49:22TRUST - History

In the early 1980s, during his visits to Israel and behind the ‘iron curtain’, Phil Hunter received a new vision from God which was based on Isaiah 49:22. It was a call to bring the Jewish people out of the FSU by coach en route to Israel. This led to many prayers, thoughts and discussions. It was difficult to imagine how it would happen when the Soviet Union was still standing, but without doubt God proved Himself faithful to His word. In December 1990 the first trip to Soviet Union (to Kiev, Ukraine) was made. Exobus staff offered the Jewish communities help in making Aliyah. This was initially met with suspicion from the Jewish leaders who didn’t trust Christians, but they agreed to co-operate if an agreement could be reached in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This agreement was reached in 1991 when the Jewish Agency for Israel’s (JAFI) Director asked Phil to find and bring the Jewish people to Warsaw, from where JAFI would fly them to Israel (Ukraine did not permit flights to Israel at that time). For the first time JAFI made an official agreement of co-operation with a Christian organization. On June 22nd 1991 the first Exobus run was made from Kiev to Warsaw. Despite all the difficulties with roads, authorities, mafia, immigration control and customs, all of the passengers were brought safely to Warsaw, which was a miracle in itself.

Through many hardships, Exobus’ staff were able to transport the Jewish people to Poland many times. This help, at that time, wasn’t only practical. Most of the time the staff also had to give moral and spiritual support to the people who were leaving their own country and moving into new lives.

In June 1992, Exobus’ workers proved their love for the Jewish people by risking their lives during the Moldova Crisis. The war broke out in the Transdnester region and many Jewish families were trapped there. Many drivers were offered one month’s wages for one day’s work to transport families to safety, but none agreed. In these circumstances, five Jewish organizations asked Exobus to step into the gap. In the course of three weeks, Exobus’ staff were able to rescue more than 300 Jewish people, bussing them to safety in Odessa.

For several years, Exobus’ multi-national staff had been sharing God’s love for and promises to the Jewish people through giving them Scripture literature, and telling them about many thousands of Christians around the world who loved and prayed for them. Moreover, Exobus’ vision wasn’t only to help Jewish people make Aliyah through offering practical assistance, but also to actively connect them with their Jewishness and stir their hearts with love for Israel. This Exobus called ‘fishing’. In 1996, Exobus started using the Exhibition Bus which became a highly effective fishing tool for 7 years in several FSU countries. As a consequence many Jewish people in rural communities heard of Israel and their right to make Aliyah. In 1998, in addition to the Exhibition Bus, Exobus started using a dance drama team: Maim Chaim (Water of Life). By narrating through drama the difficult story of relations between Jewish people and the Church, a lot of misunderstanding was removed and both Christian and Jewish hearts softened.

In 1999, Exobus’ staff found three Jewish children in a boarding school in Western Ukraine. This led to a working relationship with Jewish authorities to find more orphans. Later, this project was called the ‘Search and Rescue Programme for the Orphaned Jewish children in Ukraine’. The same year, the first seminar for 25 Jewish orphans with their guardians was held in Kiev, Ukraine. From the very start, searching and rescuing wasn’t easy for various reasons, including bureaucracy, difficulties with the orphans’ documents and parents, and with antisemitism. However, these never caused Exobus staff to stop the programme. Through their love and care many Jewish orphans were literally saved. Nowadays more than 90 of those orphans found by Exobus’ staff are in Israel and many hundreds more have been connected with their Jewish identity.

Whilst keeping up the good work in the east, in 2002, following the opening of an exhibition gallery at their headquarters in Hull, Exobus commenced a new project to educate Christians and non-Christians alike about the history of the Church and the Jewish people. For many people it was not only an eye-opening experience, but also the beginning of a healing process.

In the course of almost 18 years, Good News Travels - Exobus Project answered God’s call, thanks to the support of its many thousands of Christian donors, and helped bring more than 82,000 Jewish people home to Israel.