Page 48 - Balfour100-E

48 Helping Jews return Partnerships ✡

Two Christian organisations in Britain are at the forefront of helping the Jewish

people in the diaspora, relieving their poverty and assisting those who are able

to immigrate to the land of Israel. Partnering with the Jewish Agency, they seek

out Jewish people to help them in their current circumstances and share with

them the possibility of making ALIYAH . Here are their stories...
1

Going up to Jerusalem!

he ministry of Ebenezer Operation Exodus was birthed in January
1991 at the International Prayer Conference in Jerusalem as 120 in-
T tercessors from 24 nations met in a bomb shelter with gas masks in
the midst of the First Gulf War. The Lord spoke to Gustav Scheller, a travel
agent from Bournemouth, with words confirmed by the conference leader-
ship: “Now is the time to help the Jewish people come home from the land
of the north.”
Gustav and his wife, Elsa, wanted planes and ships (Isaiah 60:8-9). The
to honour the Lord, and called the new first flights with OLIM from Russia left
2
ministry the ‘Ebenezer Emergency Warsaw and Budapest in the summer of
Fund’ based on 1 Samuel 7:12, “Thus 1991, and the first sailings from Odessa
far the LORD has helped us.” to Haifa a few months later.
Prayer is at the heart of the ministry, Believers around the world respond-
and early on we learned the importance ed to the Lord to enable us to assist more New immigrants from the tribe of Menashe
of corporate prayer with its commit- than 150,000 Jewish people make ALI- after their arrival from North East India
ment to the Lord and one another. YAH, as well as help and comfort many
Learning how to pray corporately in thousands through our humanitarian aid “Therefore behold, the days are
small groups includes laying down our programmes. coming,” says the LORD, “that it shall
own agendas to take up what is on the What a wonderful Christian testi- no more be said, ‘The LORD lives who
Father’s heart. mony of love and care towards God’s brought up the children of Israel from
Over the past 25 years continuous chosen people! Purely by the grace of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘The LORD lives
intercession has been central to over- Almighty God, we press on in this glori- who brought up the children of Israel
coming opposition, preparing the way ous work of helping the Jewish people from the land of the north and from all
for the Jewish people through national go home to the land promised to their the lands where he had driven them.’
repentance, prayer walks at borders, forefathers. We desire to be those who For I will bring them back into their
ports and other strategic places, and by express and reflect Jesus, the Head, to land which I gave to their fathers,”
raising faithful intercessory groups. The whom we are submitted. (Jeremiah 16:15).
Lord has provided the means to charter The sailings from Odessa to Haifa We have seen the mighty hand of
over 12 years sent a strong signal to God bringing the Jewish people home
Christians worldwide that now is the to Israel. It started in the ‘land of the
time that God is gathering the Jews north’ (the former Soviet Union), but
back to Israel (Jeremiah 31:10). Paul the ministry has now expanded to more
declares in Romans 15:27 that it is our than 50 countries (see Isaiah 43:5-6).
duty to support the Jewish people.
Over 40,000 Jews from the former
Soviet Union arrived in Israel by ships Alison Eastwood is UK National
Director of Ebenezer Operation
funded by donations from believers Exodus. She has served as a
around the world. The sailings made volunteer in Ukraine and Siberia.
a great impact on the lives of many of Alison now oversees ALIYAH
these immigrants. It was the first time assistance from the UK and represents the
ministry at various UK and international
they had met Christians who dem- meetings, sharing about God’s purposes for the
onstrated love to them instead of the return of the Jewish people and giving testi-
Helping Jewish people to leave Moscow historic hostility or indifference. mony to what the Lord is doing in our day.