New life in Jesus

Mina* and her husband, Harvey* (North America), were in a comfortable season in their lives. Their adult children lived on their own, Harvey was successful in his career, Mina was involved for over 20 years with a Christian ministry and they owned their own home. 

Then, God made it clear, first to Mina, and then to Harvey, that they were to surrender it all to Him. “I never dreamt of becoming a missions worker. I supported them and prayed for them, but never desired to be one.” 

Through a Bible study on the book of Hosea, Mina connected with the story of Israel. Deeply understanding what it meant to be lost and given the grace of God's salvation, she remembers, “I became a believer as an adult, after a tennis coach first shared about God's love with me. Looking back, I see now that He was pursuing me all along, even though I was strong-willed and rebellious. He never let me go. 

“I see this in Israel’s story, of God pursuing them in patience. I became overcome through just understanding a small portion of His grief over their unfaithfulness in the Old Testament. I also saw the depths of His love.”   

Because of this, Mina wanted to go to Israel to share Him with others.  She planned to join a group on a prayer journey in 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic began. The group continued to pray together for three years, interceding daily for Israel. Then, one day, Mina understood that God was leading her to Israel long-term.  

God’s restorative work 

However, Harvey, who had always been supportive of Mina being in full-time ministry, was not in agreement at first. It felt too out-of-the-box for him, especially as he did not want to leave his career. With great sadness, Mina surrendered to the Lord, “If this came from You, You have to make a way for us to be on the same page. I want to submit to Your call but also to my husband.” 

Through a long period of waiting, God worked in and restored their marriage, while also ministering to Harvey’s heart. Then, one night while praising God together under a star-strewn sky, they renewed their vows and prayed together, “Lord, here we are. Send us.”  

“After years, we were on the same page. We wanted to use our best years to worship the Lord in ministry in Israel. We also had confirmation from our children, who both supported the decision,” Mina said. 

Sharing God’s love in Israel 

Mina and Harvey arrived in Israel just days before the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, leading to two years of war. Still jet-lagged and reeling from the shock of the tragedy, Mina began to question: Did we make a mistake? But then she remembered that they had specifically chosen their arrival date; their other flight option would have left after 7 October. “It was not a mistake. It was God’s intention that we were there at that time. And God continued to show us that in those early days,” Mina recalls. 

Within a few months, they moved to an apartment in a small village. Mina began studying at a university, and life took on a rhythm. Once classes began in-person, she found an unexpected opportunity: being of Chinese background and a Mandarin speaker, she began making friends with Chinese exchange students.  

While on a walk one day, Harvey heard two construction workers speaking Mandarin. He told Mina, who went out to talk with them. They invited the men to their home for a Shabbat dinner and to read the Bible with them. One of the men later decided to follow Jesus.  

This gave Mina an idea — what if she did the same with her fellow students? They were in a foreign country, in a war, without any family. A home-cooked Chinese meal might be just what they needed. Soon, this group of students became a weekly Discovery Bible Study (DBS) group.  

As most of the students had little knowledge of God or the Bible before arriving in Israel, the experience has been interesting. Mina shares, “The students have seeking hearts. They have an interest and curiosity towards the Bible, which can answer all of their questions about life.  

“The DBS method is asking questions, which they are not taught to do in China. They are taught to accept answers instead. By asking these questions, they are learning to think and wrestle with the Word of God. They have a hunger, more and more, for God’s Word, and willingness to apply it. And, they have experienced answered prayer.” In addition, a few Chinese students who were already members of secret house churches in China and familiar with DBS, began to attend as well, and encourage their fellow students. 

As it became safer to move throughout the country, Mina had another idea: field trips to biblical sites. She and Harvey began taking students on themed tour days, where they talk about stories from the Bible and do a DBS in the place where an event happened.  

New life in Jesus 

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the students sat in a group on the side of a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Reading from Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount, they started thinking through the questions. In response to, ‘What does this passage say about the character of God?’, one young man, Asher*, replied, “Jesus said this because He was the Son of God.” 

Asher was not unfamiliar with the Bible before coming to Israel, as his parents and sister are believers. Years before, his sister, who had a terminal illness, was healed after being prayed for by believers. However, he did not believe, as his parents were illiterate and he thought they were naive. 

Through the DBS study, and his friendship with ‘Mama Mina’, as some of the students started calling her, Asher came to believe the truth of God’s Word for his life. That day, he chose to follow Jesus. On another field trip, he was baptised in the Jordan River, and before leaving Israel, he was commissioned to return to China and share his new faith and disciple others there. 

While not all students have experienced such a radical change in a short time, the impact of this group is evident. For instance, Mina shares, “Another student, a Buddhist, has experienced a change in his worldview. Whereas before he didn’t believe in a God, now he says he is searching for God’s purpose. He is so close to realising God’s love for Him.” 

As most of the students were in Israel for only a year and have since returned to China, the study has moved online. Mina and Harvey are intentionally discipling them over the internet and connecting the new believers with local house churches when possible. Now, they have a new group of students who come every week to their home, once again for Shabbat dinner and DBS. 

“God has given me such a big love for the Jews and Arabs living in Israel; I never expected He would lead us to this ministry,” says Mina. “More than anything, I have been blessed and transformed as I have had to depend on God like never before. He has continually led me to people to share God’s love with. In addition, He not only restored Harvey and I’s marriage, but Harvey has become my true partner in ministry, as we spend so much more time before than we did before. 

“I changed from a very planned person to reluctantly letting it all go. I do have a prayer, that every DBS group that I am a part of — which currently are six — that God has planted a seed in each heart through the study. This is true for groups with seekers as well as believers, as my heart is to encourage local believers in becoming disciple makers in their own communities.” 

*name changed