“You are bringing us the love of God!”

Tiferet Yeshua Congregation

Tel Aviv

Mourning with Those Who Mourn

Following October 7th, Hezbollah attacked Israel’s north with thousands of rockets and armed drones. Last summer a 24 cm diameter rocket hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, an Israeli Druze* village in the Northern Golan Heights, killing 12 children and injuring many others with its 50 kg warhead of explosives.

The entire nation was gripped with grief over the massacre. Shosh Navon, Tiferet Yeshua’s official savta (grandmother) at 92-years-old, suggested that we organize a group to share our condolences in person. Our visit happened weeks after the attack, but we would soon find out that God’s timing was perfect.

After a four-hour drive, we arrived and parked. A young woman came out of her nearby shop and randomly invited us to have a coffee; she had just made a fresh pot. Two of the ladies in our group went over to talk with her. Soon, I noticed Ma’ayan praying for the woman. As she prayed, the woman started weeping, and Ma’ayan tenderly embraced her. 

Divine Appointment with 12 Bereaved Fathers

Then it turned out that all the families of the 12 children were at that very moment in the community center. They had just finished a workshop on grief and mourning. “The families are there waiting to meet you,” our contact, a village leader, told us.

We arrived at the community center and met with the twelve fathers of the murdered children. We all went and shook hands with each of them, telling them, “We have come to comfort you in your mourning and to tell you that God loves you.”

They invited us to come sit with them – and set a table of refreshments for us. We also brought along food and refreshments that we contributed. They asked us who we are. Shosh began speaking in such a loving and eloquent way, that it was clear the Holy Spirit was upon her. Shosh explained that we are Jews from a Messianic fellowship in Tel Aviv.

When it was my turn to speak, I also briefly shared that several times we had prayed for their comfort, healing and protection. After several of us shared, we asked if we could pray for them now in person, and they agreed. It’s hard to explain, but God was there in a powerful way; we spoke simple words of comfort, but the fathers wept with us and were visibly touched by what we shared and when we prayed. The sheikh who had brought us to this meeting and stayed there throughout kept saying, “Something special is happening here.”

We stayed with the fathers for nearly an hour; and when it was time to leave, we embraced each of them. Before we left, one of the mothers who had stayed to listen approached me and began telling me about her 15-year-old daughter who was killed in the attack. “My daughter was gifted, and she knew four languages… Arabic, Hebrew, English and German.” It turns out that her daughter’s dream was to study at the University of Munich. Two weeks before the attack that killed her daughter, the whole family had visited Germany to check out the university. The ladies from our team embraced this mother and asked if they could pray for her. She agreed, and when they did, she said, “I feel something, something from God!”

Often we heard from the people we met and prayed for at Majdal Shams, “You are bringing us the love of God!” In their brokenness and mourning, the precious families and their community at large opened their hearts to us; and in return God graciously touched them with His love.

After visiting with the families for nearly five hours (they brought us to the soccer field to see where their children were murdered), I was amazed and blessed but starting to feel tired and thought we should probably get on our way. Just then, the sheikh said, “I want to host you at my home; it is important to me to introduce you to my family. I’ve already called, and my daughters are coming with the grandchildren.”

At the sheikh’s home, a table was set before us with coffee and fresh cherries and apples from their orchards. He introduced his wife and each of his daughters with their children. The sheikh explained to us that he works as an interfaith and cultural advocate and has had many meetings with different religious groups in Israel. “But you,” he said, “have something different.”

When it was time to leave, the sheikh himself guided us out of the village and explained to us how to get to the Sea of Galilee. As he was saying goodbye to us, suddenly he broke into tears. “You are such special people!” he said. “In just these few hours you were with us today I feel a special connection with you.” On our way home, every 45 minutes or so he would call to make sure we were on our way safely. His last call to check on us was at midnight when we were close to Tel Aviv.

After I arrived home, I saw that the sheikh had sent me a personal message:

“We were privileged to receive the visit from amazing people who came to comfort us in the loss of our precious children who were murdered in a painful terror attack, our twelve shining stars whom we will never forget. Despite the pain, you all were ambassadors of peace. You brought something precious, and we were privileged to meet people who are clean and pure. Your visit was a very emotional and special time for us with tears, sympathy and mutual affection. This disaster unified us and transcends all boundaries of religion, politics or language. You are an example of humanity, and you left a precious seal on our hearts. For me and my dear family, your visit has become a treasure. I want to thank you for your initiative and the effort you made to come from so far.”

Please pray for all the dear people we had the incredible privilege to spend time with in Majdal Shams, that God would continue touching their hearts with His love, that He would comfort them and reveal Himself to them as the one who seals ours hearts with His perfect love!

[*The Druze are a moderate, Arab-speaking, non-Muslim minority in Israel who are highly integrated in Israeli society, serving with distinction in the IDF and in the government.]

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