We met a Russian Jewish man, who was surprised to hear about the two comings of the one Messiah. He was very moved by our explanation. He accepted the Brit Chadashah, which he had never read. He committed to start reading it when he would get home. Praise the Lord!
Calgary
Wednesday, November 10
The windy conditions on Wednesday made it difficult to engage in conversations. We re-visited the synagogue where we had gone previously, bringing literature for the rabbi, but the receptionist discouraged us from leaving anything. She claimed he was too busy. We’ll try again in a few months.
The men’s team was able to distribute eight Hanukkah scrolls. Those who accepted our gifts were touched that we cared enough about our Jewish neighbors to prepare these holiday gifts for them.
The ladies’ team encountered only a few people in the park but managed to distribute five Hanukkah gifts. In all we gave out nine Hanukkah gift bags. The Gentiles we met received15 to 20 gospel tracts and a few New Testaments.
Friday, November 12
On Friday we distributed 16 Hanukkah gifts and one Brit Chadashah. Gentiles received about 30 gospel tracts and a few New Testaments.
We met a Russian Jewish man, who was surprised to hear about the two comings of the one Messiah. We explained that His first time was for the work of personal reconciliation by the blood of the Lamb and the second time was as the Lion to establish His Kingdom. The Jewish man was very moved by our exchange. He accepted the Brit Chadashah, which he had never read. He committed to start reading it when he got home. Praise the Lord!
We had a brief conversation with an elderly Russian Jewish lady who hardly spoke any English. She was only able to communicate her gratitude for our gifts. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand what we were sharing with her.
Another Jewish couple was very grateful for the Hanukkah gift and thanked us for the work we were doing.
We had a good conversation with a Gentile veteran who believed in reincarnation. We pointed out that the Jesus of the Bible claimed to be the Son of God, not a student of a grand master like someone he followed in Hinduism. He believed that the Bible was corrupted but accepted our offer to pray in the Name of Jesus for direction in discovering Yeshua’s true identity. He thanked us for praying and sharing with him, accepting a tract but not the New Testament.
We met a Gentile woman in her sixties who mentioned that she was saddened that the Church often misses the point in the Scriptures by teaching only from the New Testament. She had just finished reading Jeremiah and wanted to know more about the Scriptures from the Jewish perspective. She had left phone messages at the local synagogue, but they did not return her calls. We told her about Beth Ariel, a Messianic congregation that studied the Scriptures in context. We showed her their web site and schedule. We were able to share some Scriptures with her and she was deeply moved by our conversation.
Many Gentiles took the Hanukkah gifts, offering to pass them onto their Jewish friends.
Montreal
Thursday November 11
The first team gave out a total of ten anti-Semitism pamphlets, 65 new Hannukah pamphlets and 43 small gift bags for the holiday. Here is their report:
Not long after we arrived at the mall, we began to speak with a religious Jewish man. While we were speaking, a woman came out of a car and walked over to us, loudly accusing us of being missionaries. She then threatened to call the police if we didn’t leave and discouraged the man from continuing to speak with us.
We walked to our car and sat and waited for a while until they left. We then began to distribute the Hannukah pamphlets along with the small gift bags.
We had a conversation with a Jewish woman from Morocco and later a Filipino lady from Israel who spoke and prayed with us.
At the end, a security agent apologetically asked us to leave after having received a complaint, so we did.
The other team distributed forty Hannukah pamphlets and around thirty gift bags at a different shopping area. One woman actually accused us of being anti-Semitic for distributing the literature, but everyone else was happy to receive it.
Sunday November 14
One team of two went to a small commercial area in a Jewish neighborhood. Here is their report:
It was a fairly quiet day and not many shoppers were out. Still, we gave out 25 Hannukah pamphlets, including four to non-Jewish Middle Eastern passers-by.
A Jewish man took a Tanakh for his wife who likes to read and our Hannukah gift for their grandchildren. He did not want the Brit Chadashah, but we gave him the leaflet on Isaiah 53 and asked him to read the whole chapter in the Scriptures.
A Hannukah tract was given to a young Algerian man who was open to learning about the holiday. We encouraged him to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. The gentleman said he didn’t have a Bible, so we gave him one. May he open the pages to find the living God.
Another Tanakh was given to a woman who was focused on the books of Moses, but not the prophets. She spoke of other prophets she’d heard of who were found outside the Scriptures. We gave her a leaflet on Isaiah 53, being careful to place it at the start of the chapter in the Scriptures. She said it was rare to see people who distribute literature like we were.
As the temperatures get colder, we may soon go back to the door-to-door Bible distribution. Please pray that our strategy be led by the Spirit. We pray that those who received literature, and even those who refused, would seek the warmth of the truth found only in the God of Israel. Praise Him for His faithful leading and giving us the privilege of making Him known. We thank you once again for reading our report, for praying and for being alongside us in the streets as we share Messiah.