Years ago, I spent time on a moshav (cooperative farming community in Israel) that grew persimmons. We had a narrow window of time when the fruit was perfectly ripe, and as soon as that fruit was ready, we had to be ready too. I remember heading out to the fields before sunrise, knowing that if there were not enough workers to gather the harvest, the opportunity would pass. Either pests would get at the fruit, or it would fall off the tree and rot.

I remember those persimmon-harvesting days when I read the words of Yeshua in Luke 10:2: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Yeshua was saying the harvest was already ripe. Hearts were open. People were ready. But the 72 disciples he was about to send out into nearby towns to proclaim his gospel were not enough. That’s why he told them to pray for even more laborers.

We are seeing the same urgency today. Across Israel and around the world, God is stirring hearts among Jewish people. Amidst chaotic situations and circumstances, many are quietly wrestling with questions about faith, identity, and hope. Some are searching for answers in places they never expected.

When believers pray to be available, God often places them where he is preparing hearts.

So once again, the need for laborers is pressing. When I speak of laborers, I don’t mean only missionaries with Jews for Jesus, though we are always praying for more people to join us in this calling. I am also speaking about the much larger workforce God is raising up around the world. Most are not in vocational ministry. They are teachers, engineers, students, artists, parents, retirees, and countless others who want to be used by God.

When believers pray and make themselves available, God often places them exactly where he is preparing hearts. We’re seeing this principle take shape in tangible ways through community spaces our teams have been cultivating across Israel.

Many Jewish people are curious about spiritual matters—even about Jesus—but are not about to step into a church building. Cultural barriers, historical wounds, and misunderstandings stand in their way. Yet many are comfortable having conversations in more naturally appealing settings. That is why our teams have been creating cafés and creative community hubs in cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa and are currently developing new spaces in Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva.

People come to these places to study, meet friends, or work on laptops. But on a deeper level, these are also places where relationships form and where people talk about life, faith, and identity within a context of community.

These spaces alone do not create community. People do. Behind every welcoming environment, we have believers praying, listening, building friendships, opening the Scriptures, and walking patiently with those who are searching.

For example, Dean, one of our missionaries in Tel Aviv, has been helping run Café Nachmani, which has quickly become a gathering place for students, young professionals, and artists. Then, over countless cups of coffee, conversations about life and faith began to unfold. People who’d never read the New Testament before started asking questions about Jesus. Informal discussions turned into regular Bible studies. Over time, a small community formed.

That community took a significant step forward when Dean helped plant a congregation made up largely of people who first connected with each other through conversations and gatherings at the café. Each week, unbelievers continue to visit the café and the congregation, curious to see what this growing community is all about.

Stories like Dean’s show what can happen when faithful laborers show up for the harvest, but they also reveal how great the need truly is for more laborers. Places may provide opportunities for conversation, but it takes patient leaders, disciple-makers, and shepherds to nurture people into communities of faith in Jesus. That is why we launched a church-planting cohort in Israel last year.

We want to help raise up the next generation of pastors and leaders who can cultivate these kinds of communities across Israel (and eventually in cities throughout the world). We can’t be everywhere, but thanks to God and partners like you, we can offer training, mentorship, and practical experience to equip more laborers. Please join us in praying that God will bless our efforts to help raise up more partners to lead Bible studies, disciple new believers, and help form congregations where Jewish people can follow Yeshua while embracing their Jewish identity.

Whether a farmer or a fisher, God can use you to share the good news with Jewish people.

Jesus uses another familiar metaphor—fishing—to show us the urgent need for more partners in the gospel. (See Luke 5:1–11). Think about more partners getting into more boats and casting more nets to bring Jewish people to Jesus. This is very much at the heart of our The Nets Are Breaking vision, and Dan Sered tells us more about that in this newsletter. Whether you see yourself as more of a farmer or a fisher, God can use you, right where you are, to share the good news of Yeshua with Jewish people.

It doesn’t matter if you serve in full-time vocational ministry or not. The Lord delights to use his people in every sphere of life. How will he use you? It may begin with a simple conversation with a Jewish neighbor, a question asked with humility, a friendship that grows over time, a willingness to listen and to share what God has done in your life.

In this moment, we have a unique opportunity. Jewish people are more open to spiritual conversations than we have seen in decades. We believe God is inviting the whole body of believers to step in and be a part of what he is doing among the Jewish people.

When I think back to those early mornings in the persimmon orchards, I remember how important it was simply to be there, to show up when the fruit was ready. The harvest did not wait for a convenient moment. It required workers who were present when the time came.

My prayer is that together we will be ready to step into the fields he has already prepared and those he continues to prepare. And as we do that, we will share the joy of seeing even more Jewish people receive the good news of Yeshua.