MONTREAL, QUEBEC
Thursday June 10
A team of two started at a couple of shopping areas and then went to a local park. In all, they gave out literature to 29 people, including two all-English Bibles and three sets with Hebrew.
One woman took a set, saying her mother would be pleased as they only had a menorah in their home. While she held the gift, we told her that there would be peace only through the Messiah. She was so happy and said she would never forget that moment.
Another woman received an anti-Semitism pamphlet and an Isaiah 53 leaflet from us. Then we asked if she read the Scriptures. She did not have a Tanakh, so we offered her the gift set. As she looked at it, she was amazed. Overjoyed that she had His Word in her hands, she thanked us profusely.
The icing on the cake came when we finished for the day and were sitting in the car speaking on the phone with one of the outreach organizers. A man opened the back door of the car we were in and just got in. Surprised, we exclaimed that he had gotten into the wrong car! As he began to leave, his wife came to apologize so we handed her a tract. She came back to us after reading it to say it was wonderful for us to be doing what we were doing. She asked if we were giving it to Gentiles, too. We exclaimed, “Yes, so they will be aware.” She then told us about a Jewish friend who was religious but open and so we offered her the gift set to give to her friend. Praise God for our human errors that lead us to the Messiah.
Sunday June 13
Three teams set out to bless the Jewish people in a small park where we had been twice before. Here is the report from one team who gave out about five or six leaflets and conversed with various people in the park:
We encountered a Jewish lady in her 70’s who was bird watching at the pond. She appreciated that we were taking the time to come out and support our neighbors under the present-day anti-Semitism. She was uneasy talking religion with us, but we were able to share about Yeshua the Jewish Messiah through the covenants established with His people. She didn’t want to receive any leaflets because of COVID. When we encountered her a 2nd time on the way back to the car, she was happy to see us again.
We also spoke with a middle-aged Jewish man who intently listened to us. He eventually recognized us as evangelicals and expressed his appreciation for our support of Israel! He was vividly interested in Genesis 3:16. Bible open, he read of the conflict between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent as the source of anti-Semitism through the ages. When we spoke about the virgin birth from Isaiah 7:14, he pushed back saying, “You want me to see Jesus in the Tanakh! ” He stopped our discussion at that point and said he could figure out prophecy on his own.
One member offered leaflets to two religious gentlemen, who as expected, declined our offer. The other team member was praying and so the Jewish lady sitting between them reached out and asked for the literature. Praise the Lord for her daring move!
—————-
A second team gave about 15 – 20 pamphlets and one set of Hebrew Scriptures. Here is their report:
We met a young man in his late 20’s who was very open to what we had to say. We told him that God loved him and other truths. He wanted to know more. We asked him if he had read the Tanakh. He said that he received some literature at his Bar Mitzvah but wasn’t sure what it was. We offered him a set of the Scriptures in Hebrew. Quite happy, he said, “I’m going to read it as soon as I get home.” He also noted our contact information. We ended our conversation by telling him that we would pray for him.
We also met 3 Jewish men who said we were doing great work. We spoke about the Messiah who will put an end to anti-Semitism and bring true peace. They agreed but one of them said “Well, where is the Messiah?” We said that based on the prophecies He is coming very soon.
We met an elderly Jewish mother and her daughter who was visiting her from Toronto. They were grateful that we were showing our support for Israel, letting them know that we love them, and praying for Jerusalem. They both received pamphlets.
———–
The third team gave this report:
We gave out 13 pamphlets and had two conversations. One Gentile Russian woman said she had difficulty reading the Bible. We spoke of the plan of redemption starting in Genesis and finishing with Jesus. She was quite happy to talk to us and accepted the fact that she was a sinner who needed atonement. She received a lot of literature and we told her how to benefit from the on-line Russian teaching we offer as well as our Russian-speaking elder.
A Jewish couple out in the park with their mothers-in-law asked us about our congregation. We said it was messianic and that we believed in Yeshua. We explained how important it was to read the prophets, both to recognize the identity of Messiah, and to understand the times we live in today. We spoke of the two appearances of Messiah, blood sacrifices, God’s holiness, and some other subjects. They accepted the Isaiah 53 leaflet but refused the offer of a set of Scriptures.
CALGARY, ALBERTA
Sunday June 13
In all we gave out six scrolls of the Book of Ruth, four pamphlets on anti-Semitism, one Tanakh, and another tract to Jewish people in a total of 6 homes.
While the first two homes gave us hard “no’s”, the remaining people engaged in conversation about anti-Semitism. We let them know that we truly appreciated the Jewish people’s contributions throughout history and that they had preserved the Word of God. We explained that the Bibles we give came out of a response to the Holocaust. Following WW ll, a group of people were compelled to publish the Tanakh and Brit Hadashah to ensure Jewish people who survived could have a copy in their homes.
We encountered a lady from Russia who spoke 4 languages, lived in Israel for seven years, then has spent 14 in Canada. She was frustrated by the treatment of the Jewish people when they have tried to defend themselves.
There was a man who did not want anything to do with God because he questioned where God was during the Holocaust and recently, when the remains of 215 native children were exhumed from a Catholic school in British Columbia. Yet he took the scroll of the great love story – the Book of Ruth – because his wife believed there was some sort of God. He told us she may never read it.
The next person was a young family man who just wanted peace and was glad anti-Semitism had had not impacted Calgary.
An older man gladly accepted all our documents. At least two others also received literature. About four homes did not open their doors, so they must have been outside enjoying Calgary’s big clear blue sky.