The foundations of SOLU were laid in the fires of a 24/7 house of prayer, with a group of hungry teenagers gathering weekly to worship & cry out to God. From a weekly prayer room gathering to the streets of downtown Jerusalem & now through ministry across Israel and into the nations - a highway is being built to prepare the way of the Lord!
It all began in the spring of 2009, with ELAV 24/7, a youth group meeting weekly in the prayer room of Succat Hallel. In the context of night & day prayer, young people were being trained & discipled to know & carry the heart of God by singing & praying from the scriptures and all with a vision to prepare the way for revival & Yeshua's return to Israel! At the time, Shilo & Sarah were just teenagers & Jon Mark & Sandra were their youth leaders. Little did they know that this gathering of young hearts burning for Yeshua was to become the seedbed for visions, dreams & friendships that are still bearing fruit today…and we know the best is yet to come!
Now it's over a decade later. Along the way, Shilo & Sarah were married, became staff in the house of prayer, stepped into leadership & had two children (with number three on the way). During the same time, Jon Mark & Sandra continued to pour into the upcoming generations of young people (including their own six children) through ELAV 24.7, the ELAV youth & young adult conferences & the streets worship team until their time at Succat Hallel came to an end.
Throughout these years, there were many precious young people involved, but over time a small group began to form as a worship team around Shilo & Sarah. Yedidyah – Shilo's younger brother, Rebekah – Sarah's younger sister, Levi – one of Jon Mark & Sandra's sons & Netanel – a good friend to all, began to minister with Shilo & Sarah, traveling together as Shilo's worship ministry increased. As this team has continued to grow, their expression of the house of prayer culture has developed in such a way that years ago we only dreamed of & now we know it's for such a time as this!
A Vision Is Conceived
In 2017, Shilo & Sarah began receiving vision to start a house of prayer in their city. Then, at the beginning of 2021, the Spirit was stirring their hearts again & at the same time whispering to Jon Mark & Sandra – it was TIME to raise up "a voice calling in the wilderness!" As we sought the Lord together, it became clear that a new expression of the house of prayer was to be birthed on the edge of the Judean desert where Shilo grew up & where he & Sarah still lived. We saw that down through the ages, there had always been a voice calling in that wilderness – whether expressed in the days of Elijah, in the forerunner ministry of John the Baptist, or later on in the desert fathers & mothers of the 4th to 7th centuries. And now, we were hearing the Lord calling us to take our place in this generation – to prepare the way for His coming by building up the highway through lifestyles of worship & prayer!
The Stones Come Together
At the same time, God was bringing into place other parts of this beautiful picture He was creating. Shilo's online platform, which released his worship albums & videos as well as the team's newly developed Hebrew worship sessions, was coming into a level of strength as never before. The congregation that Shilo's parents had started years ago, was being led by the Lord to purchase a permanent facility & the leadership was excited about the potential of a new house of prayer using the building that God would miraculously provide for them. Also each of the young people serving on the worship team with Shilo & Sarah were in seasons of transition, finishing the army or graduating from university & seeking the Lord's leadership for what was next. After a time of seeking the Lord, each of them expressed a desire & intention to serve in this new ministry God was bringing to birth. So, on February 20th, 2022, after running together for years…SOLU!
Our Team
Friends & family running & dreaming together!