There is a small book in the Bible that is easy to miss.

The Book of Lamentations is short, so short that if a couple of Bible pages stick together, you might pass right over it without even noticing it’s there. Yet hidden inside is one of the most intentional and carefully crafted pieces of Scripture.

In the original Hebrew, the first chapter of Lamentations is written as an acrostic. Each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Aleph, Bet, Gimel, all the way through. Anyone who has ever tried to write knows how difficult that is. You don’t write that way by accident. You write that way because you have something to say, and you want it to be remembered.

It has always moved me that God chose to preserve sorrow with such intentional beauty.

When we read Lamentations, we read about the destruction of Jerusalem. But in chapter 1, verse 9, we encounter a striking idea. After all this effort and care in writing, what is the text mourning most? Not only the destruction or the exile, but the fact that the city “did not consider its end.” In other words, it did not fulfill its potential. This grieved the heart of God.

That idea has stayed with me. God puts so much care and intention into creating us. When we stray from His ways, we don’t just make mistakes; we miss what He prepared for us. And that brings sorrow to His heart.

God grieves not only destruction, but unrealized potential. And He rejoices when that potential is awakened. Assisting youth to enter their full potential in the Lord, during the most vulnerable and impressionable years of their lives, is what inspires us to reach out to them year after year.

Our National Youth Camp is called Katzir (‘Harvest’ in Hebrew)

This past week, we had the privilege of hosting our Katzir Hanukkah Camp. Over 100 teen campers joined us, along with more than 40 staff members: counselors and logistics team—all volunteers who set aside work, comfort, and personal schedules simply to show up for the next generation. Every single one of them came voluntarily. That alone is something worth celebrating.

Watching the camp unfold reminded me of what our role truly is.

We are not educators; these kids have teachers. We are not parents; we see them only a few times a year. But what we are called to do is something else entirely: to help them see what is possible—to see their potential.

As counselors, we stand before them as living proof that faith doesn’t end with adolescence. That it’s possible to grow up and follow Yeshua. It’s possible to mature in the knowledge of God’s ways. It’s possible to walk faithfully for an entire lifetime.

When you’re a teenager, belief can feel abstract. You wonder, “What does this actually look like when I’m older?” At Katzir, they don’t just hear an answer, they see one.

They see it in people like Eitan.
They see it in counselors who love them, walk with them, and point—again and again—not to themselves, but to Yeshua.

That is the quiet power of this concentrated experience with God.

As the camp came to an end, another conviction grew stronger in my heart, one that has been with me for a long time. Every time I experience Katzir, a part of me feels almost jealous, not in a sinful way, but in a burdened way. I long to see this same kind of encounter available for Arab youth.

My Dream: Providing this Experience for Arab Israeli youth. This has been my heart for years, and it is one of the main reasons I joined Fields of Wheat in the first place.

During the past years of war, that vision had to wait. There were urgent needs, and we did what had to be done. Still, the calling hasn’t changed.

As we close out this year, I sense clearly that it’s time to move forward again, to build, to invest, and to equip the next generation of believers, both Jewish and Arab.

This is not easy work. It takes people. It takes prayer. And yes, it takes resources.

As we head into Christmas and the end of the year, I want to thank you for standing with us. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity make Katzir Israeli youth camps possible. And if you feel led to give as we close out the year, know that your support directly impacts young people who are learning to walk into the future God has prepared for them, rather than missing it.

This is the work we’re committed to.
And we’re deeply grateful you’re part of it.

Thank you for walking this road with us!
May His goodness and mercy follow you all the days of this New Year .

With gratitude,

Ruby Bishai