Lone Soldier Project

As a parent, one of the scariest parts of raising believing children in Israel is knowing you have only 18 years to instill in them a deep love for God and a strong backbone – because it will be the army’s job to break them down to their core and turn them into soldiers.

“Now lone soldiers have a dedicated space for them with dedicated people waiting and ready to love, care for and nurture Israel’s defenders.” 

One of the strongest Israeli believers I’ve ever known told me while he was in the army, “My goal was to come out at the end of my army service and still be able to say, ‘I believe in God.’” He wasn’t wavering in his faith; all he felt he could accomplish while in the army was simply to hold on to what he knew was true while dealing with the pressure and temptations of being with unbelieving 18-20 year-olds day in and day out with no way of escape. This struggle creates an incredible sense of loneliness.

The greatest gift you can give a soldier who desires to follow in God’s ways is a sense of belonging and a place of spiritual and physical rest. That place is usually at home with their families where soldiers go on weekends. However, “lone soldiers” have no families in Israel to go home to. Partnering with Dan Carlson from CBN Israel, ISWI helped prepare such a place for lone soldiers to come and rest. This place isn’t just a dorm room or a place to grab a hot meal and bed for the night. These lone soldiers have a dedicated space for them with dedicated people in this facility waiting and ready to love, care for and nurture Israel’s defenders.