There are now three ambulances in Israel bearing the Bible verse, “Oh that salvation would come out of Zion!” from Psalm 14:7.

In Hebrew though, it says “Oh that Yeshua would come out of Zion!” As you may remember, the name of Jesus means salvation. Why? Because as the angel Gabriel instructed Joseph,

“You shall call his name Yeshua [salvation], for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

More than that, these three ambulances bear the names of some precious people that you’ll hear about in a minute.

A big thank you

You may be surprised to hear that although the state of Israel pays for its police force and firefighters, the ambulances in Israel are funded purely by donations from people like you. These three ambulances were provided by supporters who have given to ONE FOR ISRAEL.

Needless to say, when Magen David Adom (Israel’s version of the Red Cross) receives donations of any magnitude, they are overcome with thanks and appreciation. This was our experience as we attended a special event for the donation of three new, lifesaving ambulances, paid for by supporters of ONE FOR ISRAEL. Dr Erez Soref gave part of his speech in English, letting everyone know about the love that has come from Christians in the nations. Here’s what he said:

“They’re not Jewish, they’re not Israeli. It stands out especially in a year when hatred towards the Jewish people and the state of Israel has been so rampant around the world, in all parts of the world. Our donors are men and women who for many years have been praying for the nation of Israel, but especially through this last year. Through prayer for all of us, God has moved their hearts to give and donate to the betterment of the nation of Israel.

Through their generosity, ONE FOR ISRAEL has had the privilege to give tens of millions of shekels over this last year to municipalities, local communities, different local and national bodies that assist wounded people, wounded soldiers, families, all that to alleviate, even just a little bit the suffering in the nation of Israel in this past year. So I want to say a big THANK YOU”.

A powerful witness

The whole nation was touched by the sacrifice of Urijah Bayer, a young Christian who gave his life defending Israel. Now his name and memory are written on an ambulance, provided by people like you and dedicated to serve the people of Israel in times of emergency.

We dedicated the second ambulance to a Greek Christian man named Ionas Karoussis who was gunned down in Jaffa by terrorists, the only child of his parents who were left devastated. A third ambulance to all of the Israeli security services who fought so bravely during this terrible time to protect the people of Israel.

The families of Urijah and Ionas came to the ceremony and were deeply moved to see the names of their loved ones on the vehicles, specifically as they will go on to save many Israeli lives.

After the emotional ceremony which included a song written by Eitan Kashtan on our team about the grief of a mother, we went to see the ambulances themselves. The MDA volunteers explained a little about the facilities and equipment on board the new ambulances, and how important they are for saving lives. As painful as it was for the grieving families, there was comfort in knowing that the memories of their loved ones will continue to be such a blessing to Israel.

We are so grateful for all the generosity that has made this possible, and the powerful witness it was to everyone when they heard that the money came from Christians who love Israel, because they love the Messiah of Israel.

Salvation for Israel

In addition to all the practical care we’ve been able to give thanks to your donations, we’ve also been able to bring the saving message of Jesus to Israel at this time when people are looking for hope.

The gifts that come to us are used to produce high quality media and hundreds of evangelistic videos. The message of salvation is going out from Zion in both Hebrew and Arabic, and our YouTube channels are getting an incredible amount of traction. We can afford to promote these videos so that Israelis can see them, and also the Arabic media is being seen throughout the whole Arabic speaking world! To date we have well over half a million subscribed to our Hebrew channel (563K at the time of writing) and our videos in English have been watched over 300 million times. We are seeing a steady stream of people, both Jews and Arabs, coming to faith and being discipled as they start their journey with Jesus.

Our Bible college is also continuing to train Jewish and Arab believers for the harvest in Israel, and God’s kingdom is being built in our days. But we could not do his without you.

At this time of thanksgiving we want to say a huge THANK YOU to you, to all who pray for us, all who support in different ways, and to all who give towards what God is doing in Israel and beyond the borders. Salvation is indeed coming out of Zion.