Akaya Kitchen is the founder and president of Lifting up Zion. God called her to “lift up Zion” in 2011 after her first visit to Israel. She fulfills that by encouraging the Body of Christ to pray for the salvation of Israel and collecting funds for Israel’s Messianic Jewish community. She is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and has a Master’s degree in Applied Communication and a Certificate in Biblical Studies. She is married to her husband, Lee, and is a dedicated daughter, sister, and aunt. She is the author of the books How You Should Pray for Israel and the God’s Word… children’s book series.