Team Update – Revive Israel

Getting to Know the Team – Yuri

Three years ago, the Lord radically changed Yuri Nicolaev’s life, giving him joy, deep peace, and strong purpose. Three months ago, he joined the Revive Israel team, serving in the maintenance department. Yuri was born in Siberia, Russia, the only child of Messianic believers. When he was 12, his family made aliya to Israel. Here, he continued to attend a Messianic congregation, although it didn’t interest him much. By the age of 16, he completely stopped going to the congregation.

“The ‘streets’ were calling me to do what I please, with whom I want, drinking and eventually taking drugs. I pacified myself, thinking I was still a believer and that God forgives.” Aged 30, Yuri ‘woke up’ and realized he was in serious trouble. His drinking was out of control and debts were mounting. His mom eventually convinced him to go to a rehabilitation center run by believers, called Beit HaYeshua, in Jerusalem. “I was very reluctant, yet from the first moment I entered, the love of God was in the room. It filled and warmed me – a feeling I used to get only by taking drugs.” He was willing to give it a try. So started a journey of rededication, being set free by the Lord. Yuri’s passion is for God to use him in people’s lives, bringing deliverance and healing, teaching His Word and discipling. (Read more about Beit HaYeshua on our website.)

Brazil Ministry Trip – report by Raphael Almeida

First Asher and I met with leaders in Sao Paulo about unity in the body and being one family. Most importantly, we felt it was time for Brazil to wake up, as confirmed through prophecies. Then we moved to Belo Horizonte where the main conference was held. We had several meetings with leaders from different streams and perspectives, and we brought the message that we (Jewish) and David Demian (Arab) of Watchmen for the Nations can unite with the alliance of different church streams in Brazil. We also talked about the move of the Holy Spirit and prayed for new doors to open in Brazil.

Kenya Ministry Trip

Malek and Yoni spoke at the conference, ‘Awakening Africa to a Love for Israel’, right in the heart of Kenya’s Maasai territory, at the invitation of apostolic leader, Supeyo. Delegates from across the region were encouraged to align with Israel, to reconcile with each other and to open a new chapter in Kenya’s spiritual history. Yoni and Malek then moved to Kisii, where they connected with a Messianic congregation and visited a local orphanage, warmly hosted by Joash Ogutu, leader of an apostolic network of over 350 Messianic congregations. “The Home of Hope was in a Jewish village made up of refugees from Ethiopia. The children were lovely and the home very well run, but I was shocked by the situation of the orphanage – children were eating at best a meal a day, drinking dirty water from a stream, did not have enough beds or bedding, had no medical facilities and no school for a year. Some of this was due to neglect from the local authorities, who choose not to help Jews.” To help with the urgent food and education needs please give via our US office (please identify the gift’s purpose) and also look out for our video coming out shortly.

Strategic Giving

Your generous contributions during 2019 made it possible for Revive Israel to give away one third of our undesignated income to carefully selected Israeli Messianic congregations, organizations and individuals. For example, we sponsored 5 young people to take part in intensive discipleship programs and 12 children from needy single-parent families to benefit from equine therapy. Many other needy Messianic families were given financial support directly, or via relief organizations. Your donations made it possible to provide 6 scholarships to Messianic students, to help persecuted believers, a Pro-Life organization, Israel’s only Messianic primary and middle school and rehabilitation ministries. Your generosity also made it possible for nearly 330,000 Arabic speakers to be reached with the gospel via an RI partner social media project – up from 100,000 in 2018!