Through Voice of Judah Israel, two Israelis with very different lives, experiences and ages encountered the Lord and He used our ministry to pierce their hearts in very personal ways that only He could. The same God touched Shimon’s heart at 103 years old and his social worker Julia’s heart in the same visit from our team.
It began as just another visit. Our Beit Hallel follow-up team went to a local home for seniors in Ashdod, not knowing what God had prepared for everyone that day. Our team wasn’t bringing along any programs or agenda. They just came with open hearts, ready to listen, to care and to see who the Lord would place in their path. God brought Shimon to them. At 103, his frame was frail, but his presence was strong. His eyes, though dimmed with age, still carried a spark of life. Shimon has lived through wars and hardships, survived wounds and endured the deep grief of losing his beloved wife 16 years ago. Though he has children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, he now spends his days alone, his world reduced to the walls of the senior home, with only a faithful social worker to check in and help him each day.
Same Hope For The Generations
As our team sat with Shimon, they had to listen intently. His voice was soft and gentle, the kind you have to quiet yourself to catch. Every word was heavy with the weight of memory – a century of living condensed into simple stories. He spoke of survival, struggle, the small joys and great losses that had shaped his life. Listening to him felt like being handed treasures from another time, precious and fragile, yet full of wisdom. Yulia, his social worker, walked in with his lunch, so our team started to gather to leave, not wanting to intrude on his routine. In this moment, the Holy Spirit stirred in the team to stay as if to say, “Don’t walk away yet. There is hope to be shared here.”
A team member shared of being lifted from the darkness of depression and being set free by a single day of praying. The words were simple, but the testimony carried power. This stopped Julia in her tracks. With eyes widened, she nearly whispered, “How is that possible?” It was clear she longed for an answer her heart desperately needed. That one question opened a sacred doorway. Right there in Shimon’s room, a space filled with the memories of a century, our team spoke about the hope that never fades, the peace that comes only from Yeshua. The team explained that His love has no boundaries of age, no limits of circumstance. Then our VOJI team gently offered both Shimon and Yulia the prayer of salvation.
Same Hope of God
To our joy, Yulia quietly said, “I need this,” and she prayed. In that moment, God’s presence filled the room. Two lives, so different in age and journey – a 103-year-old man and his caretaker – were both touched by the same eternal hope. This is a Holy reminder that no one is too old or weary for the love of God to reach. Shimon’s story, even after more than a century, is still being written. Yulia, faithfully serving day after day, discovered that the same God who sustained Shimon through wars and loss could meet her right where she was, with the comfort and salvation her heart longed for.
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
Isaiah 46:4
As our Beit Hallel follow-up team walked out of the senior home that day, hearts were overflowing. What we thought would be a simple visit became a Holy encounter, orchestrated by the Spirit of God. This reminded us at our ministry that our role is not to have all the answers or all the plans. It is simply to show up, to listen, to share when He prompts and to trust Him with the rest. In a world aching for meaning, every conversation – even in the quiet corner of a senior home – can become a doorway to eternity. Your partnership with our ministry equips our team with prayer support and resources to impact the lives of Israelis, regardless of age.