Finding Faith in the Midst of Trauma: Eva’s Story

Since the traumatic events of October 7 and the eruption of brazen antisemitism all over the world, our teams in Israel have been inundated with requests for God’s Word. More than ever, our people desperately need life-giving hope. And praise God, seekers like Eva are finding that hope in Yeshua (Jesus).

The shock over kidnapped hostages who were forced to witness the murder of family members resounded around the world, but for people like Eva who actually knew some of the hostages, the pain and desperation were even more acute. In the midst of her turmoil, Eva reached out to order a copy of the New Testament. In fact, she asked for two copies: one in Hebrew and the other in her native language, Hungarian. Four days later, the hostages Eva knew were miraculously released, physically unharmed.

We sent Eva her Hebrew New Testament, but it took a while to get a Hungarian copy. Meanwhile, we forwarded Eva’s information to Ildikó Hajdu, one of our colleagues who serves in Budapest, Hungary. Despite the nearly 2,000 miles between them, they quickly developed a close rapport. Six weeks and four or five phone conversations later, Eva invited Jesus into her heart. Praise God! And Eva’s Hungarian Bible arrived in the mail the very next day! She keeps in regular contact with Ildikó and is excited to study God’s Word with other Hungarian speakers.

Eva was born to Holocaust survivors in Budapest. When Eva was 10 years old, her father, a strict observer of Orthodox traditions, decided the family should make aliyah (move to Israel). She was miserable over having to leave Hungary and over her father’s insistence on strict adherence to rabbinic law. Eva decided that she wanted nothing to do with his religion.

So, when tragedy struck … she found herself hoping against hope that Jesus could help.

The move to Israel resulted in something her father would never have imagined: Eva became curious about Jesus. Christians were continually visiting the places where Jesus had walked and talked and performed miracles, and Eva found herself visiting these places and hearing the biblical accounts. She was deeply impressed by the kindness and compassion of Jesus. So, when tragedy struck on October 7, under the weight of unimaginable pain and fear, she found herself hoping against hope that Jesus could help.

Ildikó “happened” to contact Eva shortly after the hostages Eva knew had been released. Together they praised God for this miracle. Then Eva began reminiscing about Budapest. It had been more than 65 years since her family had moved away, and it was a comfort and a joy for her to share her fond memories with another Hungarian. When Ildikó described her neighborhood in Budapest, Eva remembered almost every street and square in the area! Despite the long distance, Ildikó was clearly the right person to connect with Eva.

Eva was ready to learn more about the Jesus whom she was so drawn to as a child, and she especially appreciated being able to continue the conversation with her new Hungarian friend.

Ildikó says, “She was not far from receiving Jesus as her Savior. I really think it was her father’s strictness that had attracted Eva to the mercy and grace of Jesus.”

Teamwork and partnership are such an important part of our ministry. We receive orders for free New Testaments and other gospel literature through our Israeli website. We are so grateful for our team that handles online outreach, as well as our wonderful partner ministries who forward us requests that come in through their websites.

We hand deliver the New Testaments whenever possible, but due to the record number of requests, we are currently unable to meet each of these Jewish seekers in person. Yet, a simple phone call from one of our staff (even from another country) can make all the difference in the lives of Israeli seekers like Eva.

Please pray for Eva’s physical and spiritual health as she navigates her new life in Messiah. Pray that God would reveal Himself to more Jewish seekers like Eva in extraordinary ways. And thank you for your partnership and your prayers and support that enable us to be part of God’s work among the Jewish people in Israel and around the world at this crucial time.

Names are changed to protect privacy.