Tents of Mercy Congregation
Kiryat Yam, Israel
Think about that moment when you come home from the weekly congregational service and everyone is starving! How many hours have passed since they ate? Maybe you are the kind of family that doesn’t eat breakfast before the service, and grabbing a coffee and a slice of cake during fellowship time merely exacerbates the hunger? How ironic it is that after a few hours of focusing on spirit matters - worship and the word - we are so fully consumed by our physical needs that, let’s be honest, some of us turn grumpy!
John 6 tells of the miracle of the two fish and five loaves that Yeshua took and blessed; they multiplied and eventually fed 5000 men, not counting the women and children, with twelve baskets leftover. This all likely occurred after Yeshua finished teaching. Initially eager to hear Him speak and motivated to follow Him even to the other side of the lake, the people now remembered their hunger. Yeshua had been healing the sick and preaching for hours. He was clearly tired and would have liked that “after the service” moment to nap and recuperate after ministering, but the hungry crowd was not dispersing.
I don’t suppose there were any fast food falafel stands nearby; and the motley crew of disciples with Yeshua hadn’t prepared a potluck lunch nor caterers, nor food trucks on standby in the parking lot :-). As a mom who often has to feed a hungry tribe, I’m amused that Yeshua asks Phillip where bread can be bought for the crowd. Perhaps it was a teasing question meant to emphasize the obvious and wonderfully physical and practical need they were facing. I can certainly attest that on Saturday afternoons after the service I often wish for lunch to miraculously appear.
We also read in this chapter that the miracle happened just before Passover, which really feels familiar as we are also just around the corner from Passover. In fact, we are gearing up for our annual Passover Holiday Food Basket distribution project in which we give out 900 baskets to help families in need celebrate this ancient feast. The monthly food bags and the special ones we give out during the fall and spring holidays, are shared with no strings attached. However, when people ask questions we are happy to answer about the source of love and generosity.
Ira came to the Tents of Mercy Humanitarian Aid Center about two years ago, part of the large wave of Ukrainian immigration from the Russia-Ukraine war. A widowed retiree, she has no children and no family in Ukraine or Israel, only one childhood friend named Genia who happens to live here in Kiryat Yam. Genia, a widow herself, invited Ira to stay with her when the situation in Ukraine deteriorated. As Ira signed up for the year-long immigrant food basket program, Genia seemed skeptical and distant, but Ira was thankful and came each month to receive the parcel of food.
When the year was up, we didn’t see Ira for a while. Then recently she showed up and explained to Sveta, our distribution director, that she was still living with her friend and that things were hard. Seeing that the hardship was genuine, we signed her up for another year. The next month Ira came again. This time her friend Genia was with her and was visibly softened and grateful. “Who are you people?” she asked with gratitude, admiration and curiosity. Sveta explained and told them her own story in answer to their questions. Genia admitted that she had desired and tried to draw close to God a couple of times, once trying to study the Torah, and another time looking into Kabbalah. Both attempts had fizzled into nothing.
Sveta spoke at length with them; in the end, at their request, she gave them both Bibles in Russian, encouraging Genia that perhaps now is the right time to draw near to God! Ira and Genia’s story is just one of many ways in which people’s lives are being impacted daily in a physical, practical way. We invite you to consider partnering with us in prayer and/or donations to facilitate this holiday project and others like it, sharing the miraculous and practical love of God.
