Marianna Gol, Founder, Director
mariannagol@streamsinthedesert.com

Marianna Gol serves as administrator and director of Afikim BaNegev. She oversees all aspects of its practical operation, fund raising, and management. Marianna also finds time to work one-on-one with most of the women, participates in many of the activities for the youth and children, and cooks fabulous gourmet meals for our staff gatherings.

Marianna grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she became a believer in Yeshua in 1991. In 1992, the Lord called Marianna to full-time ministry, and she began to serve the Lord with different groups and organizations. In 1997, she made aliya and moved to Netanya, Israel.

Marianna has been involved with a variety of reconciliation, ecumenical and social initiatives. According to Marianna, “In 2004, while I was living in Netanya, the Lord shared with me His heart for the widows and orphans. For one year I held this burden in prayer. That year the Lord began to bring single mothers and widows into my life– into the home group or to the women’s ministry that I led. I was faced at times with their overwhelming needs and with their amazing victories, but more than anything else, with God’s burning passion for the widow and the orphan in The Land. In 2005, I started a Single Parent Family fund in the congregation in Netanya.“

Marianna’s years of working with women in Netanya was the preparation for her work with Afikim BaNegev. After moving to the Beer Sheva area in 2007, the Lord opened doors for her to head up a nascent outreach to single mother families from the various Beer Sheva congregations. Since then, the number of families served by the ministry has increased and includes some referred by the social services of the city of Beer Sheva. The range of activities has expanded, and, to facilitate this, the staff has grown as well to include both part-time, paid staff members and a growing cohort of dedicated volunteers.

Marianna’s call to children’s ministry caught her feeling unequipped for the task, but obviously the Lord saw otherwise. She illustrates this with the story of David being sent to battle with Goliath with heavy military equipment that did not fit and with which he had no experience. He cast it aside and replaced it with his own simple and humble slingshot, along with five smooth stones. She says, “I was called to kids’ ministry precisely because it didn’t fit. I had no chance to succeed in this in the natural. The weapons that fit me are praise, obedience, prayer, patience, suffering in intercession, and joy. Our own weapons often look small and are deemed without value in the eyes of many, but they are very meaningful in the plan of God.

“We are engaged in a battle for these children, but I know they will stand, and that the Lord will build from them an exceedingly great army. I once had a vision of a tent in the desert filled with all kinds of weapons, and I saw the kids each coming inside to choose their weapons. The tent is the tabernacle in the wilderness, the abiding presence of the Lord. The work of Afikim BaNegev is bringing these kids into encounters with the Lord and helping to prepare them to wield spiritual weapons and to do battle for their generation.”

Oxana joined our part-time staff in 2019. She came to Streams in the Desert as a volunteer in 2013, and fulfilled many vital roles in the organization before joining the staff. She began her work with our single moms in groups and individually, providing counseling and mentoring, and teaching parenting skills. She also met with the children one-on-one. She served as a camp counselor for several years, and then as educational director for our camp.

As a staff member, in addition to continuing in all her former roles, she has developed and administrates our program for the younger underprivileged children (mostly from the single parent families) to provide English lessons, arts and crafts, and Bible training. She also brings us her excellent organizational and office administration skills. Oxana oversees all of our programs and coordinates our volunteers.

My name is Anna Kisluk, and I am on staff part-time with Streams in the Desert. I grew up in Beer Sheva. I became very involved with Streams in the Desert when I was 12 years old, and since then I have participated in all of the activities, including the hikes, camps, clubs, and the KISI musical. In 2013 during the annual Passover hike I made the decision to become a disciple of Yeshua and to walk with Him for my whole life, and I was born again. Later I became a camp counselor and also worked with the monthly club meetings. In 2017, I was drafted into the IDF and was assigned to be a captain over observation points in Judea and Samaria. Serving in the army is physically rigorous and spiritually challenging for all, and my experience showed me how important it is to come alongside believing soldiers in this difficult period while they are defending the borders of Israel. I believe that this is my calling from God at this season on my life. Through Streams in the Desert, and with God’s leading and timing, I am developing strategies for providing physical and spiritual support to our soldiers on active duty. I am also working with our youth. I have great expectations for the future!