Reflections on Israel: Visiting After War
In November 2025, a small Light of Messiah team traveled to Israel. I was unable to make the trip due to personal issues I needed to attend to at home. We have an amazing team, great leaders, and incredible guides. The trip is going well. I’ve been in close touch with them and am excited to report what’s going on.
I am not going to paint a rosy picture, as some might. Instead, I’ll give you the reality of what life in Israel is like right now. I want you to know how the people are doing so you can pray. We never go to Israel just to see the Holy Land; we go to connect with the people of the Land. We go to share the love of our Messiah Jesus. Following are reports from the team.
Experiencing the New Israel
Israel is not the place we last visited over two years ago. The lively, exciting, joy filled atmosphere has, to some extent, been replaced by a more somber mood. People are going out and living life, but after over two years of war a heaviness remains in the air. There is no way that a country can endure what Israel has endured without being changed. The hostages are home and there is a sense of hope. However, the wounds are still fresh.
While talking to one of our tour guides in preparation for the trip, he said that the entire country is experiencing PTSD. There are few tour groups right now. Many, especially in the tourism industry, have been out of work for over two years. There is a sense of uncertainty. While the picture looks brighter than a year ago, there is the feeling of “waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
We were honored to bring some hope in the midst of heaviness. The team has expressed the profound amazement of Israelis at our presence. “Why did you come?” is a common question asked everywhere we go. This question opens doors for deeper conversations.
Mariah Reports:
We had an incredible meeting with a new Jewish friend at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial). We sat and talked for an hour; it was such a beautiful connection. We got to share how we fell in love with Israel, and the work we do teaching the Church about the Jewishness of Jesus. She was in awe of our work advocating for Israel and the Jewish people, especially because Anna Beth and I are not Jewish. She said, “really, this is holy work.” We teared up multiple times.
We also visited the site of the brutal October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas. Anna Beth, who was there last year, reflected that the second visit was no easier than the first. There are some things that you do, not because you want to, but because you know you should. Visiting the Gaza Envelope was one of those things. We spent the day with Amit, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival Massacre.
I work with precious Holocaust survivors in Atlanta. As Amit spoke, my mind kept drifting to them. All of them had long, painful journeys, learning to live with their trauma. Many of them were still children during the horrors of the Holocaust, and it wasn’t until much later in adulthood that they began to speak openly about what they endured.
Yet, here is Amit, not even two years removed from the event that traumatized him and stole the lives of his closest friends. He is processing his grief by recounting the events of October 7th. As he guided us through the Nova Festival Memorial and the surrounding areas of the Gaza Envelope, Amit shared story after story: heartbreaking loss, extraordinary courage, and families torn apart by Hamas’ violence that day.
Despite everything, Amit’s perspective reflects what so many Israelis hold deep in their hearts: “Without hope there is no life here. The people are Israel. And the people need hope in their hearts in order to stay. We continue life in Israel because there is no other place for us. It is the promised land.”
Sharing Our Hope in the Present
We did not go to Israel to merely reflect on past pain but to bring encouragement to everyone we meet. The team has been trained and prepared to talk to people about life, struggles, and spiritual issues. To share the hope of our Messiah Jesus with Israel.
We took with us several hundred cards from our “Dear Israeli Friend” initiative. The cards were written by Christians to share love and encouragement with the people of Israel. Israelis are resilient. They have been knocked down but are not out. They need to know that though the entire world seems against them, many are praying for them.
The team reports on serving the IDF and card distribution: We gave cards and supplies to soldiers at an amazing volunteer-led rest stop inside the Gaza envelope war zone. Dror, one of the founders, was so excited. He started passing out cards to all the soldiers - jokingly saying, “here’s your bill for the meal!” He said he would share them with all the soldiers who came through and put them on display so everyone could see.
Anna Beth reports:
I hung out with a long-time Israeli friend. We caught up for a few hours, and she asked me, genuinely, “Why do people like you, with no natural connection to this country, love Israel so much? Why be here when it’s such a mess?” I shared why I love this place and its people: because of the God of Israel and my Jewish Messiah, and how much we owe the Jewish people. She paused and said, “People like you are a miracle.” She even shared that her Christian coworker’s church raised money for her daughter’s army unit - she was shocked by the generosity. Our presence here really matters.
Looking ahead to the Future
We do not grieve as those without hope. Everyone we encountered, though processing trauma, is beginning to sense that perhaps the future is brighter. We met with partners in Israel doing outreach. Hunger for connection is at an all time high. Jewish people are hearing the gospel and responding. Here are just few more out of many stories from the team…
Mariah Reports:
We visited the Jews for Jesus women’s shelter outside Tel Aviv, a ministry we help support. Danielle, a Jewish believer in Jesus, leads the home and shared about the women living there, many coming from addiction or years on the streets and needing a safe place after rehab. Social workers know the shelter is Messianic, and the women join daily Bible studies. Several have come to faith, including recently one Muslim woman!
Ben Reports:
Our server at a local restaurant asked us why we were visiting Israel. We had the chance to explain that we are Christians and we love Israel. John showed her one of the cards from the kids. She was really touched. We told her about our day visiting the Nova Festival Massacre site and how impactful it was. She said one of the victims of the attacks, Shani Louk, was a fellow server at that restaurant.
John Reports:
At dinner tonight, Ben and I were interrupted by Bobby, who was sitting alone and curious where we were from. We ended up having a great conversation. He’s originally from Liverpool and has lived in NYC and London. Bobby is staying at his parents’ place in Israel while working on a new business idea. He’s Jewish but not religious and wanted to know more about the “sect” we represent. When I explained that the first 10,000 Christians were Jewish, he was shocked. He admitted he’s been feeling nudged to learn more. I encouraged him to pursue that. He asked to connect on LinkedIn, and I’m hoping we will keep in touch.
We still have many more stories, thoughts, and emotions to share with you. The most exciting news is that while there, we brought hope to Israel, a nation that needs us now more than ever.
By Murray Tilles
Founder and Executive Director