This Shavuot, I had the joy of returning to Tzur Moshe, a small village in central Israel, to celebrate the feast of Pentecost with a family very dear to my heart Emanuel and Karen.
Last year, during the war, this family found themselves in a difficult situation. The Arab workers who usually helped with their agricultural work could no longer come. That’s when our group from the Netherlands stepped in. We weren’t farmers, and most of us didn’t speak the language, but we came with willing hands and open hearts. We helped gather the harvest, and in doing so, we planted something much deeper trust, friendship, and light in the middle of uncertainty.
This year, that seed blossomed.
Emanuel invited us to join them for Shavuot, and it felt like more than a meal it felt like reconciliation in motion. His wife, Karen, who is Dutch, welcomed us as family. We sat at their table, shared traditional dishes, laughed, and remembered what God had done.
But what moved me most was not the food or the feast it was the questions.
As we shared stories of that challenging season, conversations turned toward faith. Emanuel and Karen were curious. They asked about what drives us to help. They asked about forgiveness. About hope. About Jesus.
It’s moments like this that remind me: it’s not always about preaching. Sometimes it’s about showing up, again and again, until love becomes the message.
And that night, over a simple Shavuot table, love spoke clearly.
Please pray with me for Emanuel and Karen that the seeds of faith planted in their hearts would grow in the light of God’s truth.
“For the earth will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.”
— Psalm 67:6
Thank you for sharing. This brought tears to my eyes and a song to my heart. “The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple”. Psalm 119:130
Oh, the doors love opens! What a beautiful story! I am praying that Emanuel and Karen come to the salvation of Jesus.🙏🙏🙏