A Place at the Table

The Kingdom Around a Table

Good afternoon, and Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!

Over the past two and a half weeks, the Lord has been teaching me something unexpected:

The Kingdom often advances around a table.

Some of the most meaningful ministry I've experienced this summer hasn't happened from a stage or behind a pulpit. It's happened over coffee, around dinner tables, and inside people's homes.

Again and again, God has been opening doors through hospitality—creating spaces where trust is built, friendships deepen, and conversations about Jesus naturally unfold.

One of the first "tables" the Lord brought me back to was with several of the young men I discipled while living in Jerusalem last year. Watching them continue to grow has been one of the greatest joys of returning. One of these men is now leading a ministry of his own and recently asked if I would serve on his spiritual advisory team. It's been an incredible privilege to encourage him and invest in the leaders serving alongside him as they prepare for an upcoming outreach here in Israel.

The Lord has also continued opening the doors of Jewish homes. I've shared meals with both religious and secular families who have welcomed me with remarkable kindness. Naturally, the question often arises: "Why do you keep coming back to Israel?" Those conversations have led to thoughtful discussions about my faith, Jesus, and the hope I've found in Him. I'm continually amazed by the openness and curiosity the Lord has created through simple acts of hospitality.

Last week I hosted a dinner with several Messianic Jewish believers, and it became a beautiful evening of fellowship, encouragement, and prayer.

This coming Tuesday may become one of the most meaningful evenings of my summer.

For the first time, I'll be gathering around one table religious Jews, secular Jews, unbelieving Jewish friends, Messianic believers, and Christian friends.

In the past, I've intentionally kept many of these relationships separate—not out of fear, but out of respect. I wanted my unbelieving friends to know they were genuinely loved and valued as friends, never treated as projects.

Yet I sense the Lord inviting me to create a different kind of space.

Not a debate.

Not an apologetics event.

Simply a table.

A place where people can share a meal, laugh together, play games, build friendships, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the reconciling heart of God simply by being together. I would deeply appreciate your prayers for this evening—that Christ would be honored, meaningful relationships would deepen, and every guest would experience the love and peace of God.

This coming weekend I'll also be traveling to Israeli communities near the Gaza border with a dear friend whose family lives in the area. We'll be spending time encouraging local believers, leading worship, and ministering to families living under the weight of ongoing conflict. Please pray that the Lord would bring comfort, hope, and His peace to everyone we encounter.

After returning to Jerusalem, I'll have the privilege of hosting a delegation of twenty-five young leaders from around the world who are visiting Israel through the German ministry that invited me to speak earlier this year. I'll be gathering several Messianic Jewish young leaders to worship together, pray over them, and encourage this international team during their time in Israel. Once again, the Lord has provided another table around which nations can gather in worship and fellowship.

I also had the opportunity to visit the Tel Aviv University campus, where I'll begin my second master's degree this fall. Walking through the campus only confirmed what I've sensed for some time—that Tel Aviv is a city filled with people searching for meaning, purpose, and hope. As I prepare to move back to Israel in late September or early October, I'm continuing to search for an apartment in the area. I would be grateful for your prayers that the Lord would provide the right home in His perfect timing.

On a more personal note, I've been battling a throat infection over the past several days that has left my tonsils swollen, my lymph nodes enlarged, and my energy significantly reduced. If things don't improve, I'll likely need to visit a local clinic for testing and possible treatment. While the Lord has been incredibly faithful, this has been an unexpected expense in the middle of an already full season of ministry.

As I finish these final weeks in Israel before returning to Houston in mid-August, I'm seeking to raise $1,800 to cover the remaining ministry and living expenses for the summer, including these unexpected medical costs.

Every meal shared, every gathering hosted, every conversation over coffee, every act of hospitality, and every opportunity to disciple and encourage others is made possible because people like you choose to partner with what God is doing here.

As I reflect on these past few weeks, I'm struck by how ordinary so much of this ministry appears.

Coffee.

Dinner.

Living rooms.

Conversations.

Games.

Shared meals.

Yet these ordinary moments have become holy ground. Again and again, God has used hospitality to open hearts that might never have opened through a sermon alone.

If you've been encouraged by these stories and believe in what God is doing, would you prayerfully consider partnering with me financially to help me finish this summer well?

Thank you for praying, encouraging me, and investing in this calling. Your generosity isn't simply helping fund a trip—it's helping keep the table open. Together, we're creating spaces where friendships are formed, trust is built, disciples are strengthened, and the love of Christ is made known.

Giving details are under the “Become A Partner” tab.

I'm deeply grateful to have you on this journey.

With gratitude,

John

The Launch - Jordan

(Live updates and testimonies below!)

Bringing the Gospel Into the Middle East (June 21 - July 8)

This summer, I have the opportunity to spend three weeks in Jordan participating in “The Launch Middle East” — an immersive missions intensive focused on worship, discipleship, evangelism, and serving local communities throughout the region.

Our team will live in close community while partnering with local believers, engaging villages with the Gospel, serving the church, and learning how to communicate and minister effectively across cultures. The heart behind this trip is simple: to love people well and make Jesus known.

Jordan sits in one of the most spiritually and politically significant regions in the world. This experience will not only deepen my understanding of the Middle East and its people, but also strengthen the long-term calling I feel toward reconciliation, ministry, and peacebuilding in the region.

What We’ll Be Doing

• Worship & prayer gatherings

• Outreach in local villages

• Serving and encouraging the local church

• Cultural and language immersion

• Training in communication, unity, and conflict resolution

• Building relationships with people throughout the region

Financial Goal

The total cost for this trip is approximately $3,000, which includes:

• International airfare to the Middle East: $1,200–1,600

• In-country housing, meals, transportation, and ministry expenses: ~$1,500

Any support given helps make this mission possible and directly contributes to ministry efforts on the ground.

How You Can Partner

Pray

Pray for safety, wisdom, humility, and meaningful opportunities to serve and encourage people throughout the region.

Give

If you feel led to financially support this trip, every contribution — large or small — helps make this possible.

Share

Sharing this page with friends, family, or communities who care about missions and the Middle East is also a huge encouragement.

---

Not only is this trip a deeply full-circle experience for me personally, but it also further strengthens and confirms the calling I feel toward the Middle East and the people who call this region home. The local leaders facilitating this trip, Daniel and his wife Lydia, carry a sincere apostolic and pastoral heart for Jordan and the surrounding region. As meaningful as the trip itself will be, one of the greatest gifts is the opportunity to build genuine relationship and trust with resident Jordanian leaders who have faithfully devoted their lives to serving their communities and advancing the Gospel in the Middle East.

I believe these relationships will become meaningful and lasting connections as I continue to pursue long-term work throughout the region. In addition, two dear friends whom I previously served alongside in Israel will also be part of this Launch team, making this experience even more personal and significant to me. There are several deeply meaningful factors surrounding this trip that make it feel profoundly anchoring and closely connected to the future I believe God is continuing to unfold.

---

Some photos from my first trip to Jordan back in the summer of 2012 (14 years ago)!

---

CURRENT UPDATES

After arriving in Ajloun, the village where our team has been living, from Amman, the capital city of Jordan where I landed, the Lord impressed a powerful message upon my heart from 2 Corinthians 5:16.

Paul exhorts the church in Corinth to "regard no one according to the flesh anymore." Because Christ died for all, we are no longer to define people by their humanity—their faults, brokenness, or even their sin. As ministers of reconciliation, we are called to see every person as an image bearer of God for whom Christ willingly shed His blood.

As I meditated on this passage, I sensed the Lord asking me, "Do you see Me in these people?"

Just two verses earlier, Paul writes, "For the love of Christ compels us." It is this love that compels us to proclaim reconciliation through the cross, inviting people back into relationship with the Father. These words continued to stir in my heart throughout the week.

Nearly a week before I had the opportunity to preach this message, a pastor from a nearby village visited our team at our base in Ajloun. As we prayed together, he looked at me and asked, "Son, what is your name?" After I introduced myself, he began to prophesy over me:

"You will preach to the Muslims. You are called to preach to the sons of Ishmael. There is a special anointing on your life to share the gospel. I don't know whether you have ancestors from this land, but God is going to use you in signs and wonders among these people."

There was much more that he shared, but I received his words as a gracious confirmation from the Lord that this region of the world holds a special place in the calling He has placed on my life.

Then, this past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching this message to a local congregation.

The message was received with tremendous encouragement, and the pastors shared that they believed it was a timely word from the Lord for their community. In the honor-and-shame culture of the Middle East, many believers shrink back from the places God has called them because of condemnation over their shortcomings. Yet the gospel declares that we are no longer defined by our failures, but by Christ's finished work on the cross.

Following the service, our team had the opportunity to pray and minister to everyone in the room. One young man named Mo stood patiently in line, waiting to receive prayer. When his turn finally came, he shared that he had left Islam about a year ago and had been searching for the truth ever since. His decision created deep division within his family, who ultimately disowned him for rejecting the teachings of Islam.

With tears in his eyes, he said, "I've never experienced love like this anywhere in my life," referring to the love he had encountered in the church. Then he quietly added, "I know Islam is not the way."

After spending several minutes sharing the gospel with him, I asked, "Are you ready to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life?"

With tears streaming down his face, he answered, "Yes."

As I led him in confession, repentance, and surrender to Jesus, I could almost see the weight lifting from his shoulders. The sincerity of his prayers and the humility of his heart were unmistakable. I then prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

When he opened his eyes, he told me that the back pain he had been experiencing was completely gone and that the heaviness in his chest had disappeared. The joy and peace on his face were undeniable. Jesus had set him free.

This past Thursday, Mo and I met for coffee to get to know one another better and to discuss some of his lingering questions about the Scriptures, the divinity of Jesus, and what it truly means to live as a Christian. It was a rich time together, and I look forward to continuing to walk alongside him as he grows in his faith.

Since that coffee meeting, I've also had the privilege of sitting down with nearly a dozen young men who have left Islam to follow Jesus. Together we've opened the Scriptures, wrestled through their questions, and sought the Lord for what He desires to speak over their lives. It has been an incredible honor not only to pour into them through God's Word, but also to partner with the Holy Spirit in prophesying over their futures and encouraging them in the calling God has placed on their lives.

It has been a tremendous privilege to be here in Jordan.

More than ever, I know the Lord has called me to the Middle East, and I am filled with gratitude for your prayers, generosity, and partnership that made this trip possible. Amman is only an hour and a half from Jerusalem, and I'm believing the Lord will continue to open the borders for me to travel freely throughout the region—discipling and strengthening the Body of Christ while seeing many more Muslims surrender their lives to Jesus.

Thank you for faithfully praying, giving, and believing alongside me. Your partnership is bearing fruit, and together we share in the joy of seeing lives reconciled to the Father through Jesus Christ.

God bless you from Jordan!

Tel Aviv, Israel

I’m grateful to share that I’ve been accepted into Tel Aviv University, where I plan to pursue a second master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Mediation with a focus on International Diplomacy.

My hope is to move back to Israel this fall and continue building upon the life, relationships, and calling the Lord first began unfolding there in 2023.

While there will always be opportunities for ministry in Israel, this portion of the journey is less of a traditional missions trip and more of a strategic transition into the next season of my life and calling. After completing my time in Jordan, I plan to cross the border into Israel and spend several weeks preparing for my return this fall as a master’s student in Conflict Resolution and Mediation.

Since 2023, Israel has become the place where I have spent the greatest portion of my time — living, studying, volunteering, ministering, discipling, and building deep community. Over the past several years, the Lord has opened doors for me to serve alongside pastors, nonprofit leaders, students, and local communities throughout the country. What began as a simple willingness to go has steadily developed into a deep love for the land, the people, and the work taking place there.

This summer provides a unique and incredibly meaningful opportunity to reconnect with ministry leaders, my former pastor, and several men I previously discipled while living in Israel. Because I will be relocating to a new city and attending a new university, this time will also allow me to begin establishing practical foundations before officially moving back on a two-year student visa — including finding a church community, touring campus, building new relationships in Tel Aviv, and prayerfully searching for long-term housing.

Housing in Tel Aviv is notoriously difficult due to the density and cost of the city, so I am especially hopeful to pursue housing opportunities through ministry and relational connections rather than navigating the market alone. More than logistics, however, this trip represents continuity — returning not as a stranger, but to continue cultivating relationships, ministry, and community that have already deeply shaped my life.

I genuinely believe the Lord is making a way for me to return to Israel this fall to continue building upon the life and work I have been privileged to steward there over the past several years. The opportunity to first be in Jordan opens an incredible door to make many of these connections and preparations before fully stepping into this next chapter.

While housing in Israel this trip is largely covered through friendships and ministry connections, I am still raising support for transportation, food, local travel, and transition expenses as I prepare to relocate back to Israel this fall for graduate studies at Tel Aviv University.

For more details, please visit the “Become A Partner” tab above.

A couple photos from my time living in Israel — two dear friends of mine on the left, and a discipleship group hike through the desert on the right.