv where our center is located, is a distinctly Israeli neighborhood—you do not hear much English on the streets here. The light rail accessibility means we can reach both the family-oriented communities of Ramat Gan and the young professionals working in the city center. There is also a direct connection to Bnei Brak, one of the most religious suburbs of Tel Aviv.

When we lost access to this newly built-out center, we lost more than a building—we lost capacity. We lost space for the larger concerts, Sabbath meals, Bible studies, and gatherings that were just beginning to flourish. Space creates opportunity. Right now, we are working with only 1,600 square feet in our rental property. It is enough to keep ministry going, but not enough to grow into the fullness of what God is calling us to do.

This is why we bought the new building. We need the room—and opportunities—to expand.

An Invitation to Rebuild Together

For 131 years, Chosen People Ministries has maintained a faithful presence in Israel, and we have done so because of faithful partners like you. Many of you have supported us through our Watchmen for Jerusalem program, making recurring gifts that sustain our year-round operations. Today, I am inviting you to consider a special commitment to this Rebuilding Israel initiative.

Will you help us rebuild—not just a facility, but lives, families, and ultimately a nation’s understanding of their Messiah?

The peace treaty gives us reason for cautious optimism. However, regardless of political outcomes, spiritual needs will remain—and perhaps intensify. As the immediate danger subsides, people will begin processing their trauma. Questions about God, suffering, and meaning will surface with new urgency. This is our moment.

Together, we will rebuild—stronger, larger, and more effective than before.

Thank you for standing with Israel, Chosen People Ministries, and Jewish people who desperately need to know their Messiah.

I love the words of the psalmist who praises the Lord for His goodness and lovingkindness: “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting”(Psalm 118:28–29).

Even amid our struggles, we can praise God for the splendor of His character. He is always good, faithful, merciful, and just! During this season of thanksgiving, we are reminded of all the Lord has enabled us to enjoy, and we can praise Him for what we see. More significantly, we can give thanks for what is often unseen when we focus on the character of God Himself, especially as revealed in the person of Jesus.

Grateful for Peace

At this moment—after more than two years of death, desperation, and devastation—we have the beginnings of a peace treaty between Israel and Gaza, which will hopefully last and extend to other nations that have been carrying out vicious attacks against the Jewish people in the Holy Land. We had been fervently praying for the return of the hostages remaining in Hamas’ torture tunnels, and we are rejoicing for those who have been returned—both those who are alive and who have died in captivity. While we recognize that resolving age-old conflicts is often tenuous, we still give thanks to God for what He has done and remain hopeful for a lasting peace.

One of the ways I have tried to remain hopeful during the events spawned by the horrific attacks of Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, is by looking toward the future that God promised to both Jewish people and Gentiles through the prophet Isaiah. Allow the words of this prophecy—given more than two-and-a-half millennia ago—to encourage your heart to trust in His promises.

The prophet wrote,  

Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. (Isaiah 2:2–4)

My dear friend in the Messiah—I believe every word! One day, Jesus the Messiah will return and put an end to war, and we will live in peace. That is the future God has promised and offers to all who make the decision to follow Him!

The Story of Redemption

Some theologians have summarized the story of the Bible well in three words: creation, fall, and redemption! God made a perfect world, Adam and Eve sinned, and from the Garden onward, the Lord has been working to bring His sinful, broken world back to Himself. 

The Jewish people are central to the story of redemption. God created the Jewish people for His glory, to be a bridge of redemption to the world, and He sent His only and beloved Son, Jesus—Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah—to purchase our redemption from sin, death, and judgment by His shed blood. The future of Israel and the Jewish people is linked to the decision to put our faith in Yeshua, and to then bring His gospel message back to the original messengers—the Jewish people through whom and to whom Yeshua first came!

This is the heart of the everyday work of Your Mission to the Jewish People.

The decision to follow Messiah changed my life when I was nineteen years old. You might remember the moment you embraced Him as your Savior as well. We experienced God’s peace when we accepted Jesus, and we will enjoy this peace even more when the Prince of Peace returns to reign. Until He comes and establishes a kingdom even more beautiful than Eden, we will face conflict, disappointment, and sometimes tragedy. But by His grace, we will be able to confront the difficulties of life with peace in our hearts.

We look forward to the day when “they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited’”(Ezekiel 36:35).

Our Heart and Mission

Meanwhile, we continue to reach out to Jewish people around the globe. Today, I am thankful for the dedicated staff of Chosen People Ministries and for their tireless efforts to preach the gospel “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). It is a privilege to lead this wonderful 131-year-old mission to the Jewish people. Allow me to share some reasons why I am filled with gratitude today, and please join me in offering thanksgiving to God for His work through our staff.

We continue to operate throughout the United States, using diverse strategies to reach Jewish people. Our approach includes branch operations, Messianic congregations, strategic campus outreaches, campaign evangelism, digital evangelism, and public events centered on Jewish holidays. We also maintain various discipleship ministries through publications, websites, e-communications, and highly successful camping programs, as well as retreats and other events. At the core of everything we do is a passionate commitment to sharing the love of Yeshua with Jewish people worldwide.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share with you what God is doing through Chosen People Ministries. When I think about His faithfulness and the doors He continues to open, my heart overflows with thanksgiving, and I know our ongoing work, especially in the United States and Israel, will encourage you.

Ministry Across America

Here in the United States, we maintain active branches in major cities including Manhattan, New Jersey, Philadelphia, southern Florida, Atlanta, Phoenix, Seattle, Boston, and Chicago. But our reach extends far beyond these hubs. We have over seventy dedicated volunteers representing us in dozens of communities nationwide, engaging in evangelism, supporting church ministries, and participating in our national outreach events.

One ministry I’m particularly excited about is our Host Israelis Network, which has grown to over two hundred homes across the country. Imagine Israeli travelers, far from home, being welcomed into Christian and Messianic Jewish homes where they experience genuine love and hospitality—and hear about Yeshua, perhaps for the first time. It is beautiful to watch these relationships develop.

We’re also working with university students through our House of Living Waters program. We place young missionaries in apartments near major universities like New York University and Columbia, and we provide them with housing and support so they can build meaningful relationships with Jewish students. One of our leaders in this work is a Russian-Israeli brother we brought from Israel to study at Moody Bible Institute, and now he is engaging the next generation. The impact is multigenerational and eternally significant.

Our camping program continues to thrive, with camps on both coasts serving children and teenagers. What moves me most is seeing our teenagers take ownership of their faith by hosting their own Bible studies online and building community, not just nationally but internationally. This is the next generation of Jewish believers rising up, and it gives me such hope.

We are also privileged to operate several Messianic congregations that we have either planted or are leading in cities like Brooklyn, Northern Virginia, Pittsburgh, Southern California, and Minneapolis. These congregations provide spiritual homes for Jewish believers and their families, as well as places where they can worship Yeshua while celebrating their Jewish heritage.

The Heart of It All: Israel

Let me share what is happening in Israel because this is where we need to direct so much of our focus and prayer right now.

As you may know, our ministry center in Tel Aviv was struck by an Iranian missile. One side of our building suffered serious damage. It was a brand-new, beautiful facility—four thousand square feet across two stories—and we were just weeks away from receiving our occupancy permits when this happened. The building will take a year to rebuild, and our portion of the repairs will be substantial. We are awaiting confirmation of insurance coverage and potential assistance from the city council, but nothing is certain yet.

But here is what I want you to know: We have not stopped. We are continuing to rent the space across the street that we have been using, That building also had its windows blown out by the missile, though we are still running our full programs. Our Bible studies and other ministries are continuing, as well, and they are a strengthening factor for the body of Messiah within Israel and a powerful outreach for those seeking the Lord during these incredibly difficult times.

Let us pray that the recent peace plan holds and that we can continue to present the gospel to Israelis in the power of the Holy Spirit. Your prayers and support make all the difference in the world!

Please pray for:

• wisdom and provision as we rebuild our ministry center in Tel Aviv
• protection for our staff in Israel as they minister in a war zone
• open hearts among Jewish people who are experiencing fear and uncertainty
• boldness and opportunities for our missionaries to share the gospel
• fruit that remains with Jewish people coming to faith and their growth as disciples

We are living in prophetic times. The Lord is faithful to His promises, and He will complete the work He has begun. Until that day when all Israel recognizes their Messiah, we press on, grateful for partners like you who stand with us in this sacred calling.

Thank you for your heart for the Jewish people, and thank you for allowing us to share this incredible journey with you.

Shalom. I am thankful for you, your willingness to stand with the Jewish people, and your prayers as we reach Jewish people around the world.

We are approaching Thanksgiving, and I have been thinking a lot about the importance of giving thanks as a spiritual discipline year—maybe more than in past years—because of the war in Israel and rise of global antisemitism. But I know it is God’s will for me to thank Him in all circumstances. 

I enjoy saying thank you by eating delicious food including the usual bountiful feast of turkey, sweet potatoes with marshmallows (a personal favorite), and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Yet, as much as I enjoy the meal and family time, I know that thanksgiving is more than a feast! As believers in the Messiah Jesus, we are called to cultivate a daily spirit of thanksgiving. Paul wrote,  “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

And King David before him sang,“Give thanks to the Lord for His is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, ‘His lovingkindness is everlasting’”(Psalm 118:1–2). Thanksgiving is an everyday possibility when we know the Lord and praise Him for His goodness and grace.

Everyday Thanksgiving and the Hope-Filled Life

This wonderful Psalm has been recited for centuries by Jewish people as part of the Hallel Psalms, also known as the “praise psalms,” which are chanted during our major Jewish festivals. Many Christian scholars also believe it was one of the psalms sung by Jesus and His disciples at the conclusion of their Passover meal (Matthew 26:30). Whether read in synagogue, church, or as a reflection in private devotion, Psalm 118 resonates across faith traditions as a song of thanksgiving that leads to hope. It bridges human suffering and divine deliverance, rejection and acceptance, despair and gratefulness.

David frames the conclusion of the psalm with almost the same words as it begins when he writes, “You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, I extol You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 118:28–29).

The psalm encourages us to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving, which is so important for our spiritual well-being. Giving thanks is also a survival tool for the dark moments of our lives. Thanking God in the midst of life’s greatest challenges enables us to be grateful for the small blessings we would otherwise either not notice or take for granted.

Grateful for God’s Mercy in Life’s Darkest Times

Allow me to share the story of my friend, Ellis Goldstein, who discovered how to give thanks during very challenging circumstances. I am so moved by this story that I have also shared his story in our newsletter—so do not be surprised if you remember seeing it! 

Ellis was born into a traditional Jewish family with roots in Eastern Europe. Everything changed during his college years at Penn State. Through conversations with a patient campus mentor, he began exploring passages about the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. Initially skeptical and confused, he struggled to understand how these ancient prophecies could have relevance to his modern life. Six months later, in a moment of divine revelation, which he described as having “a veil lifted,” he suddenly understood that Jesus was his Messiah. This was not merely intellectual acknowledgment but a heartfelt recognition that transformed his entire worldview. The same Scriptures he had studied mechanically as a child now came alive as God’s personal letter to him.

This newfound faith became the cornerstone of his family life. He and his wife, Colleen, raised their daughter, Heather, with the same vibrant faith that had transformed their own lives. Their joy knew no bounds when, at a very young age, Heather made her own decision to trust Jesus as her Savior. She grew into an exceptional young woman—academically gifted, wise beyond her years, and someone her peers sought out for guidance and counsel.

Then came the moment that would shatter their world. On January 19, 1994, as Ellis stood in his garage preparing to leave, state police pulled into their driveway. They handed him Heather’s driver’s license and delivered the devastating news: Their seventeen-and-a-half-year-old daughter had died in a fatal car accident. The tragedy that no parent should ever face had become their reality.

Years later, another crushing blow struck their already wounded family. Colleen began experiencing throat problems that led to a devastating diagnosis: ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He watched helplessly as this cruel neurodegenerative disease systematically robbed his beloved wife of her ability to speak, write, and eventually breathe properly. When Colleen expressed that her suffering had become unbearable and she longed to be with the Lord, he faced the agonizing reality of losing his remaining family member. After Ellis took his wife to the hospital because of her labored breathing, the doctor gently informed him that Colleen wouldn’t be coming home. Several days later, in the middle of the night, while Ellis was sleeping in a chair next to her bed, two nurses woke him up to tell him Colleen was gone.

Standing alone in that hospice room, having lost both his daughter and his wife, he cried out to God in raw anguish: “You’ve taken away my entire family. What am I supposed to do?” The loneliness felt beyond description, a pain so deep it seemed to challenge the very foundation of his faith.

Yet, it was precisely in this darkest valley that God’s grace became most visible. While Heather’s death had caused him to question God’s love for an extended period, Colleen’s passing revealed something different—not doubt, but profound assurance. He saw God’s mercy and grace displayed in ways he never expected, recognizing that both his daughter and wife had transitioned from earthly bodies into the eternal presence of their Savior. Their faith in Jesus as Messiah had secured their place in God’s presence, transforming death from an ending into an eventual reunion.

Through unspeakable loss, Ellis’s testimony reveals how faith in Jesus provides strength, despite life’s tragedies, and can help us find hope, purpose, and even gratitude in the midst of them. His story echoes the psalmist’s journey through dark valleys and his ultimate discovery that God’s love and presence remain constant, even when everything familiar is stripped away. This is faith tested by fire and found genuine, which is a testament to God’s sustaining power when human strength fails.

I am amazed that Ellis, who recently remarried, has served the Lord faithfully for many years and remains an inspiration to thousands through his work with Cru.[1] Of course, it has been a long journey for my friend, but because of his relationship with the Lord Jesus, he has been able to experience daily renewal and live a hope-filled and joyful life.

A Heart of True Gratitude

Gratitude is God’s antidote to hopelessness. When we remain thankful in tough times, it is not a naïve surrender to the difficult moments we all go through, but a decision to trust Him through the hard times and reject the temptation to become embittered. Doing so is possible because the Lord lives within us by His Spirit and, through Him, we can be victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57).

When illness shadows our days, when loss leaves us breathless, and when uncertainty plagues us, we can be grateful for the Lord who is with us in the hard times. The psalmist teaches us that gratitude is not built upon the absence of trials but upon our trust in God’s character and sustaining power.

As I speak to our staff in Israel who are still running to bomb shelters with their families while continuing to preach the gospel to their fellow Israelis, or to our staff who are enduring the trials of living in war-torn Ukraine—and still have joy, I know that they have a source of spiritual power that transforms their lives because they know the Lord. 

Thankful for You!

November is my spiritual birthday month. I accepted Jesus as my Messiah in November 1970 as a young Jewish man searching for truth, just a couple of weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday. Rejoice with me, and, if you wish, send me a happy spiritual birthday note! 

On behalf of our staff in the United States, Israel, and twenty other countries across the globe, I want to thank you for your prayers, financial support, and for encouraging us in our mission to reach Jewish people everywhere with the gospel message.

Happy Thanksgiving and may the Lord fill you with hope and joy as you praise Him for who He is and what He has done! So, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.Amen!

[1]CRU is a Christian organization focused on evangelism and discipleship, founded in 1951 by Dr. Bill and Vonette Bright.