Mother's Day Looked Different In The Holy Land

For over 15 years, our ministry partners in Galilee have hosted a Mother’s Day outreach which draws hundreds of women from across the Holy Land to celebrate and uplift each other, sharing their hearts, hopes, and stories. They come away refreshed by the fellowship, eager to keep pursuing their ministries to their families and communities. We can trace the birth of dozens of home discipleship groups back to this one outreach.

This year, the Mother’s Day celebration was canceled due to the ongoing war. In times like these, people need each other more than ever, yet the local government deemed it unsafe to gather in large numbers and would not approve the meeting. For the women of the Holy Land, the cancellation of this event was not just a small disappointment. It was yet another reminder that when peace in their land is out of reach, many of their friends and support networks are as well.

Despite this setback, our partner Rose, the founder of the celebration, continues to minister to those she can get to safely. She has built close discipleship relationships with the women who have participated in Mother’s Day over the years, and meets regularly with them. Rose sent us some reflections about these relationships to share with you, and you can read them below.

From Rose - Mother’s Day Celebration Ripples

"The Mother’s Day celebration is a single-day event, but its reverberations are far from being momentary. For months following the event, we make contact with newcomers and follow up with those who make a decision during the event, and we see God change lives in entire families. This year’s celebration in March was canceled due to the situation. But despite the war, we continue to follow up with women and their families, encourage them, and lift them up.

One of the families that the Lord is putting my focus on right now is a young couple. The man, Shadi, has been serving at the Mother’s Day celebration for years already, and recently his business has been providing the celebration’s gifts at a big discount. He and his lovely wife, Eman, got married in 2021, and they’ve been trying to have a baby ever since. Treatments did not help much. And when Eman finally got pregnant, and things were looking good, she had a miscarriage. Still, their faith in God is unshakable, and they continue to have a positive attitude towards life. Recently, they moved to a new house, and we stood by them, helping them move everything and put things back together again. We hope this new house will be the beginning of something new in their lives.

Another story is of a woman who came to the Mother’s Day celebration in 2019. She made a decision to follow the Lord, and I discipled her and asked a leader from her town to follow up with her. I continued checking in with her every once in a while. And recently she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away.

Ministry isn’t always beautiful stories of resolve and miracles. In fact, more often than not, it is a rough road with thorns on one side and a cliff on the other. But every step that we take with those we serve for God’s glory is in hope for them to take another step forward. And knowing that they’ve placed their hope in Jesus is the assurance that we have that those who’ve gone before us are now with Him."