Shalom, dear brothers and sisters in Yeshua. May the blessings of the Heavenly Father be upon you. I am so grateful for your prayers for us and for your financial support of our ministry here in Israel!

I am not on the front lines. The front is where the actual clashes between the warring sides take place and where danger is at its peak. Just today the news reported four Israeli soldiers killed in battle. We pray that God's comfort rests upon their families.

I am not at the front, yet in the reality of modern warfare, the front is also the rear. You do not know from which direction the shelling might come. When there is fire from Iran, our phone alerts give us 7–8 minutes to find a bomb shelter—provided we are away from home. Today, phone apps even have maps of bomb shelters. It is not an easy task when you are driving; I don't know whether I want to stop and lie on the ground or hope that "it won't hit" because I am moving, or I must look for a building and find a bomb shelter there.

When the siren goes off without warning, you know it is fire from Lebanon, and you have 1–2 minutes.

My friend Guy Cohen, a pastor of a congregation in Akko, lives where the rockets reach much faster.

In short, "THE STRING" is a state of soul when you don't know what to expect, and you are no longer afraid, for fear is eventually leveled by time and habit. And yet that feeling of THE STRING remains. 

Yesterday we visited a family from our congregation. The wife is ill, and they simply don't have enough time to leave their home and go down to the communal bomb shelter. She is weak, they are on the 10th floor, and the elevator cannot be used during a siren. And suddenly the wailing began... We didn't even move. Only THE STRING tightened even more.

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Later, the news showed a house just 2 km from our friends' home. It is there in the photo. Thank God everyone survived.

Another rocket struck the fuel storage facility. This is also within 2–3 km of many of us.

Generally speaking, it is all extremely unpleasant.

And what about THE STRING in the soul that keeps tightening?

In the Scripture, there are many examples of such STRINGS. I am sure Abraham and Moshe felt it, as did Joshua and King Hezekiah – indeed, everyone does. Even Yeshua praying in Gethsemane, said: “May this cup pass from me...”

This is all natural for a human being, yet it is so painful. When such a state comes, you wonder when it will finally end.

The year 1948. In a single day, the State of Israel came into being after 2000 years of national non-existence. The prophecy was fulfilled. We thank God that the people of Israel endured through all that time, though scattered across many lands. But they had never been gathered in one place until that moment. And then it happened.

We hope that by Independence Day on April 21st, marking 78 years since God allowed Israel to be rebuilt, our country will stand like a SIGNPOST of time, signaling that Redemption is Coming. God does everything according to His plans, and even these "Gog and Magog" wars are just additional milestones before the coming of King Yeshua and the Restoration of All things, as written in Acts 3:21.

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²⁰ so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord’s presence; and he may send the Messiah appointed in advance for you, that is, Yeshua. ²¹ He has to remain in heaven until the time comes for restoring everything, as God said long ago, when he spoke through the holy prophets. (Acts, Chapter3)

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May the Lord give us strength and patience, and then on our STRINGS we will sing praise to the King!

Once again, we are in prayer for you all and wish you a blessed Passover—the day of the Lord’s deliverance for you all!

With respect.

Leon Mazin