Word is getting out that there is a safe place for Israelis to stay at the Grand Canyon! In July I received a message from an unknown number, “Shalom, my name is Sammy, I’m an Israeli believer. After the army I will be coming to the Grand Canyon.”
We had never met Sammy, but after October 7th, when he was called to serve on the front lines in Gaza, mutual friends requested prayer for his safety. Unbeknownst to Sammy, we printed out his picture and hung it on our prayer wall with a few others who were serving in the war, and prayed for them nearly every day.
In August, Sammy and three other Israeli believers came to stay with our hosts and us at the Grand Canyon. Together, we hiked in the Canyon, shared meals in the beautiful Ponderosa pines, and had deep conversations under breathtaking views of the Milky Way. One evening by the campfire, Carissa shared how she encountered God in Israel on the morning she learned her brother had died. She asked the guys how they have encountered God through the grief and trauma of the war. Sammy shared several stories of how God miraculously protected him and his unit on the front lines in Gaza. More than once, he watched God intervene in the face of certain death.
Israeli believers in the military are on the front lines of a fierce spiritual battle, and their faithfulness under opposition is a strong and convicting testimony. The guys told stories about sharing their faith with unbelieving friends and comrades who are likewise being challenged spiritually in the thick of war. God is undeniably using the darkness to drive His people to the light, and we are grateful to be a part of His work.
This October 7th marks one year since the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel is still at war, and Sammy has returned to active duty. Many Israelis still travel, in search of respite from the war. It is our sincere privilege to host them in this magnificent and peaceful place, which so naturally inspires conversations about the Creator. We trust you will join us in prayer that many more will sit with us by the fire under the starry night skies of Grand Canyon, and here find physical rest and eternal Shalom.
With gratitude,
BJ, Carissa, Ari and Aviya