Praying for Peace. Preparing for War.

John & Cheryl Moser

While we pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem, preparing for war has been on our hearts since we first traveled to Kiryat Shmona located very near the Lebanese border. Their location has made them a target for rocket fire cross-border attacks.  During the 2006 Lebanese War, approximately half of the city’s residents left the area and the other half who remained stayed in bomb shelters while over a thousand rockets hit the area.  During our visit, the mayor of the city shared a video of some of those rockets exploding in his town. We heard the sirens and saw the damage a Katyusha rocket causes.  It’s not something you forget.    While there, we were able to take packages of food to some of the poorest Jewish citizens, many of them elderly.    We then traveled to an undisclosed location to share food packages with a group of Lebanese who had fled Lebanon during the war to escape Hezbollah.  That day we saw the faces of the victims from both sides of the border and were humbled to be able to show the unconditional love of Christ to these who had suffered in ways we had never before imagined.

It’s not just the north that has faced the effects of war.  Since 2005 when the Israelis withdrew from Gaza in an effort to give land for peace, Palestinian terrorists have launched thousands of rockets into southern Israel.  In November of 2007, while in Sderot, we experienced personally what it feels like to hear the warning sirens…warning that a rocket had been fired out of Gaza and was headed toward us.  It meant we had seven seconds to get into a bomb shelter.  In those moments we got a glimpse into the life these Israelis live.  By God’s grace, no one was injured by that rocket.  Now we really understood the mother who told us she was afraid to send her children to school and the other personal stories we heard about living in a missile zone. 

Since these early experiences, the rockets have become more powerful, reaching further and exposing more Israelis to the stress of wondering when the next one will hit and the very real threat of being killed or maimed–and at the same time, listening to the threats of their enemies who want to wipe them off the face of the earth.  We know war is coming to the Land.  The Lord’s Word is very clear about this.  He hasn’t told us when, but as we spend time in Israel we have felt and seen the tensions growing. 

We have been blessed that the Lord has allowed us to care for the needy in Israel and have been so touched by the generosity of our donors who have been our partners in all that is done in the Land.  We’d like to highlight a few of the key preparations for war that the Lord has led us to make.

We have been stockpiling food for some time now, but have felt the Lord’s urging to increase the amounts both in our warehouse and, where possible, in the twelve storefronts we supply across Israel.  We are also stockpiling other supplies for war…water, water purification tablets, blankets, diapers and can openers.

Our staff and distribution center managers have gone through first aid and emergency preparedness training with the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command. 

In anticipation that the power may go down, we are installing a large generator and reserve fuel supplies for our warehouse.  We have also purchased smaller generators for the twelve distribution centers.  These include light strips so lighting will be available. Additionally, we have purchased battery operated radios for our warehouse and the distribution centers so we can receive the latest updates from the Israeli government.

We continue to seek the Lord to guide and direct us with any other preparations that would allow us to show His loving care to the people in the Epicenter, while we daily continue to care for the poor and needy.  Please join us in praying that the love of Christ will touch hearts.

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