Paul Calverts chats to Diane Nelson, a social worker and Director of Bridge to Jerusalem, about how she helps people in need in Israel and Jerusalem.

Paul: Do you see God doing something today in Israel?

Diane: Yes, and again I don't live here so I am not really the one to speak to on this, but I think yes. Believers are coming here and loving people. Only one or two percent of the people in Israel are believers and so it is one of the greatest missions. It is hard to say from that aspect because many people think that there might be more believers but they don't come out and say so because of their family and community. They would be ostracized or rejected. So when I hear stories, I think that is moving, but you don't get to hear the full story like you would in the states or somewhere.

Paul: Do you encourage people to get involved as volunteers here?

Diane: That is a hard thing because we don't know what is going on with the volunteer visa. I think that people should get involved, whether it be coming to Israel or doing something in their own home or country. There are all kinds of things that you can do but if you want to get involved in volunteering in Israel you can do things for a couple of weeks with the IDF which is really cool.

There are things even right here at Christ church, where you can volunteer at the guest house. I have people who come with me and I help them volunteer and I think that everyone who comes to Israel should volunteer at least 2 or 3 days during their stay so they get to be travellers not just tourists.

Paul: For you is social work showing and spreading the love of God?

Diane: Yeah it is a nice fit. This is something that is so interesting here in the land because the Jewish people that I have talked to and met are suspect of Christians. They think that we are missionaries and we are out to get them. So when we do the nice things, like food, clothes, or just loving, they question me, asking if I am only doing this to convert them to Christianity.

Then I have had to ask myself, what my motives are. I really had to search my soul and so where I am at now is social work is a way to love people and Jesus said very clearly 'love your neighbour'. There are no strings attached. He healed people who didn't even believe in him, so social work is a way to just love people and then always my desire is for them to come to know the Lord because then they will have peace and everything they need but if they don't choose to, that is OK. So evangelism is not part of social work but social work is a way to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Paul: Have you had an opportunity to work with Holocaust survivors?

Diane: Yes I have and they are amazing people. The holocaust survivors who are alive today were young children or teenagers, the others have died. But the ones that are alive today just embrace life because they know what it is like to not have freedom and they so appreciate Israel and the freedom they have here. At the same time what is going on in the world is so traumatising to them because they never want it to be happening again.

Paul: Have you heard their stories?

Diane: Many of them yeah, but many don't tell their stories because they don't want to remember. But yes, some of them will tell their stories and it is their way to fight that it should never happen again.

Paul: What sort of things do they tell you that they went through?

Diane: Well one woman's whole family died in the holocaust. She was in a camp and survived and when she came out of course life was very hard. We think when the holocaust ends it ends, but it didn't. They had to look for food, many of them didn't have clothes other than what they were wearing from the camps. She went back home and she was rejected by her community and so she ended up immigrating to the states where she was then able to connect with some distant relatives there and went on to become a Doctor.