Ministry Updates from Jason and Janice Rose

Pray for Israel: Iran has been bombarding us with huge ballistic missiles.

2025-06-18T20:20:00.000+03:00

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

You have probably been watching the news and wondering if your friends on the ground in Israel are safe and what is really going on. I will explain but first let me say that our family is safe, our staff are all safe and we are doing what we can to continue to serve the Lord here even in this difficult time.

What Happened and When did it start?

On Friday, June 13th, at around 3am the Israeli Air Force attacked Iran's nuclear sites, military leaders and ballistic missile launchers across Iran. The Israeli Intelligence discovered that Iran was within two or three days of enriching enough uranium to make a nuclear warhead. They felt there was no longer any time to waste.

Final Reminder: Zoom with the Israeli Roses, Today!

2023-07-15T01:00:00.004+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

This is our last little reminder. We would love to see you guys today via Zoom. Please feel free to bring your questions and prayer requests.

Below is some helpful information and links. We will send out one more reminder on the day of the meeting.

WHEN:

Saturday, July 15th at 9pm Israel time.

That's 11am in California,

1pm in Minnesota and Alabama

and 2pm in North Carolina and New York City.

If you want to be extra safe, add the event to your calendar:

Google, Outlook (.ics), Yahoo

WHERE:

On ZOOM. Here's the link!!!!

https://chosenpeople.zoom.us/j/94253569123?pwd=T2o4dlh2SnViYlhSZzdQd25sUU1Qdz09

You will need this Passcode to enter: Rose

To join the meeting, you will need to download the ZOOM application on your desktop or mobile phone/device. It would be best to do this before the meeting, just in case it requires a little more time. Below are some links that might be helpful: ZOOM DOWLOAD WEBSITE

Computer

Microsoft Desktop Download

Apple Desktop Dowload

Mobile Devices

APPLE MOBILE DEVICES

ANDROID MOBILE DEVICES

Quick Reminder: Zoom with the Roses

2023-07-13T09:27:00.002+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

This is just a short reminder that we have scheduled a special ZOOM meeting to update you all on what's going on in our ministry in Israel. Below is some helpful information and links. We will send out one more reminder on the day of the meeting.

WHEN:

Saturday, July 15th at 9pm Israel time.

That's 11am in California,

1pm in Minnesota and Alabama

and 2pm in North Carolina and New York City.

If you want to be extra safe, add the event to your calendar:

Google, Outlook (.ics), Yahoo

WHERE:

On ZOOM. Here's the link!!!!

https://chosenpeople.zoom.us/j/94253569123?pwd=T2o4dlh2SnViYlhSZzdQd25sUU1Qdz09

You will need this Passcode to enter: Rose

Computer

Microsoft Desktop Download

Apple Desktop Dowload

Mobile Devices

APPLE MOBILE DEVICES

ANDROID MOBILE DEVICES

Zoom with the Roses, July 15th

2023-07-09T11:09:00.003+03:00

Dear Friends,

First, I must apologize that the last email that went out had an old subject line from April. These emails are built on more than one platform and I forgot to double check the settings on one of the platforms before it was sent out. Sorry about the confusion.

Second, the contents of the email were correct. We are hopeful that we will be able to arrange a Zoom meeting with some of our prayer partners, and as the Lord enables, we would like to do this more. Here are the details. We know that some of you won't be able to make this because of prior commitments, and that is expected, but for those who can make, we are honored that you would choose to spend some time with us on Zoom.

WHEN:

Saturday, July 15th at 9pm Israel time...

That's 11am in California, 1pm in Minnesota and Alabama and 2pm in North Carolina and New York City.

WHERE:

On ZOOM. Here's the link!!!!

https://chosenpeople.zoom.us/j/94253569123?pwd=T2o4dlh2SnViYlhSZzdQd25sUU1Qdz09

Meeting ID: 942 5356 9123

Passcode: Rose

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason Rose

Let's Meet on ZOOM! July 15th at 11am (CA), 1pm (Midwest), 2pm (East Coast)

2023-07-06T18:31:00.001+03:00

Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,

As you can imagine, with our busy family, busy ministry general business and a building project, we have been... well, busy. But we want to make time for you and I had this revelation.... we can meet on ZOOM.

Want to join us?

I am scheduling a ZOOM meeting just for you, our supporters. We will give you a bit of a ministry update. Tell you more about the building project and let you ask questions. Perhaps we will even have a chance to let our kids talk and you can see how huge they have gotten!

WHEN:

Saturday, July 15th at 9pm Israel time...

That's 11am in California, 1pm in Minnesota and Alabama and 2pm in North Carolina and New York City.

WHERE:

On ZOOM. Here's the link!!!!

https://chosenpeople.zoom.us/j/94253569123?pwd=T2o4dlh2SnViYlhSZzdQd25sUU1Qdz09

Meeting ID: 942 5356 9123

Passcode: Rose

We are thrilled to be able to share with you the exciting ministry that is happening in Tel Aviv. Please feel free and invite your friends and family! All are welcome.

If you want to send you questions ahead of time, you can do that via email at:

jrose@chosenpeople.com

Looking forward to seeing you soon on zoom!

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason Rose

Prayer Requests regarding the recent uptick in Rocket fire, Riots and terror attacks

2023-04-07T17:28:00.001+03:00

Dear friends and ministry partners,

In recent days there have been several rocket attacks at Israel from the terror organizations in the Gaza

Strip and in Southern Lebanon. As of the writing of this prayer request about 80 rockets have been fired. On the one hand, this is a major escalation, yet on the other hand, there is always some expected escalation around the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. For the entire month, we normally experience riots and other violence with terror organizations often calling for terror attacks against civilians. This year we have already experienced a large increase in terror attacks and the Israeli security establishment has been working hard to thwart terror continuously. They stated in the news recently that they have been able to thwart over 200 planned terror attacks since the beginning of the year. The success of their efforts is apparent, but not as apparent as their failure to thwart terror attacks. This morning two sisters in their 20's were murdered in a terror attack, while driving their car near the Dead Sea. Their mother, in her 40's was also in the car and she is in critical condition. We know that some may think that this kind of violence is common in Israel or in the Middle East,
but it is not as common as you might think. The recent terror attacks are some of the worst I have experienced since I moved to Israel about twenty years ago.

There is also rioting in several Arab Israeli towns, something that happened about a year ago and led to a major rift between Arab and Jewish relations. As an example, we have a friend in another town who loved his local Arab butcher shop so much, he took Jason there a couple of times. Since the riots last year, he won't purchase from them because they supported the riots, which led to several murders in his town. There are many stories like these. It seemed like things were finally starting to get back to normal and then Ramadan came around again. This year, it seems like the terror organizations have decided to fire rockets, which is a clear escalation and it could be that this is the end of the violence or it could be that this is only the beginning. There are still 27 more days of Ramadan and Fridays are often the worst for violence, because the people go to the mosque and listen to an sermon typically on Fridays. Sermons in a mosque are often political in nature.

All of this is background to our prayer request. Please pray for our country as we experience the growing threat of terrorism and extremism. Please pray for our security personnel, especially our soldiers who are often targeted by terrorists. We know many believers serving in their mandatory army service, please pray for their protection. Please pray for our government to have wisdom in how they respond to the threats. Please from for our community leaders to help keep our people safe. Please pray for the believers in the land to be bold in our faith and to find ways to be salt and light among our fellow citizens. Lastly, please pray for the safety of our family and friends.

Thank you for your prayers and feel free to pass along these prayer requests.

A Terrible Tragedy occurred last night.

2023-01-28T10:09:00.004+02:00

Here is the background

A terrorist walked into a synagogue (a house of worship) and started shooting innocent civilians as they were getting up to leave the building at the end of the service. This incident falls on the heels of other terrorist attacks and a growing movement towards violence led by extremists. Earlier in the day, Hamas (the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip and it's 2 million people) fired a rocket at civilian populations in Israel. Over the past several months, they have restrained themselves and others, but the fact that they claimed responsibility for the terror and rocket attack seems to indicate that they are now looking for an escalation.

What are False Equivalencies.

One of the common and false responses to such attacks is to make false equivalencies. It is often said in the global press, that "the Jews and Arabs have been killing each other for centuries," or "they Arabs are responding to Jewish aggression." These false equivalencies actually often start either from ignorant bias or sometimes from the pro-Palestinian terror supporters themselves. Don't fall for these misleading statements. The supposed (false equivalency) reason for the recent terror attack, is because Israel killed 9 Palestinians yesterday. In truth, Israel did kill 9 Palestinians yesterday, but that is only a small portion of the story. Here's the rest of the story that puts it in context. Israel discovered an imminent terror attack being planned by a group of terrorists. In order to stop the attack, the Israeli army covertly entered Jenin, a hotbed of terror since the days of the British rule over the region. As they approached the house where the terrorists were hiding, with orders to arrest the terrorists, they were spotted and there was a major gun fight. Terrorist from around Jenin ran to the location and started to attack the unit that was there to arrest the terrorists. Of the 9 people killed, most were terrorists - and perhaps one civilian was killed in the crossfire. This incident hardly justifies a response of walking into a house of worship with the goal of murdering innocent civilians. So please, listen carefully to the news and identify these statements of false equivalency.

You may have heard that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) have entered the West Bank, recently, and many similar operations have been taking place. That is also true. The Palestinian Authority, has been excusing terror attacks because of these half truths, even though they know that the IDF has been trying to arrest many active terror cells. The surge in terror attacks probably stems from the fact that the Palestinian Authority keeps making false claims that Israel has been "assaulting," and "invading," the temple mount and changing the status quo. Of course there is no basis for these claims, but since most Palestinians with terror connections have no ability to visit the temple mount, due to security concerns, they easily fall for this incitement.

How to respond

In light of the terrible loss of civilian lives, the first and most important prayer request is for comfort for the families who lost their loved ones. Pray also, for the many Israelis who might now be in great fear for their lives. Terror strikes at the heart of ones feelings of safety and security. Israelis are far more resilient than so many nations, because of the history of terror attacks, however, every incident is a new challenge that must be met with new resolve. So please for the Israeli people to be resilient, steadfast and most importantly, that they would trust their safety and security to the God of Israel.

Pray for the salvation of the Palestinian and Jewish people. Let's be honestly, as Israeli believers, we know Palestinian believers and we call them, brothers. We would never hurt each other. Our mutual faith, binds us together.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (ps 122:6)

Pray for the Palestinian civilians who are mostly peaceful people, but who are controlled by corrupt and violent leaders.

Pray for the safety of our soldiers who are often on the front lines of the terror attacks. We know many believers in their mandatory army service at the borders and checkpoints. Just yesterday, a found out that a friend of mine has a son serving in such a location. Pray for them. We probably have dozens of believers in the army right now, that call on the name of Yeshua (Jesus) as their Lord and Savior.

Pray as you feel led, but remember to pray compassionately. Even those who seek to kill the Jewish people, are blind of the truth and need the Messiah to open their eyes.

Prayer Request for event today! Protest against our Ministry Center

2023-01-12T11:09:00.002+02:00

Dear Friends, we need your prayers! Today!

An anti-missionary organization (we have a few in Israel) has decided to try and intimidate us. They published an ad (see below) in the local ultra-orthodox Jewish newspaper calling for a mass protest against our Ramat Gan Ministry Center tonight at 7pm Israel time (noon EST). Technically, they are calling to STOP THE PRAYERS. So we want to start the prayers! We are NOT going to be intimidated! We are going to hold the event, but we are going to be smart about it.

SOME BACKGROUND. We had planned a lovely event, with two musicians and their bands that are starting to gain traction and publicity. Both competed on TV shows for upcoming stars and one is a known believer. The anti-missionaries are being somewhat dishonest in their ad claiming that we are holding a young adults conference, rather than a public - open for all ages - concert. We filed a police complaint and hope that this may have an affect, and encourage the police to show up during the event. We also complained at the city, since they are planning an gathering without a permit.

We are used to their presence standing outside events like these at our ministry center. However, this is the first time that we are aware that they have made a concerted effort to call for a mass protest using written and social media. Normally, their presence does not have an adverse affect on our activities, rather, it creates opportunities because curious pedestrians pass by and wonder why they are protesting and handing out fliers. We are located in a very secular city, so these anti-missionaries are commuting from a nearby town and the locals are generally not receptive to their message. They don't understand why these ultra-orthodox religious Jewish people would be protesting our existence. Here I want to make it clear, although these anti-missionaries view us as their enemies, we know that God loves them and wants them to turn towards him. Many of these people have been fed terrible lies about Yeshua (Jesus) and they believe that Jesus was a dishonest and false teacher. We can expose these lies with objective historical evidence if we get the chance, and sometimes we do. A simple example, it is common knowledge in the Ultra-orthodox community that the New Testament is an antisemitic book, which is of course not true. For more on this read this article: https://www.chosenpeople.com/new-testament-anti-semitic/

This concert is not different than any of the many events we have scheduled in the past. We have held dozens of similar concerts. Even the main musician has performed at our center twice in the past. The other musician is a known believer, so it would be expected for her to perform with us at some point. So, we are they coming to protest now and intentionally trying to bring a big crowd? The answer probably has to do with internal Israeli politics, but the simple version of it is that they think they can get away with it, now that the government has changed.

What are our goals for events like these? We use events like these to network with believers and their non-believing friends. It helps us meet the people that God is speaking to and answer their faith questions. Our main ministry happens after these events, when we meet with people in smaller groups to follow up. The big events open the doors. We are known as a safe place to invite anyone to. The musician who cancelled, said that we are amazing, and she is really disappointed, but she received advice that told her to cancel because it isn't good for her budding career to be associated with political or religious conflict. I understand her point of view, but I had hoped for a different decision. Please pray for her and that indeed her musical career won't be affected.

The BAD NEWS and the GOOD NEWS. The bad news is that the musicians that were scheduled to perform were intimidated and have cancelled but the GOOD NEWS is that we have been able - at the very last minute, to find a musician that isn't intimidated and will perform tonight!

SAFETY FIRST. We have hired extra security and we will, Lord willing have police presence. We expect them to be an annoyance, but we do not think that this group will become violent, because it would bring criminal charges on the organizers by the police. Nevertheless, we would appreciate your prayers.

PRAYER REQUESTS.

1. That God would be glorified in spite of the opposition.

2. That our event would be safe

3. That the protest outside would dissipate quickly and without incident

4. That the police would arrive quickly and stay for the entire event

5. That God would help us and all of our guests to not be intimidated

6. That God would provide a fun and blessed evening

7. That God would use this to create opportunities to share the Gospel and make disciples.

8. Please pray as you feel led!

Important Update! Significant News to report!

2022-12-07T06:27:00.003+02:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Jason and Janice Rose

We are really excited to share some incredibly amazing news! This update is a bit longer than usual, but our big news is here at the beginning!

We are incredibly blessed by your prayerful support of our ministry. God has truly expanded and stretched us, as we have grown into the ministers that we are today. Through that growth, the Lord also expanded the team of people that minister alongside us. When we relocated to Israel in 2015, Mitch Glaser (President of Chosen People Ministries) asked us to start a Messianic Center in Ramat Gan. We had previously started a Messianic Center in South Tel Aviv, but the area grew dangerous over time. Although we loved the facility, we were renting it and that provided a measure of instability. It was certainly what we needed at the time. We learned a lot. The center in Ramat Gan was the fruit of our education. We learned a lot about what worked and what didn't and that certain ministry programs should be in separate facilities and that is exactly what we did.

Our current Ministry Center

When we started our Ramat Gan Messianic Center we had learned a lot already, but a new Ministry Center in a new location needed a new vision, new strategy and we needed to rebuild our community from scratch. Tel Aviv is a very transient city and most of the people who came in the past no longer lived in Tel Aviv.

We had a slow start. It took us a whole year and several failed contract negotiations until we finally found a landlord that would rent us a facility. There was a lot of discrimination because we believe in Yeshua (Jesus). But we succeeded and began operating. At first, we were just three staff working out of the Messianic Center full-time. Initially our events were modest but good quality. As word spread our attendance began to grow. We are now a staff of seven and we have outgrown our facility. We have had to start using signup sheets to ensure that we don't go over our capacity for nearly all of our public activities. We have been packed at almost all of our events in the last few years.

This is a great problem to have, but what is the solution?

Chosen People Ministries has decided that it is time for us to have a Permanent Home. NO MORE RENTING will mean more stability. There is an ideal facility located very close to our current ministry center. It is two and half times larger than our current rented facility. We will be able to have more classrooms and even more events, some at the same time! This facility will enhance and magnify our ministry. The property is brand new and unfinished. This is they way they sell commercial property in Israel, so that the new owner can tailor it exactly to their needs. It has no walls, no floors and no ceiling!

Looking at the picture below is kind of like looking a newborn baby. You have to imagine what it will look like in the future by imagining it's potential. There is a lot of work ahead of us to get this unfinished property looking beautiful, but with the Lord's help, it will come together wonderfully. Well an architect will also be part of the equation!

The Upstairs Meeting Hall

So does that mean you guys have bought a new facility? The simple answer is

YES! We have purchased it.

But that doesn't mean we don't need help to pay for it... By God's grace we were able to put the money down to purchase the building, but we still need to raise a significant amount. Janice and I are not in charge of the fundraising for the purchase and renovation, but we are being asked to make appearances and interviews for this purpose. After all, no one knows the need as well as those of us doing ministry from the center. All that being said, we are not asking for donations, but if you feel like the Lord is laying this on your heart, then by all means, pray about it and in the near future, we will send out further information about how you can contribute. As sort of an official announcement by Chosen People Ministries, Jason and our colleague Robynne are going to interviewed on December 15th during a virtual event to raise awareness of the need! It would be awesome if you were able to join! It will be 2 am for Jason when he gets online, but a reasonable time for you, at 7pm EST. Follow this link to learn more about the online event called: GOOD NEWS FROM TEL AVIV

So, although Jason is not in charge of the fundraising for the building, he has had a lot of other responsibilities related to the building, like finding the facility (it took a year) and all of the very detailed due diligence. You may have noticed that we haven't sent out an update like this since August. That is because since August, we have been blessedly busy. Between running our regular ministry schedule, dealing the the search, negotiations and due diligence on the new facility and taking a class at the graduate studies level (CPM's Feinberg program), we really have had our hands full! Thank you so much for keep us in your prayers. We were not really at liberty to share this news publicly until all the documents were signed and the keys in our hands. Jason Got the KEYs Yesterday!!! By God's grace, the facility is ours!!! PRAISE the LORD!

For those of you wondering... it comes with a few parking spaces for our staff, which is a huge blessing!!!

The Ground Floor

So how will this really affect our ministry going forward? For Jason, it means that for the next year, he will be wearing two hats: Director of the Messianic Center and the Renovation Director. It will be a busy year! It also means that we will have to go between two buildings! The good news is that they are right across the street from one another! Isn't that amazing!

The new facility has two floors. The ground level will house our classrooms, office and Cafe Zone. Upstairs will house our meeting hall. The new facility will have enough space for all of our staff to work from the center. At the moment, we only have one very small office, with two desks and a small kids room for 10 kids. The new facility will have office space for four staff plus an open are with work zones. We hope to have three multipurpose classrooms and an upgraded Cafe Zone. The new facility will enable us to host larger events and more of them, with more people, and serve families much better. We will be able to have smaller meetings simultaneously.

So how far along are the renovations?

We just got the keys! Normally a purchase like this in Israel takes six months on average from the start of negotiations until closing. We bought it in two months. This means that we are still interviewing architects. We have a long road ahead of us and the renovations will take time, but it will be an exciting journey! Some have estimated that the renovations will take more than a year because of material shortages, we hope it will be faster.

So what ELSE is going on?

Zula Lodge, New Zealand

We have some exciting ministry going on in: New Zealand, Brazil and Japan! What do these locations have to do with us? The simple answer is that these are countries where Israelis like to visit after their army service. Chosen People Ministries has staff in all of these locations (or we will have staff soon) and we also have youth hostels and guest houses in New Zealand and Brazil that host these Israeli backpackers, typically for free. As a result, we have sent teams of volunteers to these areas to minister. We have been sending volunteers to work with our New Zealand staff for years. Our current group of volunteers will be on the ground there for the next several months. In Japan, we have recently opened a new branch of Chosen People Ministries in Japan and my colleague David will be overseeing the outreach there. A guest house for Israeli backpackers just opened and it is already booked solid for the next several months!

We have had a lot of great conversations lately with non-believers. I don't have the stories yet from our staff on the trails in New Zealand and Brazil, however, I know that they have been having great conversations every day and almost all day long! We do have stories from our ministry here in Israel. One of our staff is leading Bible Studies with non-believers and another recent told me about two people coming to faith recently through Bible studies. The latter met years ago while backpacking in New Zealand! Because of the slowdown caused by the pandemic, they finally took the time to consider Yeshua (Jesus). They sat with our staff member, who met them on the trails in New Zealand and studied the Bible together. Then separately, they each made the decision to follow the Lord. God is amazing! Lately, when sharing with Israelis, I have been taking some of material that I learned in my masters level apologetics class and combining it with some things I learned in my Bachelors and tour guiding course. This strategy focuses on showing Israelis history from a Israeli Jewish believer's perspective. The goal is to cause them to think about the claims of Yeshua and his Messiahship in their historical context and this gives Him a level of authority. What I'm trying to overcome with this strategy is that many Israelis falsely believe that modern Judaism is the same today as it was at mount Sinai and that Christianity is a kind of new offshoot. This is of course obvious to anyone who takes a moment to think about it, but most Israelis have never stopped for a moment to consider it. The truth is that Christianity came before modern Judaism. To get to this point, I explain the timing. Jesus came between 2BC and 30AD roughly. Most of the New Testament was written, arguably, by 95AD. The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD. So the teaching ministry of Jesus, his disciples and most of the New Testament came before the destruction of the temple. This is the point that really hits home. While the temple was in operation, it was the center of Judaism, and run by the priests not the pharisees. The Pharisees had their followers among the people, but they lacked authority in Judaism, except for the few that sat on the Sanhedrin. This latter point is something that usually catches them by surprise but its obvious once they think about it. By the time I've gotten to this point, in my explanation, I have typically made headway and they start asking very engaging questions. From here, the conversation can go anywhere, and often does. By this point we have overcome several barriers to the Gospel. The big one is probably that rather than viewing Jesus as many Israelis do, as some fictitious character created by a fake wannabe religion, they are now thinking about the claims of Jesus as a historical figure who came with authority. The last dialog I had about this, last week, rabbit trailed into whether or not I believed in a literal exodus from Egypt. I love how he ended the conversation when he said, "you have giving me some things to think about, that I though I knew but didn't." You can pray for the amazing people we have spoken with lately that God would bring them to a saving knowledge that Yeshua is the Messiah.

When is Jason Coming to the USA?

We came to Alabama as a family in the Fall, 2022. This was our first time leaving Israel since early 2020. The next two trips will be just Jason.

Jason will be in Alabama from March 19th to April 2nd. He would love to meet up with you! He is still looking to fill his speaking schedule, so if you want your church to invite him, he is ready to start that conversation: jrose@chosenpeople.com. He is also interested in meeting people in small groups like Bible Studies, fellowships or just an Ice Cream Socials, coffee, Q&A with a missionary. We really like small group meetings because it provides a better chance to get to know you and for you to get to know us!

Jason will also be in Minnesota in from May 4th to May 8th. That weekend, he will be participating at a conference being held at Wooddale Church. He would love to see our Minnesotan friends that weekend! Although the schedule will be tight, let's find some time! As you know, Jason drinks coffee and tea, so let's make some appointments! Jason is available to speak in church meetings, but obviously, because it is a short visit, there are not many possibilities, but contact him and we can try and make something work.

Family Update.

On a walk at Tel Afek with the grandparents

Our ministry is a family effort, as you know and as such it is important to remember our children in your prayers! Yonatan is doing quite well in his schooling. He started public school this Fall, while the rest of his brothers are still homeschooling. This was no easy decision, but it seems like the right fit for him. He was accepted into a special music class at a local Junior High School (it's combined with a High School). The program has a strong emphasis on music theory. He and three of his brothers still have his current piano teacher, whom we all love. His love for music and writing music is contagious. He has written several worship songs and he is really developing musically. He says that he loves music, but he would really like to study animation design. We enrolled him in a class but it was cancelled due to a lack of participation. We would appreciate your prayers for God's direction in this.

At the Sea of Galilee

Shimon is only 16 months younger than Yonatan and therefore his Bar Mitzvah is coming up in April. This is a huge milestone in Israeli culture. We are planning to hold a special Bar Mitzvah service in April and Lord willing. Jason's parents are planning to come to Israel for this. Pray that the Lord prepares Shimon's heart and mind for this rite of passage.

The other boys are doing well in their schooling. Gidon, loves learning and always has. In fact, he is very advanced for his age because he simply loves learning. He reads really well for a six year old! Shimon is strong in math and science. Benji is strong in languages. Eitan loves science and art! They boys get along very well and love spending time with each other. They are writing a book together and making a board game. The four oldest all take piano lessons and Gidon will probably start next Fall. When we were in Alabama in the Fall, we decided to take the violin that belonged to Janice's mom. A couple of the boys indicated that they are interested in learning violin. We are considering it.

They have really enjoyed their rollerskating class with our friend Sasha, who used to be a competitive hockey player. As of last week, all five boys, including six year old Gidon are on inline skates. After learning their skating skills part of the lesson, they often batted around a puck for fun. This has grown more and more serious. Sasha now says that their skating skills are good enough to now focus on hockey skills, but for that we will need to get them safety equipment. Their coach recommended buying used equipment in America, since it is hard to find in Israel and seriously overpriced. Jason will probably be shopping for some used basic hockey equipment like pads and gloves for the boys in Minnesota when he visits in May. Please pray we find what we need for the boys.

Final Thoughts!

We are so grateful for your prayerful support. Thank you for taking the time to read this update. We know it is a bit longer than normal, but we hope it provides you with some good information about our ministry and how you can pray for us!

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason and Janice Rose

2022-08-08T12:39:00.002+03:00

Praise God that there is a ceasefire!

Dear friends and prayer partners,

Thank you for praying for our friends, family, loved ones and country over the last few days. By God's grace and mercy, the conflict is over with minimal death and destruction. The ceasefire took effect last night and the rockets stopped just before midnight.

Most of those killed in the fighting were terrorists associated with the Islamic Jihad. Unfortunately, one of the terror group's missiles flamed out and dropped on a house in the Gaza Strip killing a family including several children. We grieve the loss of life of this family who were innocent bystanders - for all we know. Here is a link to the video released by the Israeli Defense forces about this errant missile.

Around 1000 rockets were fired at Israel during three days of fighting. Half of the country's population kept close to safe rooms and bomb shelters during these three days. Our family never had to run to our safe area because the attacks never came close to our home in Petach Tikvah over the weekend. You might recall that we moved just about a year ago from Ramat Gan to Petach Tikvah.

However, as I, Jason, write this update from our Ministry Center, HaMercaz, in Ramat Gan, it is important to note that everyone in this area had to run to safety twice over the weekend. Just last night we had a guest coming to visit us, but she was delayed because of a rocket attack. The most of the rockets were successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome Missile Defense System but I read that shrapnel from the rockets did fall causing some damage. Fortunately, no one was injured. There is not a bomb shelter or safe room in the building where our guest was staying. Their only option is to run to the stairwell in their building, which I can't imagine is easy for the caregiver and the father who suffers from a debilitating illness.

I can recall just about a year ago, when Hamas was firing rockets at us (we lived across the street from our ministry center), just how challenging it was explaining to our children why we were running to the bomb shelter in the basement of our apartment building. I can't explain in words the stress of forty people in the bomb shelter and one of them refusing to shut and lock the bomb shelter door, because they want to hear the sound of the explosions or wait for a strangling family member. Or the surprise of learning that several people in your building just decided to stay in their apartment because they didn't want to risk falling down the stairs to get to the basement in time. Last May, one missile got through the Iron Dome defenses and hit our town of Ramat Gan, killing an elderly man, who didn't have a safe place to get to in time. This was just a few blocks from the apartment of one of our colleagues. His building doesn't have safe rooms in the apartments or a bomb shelter in the basement, so they had to run down the street, two buildings away to a public bomb shelter. By God's grace, they could make it in time. In our area we usually have a minute and a half warning before the rockets fall on us.

By God's grace the apartment we live in now has a safe room! We do not need to leave the apartment when under attack. We turned the safe room in the bedroom for all five boys, even though it is small. For the first time, ever, during an attack like this, we slept peacefully at night knowing that our boys would be safe if we were attacked. My parents are also visiting for an extended time and so we gave them our bedroom, which is just down the hall, so they could get there in time as well.

Some Prayer Points

I have some thoughts on this current round of violence that I want to bring to your attention for the purpose of prayer for the people and state of Israel and her salvation. First of all, it is important to note that like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, the Islamic Jihad works for and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. They receive millions of dollars a year in financing from the Iranian military. According to the experts on Iran, it was Iran that commanded the Islamic Jihad to attack Israel at this time. They work for Iran. I read that Iran's goal was to punish Israel for hindering their Nuclear program by assassinating their scientists. So, what do we do with this information. We need to remember that Israel isn't just dealing with local threats but also spiritual ones. The desire of Iran to wipe Israel off the face of the earth is bizarre from a historical perspective. Iran used to be one of Israel's good allies in the Middle East, until the Ayatollahs conquered the Shah. Without digging too deep into the history, it is important to note that many of Israel's former allies switched sides and became enemies, either physically or politically. Let's look at some examples: France was once the biggest supplier of military equipment to Israel, but when the liberals took over the government they became adamantly pro-Palestinian and vote against Israel frequently in the EU and UN, criticizing Israel unfairly in many international forums. Lebanon, was for a long time, a strong Israeli partner, but then Hezbollah destroyed that relationship along with some poor decisions on the part of Israel's leaders. The point is that although Israel has a long history of loosing friends, she doesn't have a good history of gaining friends. Recently, that may have changed with the Abraham Accords, but time will tell. What it means for prayer, is to continually pray that Israel's friends and allies will remain on good terms, especially the United States and the UK.

Another point of prayer for the people of Gaza, who, as many know, are being brainwashed into thinking that Israelis hate them and want to wipe them all out. I've had a conversation about this with a Palestinian from Gaza once. If he had known that I have Israeli citizenship, I'm fairly certain he would have attacked me. He refused to believe that most Israelis are heartbroken over their dire situation and want to help. But the terror groups refuse to let Israelis help their people. Pray first and foremost for their salvation but also for their eyes to be opened to the truth. I was once friends with a former member of a Palestinian terror group, although he wasn't really a terrorist as much as a political support of them. He came to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) and instantly his heart warmed to Israelis and he loved them. Belief in Yeshua can change hearts and heads.

Continue to pray regularly for peace. We know from the situation that there are always groups acting behind the scenes preparing to harm Israel and her people. We don't know when they will strike, but we know that they are planning evil. So pray for protection!

Pray that God would thwart Iran's attempts to build nuclear weapons because of their constant threats to wipe Israel off the map.

Pray that God would continue to give Israel the ability to protect her people.

I know that some are thinking, but Jason, eventually the enemies of Israel will be at the gate and then the Lord will come back. I don't disagree with good Biblical theology; however, practical theology is just as important. As a resident of the land that will one day be invaded, I beseech you to pray as the Bible prescribes: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Ps. 122:5-6), “Blessed are the peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God. (Mt. 5:9 ESV), "Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another” (Mk. 9:50). The Bible tells us that Lord desires for all to be saved, and so we must use this time now to reach the lost. So please continue to pray for opportunities, open hearts.

In Messiah,

Jason and Janice Rose

2022-08-06T19:05:00.000+03:00

Continued Prayer Requests...

Dear friends, when I sent out the prayer requests last night, the rockets attacks from Gaza had not yet started. But it was not surprising that they started launching rockets a minutes after my email was sent.

I want to give a little background, but before I do, I think it is important to start with the most urgent prayer requests. There are many believing soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, both active and reservists. They are now asking for our prayers for their protection and for them and their fellow soldiers... especially those in combat units. Please pray for God's protection also over the Israeli communities that are being attacked by rocket fire. As we write this update, three rocket attacks were just aimed at Tel Aviv about twenty minutes ago. Were Janice and I live with the boys in Petach Tikvah, we haven't heard any warnings to run to our safe room, but our friends closer to Tel Aviv have. Lastly, please pray for the millions of people being brainwashed, held hostage and used by these terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. So many truly believe that violence is justified because of their terrible living situation, without realizing that the cause of their terrible living situation is actually the actions of the terror groups.

The background for the current conflict, according to the Israeli press, is that the Islamic Jihad was in the process of planning and carrying out a major offensive against Israeli civilians near the border with the Gaza Strip. Most likely, they were planning to fire anti-tank weapons on communities within firing range. It was these weapons that were effective in killing Israeli civilians in the last round of fighting. The IDF, had tried to deescalate through negotiations, but they explained that the Islamic Jihad was not interested in deescalating. As a result, Israel arrested the head of the organization in the West Bank. At this point the terrorist organization began making specific threats against Israeli civilians and mentioned attacking Tel Aviv directly several times. After three or four days of direct threats, the IDF Air Force assassinated the head of the militant group's armed wing in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, they also attacked the unit that was planning to use the anti-tank weapons along with the commander of those units. Following these preemptive attacks, the Islamic Jihad followed through with their threats and have so far fired over 200 rockets at Israeli communities, including Tel Aviv.

This terrorist group might not be familiar to you. Normally, people know about Hamas which is a Sunni Islamic Terrorist group. The main difference between the two groups is that Hamas is Sunni and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is Shiite. Like the Shiite muslims in Iran, they are radical shiites. Their leadership is based primarily in Syria where they have long been supported by both Iran and Syrian groups. They have a lot in common with Hezbollah, which is also supported by Iran, is Shiite but located in Lebanon with its leadership also based in Syria - the government of Syria has protected the leaders of these terror groups.

Depending upon which news source you listen to, you will hear all kinds of stories and justifications for why these groups condone or justify attacking civilians. The bottom line, however, is really quite simple. They deny that Israel as a nation has a right to exist and their goals is to make living in Israel uncomfortable and unpleasant for Israelis in the hope that Israelis will just decide to leave. Obviously, they have plans if Israelis choose to stay. The goal of these groups is the annihilation of the state of Israel and its people. In recent years, the power of the Islamic Jihad has grown due to the financial support they receive from Iran.

If you have specific prayer requests for us, or would like to send a word of encouragement, you are welcome to contact us by email at: jrose@chosenpeople.com, janicerose@chosenpeople.com or you can contact us via WhatsApp at: phone number +972(54)4703690

2022-08-05T20:43:00.005+03:00

Prayer Requests

Dear friends and prayer partners, we want to take a moment and update you with a few important prayer requests.

For Safety

A few hours ago, the IDF began a preemptive attack on the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad as they were preparing terror attacks against Israel. We are currently getting emails and text messages from Israel's homefront command reminding us to be close to a safe room, in the event that the terrorists fire rockets at us.

For Provision

After our beloved Citroen Jumpy (22 years old) broken down twice on same day... we knew we were in trouble. The third time it broken down, was the final straw and the vehicle had to be taken off the road permanently. As a result, we are down to one vehicle, a seven seater. We had enjoyed have a 9 seat vehicle, so that we could take people with us and our entire family on road trips. Please pray for God's provision to find a and pay for a replacement vehicle.

Jason's Fall Speaking Tour

Generally, when we have these speaking tours, we have about 10 or 15 meetings scheduled. At this point, we only have five meetings scheduled. Please pray that God would open the doors to more churches for Jason to speak. Please also pray as we decide if we want to and can afford to take Janice and the boys on this trip, since we will be going to Alabama and haven't been there since the passing of Janice's mom. Janice needs to go through some of her Mom's things and spend some quality time with her Dad. It just doesn't make sense for Janice not to come this time... but we can't exactly leave the kids behind and we really can't afford the flights for the kids. So, please pray that the Lord provides a single good solution!

Our Ministry Center

As we may have mentioned in the past, we have outgrown our current ministry facility for some of our larger events. Our leadership has decided to look into purchasing a larger property, rather than continuing to rent where we are. We have looked a bunch, and are currently seriously looking at one. Pray for the Lord's wisdom, timing and for all of the details to be clear and transparent.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

Jason and Janice Rose

June Ministry Update! Jason and Janice Rose

2022-06-19T19:01:00.007+03:00

Dear friends, God has been gracious to us and allowed us to continue to serve Him even though the season has been difficult. We recently held many large events that a few months ago we were sure if we would be able to have them or not. This is not to say that Covid is totally behind us... in fact, Jason just got out of mandatory quarantine after being infected for the second time. Fortunately, only Jason seems to have been affected and he did isolate in our separate unit upstairs. What we are trying to say is that we have been pretty busy in ministry and we want to share with you some of the activities, but obviously not all.

We have had a wonderful worship night, young adults Kabbalat Shabbat meal, and other community events with several non-believers joining each time and having amazing conversations with our friends and staff. We continued to be amazed at the new faces that join us each time, as our community has continued to grow inspire of the pandemic! Praise God for continuing to use us as a light in our nation, neighborhood and community.

Bonfire

In May we had quite a few events. We held a bonfire in the desert town of Arad with worship and food for young adults. Many people came and we tried to make it easier by hiring a bus for the college students and young adults without private cars in the Tel Aviv area. Some young families came too and we have a wonderful time fellowshipping with each other and sharing with a few non-believers who also came.

The event itself was excellent. One interesting side story is that Jason got a lot of extra exercise as he ran to catch up with a small group of children who were wandering into the desert at sundown without an adult, flashlight or a cellphone! They were about a half a mile away on the horizon when we finally spotted them climbing over a rise. They were just little dots on in distance! When Jason finally caught up with them he heard them arguing about going back. It appears one of the younger kids had refused to return and they didn't want to abandon him in the dark. Very thoughtful of them right?

Tour for Israeli Young Adults

In June we held a special tour for young adults to the ancient city of Banias, better known in the Bible as Caesarea Philipi. This is the location, where Jesus asked his disciples, "'Who do the crowds say that I am?'"(Luke 9:18 ESVi), and “And he asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Peter answered him, 'You are the Christ'" (Mark 8:29 ESVi). To make the adventure interesting, pushed along by the powerful streams flowing from the ancient city of Banias, we took the group rafting on the Jordan river, near the source of Mount Hermon. The water spring of Banias was legendary and even today is a huge source of water for the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee.

Banias

It was a long bus ride to the far north of Israel and we were not really sure if people would sign up. In the end sixty-six people wanted to join, but due to cancelations, illness and other reasons our final number was still far above our expectations. Forty people were able to make it. Let's be clear, forty is a lot of people on a trip like this... It is a good thing that our ministry received two large donations to cover headset systems, precisely for this reason. Praise God that we had the opportunity to use them.

Touring with Holocaust Survivors

In addition, we also led a large group of holocaust survivors on a similar adventure... obviously not rafting or hiking but they went to an ancient site where, Saul the King was killed. It has an amazing view of the Galilee. Jason was supposed to lead this trip, but he came down with Covid at one of our recent events for Israeli backpackers and had to be in quarantine.

Guiding Jason's Parents

Nevertheless, Jason did get a chance to guide some very dear people also. His parents are in the country visiting and Jason has been able to take them to some interesting sites that not every tour gets to see. Like the caves in the picture below with his mom and the Roman Theater at Zipori in the Western Galilee. The latter was a city during the time of Jesus and was not far away from Nazareth. Some speculate, Yeshua (Jesus) might have gone there for supplies in his younger years.

Zipori

Family News

With all of the sickness going around and when we still had mask mandates, it was difficult and too busy to fit all the birthdays in on time. So we decided to consolidate and celebrate two birthdays at once. Benji and Shimon's birthday are just one month apart and most of their best friends were able to come to our home to celebrate.

Other News

Jason will be heading to Alabama this Fall. We are still dreaming of taking the whole family and although we have heard airfare is unreasonably high, we did find some very inexpensive tickets. We don't have a lot of funds to cover the additional expense of the kids, so we would appreciate your prayers for this need. Chosen People Ministries policy is that staff must cover the cost of their children from their personal finances, which is reasonable and gets us out of trouble from the IRS - who can cause a lot of trouble. If the tickets weren't so reasonable, we wouldn't necessarily even consider it, especially since Yonatan, our oldest has decided to enter the public school system this Fall. However, the Jewish holiday provide a lot of days off during this period and it seems still quite reasonable. So we would appreciate your prayers for these considerations.

Of course, one of the goals of the trip is trip is to continue to fund raise for Janice's part-time salary, so that it can be raised to the full amount. There is another important activity that is being planned. Moody Bible Institute is celebrating 100 years of the Jewish Studies Department and many alumni, like Jason, will be going to show our support during the annual Missions Conference, which will have a Jewish Studies Theme this year. Some of our staff will even be speaking at the Missions Conference in front of the student body. The Professor of Jewish Studies, Michael Rydelnik has been a mentor and friend of Jason since his college days and we would like to show our support to him and his wife Eva for their many years of service to the Lord and training of so many who are actively reaching the Jewish people for the Gospel. Eva, is also a treasure and taught a few classes as well. It is worth taking a moment to lift her up in your prayers as she just underwent surgery in her battle with cancer.

Prayer Requests

Of course, please pray for Michael and Eva Rydelnik and for their ministry at Moody Bible Institute.
Please pray for the planning and preparation for Jason's trip this Fall, whether by himself or with Janice and the boys.
Please pray for Yonatan as he takes up a new challenge to go to public school joining a special music emphasis class, where hopefully he will shine like the rising piano star that we know he is.
Please pray for Jason's parents to enjoy their time as the visit with us and enjoy seeing the land of Israel.
Please pray for our family's health and finical situation as we adjust to owning our own home and all of the expenses in keep it up.
Please pray specifically for our finances as the rising inflation has made prices here skyrocket, and since our new mortgage is tied to the price index - mortgages are very different here than in the USA. The bottom line is that since our income is in dollars, we have less shekels to spend because of the weakness of the dollar and now everything costs more.
Please pray for the search for a new permanent location for our ministry center. We found one new potential location. We are praying for the Lord's will on if and when to proceed.
Please pray for God to continue to bring us new staff, new ideas and inspire us with renewed vision to seek and share with the lost.

New Wave of Terror, During Spring Holidays

2022-04-02T21:54:00.004+03:00

Passover and Easter are nearly upon us...

and so is the Islamic month-long holiday of Ramadan. You might not know that Ramadan is on a lunar calendar that doesn't adjust for errors like the Jewish calendar. Our rabbis add an extra month every two or three years. This means that by comparison to modern calendars, Ramadan moves around quite a bit from year to year. When I moved to Israel in 2002, the holiday was in November and this year it is April 1 to May 1st. The holiday itself isn't normally a cause for concern, unless you're Jewish living in Israel. The reason is that certain radical Islamic leaders use this important holiday as a platform to spread their hatred and anti-semitism. This isn't to say that most or even many muslims fall into this category. I truly believe that the average Israeli Arab Muslim is a peace-loving kind hearted citizen with good intentions. However, just like in other countries, there are always elements in society with nefarious behavior and in the Middle East this generally leads to terrorism, while in the USA it tends to lead towards street gangs. That is simply the reality.

What you heard in the News...

Recently, there have been a number of terror attacks. Eleven Israelis have died in the last week and many more injured. This is a direct response to Israeli diplomats meeting with high level officials from four Arab countries (Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain along with the US Secretary of State). When terrorists are upset at someone, like Egypt, their first and usually only response is to try and kill Israelis. This is what we saw last week, unfortunately. The Israeli government does have very sophisticated networks that help them prevent many such tragedies, but it is impossible to prevent "lone wolf" attacks like these all of the time.

So how will this new wave of terror affect our family and ministry?

The situation may become less dangerous. The fact that we just began Ramadan has led the experts to predict that it will get worse before it gets better. We hope the experts are wrong. We hope and pray that cooler heads will prevail. However, to be safe, Israelis will now be taking less risks. What does that mean, it means we won't be going out of our way to shop in cities that are predominately Arab, like we used to do, because they have better prices. It also means that we will avoid certain higher risk roads. Other than those two things, most Israelis won't be changing their schedules or plans too much. The important thing to remember about terrorism is that their goal is disrupt our lives. If we let that happen then they win. As a result, Israelis are going to keep doing what they would have been doing anyway. Classes will not be cancelled, activities not halted, unless the police issue a warning.

We have been through this before.

In 2002, when Jason moved to Israel we had a major terrorism wave. Buses were being blown up every week, with passengers on board. Jason still took two buses to work every day. So did everyone else. This is the way we defeat terrorism. There were no close calls, by God's grace, but it really is about His grace and trusting in Him. That is how we are called to live. These days, more than ever, it is important to be prayerful and trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit and continue to pray for his protection for us.

So, how can you be Praying?

Pray for safety for all those taking public transportation, driving cars, waiting at bus stops, shopping at malls and otherwise trying to live their lives with minimal disruption. Our best defense, as believers is the Holy Spirit keeping us out of harms way, so pray that God would guide the believers and that we would listen. Pray that cooler heads would prevail and the leaders of these terror groups would choose peace rather than war. Pray for God to move on the hearts and minds of those who are desire to hurt Israelis that he would change their hearts, like he did my friend Sayed, when he came to faith. Once Sayed just wanted to hurt Israelis, now he prays for the salvation of the Jewish people. God changed his heart and if he can do it for Saul he can do it for all the Sayeds out there too.

Final Update on Berlin Relief team

2022-04-01T16:38:00.000+03:00

What did our teams do?

Our two Refugee Relief teams were sent to Berlin with a mission to help the thousands of refugees escaping the war. We also sent a small team to Poland to assess the needs there and help for a week. They extended their stay by another week and determined that there is tremendous need there. However, we will concentrate mostly on the Berlin Relief teams in this update, since we have great first hand information to share. Our teams in Berlin were sent to the Central Train Station. As the refugees entered the train station either by train or bus, they knew to search for the ORANGE vests of the volunteer translators. In the beginning there weren't many orange vests in the station (yellow vests were English speakers and were typically German locals), but over the course of time, more orange vests came to volunteer. Many refugees made a straight line to our volunteers searching for help to get to their next location, if they had one.

Our teams, quickly learned how to help navigate the systems and options that the German government was supplying. For those who had no place to go, a small housing city was setup at the old airport and allowed them to stay for a few nights. They also pulled in sleeping cars for a few hours at night into the train station. Our staff in Germany was very busy taking care of the needs of the many refugees already in the city, as well as finding housing solutions for many coming to Germany. We'll provide just one example. Our UK staff member, who really coordinated everything for our Berlin Relief teams, told us this example. Our first Berlin Relief team, Jason calls them Team1, met a mother and child who needed a place to stay. She called around and found someone willing to put them up for a month, because our German staff had made many phone calls searching for housing using their vast congregational and personal connections. The family had some challenges to overcome and it didn't look like they would be able to help. But in the end the family ended up driving three hours to Berlin in order to collect this mother and her child, then drove another three hours to take them home. God, arranged many of these connections during the time our two teams were there. Although most people did have a place to stay or a destination, it was amazing to see our team help those in great need.

The trains kept coming.

There are 16 platforms on two floors and our teams greeted the refugees everywhere, helped them get local sim cards so that they could communicate with loved ones, helped them get food in the dining area, helped them transit to their next location or even helped them get help trying to find their next destination. When our teams met these women, children and elderly who were running from the violence, many just needed someone to pick them up and help them emotionally. One particular woman, was so distraught by days of travel with her children that the yellow vests (English and German speaking volunteers) wanted to get her a psychological evaluation. She was headed to her sister's house just two hours away by train. But after four days of tireless travel, all she could think about was getting her children bathed and in bed. Janice was able to calm her down and get her to think through her options. It was actually when Janice started playing with the kids that there was a shift. She the woman saw the kids laughing and smiling, she calmed down. She took Janice's advice even asked Janice if she would be willing to stay with her until her train left for her sisters, which of course she did.

The significance of the relief teams.

One of our staff, who has extensive experience working in Aid and Relief programs, explained something that was very helpful for our team. It's a kind of metaphor.

There was a man walking with his grandson along the beach when they saw millions of starfish stranded. The grandfather picked up one and threw it back into the water. The grandson said, "Grandfather, with all of these millions of starfish. How does helping that one make a difference." The grandfather replied, "it made a difference to him."

As those trains pulled in and these refugees searched for the orange vests, they were looking for help. Our team members were there to help each person or group feel loved and appreciated. The impact that our team had was on the individual level. For each and every person that they were able to help, it made a difference for them.

We sent two teams, each for one week. The first team hit the ground running and they spent a lot of time carrying bags between the platforms and chasing down trains to make sure the people got to their next destination on time. The German government was providing train and bus travel for free for anyone with a Ukrainian passport. But they needed help because many just couldn't manage anymore. Can you imagine traveling on foot, train and bus for four or five days straight with little sleep and dragging infants and toddlers along the entire time? They were at the end of their rope. Our teams, gave the kids toys and played them them, giving the moms and grandmothers a much needed break and bringing a smile to these children's faces, possibly for the first time in days.

They are home!

Our first team arrived home on March 18th and our second team returned on March 25th in the early evening. Team2, Janice's team, really bonded during this trip. Each member had a special ability and gifting that God used during the time. Our nurse, was bold in sharing the love of God with people. Our pastor was the entertainer of the children. Our dancer, was the spark that lit up the eyes of every child she met, there was our IT expert, and one of our volunteers was so knowledgeable that they asked her to man the refugee information booth for a few hours. All nine of Janice's team members really excelled during this short ministry time.

So what now?

The need hasn't ended, although it seems like the flow of refugees headed to Berlin has slowed somewhat. There is now a growing need here in Israel. Our ministry has plans to help the refugees that are coming to Israel by providing practical and long-term help. As you can imagine, any humanitarian aid we provide is always a free gift with no strings attached. We believe this is the model that Yeshua (Jesus) gave us to follow. We also know that we provide the help because of our love for the Lord and our desire to serve him by serving others. We hope that through these acts of kindness, God will reveal himself to these dear people and we want make sure that they know our help isn't contingent upon any kind of religious coercion. We are writing this explicitly, because we have been accused of exactly the opposite in several newspaper articles in the Jewish press lately. Of course it is the anti-missionary organizations who have been contacting Jewish circulations in order to promote their anti-missionary agenda. Despite the opposition, we will not change our mission or our methods. We will continue to do what we have always done, to faithfully share the Gospel with those who desire to hear and to do so in a loving and caring way, just like our Savior showed us.

Are we planning to send more teams?

Yes. Another team is leaving this Saturday morning. They will go to Poland, where there is a lack of manpower. They will serve in two locations and this team will arrive in phases so that there will be overlap on the ground. They will be involved in cooking hundreds of meals (probably thousands of meals) and helping in many other practical ways. The is much to continue to be praying for in the refugee crisis. Many of these dear people have not heard from their families back home. They don't know if their houses, apartments, offices and schools are still standing. Please continue to lift up the refugees in your prayers.

Berlin Updates March 20, 21, 22

2022-03-23T18:57:00.001+02:00

Dear Friends,

A lot of ministry has been done by the team, more than I can possible write about again. This is because I have already written up several reports about what the team has been doing. Many of these reports have already been published on Chosen People Ministries website: https://www.chosenpeople.com/ukraine-how-you-can-help/?utm_source=CPM&utm_medium=Module&utm_campaign=Ukraine&utm_content=Hero_CPM

So please use the link about to get some of the more recent updates. There is a video where Janice shares up on that website also, near the bottom of the page. Please watch it! Thanks!

Thank you for your prayerful support!

Oh, and I know you are wondering... Yes I'm managing just fine with my adorable and very helpful boys. They have been helping to cook, clean and help each other with homework. AND of course you all know that I love to cook! So something new every night...

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason Rose

Berlin Update March 19, 2022

2022-03-20T11:51:00.006+02:00

Dear All,

I had just a few minutes to connect with Janice and couple of times yesterday, Saturday, March 19th. This was their second day in Berlin. The first day was training and orientation.

Berlin Aid Team

Yesterday was an incredibly busy day. Many refugees came to the Chosen People Ministries center (called Beit Sar Shalom Germany). They held two congregational services at the center and a special Purim Party (the holiday based upon the story/history from the book of Esther). The team danced and played games with kids. That evening, after dinner, the team then went to Berlin's Central Train station and began ministering until quite late. I saw in their correspondence that some only returned to their accommodations at 3am. Janice wrote about it, "We were all able to serve and the need is great. We served until after midnight. Met and helped many wonderful people."

She told me an amazing story about how she woke up early, to special requests. The team leader rushed to a local church to translate for some refugees during the Sunday morning service. She was also invited to share from the pulpit. Janice and another team member were asked to help escort a daughter and her elderly father to the train station. They had a chance to talk about their escape from Ukraine and their family relationships. The daughter, who is a believer shared how God guided her out of Ukraine. Janice was able to encourage her and listen to her stories. There are many stories that the team wants to share, but they haven't had time to record them yet.

They are already at the train station again today. They each have to get a negative covid test daily before being allowed to serve at the train station. So pray that they continue to get clearance to enter and serve. Pray also that they will have the energy they need both physically and spiritually.

Chosen People Relief Work

I want to help you stay better informed about the larger ministry happening by our European staff. So here I'm providing some links to recent updates from Chosen People Ministries. In this video posted on Friday, March 18th, Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries, provides a more thorough update on a lot of the ministry and help that our staff is doing throughout Europe and in Ukraine. https://fb.watch/bSJpOHN65J/

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason

Please pray for Janice's Teams as they prepare to leave for Berlin Today

2022-03-17T19:46:00.002+02:00

Dear Friends,

As I write this email, JANICE is packed and ready to leave for Berlin. We have received quite a few updates lately and we will update you as we are able once she and the team are in Berlin. Please pray specifically for the team leader, Victoria, for Janice who is her assistant and for all 9 members of their team.

Some of you would like to know what they will be doing. I will write more later, but the simple answer is helping refugees find food, housing, and get to their next destination. The work will mainly be in the afternoons and evening at the Berlin Central Train Station. It is not a safe place. So pray for safety for everyone involved. The whole mission may change, as it is a dynamic situation.

She will need to be at the airport at 2:30 AM (Friday Morning), so pray that everyone of our team members gets to the airport on time. She will return next Friday, March 25th in the afternoon. So please remember her in your regular prayers.

Please also pray for all of our staff in Europe and Ukraine. I can't take the time to share the many stories that I know at the moment, but just know that our ministry is very active on the ground helping refugees and they need your prayers. Our hearts are mourning over this situation and praying that God would use us to reach the needs of those fleeing for safety.

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason and Janice

Perspective on the effects of war.

2022-03-06T21:43:00.002+02:00

Dear Friends,

For some time, I have been thinking about and trying to put into words something meaningful that might help you, our prayerful ministry partners, connect with what we are feeling, seeing and hearing about the crisis in Ukraine. We tend to connect when things get personal. So that's where we're going to go and we will end with a really big prayer request.

Israel is a lot closer to the country of Ukraine than you may realize both physically and relationally. I know what is like to watch and read about a war from a distance or see the updates on the news. I also know what it is like to read those same updates from a bomb shelter. I know how in each situation our desire to beseech the Lord for the safety of others is different. It is a different situation when these kinds of tragedies become close and personal.

I'll give you and example of what I mean about this being closer to home for most Israelis. At our last congregational meeting during the prayer time, we received some prayer requests that are very close to the heart. One person, (let's call him Tim because I didn't ask permission to share his name) asked to pray for his grandmother in Kiev. She is all on her own, since the women and children have fled and her sons were drafted into the army. She is too old to leave on her own and now the exits are closed and the city is surrounded. Tim and his parents call her every day to see how she is doing. Tim asked for prayer for her safety. He also related to me a story about some schoolmates of his who were struggling to understand this war. They are really at a loss of how to emotionally process it. So far they haven't been drafted but are struggling to find a place to live since they fled their war-torn town. Please pray for Tim's grandmother, uncles and schoolmates. Another prayer request that came up, was from one of the families in leadership in the congregation for their Ukrainian family who live in the area between the two battling armies. Pray for their safety please too. I was in touch with a brother in the Lord (let's call him Victor), who has ministered quite a bit with us at our ministry center. His wife is stuck in Kiev and his whole family is there, while he is here in Israel with no way to reach them or help them except through prayer. Please pray for protection for Victor's wife and family.

For Israelis, Ukraine isn't so far away. It isn't far by plane and certainly we know plenty of people who came from there. Even our ministry center cleaning lady studied in Ukraine. There are a lot of Jewish immigrants here who came from Ukraine and many times, we don't necessarily know. I spoke to a friend about what we can do to help, and he told me, "I grew up in Ukraine." Our hearts ache to see our friends suffering and their families in danger.

A few days ago, I was praying and thinking, what can we do? Then on Thursday, I learned that we are already doing something, I just didn't know about it! Our German branch of Chosen People Ministries is helping to place refugees in churches and homes. Most Ukrainians speak Russian and so our Russian-speaking staff in Berlin has been talking to refugees on the phone and guiding them to places where they can register as refugees and get help. However, there are not enough Russian speakers to meet all of the needs. As a result, the leadership of our German branch has asked our Israeli staff to help. We have friends who not only speak Russian, but some even speak Ukrainian. This week, we will be sending a team of translators to minister and serve the refugees and next week, we will send a second group, Lord willing.

I'm writing this letter to let you know that our hearts ache over this crisis and we want to do something. So Janice, my amazing wife, will be heading to Berlin, Germany next week, to do what she can to minister to the emotional and spiritual needs of some of these refugees. We are also sending a team to Poland where believers are housing refugees at a Christian campground that we have been partnering with for many years. We would appreciate your prayers for these teams and Lord willing, more will follow as needed.

Some of you may be wondering, how can Janice travel to Berlin, while you, Jason, are in the USA on your annual speaking tour. Well, the simple answer, is that we have cancelled my Spring speaking tour. We didn't know at the time that this would happen, but we knew that the speaking engagements were not lining up. Instead of fund raise, I will be people raising to help send teams of Russian and Ukrainian speakers to meet the needs of the Refugees. Please pray for our staff that can't speak Russian or Ukrainian to be a good support network and logistical team for those who are going. Pray for our teams and our ministry that is still ongoing here in Israel.

Ministry Update from the Roses

2021-12-17T15:53:00.000+02:00

By God's grace, even during a pandemic with all of the restrictions and challenges, God has been providing opportunities to serve our community. We are certainly not on our normal activity schedule, but we have been able to hold limited events inside and a number of events outside. As we are writing this update now we are only a couple of hours away from an event for young adults. We are limited by the government to fifty people indoors and we reached that registration milestone after only a day or so of advertising it. We invited a local worship leader to bring his team and one of our staff will share his amazing testimony. We are excited to be able to hold, even this limited events and we expect a mix of believers with a few of their unsaved friends.

A couple of weeks ago, Jason was able to lead a tour of young adults to two ancient Biblical sites in the desert. The theme of the trip was Ancient Worship in the Judean kingdom. The trip was of course subsidized by our ministry and we were also able to treat the group to a meal in a beduin style tent on the edge of the desert. My friends, this event was a huge success and several of these young adults are coming to this evenings young adults dinner.

We offered a similar tour of Jaffa at the end of November and we can see the level of interest in these outings is definitely picking up. A lot of people really want to see the connections between the Bible and the places that we can visit. It might surprise you to hear that most Israelis think of these Biblical sites as Christian tourist sites and as a result they generally don't go to them. So, when we can show the connections with the Old Testament scriptures it opens the door wide for wonderful conversations.

We are in the process of planning the next trip for February, and we would have liked to do it sooner, but have to push it back a bit mainly because of the weather, but also because we need to raise the finances to subsides the bus. I'll just share a short tidbit from the last adventure. Janice, as you may recall is now working part-time with our ministry and her focus is really on mentoring and discipling young ladies. During the tent meal, she manned the Bar-b-Que while, I, Jason, took the group to the last site. She wanted to make sure the food was cooked and ready upon our arrival, so that she could have time to mingle with the ladies and she did. She was able to have some amazing and deep conversations which led to many calls and invitation to our house for dinner. This kind of ministry just brings us to life. We love the one on one relational ministry that these kinds of events help us develop.

Our big family news is that our oldest son, Yonatan, had his Bar Mitzvah two weeks ago. This is a rite of passage in which the child takes upon himself the responsibility to obey the Lord and his commandments. In rabbinic tradition, this means the young man is now able to read the scriptures from the Torah scroll and participate in corporate prayers. It took a lot of preparation but of course our oldest excelled and performed the ceremony extremely well. In addition, to the Bar Mitzvah he chose to also honor the Lord and the spirit of the ceremony by committing his life to the Lord publicly in baptism. So it was a tremendous day and as parents we couldn't be more proud.

As we look to the future we do have a few prayer requests. First of all, pray for health for our family and extended family. Janice's father is still very lonely after losing his wife of 50 years in early 2020. He needs to come to faith and be introduced to the Great Comforter. Jason's father has had a number of surgeries recently to help improve his mobility. Pray that he continues to gain the ability to walk and care for his own needs. Jason is planning to visit the Kansas City area in March and early April to raise funds, visit supporters and meet new potential prayer partners. So far, only one meeting has been confirmed and we could use your prayers that God will open the doors for more invitations. We have not been on a speaking tour since the Fall of 2019 and by God's grace we have not had a drop in giving. However, the US dollar has weakened significantly against the strengthen shekel which means our buying power in Israel has dropped significantly. Probably a few hundred dollars a month less. Unfortunately, the outlook isn't good for us, on this issue. They are saying this is a trend that will continue. So, we could use your prayers, since the Israeli economy is very expense and this month we learned that Tel Aviv is now the single most expensive city in the world. We moved outside of Tel Aviv proper in 2015, but we are still in the suburbs, as is our ministry center. So, please pray for a successful speaking tour for Jason this spring and that he will meet many new people who would like to pray for and support our ministry. Also, please pray for our boys education. We are still a homeschooling family and we recently had a meeting with the homeschool inspector, but we haven't yet received our mandatory approval. So please pray it comes soon. Of course, please continue to pray for our ministry activities, Bible Studies and one on one ministry!

We have recorded for you a end of year greeting and it is posted to our page on the Chosen People Ministries website. Please click this link to receive your holiday greeting: https://www.chosenpeople.com/site/jason-and-janice-rose/

Thank you for being a part of our ministry! You are dear to us.

Blessings in Messiah

Jason and Janice Rose

* if you would like to support our ministry, you can give a tax deductible gift here: DONATE

2021-09-24T15:42:00.001+03:00

The First Rains in Israel

Dear friends and ministry partners, I hope this update meets you with hope and expectation in Messiah Yeshua. It has been a while since we wrote a more personalized update. I hope to explain why briefly. But first, let's talk about rain.

Sukkot in Israel

We are currently celebrating the Biblical Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles), one of my favorite holidays because the Bible explains that one day all the nations of the world will come to Israel and celebrate this weeklong feast together.

Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem kshall go up year after year to worship lthe King, the LORD of hosts, and mto keep nthe Feast of Booths. 17 And if oany of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship lthe King, the LORD of hosts, pthere will be no rain on them.

(Zech. 14:16-17).

It is normal to eat and sleep in these booths. For the first in many years, we were able to set up a booth outside, on our rooftop (rather than in our living room). We have been eating our meals daily in our booth (or sukkah). Last night we decided to sleep in the sukkah. The kids were really excited about it. We watch an old movie in the sukkah and fell asleep really late only to wake up to RAIN at 4am. For some of you this sounds obvious, but for us, we can't really remember the last time it rained. We generally go from five months whichout rain and the FIRST RAIN is considered a huge blessing after so long.

I was pondering this, in the morning. rain represents God's blessing on the land of the people of Israel. But more specifically God uses it to represent his provision. Without rain there is no food. It may be a surprise to many who have visited but we are still a very agricultural society. Our produce is farmed locally and our supermarkets carry most things seasonally only.

So why is this RAIN so significant to me (Jason) personally. As I was pondering this it occurred to me that God has blessed us abundantly over the last few months in ways that we could never have imagined. We were celebrating Sukkot in our own sukkah on our own rooftop of our own apartment that we just took possession of. We had only ever dreamed that God would provide us with the necessary downpayment to buy an apartment in Israel, but God had a better plan and turned our dream into a reality. In retrospect, this rain on us in the middle of the night is almost as if God is jokingly reminding us and saying "did you see My hand of provision? Look what I have done for you!" Well, that's one interpretation certainly! But even if the rain was really only meant for the fields and not just our rooftop, we must respond, "Thank you Lord for your provision for us!"

The purchase of our apartment was not as smooth as we had hoped and prayed for, but it was clearly the hand of the Lord. Here the process is very different that what we experienced in the USA. You may recall that when we returned to the USA in 2013-15 on furlough, we decided to purchase a house rather than rent, hoping one day that they Lord would turn that purchase into a downpayment in Israel. In the Fall of 2020, Jason's family left Minnesota selling their homes and our's as well. The profits from the sale together with an unexpected inheritance (and some savings & unexpected gifts) was enough to purchase our apartment in a town called Petach Tikavah (Door of Hope). Thank you LORD!!!

For the first time in Israel, we have an apartment in which we can BBQ on our balcony, camp on our rooftop and park in our parking space. Each of these was a prayer request in and of itself and the Lord provided them all! The sellers turned out to be dishonest, and that led to some unfortunate extra expenses but nothing the Lord couldn't handle. The move itself was challenging for many reasons but the timing was the biggest challenge, because we didn't want more than one month of overlapping mortgage and rent. In the end we moved in and still needed to do quite a bit of work to adapt the apartment to our homeschooling and family needs. Needless to say, from early July through the end of August we were spending every free moment fixing, adapting, unpacking painting, spackling and planning. The good news is that we are settled, even though every decision isn't made yet. We are so blessed for the Lord's provision. It is like the fresh smell of the first rains!

Ministry during the Pandemic

For the majority of the summer we have not been able to hold events at the Mercaz (our Ramat Gan Ministry Center) because of the guidelines for safety. The fourth wave of the pandemic has been quite a challenge. When we were allowed, we held two very successful events and lots of young adults came out. We were challenged to learn the names of the many new faces we didn't recognize. Thinking about provision during the pandemic, I would like to thank you, our prayer and ministry partners for supporting us during this time. During or just before the pandemic our staff at the Mercaz grew from four to seven. Gaining three new staff has really enhanced our ability to share the Gospel and that is well illustrated by this story. One of our new staff Moti has a large online presence because of his outreach videos that he does in Hebrew. One famous Israeli gamer started talking about Moti's videos and Moti was able to meet together with him and answer his questions. Recently, this incredibly charismatic personality posted one he believes that Yeshua is the Messiah on his social media for his many followers to see. We are so proud of our staff taking the time to reach people wherever they are to share the truths of God.

As of right now, our numbers are still quite high, our hospitals are warning us that they are overwhelmed and our researchers are saying in few weeks that numbers will start dropping. So please pray that we will be able to return to normal operations soon. Until then, we will continue to try and find creative ways to meet people, share the Gospel and make disciples.

Contact us If you want to learn more about our ministry, to encourage us, or to let us know your prayer needs! We would love to hear from you!

Israeli Memorial Day

2021-04-14T16:27:00.001+03:00

Today, April 14th, Israel is celebrating memorial day. There are a few things that make this day very special and unique and we thought it might be encouraging and edifying to share them with you.

In this strange season that we have been in, in which so many have lost so much, the Israeli way of celebrating memorial day has a calming and soothing effect. When the war of independence ended in 1949, over 28,000 Israelis lost their lives. The fighting actually started before the war with what Israelis call the "War of the Roads." On November 29th, 1947, the UN announced its partition plan. Beginning just a few days later, in December, the local Arab leaders decided to block the roads and starve out the isolated Jewish settlements. In Jerusalem, for example, they cut of the water pumps and blocked the roads so that the population there had no access to water or food. Convoys from Tel Aviv tried to break through the road blocks to bring flour and water. Some were successful and others were not. In April of 1948 three convoys taking food to isolated Jewish settlements were completely destroyed and few if any survived the ambushes. From that point on, the Jewish leadership decided that only defending was no longer an option and they began to try and retake the roads. On May 14th, 1948, Israel declared its independence, by this point the local Jewish population had already been fighting the locals for months, but shortly after the announcement the Arab League recruited seven countries and their national armies to invade Israel and wipe out the Jewish population. The expression often used by these armies was that they would cast the Zionist Imperialist into the sea. This was clearly understood as a threat to wipe out the entire Jewish population. Israel's main fighting force was best described as untrained security guards, most of whom had never held a weapon. They had no tanks, no airplanes and little artillary. However, when the British pullout out in May of 1948, a few British soldiers helped them acquire 3 British tanks. Compared to the Egyptians' 200 tanks, it was a drop in the bucket, but it was something. The miracle of the war of Indepence is that Israel survived. Although completely out numbered, out trained, out matched, and unprepared, God gave Israel the victory.

When Israelis think about the soldiers who gave their lives to protect the country in 1948, they remember that they were not really soldiers at all. Most were security guards who may have held a weapon for the first time during the war, but had never had a chance to fire a gun until the war started. The brave soldiers of Yad Mordechai, which was on of the first farming communities attacked in May 1947, were just 30 trained soldiers. The entire farming community of 110 adults (with their 75 rifles) stood their ground against Egyptian artillary, tanks and aircraft for five days. When they ran out of bullets on the fifth day, the evacuated under the cover of night. Israelis remember that these were just civlians willing to give their lives for their country. So when celebrating Memorial day, it isn't just about soldiers, it is also a day to honor those civilians who died whether on the battle field, in terror attacks, serving in police or those amazing pioneers who died in attacks defending their farms from mobs. Early on during the war of Independence they tried to bring the fallen soldiers to their homes for burial. This proved too difficult because of the blocked roads, lack of manpower or vehicles etc... So it was decided to bury the fallen somewhere near where they fell. Usually a settlement or farming community where the unit was stationed had a cemetary.

Memorial day here is unique because it is celebrated nationally and most Israelis participate at some level. There are live streamed ceremonies from the same locations every year. The ceremony begins on the night before, at 8pm local time. A siren sounds for a minute of silence. The entire country stops to honor the fallen and remember their families. Again the next day, another ceremony is broadcast live on every station and it starts at 11am with a second siren for two minutes - a national moment of silence. Cars will stop; buses and trains too. The entire country stops to honor the fallen and remember their sacrifice. The families of the fallen soldiers will typically visit the graves during the day. A fallen soldier has a grave designed by the government, they look different then a typical grave and they look the same as each other. Rank doesn't matter in burial. It's easy to spot a military grave. Families often have to travel some distance to get to the burial site, since, as I mentioned, most were buried where the fell and not where they came from. The family will light a candle on the grave. Some will place a picture of their loved one. Friends and fellow soldiers will also visit their grave.

It is not so uncommon to know a fallen soldier or his family. One young man, who had attended our youth meetings and young adults events fell in the last major conflict. His sister has led worship at our ministry center many times. Another dear brother in the Lord lost his best friend while they were together on a mission trying to arrest a terrorist, a couple of years ago. Few Israelis are untouched by Memorial day.

It is a solemn day. It is a sad day. It is a patriotic day.

When the day ends a new celebration begins: Independence Day. Somehow, as if to say, "we will not be defeated," the mood instantly changes at sunset. The mourning turns to rejoicing as the nation celebrates vibrantly the establishment of the State of Israel. Fireworks, concerts, dancing in the streets. It is as if to say, though we mourn your loss, we will rejoice in your victory and the freedom that you died to give us. Independence Day is a national celebration, every city and even small municipality will host an event outdoors with fireworks. Our larger city usually has several stages with concerts and fireworks at each.

These two holidays remind me of a Bible verse, "You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy" (Psalm 30:11).

When looking back on the last year, we can see that many bad things happened, but we who know the Lord Yeshua (Jesus), know that God has plans for our good.

“Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together, For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13

As we remember the fallen and their sacrifice, we also remember that God has given us Life and we must live it to honor those who died to protect it. The same can be true wherever you are. You are reading this because you survived. Not everyone did. We lost Janice's mom last year, not due to the pandemic or war, but the loss still hurts. But nevertheless we will honor her memory by living our lives joyfully because they enriched so much by her part in them.

Our prayer for you, dear onees, is that you may may be "clothed... with joy."

Live Update! Saturday, June 27th @12pm CST

2020-06-16T13:34:00.001+03:00

Tour Biblical Sites from Your Own Home!

2 Kings 18:4 He [Hezekiah] removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.

What is a Biblical High Place?

Join us on Saturday as we take you to beautifully preserved Israelite High Places in the desert of Israel. This is your opportunity to see Israel up close as Jason puts on his Tour Guide hat and explains what the High Places were, and why they are bad, as described in the Bible.

Questions and Answers!

We are hoping that you will come ready for this interactive ZOOM meeting! We will have a Q&A in which we can answer all of your questions about our ministry, family and of course any questions you have about the two Biblical Sites that we will take you too.

Details

Date: Saturday, June 27th

Time: 1:00pm EST (10am PST, 11am MST, 12pm CST)

Topic: Q&A with the Roses and Sightseeing of Biblical High Places

How to Join: Click this LINK and if prompted type this password: 882683

Dial In? You can also call in, but you won't get to see the footage. You'll need the meeting ID and Password to call in. Meeting ID: 893 8707 3151. Password: 882683

Dial by your location

+972 55 330 1762 Israel

+972 3 978 6688 Israel

+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kczW7Vt8i

Ministry Update from the Roses

2020-03-16T17:44:00.003+02:00

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Dear Friends,

It has been quite a while since we gave you a proper update. Due to the pandemic, the world has slowed down some and many of us are being asked to stay at home. It seems like now is a good time to let you all know how we are doing, personally, in our ministry and in our country. We have a really big announcement that we will save for the end.

(Photo to the left: Janice's parents with our five sons.) The main reason we have been a little out of touch is that we were really busy; not with normal life activities but with the kind of catastrophe that makes you drop everything. Janice's dear sweet mother passed away on February 1st. She was an important part of our lives and her departure was unexpected and unprepared for, except that we are sure that she is with her Lord and Savior. We found out in the evening and immediately started searching for airline tickets for the whole family. By February 3rd, we were in Alabama after about a full day of flying. We are so grateful for our many dear friends who dropped everything to help us pack, clean and leave our apartment in just a few hours. One friend even cooked up some of our food to freeze so we would have ready meals upon our return. By God's grace, another close friend helped us find our copy of Mom's will, which we needed. We did send out a quick note and thank you to everyone who prayed for us! We really needed your prayers. It was hard.

When we arrived in Alabama, at first we were busy with preparations for the funeral. Janice's dad asked Jason to preside over the funeral as he was certain Janice's mom would have wanted that. This was Jason's first time leading a funeral and one of the toughest tasks he has ever done. Saying goodbye to someone we all loved so much was so much easier because of our shared faith and trust in God that we will see her again. She was a strong believer in Jesus. We still miss her and we still have so much to learn from her lessons in life, but we are getting through it together as a family. Following the funeral, we were busy setting up Janice's Dad's finances and taking care of the enormous red tape related to wills and estates. It is a long process, but we were able to get everything moving before we returned home to Israel. (Photo above: Janice's father and family gathered before the funeral.)

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

(Phil 4:4-7)

This verse has been particularly helpful to us during our recent struggles and perhaps it can be a source of encouragement for you as well during these challenging times. Starting in verse four provides us with a great deal more encouragement than the usual reading from verse six. It is difficult to be happy in times of sadness, but the joy of the Lord is with us always, because it is based on the promises of our God who was willing to send His only son to die for our sins. His promises are immoveable. Even in the midst of the greatest sadness we have ever gone through, we will rejoice in the Lord because we believe in His promises!

Back Home in Israel

Upon our return to Israel, we discovered that our ministry field and the reality for our entire country had shifted. We held a Purim event (Book of Esther: celebrating the salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation in Persia) that we had been planning for many months. The event was great, but because of the Coronavirus regulations our turnout was understandably lower than originally expected. One of our staff was in government-imposed quarantine, while our family was asked to self-quarantine, because we arrived from overseas and were sick (although not with symptoms of the coronavirus). For two weeks we stayed at home. During this time, we continued our homeschooling and Jason was able to work from home. The impact of the new and ever-changing regulations has now dramatically affected our little country.

As of this Sunday, everyone in the country has been asked to refrain from gathering in groups of more than ten people, so we are adjusting our activities to virtual meetings using video streaming technology. This is an amazing time that we live in, in which we can fellowship with people and minister to needs without leaving our homes. Our English classes, Bible Studies and Prayer meetings are all continuing virtually. This enables people to remain connected to us, even when our government is recommending we stay home. We would appreciate your prayers for those we are ministering to in such difficult times. Many people are struggling with depression and loneliness. Please help us to continue to meet people's spiritual needs.

Shaaryim (1Sam 17:52)

It is hard to believe that before our world was "turned upside down" on February 1st... Jason had just led our pilot Outreach Tour for Israelis. We wanted a small group for the first trip and Jason took them to two amazing Biblical sites. No one in the group had ever been to these sites and they have historical and archeological connections to the Bible.

Eventually, want to hold these trips once a month but we are planning to start slower as we develop this outreach program. Because of the pandemic, we don't know when we will plan the next Outreach Trip, hopefully in May.

A big ANNOUNCEMENT...

...that needs your prayers. As many of you know, Janice and I started our lives together in ministry long ago. We met through good friends and developed our friendship primarily serving the Lord together at the Gospel Cafe outreach in 2005. We have always seen ourselves as a ministry team, and then a ministry family. Janice has always been integrally involved in all of our ministry activities. In our early years with Chosen People Ministries, she was ministering to people at the Gospel Cafe and serving coffee. These days she is running some significant programs and is very involved in our planning, vision-casting and more. Recently, we made the logical step of bringing Janice on officially as a part-time ministry staff member. This may come as a surprise to some that she wasn't on staff already. At first, only Jason could come on staff, because we could only raise enough funds for one salary. We are now in a place in life where Janice can commit to a more proactive role in our ministry, but we still do need to raise her part-time salary. So we would like to ask for your prayerful support for this. In principle, she is now on staff, but she will only receive a salary when our fund can support it.

Due to the challenges in the world health, we have postponed Jason's Spring Speaking Tour until the Fall and that doesn't help, but we are trusting the Lord. We would appreciate your prayers for a successful fund raising effort, so that Janice can receive her salary. We know that many pray for us regularly and want to continue to help us as able. One way to help us is by introducing our ministry to your friends and now we have a new way to sign up for our prayer letters directly on the Chosen People Ministry website. Now you can send the following link to your friends if they want to join our prayer team at: chosenpeople.com/pray4jason

Thank you so much for your prayerful partnership with us! We really appreciate you!

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason and Janice Rose

Prayer Letter Signup

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Tel Lachish (II Chronicles 32:9 and Isaiah 36:2)

Japanese Cultural Event and more

2020-01-20T14:00:00.000+02:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

As you know, we hold many different activities at the Greater Tel Aviv Messianic Center and these enable us to meet real needs, lower the barriers to the Gospel and help us connect with our local community. During the events, we always have the opportunity to meet new people, encourage believers and even share the Gospel, as the Lord leads. We find that music brings people together! Along with our free English classes, Bible Studies, prayer meetings and other ongoing activities, these larger events widen our reach out into the community of believers and non-believers. We have found these events to be easy to develop and very worthwhile for building solid Messiah-Centered relationships. We appreciate your prayerful support for this ministry and for our ability to share the Gospel in Tel Aviv.

Worship Night. In December we had a lot of events that met various needs. Our worship night event was intended for believers and we had a great turn out. The Musician that we invited, Shilo Ben Hod is a dynamic worship leader who has been with us a few times. Many young adults in Tel Aviv don't have the access to quality worship teams like Shilo and his friends. We are so pleased by the opportunity to serve the local Messianic community in this way.

We also had a wonderful event for Holocaust Survivors. Some wonderful believers from Europe travelled the country and attempted to show the Love of Yeshua (Jesus) through music. They are very talented musicians who really blessed this group of Holocaust Survivors. You may not be aware, but holocaust survivors as a group are huge lovers of music and many are talented musicians themselves. In 2019 we lost 14,800 holocaust survivors to old age in Israel and now we have only 192,000 left. Our ministry is very aware of the fact that we only have a limited time left to enrich their lives. For this reason, the primary focus of some of our staff in Israel is meeting with and organizing events for Holocaust Survivors. This event and others like it are an important part of our efforts to engage our community. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend of mine, who is a holocaust survivor and a believer. He is so excited for every opportunity to share his testimony of how God saved him in during the holocaust and brought him to faith in Yeshua in his golden years through our ministry. It is discussions like these that encourage me to continue to love these amazing people who have suffered more than almost anyone on earth.

Hanukah Kids Party. We also held an amazing event for kids. We try not to post pictures of children online or in our newsletters, so these may not be the most exciting pictures you will see. So you will have to use your imagination. We had crafts, games and even a children's choir. Three of our five boys were able to sing in the choir and Yonatan (our oldest) had a solo!

We also held a Japan Cultural event that was geared towards people who want to travel to Japan. We were NOT surprised to learn how many Israelis want to visit Japan and what it is about Japan that appeals to them. We have known for some time that Japan is a growing hotspot for Israeli tourists especially for the "after the army trips." We knew that young people are traveling to Japan in droves but those who came were not only young people, but people of all ages! Our colleague David, who works closely with Jason has been to Japan many times to develop relationships and teach the Japanese believers how to reach Israelis with the Gospel. For this event, we brought in an expert who helps Israelis plan their trips to Japan. This event was both informative and tasty!

Going to Japan! Our work in Japan is just beginning! In April, Chosen People Ministries is arranging a pastors conference in Japan and several of our Tel Aviv staff will be going there to teach. Our long term goal is to establish a guest house for Israeli travelers in Japan, like our Zula Lodge in New Zealand and our guest house in Hong Kong! Jason will be teaching at this pastors conference and several other locations in Japan this April and we would appreciate your prayers for this trip. Also, we would appreciate your prayers that if it is the Lord's will, Janice will be able to join Jason on this trip.