At the age of 16, Abigail* read a book that changed her life. It told a story about a Jewish family who became followers of Yeshua (Jesus) after realising that His life, death and resurrection were fulfilments of Old Testament Scripture.
The book moved Abigail’s heart. Having attended religious school, she was familiar with the same prophecies but this time she saw them in a new light. “My spiritual eyes were opened and I saw Yeshua clearly. I was spiritually born again before I had ever read the New Testament. I made a decision to follow Him at any cost,” she says.
Being the first believer in her family, Abigail knew she needed a community in which to grow in her new faith. After reading a negative newspaper article warning readers away from a shop run by Jewish followers of Jesus (because they were suspected of being mission workers), Abigail went to meet her new brothers and sisters in faith. They welcomed her into their spiritual family and gave her a New Testament, which she began to read. Over the next few years, she grew in her faith, began serving in local ministry and decided to obey a personal life-calling to serve the Lord.
At the age of 24, Abigail travelled for six months, sharing the gospel in both the Netherlands and Brazil. After returning to Israel, “I only wanted to see the Lord at work, saving lives,” she recalls. “I joined a ministry centre, where I enjoyed going out every day with brothers and sisters from around the world, sharing the good news with anyone who was willing to listen. I thank God that already in the early years of my faith, He gave me both the passion and the opportunities to serve.”
After meeting and marrying her husband, Gersham*, they decided to open their hearts and home fully to ministry. First, they travelled through several countries in Europe, then to India and Nepal, before returning to Israel and joining OM. One of their first ministries was teaching in various home groups, sometimes travelling over an hour via public bus to get to different locations. The members of these groups were new believers hungry to learn how to live out their new faith, often amid a culture in which there can be prejudices against Jewish followers of Jesus.
Eventually, God provided a home for Gersham and Abigail’s growing family that had ample room for hospitality. At the same time, without advertising or seeking it out, God began sending groups for them to host — teams that came to share the good news. In their busiest year, they hosted over 60 international ministry teams, in addition to founding a home group for Spanish-speaking believers.
As the ministry grew, Gersham and Abigail began to prepare ministry programmes and schedules for their visitors; first in their own city and then branching out across the wider region. Then, the couple sensed God calling them into the profession of hospitality and tourism, as groups coming to serve in Israel also visit biblical sites. This led to several years of professional study, which continues to this day.
As members of the tourism industry, Gersham and Abigail teach believers throughout Israel, showing how archaeology and the land of Israel support the biblical account. They do not advertise their services; people come to them through referrals, which they see as specific opportunities from God. “We find great fulfilment in witnessing their new revelations from the Word of God, and we feel that we are equipping them to become better ambassadors of the Word,” Abigail says. They found that the two sides of their lives — ministry and the tourism industry — not only overlap but actually complement each other, and these last several years have opened doors that they did not expect.
While they entered this field with a primary focus on Christian visitors, Abigail has seen doors open for sharing her faith with fellow Jews, both religious and secular — including political leaders from both Israel and the USA, social media influencers, and others. Each time, she uses her skills and knowledge to connect her faith and biblical knowledge with Jewish religious tradition.
Additionally, with Abigail’s faith being known among her colleagues, a few have asked her for New Testaments and advice in interacting with visitors who are evangelical believers.
In recent years, the tourism industry in Israel has been negatively impacted, first from the COVID-19 lockdowns, then the war with Hamas following 7 October 2023. “Every day, we pray for guidance and opportunities,” Abigail shares.
She has recently enrolled in a new course, as she has a vision to expand their business to potentially see a new branch of ministry unfold. They continue to host a Hebrew-speaking Discovery Bible Study (DBS) in their home. Known for being believers in their small community, sometimes their neighbours seek them out with questions about faith. “These unplanned meetings are the most exciting and empowering, and we pray they will bear fruit for the kingdom of Heaven,” Abigail says.
As a Jewish follower of Jesus, Abigail shares not only her heart, testimony and physical home with others, but also openly shares the gospel from, in and throughout Israel. God has unfolded multi-faceted, many-layered hospitality for her and her family.
“Looking back, I am joyful for every time I said, ‘Hineni (Here am I)’ to the Lord’s call. As I look to the future, I open my heart and continue to invite Yeshua to be my Lord and Leader.”
*name changed
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