Giving God Your Yes

For the past 50 years, Janet Huckabee has been saying yes and that has allowed her to experience the fullness of God in ways she never expected. But when her husband accepted the position of United States Ambassador to Israel, she found herself taking the biggest leap of faith in her entire life.

“We've been coming to Israel since the ‘80s. We’ve brought thousands of people here, so being in this country is not new. It's like coming home. Of course, I didn't expect to be in the middle of a war.” – Janet Huckabee

Janet served with our U.S. Disaster Relief teams countless times over the years but never had the opportunity to see what the international side of our ministry looked like.

As she crossed into unfamiliar territory, it comforted her to know that Samaritan’s Purse has been working in Israel and Gaza since fighting broke out in October 2023. It felt like a piece of home was waiting for her, and it didn’t take her long to find ways to get involved.

She shares what it’s been like adjusting to life in Israel and how God has worked in her own heart through this season—opening her eyes to suffering and increasing her compassion and patience.

“It's really not something that any Americans can picture because they've never had to be on guard like that. Israelis wake up every day defending their country, their land, their people … where we really see it and feel it the most is when you're talking with hostage families. That breaks my heart.” – Janet Huckabee

She’s no stranger to a life of service and years of faith have prepared her for the position she finds herself in now. Hear her story of climbing a mountain of faith that turned out to be a real mountain in life.

“Pray for the peace of Israel, which may never come until Jesus comes back, but you still have to pray that the people in authority, the people that are in negotiations, the people that are in government with specific roles, that they get clarity on how to handle a very complicated situation.” – Janet Huckabee

At the end of the episode, Kristy shares a brief devotional on using your gifts wisely and boldly following God where He would call you to go.

“We can't do this in our own strength and I just was reminded of the importance of interceding and allowing God to work in the people that He's called for such a time as this.” – Kristy Graham

Please pray for the Middle East and those who are suffering. Pray for our staff on the ground working to meet physical needs and bring hope to those in need. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.