Friday was the day all those preparations became a welcome! Before the attendees arrived for the Azmera ISRAEL Haven Retreat 2026, the Care Crew gathered to bless the room and pray over one another and the women who would soon fill the chairs.
They prayed over the worship leader and speaker, asking God to guide their ministry throughout the weekend. Around the tables, Care Crew members prayed for the attendees in the Connection Circles they would be co-facilitating. Alongside the final touches to booklets, badges, and gift bags, there was time to pause and entrust it all to the Lord.
Janelle Hsia shares this reflection from Friday:
As we got ready to welcome the participants, we prayed for protection from spiritual darkness for the retreat leadership, speakers, worship leader, counselors, Care Crew, and fabulous women who would be attending. Our prayers were with them all as they traveled from across Israel, and some from farther away, to meet with the Lord in this holy place we had prepared for them. Final preparations and tweaks were made as badges, haven retreat booklets, and gift bags were laid out for our guests.
When the first ladies arrived, pure joy filled our hearts as we welcomed them to the space God had appointed for them. They were tired from their journeys but giddy with excitement to spend the weekend worshiping God with sisters in Christ. Adding extra stress for the ladies traveling by trains, buses, and taxis was the fact that, in Israel, Shabbat—a day of rest—starts Friday evening. Any missed or delayed connections would significantly complicate their arrival. We praise God that everyone arrived safely!
Attendees were as eager to arrive as we were to welcome them!
And speaking of praising God, Carol opened the evening by leading us in beautiful, Spirit-filled worship to God, our King, Lord, and Savior. With hands open and arms raised high, the room was filled with the voices of 45 lovely women as we sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” to the God of the universe and sang of His goodness.
Dinah Sered, our wonderful speaker, began her series, “A Life Rooted in God,” by teaching from Psalm 1. She reminded us that falling away from God doesn’t happen in an instant. It happens when the small choices we make every day slowly lead us away from Him. When unhealthy habits, ideas, or things become “normal,” we can slowly drift away from Christ, our firm foundation. Instead of turning first to secular sources, we must first go to God’s Word. Along with taking things to God in prayer, she encouraged us to write out Scripture and pray Scripture before answering that stressful email, heated text, or nasty voicemail. We must stay firmly planted by the source of life, Jesus Christ alone.
We ended the evening with a wonderful meal. As the participants were given time to be still and present with God, the Care Crew prayed for the women in their Connection Circles.
There is such joy in seeing old friends reunited and new friendships beginning. After the travel and the preparations, the women were finally together—with time to worship, open God’s Word, and be still before Him.
Thank you for praying alongside us. Please continue to pray that each woman will find rest in the Lord and grow more deeply rooted in Him throughout these days.
Photos and captions by Christine Mousel.