Yo-Yakim was born and raised in Israel. He has served in the army. He was raised in a believing home ; so he has seen the spread of the gospel in Israel over many years and is encouraged to see that more and more people are open to hearing about Yeshua.

In 1998, Yo-Yakim Figueras and his wife Debbie felt the Lord calling them to move to Arad, Israel, a small city in the Negev between Beer Sheva and the Dead Sea. They began a small home fellowship which was under the guidance of Kehilat Nachalat Yeshua in Beer Sheva. The home fellowship since grew and became a full-fledged congregation of its own. Yoyakim now pastors the Arad Congregation.

Though the congregation is relatively small, it is rather large considering the small number of people living in Arad, and has made a major impact on the community. Though most of the resdidents of Arad have no problem with believers there, some of the Ultra Orthodox residents of Arad view the believers there with great contempt. The Ultra Orthodox (the Ger Hasidim) have continually harassed the Figueras family, as well as the other believers in town. They often show up at the congregation's meeting place and shout obscenities and harassing slogans while the congregation meets. For a number of years, they have stood outside of the Figueras' home and shouted obscenities and made disturbances in order to harass Yoyakim, his wife and five young children.

These same groups have harassed other believers in Arad, including Laura and Eddie Beckford, who run the soup kitchen and chess club in town. They have even put up posters throughout town with pictures of Messianic believers on them and writing such as "This is Yo-Yakim Figueras.  He is the most danmgerous man in Arad." The Hasidim can even make it difficult for believers to get and keep jobs by threatening and harassing business owners. .

In the midst of all this, the congregation continues to meet and praise God for His presence there. Yoyakim asks for prayer for this situation and for the salvation of more of the residents of Arad, including those that persecute them.

We encourage you to contact Yoyakim and his congregation in Arad and let them know if you are praying for them, if you would like partner with them in their efforts to reach the lost for Messiah, or support them in any other way. They would be very blessed to hear from you. They can be reached at:

Arad Messianic Congregation

Email: figtree@netvision.net.il