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

By Simon Stout, Jerusalem

Since the traumatic events of 7 October and the eruption of brazen anti-Semitism 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. The shock over kidnapped hostages 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.

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

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, 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 7 October, under the weight of unimaginable pain and fear, she found herself hoping against hope that Jesus could help.

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 Ildiko Hajdu, one of our colleagues who serves in Budapest, Hungary. Ildiko ‘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 Ildiko described her neighbourhood in Budapest, Eva remembered almost every street and square in the area. Despite the long distance, Ildiko was clearly the right person to connect with Eva.

Six weeks and four or five phone conversations later, Eva invited Jesus into her heart. Praise God! Eva was ready to learn more about the Jesus she was so drawn to as a child, and she especially appreciated being able to continue the conversation with her new Hungarian friend. Ildiko says, ‘She was not far from receiving Jesus as her Saviour. I really think it was her father’s strictness that had attracted Eva to the mercy and grace of Jesus.’ And Eva’s Hungarian Bible arrived in the mail the very next day! She keeps in regular contact with Ildiko and is excited to study God’s Word with other Hungarian speakers.

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 enabling us to be part of God’s work among the Jewish people in Israel and around the world at this crucial time.