Special Report from our Toronto Outreach
OUR TEAM OF EIGHT
Last week, from October 29th to Nov. 1, there was a team of eight people who left Montreal by car, headed to Toronto to do door to door and shopping center evangelism to the Jewish community. The overall response was very good. People were very touched and receptive to receive comfort cards and literature dealing with God’s love for Israel, and to hear the biblical reasons for rising antisemitism. The team members had a chance to share Isaiah 53, having asked some to read the passage with them.
A total of 22 full sets were given out, along with eight Tanakhs, four standard bibles (no Hebrew) and two Brit Chadashahs (New Testaments). One Hattian man was led to the Lord in prayer. Many conversations were sparked and fuelled by the teams outpouring of love for the community in their desire to see Jewish people get a better understanding of Yeshua as Messiah.
Here is the report. It’s long as it covers up to four teams over 2.5 days. We go into some detail with these reports because we want to bring all our readers and prayer partners to the doors with us. This way, we become an even greater, and larger force out there.
We want to thank many of you who financially supported this outreach with donations that were specially received for evangelism.
DAY ONE:
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 (evening door to door outreach)
Two teams of two, were out in a Jewish residential area. The door-to-door visit took place rather late as they had just arrived from Montreal.
The first team gave out 3 Tanakhs and 1 gift set. They said that most of the homes they visited which refused the gift set, did take some literature such as the anti-Semitism pamphlets or comfort cards. Because it was late in the evening, they did not initiate many conversations. At two of the homes, they did offer the Brit Chadashah, but it was refused.
A man at one of the doors received a gift set and told them that it was very nice what they were doing. Despite the late hour, and the short time out, they praised God for the very fact that they were able to go out that evening.
The second team had the opportunity to reach out to ten homes. They reported that they sensed, from the people they met, a heaviness and sadness due to the present situation in Israel. One of the homeowners mentioned that his heart was warmed knowing that there were people in the world who love and support Israel. This man was happy to receive a gift set.
At the next door, a woman was obviously on edge as she did not know the team and was very cautious when speaking. She asked them where they were from and if they were part of another well known evangelical group. They could see that she was competent in her knowledge of Zionism yet definitely secular. This woman did not accept any literature from the team.
At the following door, the team was greeted by a woman, and they immediately informed her that they had a gift set of Hebrew literature for her. She inquired if they wanted a donation and quickly left to get some money for them but when she returned, she brought her husband with her. He stated that he was Jewish and wanted to know what association they were with. They told him that they were volunteers for the Society that Distributes Hebrew Scriptures and were offering a free gift. They told him that they wanted to bring the light to them and spoke to him about the darkness in the present world situation. They wanted him to know that they loved him and wanted to share this light with him. The man was surprised to hear that touching comment, and that the set was free. The man took the set and thanked them.
A younger Jewish woman in her twenties opened the next door. Her name was “N”. She became very emotional when speaking of the present situation in Israel and the team expressed that they were sad to see this global tumult against Israel. The team could feel the burden the woman carried, but told her that they had a gift for her, a book that was not explored often enough by the Jewish people (the set of Scriptures). They asked her if she would commit to reading it. She confessed that she came from a secular background, but she took the set gladly when she was told that it was free. At this point the team explained that they were Christian and that they loved the Jewish people. She kept the set, and they left her hoping that she would read the Scriptures.
A woman with two boys greeted the team at the door. After introducing themselves, they asked her if she would mind reading a passage in Isaiah for them. She willingly did so, and they spoke to her about Isaiah 53 and how they loved the Jewish people and that is why they were out distributing the Scriptures. She responded by saying, “I notice that real Christians pray for the Jews”. She said that she was sad because there was no morality in the behaviour of many towards the Jewish people, and that she was feeling the underlying cruelty of antisemitism. One of her sons standing next to her, perhaps realizing that this was a “religious” conversation, asked his mother if it was time to light the candles (perhaps in reference to lighting Shabbat candles). The team sensed that this little boy really wanted to be part of the conversation. The woman confessed that she had already been given a Brit Chadashah, but when trying to find it, she realized that she had given it away. She took the Isaiah 53 leaflet, the bookmark and anti-Semitism pamphlet. As the door closed, one of the children came out to wave to them as they left. One of the team members called out saying to the mother that there was a saying, “When you cry, Hashem cries too, and when you smile, Hashem smiles also”.
The outing went by quickly and the team was grateful that they were able to go out even for such a short time that evening.
Both the teams wanted to thank everyone who prayed.
The third team (dinner at a Jewish women’s home)
After the long drive to Toronto, a third team consisting of three team members were invited to the home of an acquaintance of one of the team members. An older Jewish widow of considerable means welcomed us for dinner along with a Catholic friend who the team member also knew from past business dealings.
The Lord enabled the three of us to connect with the two women on various subjects that we had in common, where we were also able to fit in discussion of different points of the gospel and how being believers had changed our lives.
The Jewish woman was fairly secular, but quite philanthropic in her interests. We didn’t expect her to accept the Scriptures from us, but close to the end of the evening, she asked exactly why we had come. When we said we had brought a gift for her, she perked up and wanted to hear more about it. In the end, she gladly took a full set. Her Catholic friend accepted an anti-Semitism tract from us. Both women embraced us and wished us well in our pursuits for our time in Toronto.
DAY TWO
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
A team of two women were out that morning doing door to door evangelism in a designated Jewish area of Toronto. They stated that most homes did not answer the door and so they left the anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card in the mailboxes. There was one woman who was leaving her home just as they arrived and she told the team that she had the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah and had read about many different religions She could not speak further as she was in a hurry to leave.
Later on, two of the teams met up at a local shopping mall. Here they gave out 4 sets and 1 Tanakh. The first set was given to a young Jewish woman who had recently married. She thanked them for the gift and as they were leaving, they wished the woman well and that she would have a beautiful future family.
Next, a woman who had family in Israel and whose son was a soldier in the IDF received a set. The team wanted to pray for her, but she also was in a hurry to leave. They told her that they always pray for Israel, and she thanked them.
A Tanakh was given to a woman who took the anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card. She asked them if they were part of another well-known evangelical group but one team member responded by saying she herself was a Messianic Jew. This woman said that her husband would not accept anything that had the name of Jesus associated with it. She therefore refused the pamphlet, but kept the comfort card.
A set was given to a woman who told the team that she had a son who had become a Christian and she felt that she would now be able to engage with him and read the Scripture together. The team gave her the Beth Ariel contact card so that she and her son could go to the website and listen together to the studies.
Another set was given to a young lady who had a brother in the IDF and the team said they would pray for him. She was touched by this.
Later on, a team of three went to a mall that was frequented by the Jewish community. One male team member who was with the team, stood on his own during this outing. This met a couple and gave them the Book of Hebrews written in Yiddish. They were very surprised and thankful for the gift and said that it touched their hearts.
A pamphlet was given to a Jewish woman who told the team that they were not allowed to be there. She was quite upset at them being there, but one team member then shared that she was also Jewish and Messianic. The conversation changed at that point, and the woman listened to the team speak about sin, blood atonement, Yom Kippur and that the Messiah could remove sin. She was told that she could read about this Messiah in Isaiah 53. They asked her if she would be able to recognize the Messiah if he were to come now and she could not answer. They told her it was very important to know this as there have been many false prophets and others claiming to be the Messiah. She took the Isaiah 53 leaflet, the anti-Semitism pamphlet and bookmark, and was smiling as they ended their conversation.
One Tanakh was given to a woman who was driving in the parking lot of the mall. She had smiled at one of the team members and then wound her window down and began a conversation with one of them. At the same time, another woman approached the other team calling out loudly and saying “You are a missionary!” In response, the team member kept silent, and then the woman repeated her claim. Cautiously, the team member motioned for this woman to be silent as there was a conversation taking place over a the car, suggesting that they should not be disturbed. Becoming bolder now, the angry woman went to the woman in the car and shouted, “They are missionaries!”. The angry woman was told that no one can convert another person, that only God could bring the truth and turn someone’s heart to Him. As the angry woman left, the woman in the car said she would keep the set and then left.
Team 2 Report
A team of two women were at another mall where the Jewish community shopped for their groceries. They gave out approximately 20 anti-Semitism pamphlets and comfort cards.
They first approached a well-dressed woman who was in a hurry to get her groceries done and offered her a comfort card which she took. The team noticed that she was emotional when receiving the comfort card and she thanked them for what they were doing.
A young religious Jewish woman with two children (2 & 4 years old) was putting groceries in the car as the team approached her. At first, she received the comfort card and then the anti-Semitism pamphlet. She took the gift set but then decided not to keep it, explaining that she already had the Scriptures at home. She invited the team to walk with her while she took the cart back to the store and spoke to them about her faith and how it differed from the Christian faith. She did not believe that the Christian God was the same as hers.
Several minutes later after the team had finished speaking to another person, this same woman approached them. She said she was embarrassed and sorry to come to them but felt in her soul she had to speak up. She told the team that they should not be proselytizing but understood why they were there and how she felt strongly about her faith. She mentioned the name of a local rabbi who she followed and wrote his name down for them. This then gave the team an opportunity to give her the name of Beth Ariel’s pastor, Jacques Issac Gabizon. They suggested she look him up on the internet. She said they were nice people and that they should consider Judaism. One team member gave her testimony of being brought up in the Catholic faith and how she had been misled and how the blood atonement made her understand her need for salvation. The woman became defensive and decided to leave as her children were very much wanting to leave at that point.
They then met a man (M) at his car. He took the literature but refused the gift set saying he was an atheist. They had a lengthy conversation with him about eternal life, heaven and hell, fact verses fantasy and fables. He did not fear death and said there was no such thing as a soul. Although the team spoke of the blood atonement and the Messiah being able to make man tsadik (righteous), he was not interested in listening but just wanted to talk. The team thanked him for his time, and he shook hands with them.
Then they had a similar conversation with a man wearing a kippa who was sitting in his car. He had just moved from New York. He took the literature and said he would read it later.
An Iranian Muslim approached the team out of curiosity. He wanted to know what they were doing there, identifying himself as Muslim. They offered him the literature and he accepted the pamphlet but became very excited as he spoke about his own faith. The team told him that the true Messiah would come soon and that He came to save the Jewish people and all nations from their sin. He had many questions and said he had read the bible during Covid but rejected the answers the team had given him and finally they had to say they needed to move on.
Team 3 Report
Two team members did door to door on a street with an Orthodox synagogue where every home had a mezuzah. Only two homes did not answer the doorbell, so we left an anti-Semitism tract with a comfort card in their mailboxes.
At the first driveway, a young Orthodox man was getting into his car on his way to a driving exam, but warmly reassured us that his parents were both home. The mother answered the door and was quite friendly, accepting the Tanakh and other literature from us as we spoke of Messiah. She even asked us where we were from and was not bothered that we were from Montreal. Her husband was further back in the house and called her a few times to come away from the door.
While we were leaving the house next to hers, she came down the sidewalk, holding out the Tanakh and other literature at arm’s length and saying it was not for her. We were saddened but prayed for them as we took it all back.
After that, we met a very kind man working in his front yard who said he already had both a Tanakh and Brit Chadashah, so we gave him the other literature and spoke of Messiah. He asked if we were Jewish and if we believed in Judaism. One team member said he was not Jewish and the other replied that she was born a Jew and would die a Jew. He asked where we were from and so we said we were from Montreal. He seemed pleased with our answers and blessed us for what we were doing.
At another door, a young woman was expecting a man who arrived at her door at the same time as we came. She quickly took the literature, and we left. Not long afterwards, a woman who was probably her mother, was crossing the street with a baby carriage and stopped to speak with us when we spoke to her. She very calmly accepted a full set, thanked us, and said she believed in the Messiah. She took all the literature also. We encouraged her to read Isaiah 53.
Later at a shopping center, we gave one set and had conversations with at least a dozen people. They received the comfort card, bookmark, and anti-Semitism tract. All except one person already had a Tanakh at home and believed in Messiah’s coming.
At another grocery store parking lot we noticed that the orthodox men didn’t want to speak with us, so we spent our time with the women who were shopping.
Overall, people were intrigued by the idea of the end of anti-Semitism, which was our initial talking point, asking how they would recognize the Messiah. They were told that when He comes, this hatred will finally stop.
One woman told us she did not have a Tanakh at home and she happily accepted a full set from us.
Another woman came down the sidewalk at a rapid pace toward the entrance to the supermarket. We quickly spotted the yellow ribbon earrings (a ribbon to remind us to pray to bring the hostages back home) swinging from her ears. We complimented her on the reminders of the hostages held in Gaza. She told us she had put hoops onto 100 yellow metal ribbons she ordered from Israel to make earrings out of them. She quickly popped off her own set of earrings and snapped them onto the zippers of our jackets. We thanked her for the unexpected gift and gave her the comfort card, bookmark, and anti-Semitism tract.
When it was lunchtime, we ate at a nearby restaurant where the waitress was not Jewish. We spoke to her and gave her a tract, leaving some literature for the Jewish owner.
After lunch, we headed to a different grocery store parking lot, where the clientele was more mixed with different ethnic groups.
Both team members spoke to a Russian woman who was just leaving the grocery store. She sadly said she was short on hope with all the anti-Semitism. We talked to her about the bright hope we have in Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy in the Brit Chadeshah. She wanted a copy and took our last one. She also took our other literature. We asked if we could pray for her before she left. She had tears in her eyes as we interceded for her and she was smiling broadly as we parted.
A non-verbal woman accepted the literature and lifted up her silicone “Am Yisrael Chai” bracelet to show us. The team member held up their own wrist with the Shema written in Hebrew and the woman then smiled and we bumped wrists.
A man getting into his car told us he was a member of a Jewish terrorist organization which is less active than it was 60 years ago. He bemoaned the lack of funding, saying people now preferred that the police force offer protection for the Toronto Jewish community.
At her car, the team member couldn’t tell if the woman getting out was Jewish. Noticing we had looked her way, she asked, “Do you need something?” As she spoke, we heard her Israeli accent. The team member replied, “Like me, are you Jewish?” After talking about the end of anti-Semitism, we offered her the Brit Chadashah. To explain why we offer this, we recounted together how elated we were when the four Israeli hostages were rescued (June 8, 2024). It was such good news! But then the media twisted it into bad news by speaking of Gazans who were wounded or killed during the rescue. So, we compared it to the Brit Chadashah, the very best news possible, which had been twisted by some into bad news for Jewish people. We told her we were offering her a pure, 100% Jewish book which was still only good news. She happily took it!
Unsure if they were Jewish, we spoke to three young women who turned out to be Persian Christians. We excitedly spoke together about the growing Church in Iran. They either knew Jewish people to whom they could give our tracts, or would pray to find someone Jewish soon.
One team member gave a Russian couple the tract and comfort card as they hurried into the grocery store. Later, the other team member saw them heading to the car with their groceries and asked if they had also received our gift. They were so very happy to get a Russian Tanakh with our bookmark.
A full set was given to a couple who thanked the team member profusely. They didn’t have a Tanakh at home. Then the team member said they had another book written by Jews with many prophecies which were accomplished. They added that the verses in Isaiah 53 would lead them to Mashiach. They were quite happy.
A team member saw a young woman in a Canadian forces uniform near her car which had a special bumper sticker. It said, “Do you follow Jesus as closely as you are following me?” So, the team member asked if she knew Jesus. She said, “I was Jewish, but I converted to Christianity.” Both team members then explained how she was still Jewish. We gave her a Beth Ariel card, and also mentioned the Ariel US site so she could get good teaching from a Jewish perspective.
She shared that her testimony is on the internet and that an Israeli man saw it and asked those running the web site how to find out more about Jesus. We took a selfie with her!
Later that evening, our team went to a street with many mezuzot. A Jewish man with dreadlocks down to his waist answered the door and was surprised by our offer. He said his wife was Catholic, so having a full set was perfect. He gladly took our other literature as well.
Further down the street, a young woman answered the door and readily accepted a full set from us.
At one of the homes, a man answered us through his doorbell system, asking us if we could wait a couple of minutes for him since he was close by. That was a first! We said we would gladly wait for him with a gift. He and his daughter came rather quickly, and we engaged in a long conversation. He had political interests concerning which town council members were anti-Semitic and needed to be voted out. The Jewish team member shared that in her early years, she had learned to hate anything German and had to learn true forgiveness because of her own sin toward a holy God. We then spoke about blood atonement.
He gratefully took a full set from us.
At our last home of the evening, we met a man with a kippah. After a short introduction, he also received a full set from us.
If no one answered at a door, we left the anti-Semitism tract with a comfort card tucked inside. There were only about five of them.
DAY THREE
Thursday, October 31st
A team of three was out this day at a small mall which was in an Orthodox area. Two women members approached a woman walking on the street and told her that they had just come from Montreal and wanted to give her a comfort card to encourage her because of the situation in Israel. They offered her a Tanakh and opening the book, they pointed out that it was written in English and Hebrew. They showed her the bookmark and the verses that pointed to the Messiah. The lady took the Tanakh and was very thankful and ended up giving each team member a hug.
The team was led to walk to another centre a short distance away and they came upon an elderly woman with a walker who was sitting on a bench. The team kneeled down so they could speak to her respectfully and offered her a comfort card. She was grateful to receive this and was offered a Tanakh but she already had one. She took the bookmark and other literature and hugging the team she said, “for prosperity”.
They met a very religious woman pushing a stroller with a baby boy. She stopped to allow the team to see the baby and they asked her if this was her first child. She told them it was her ninth! They were very surprised at that and shared this joy with her. They were able to give her a comfort card. The team mentioned here that the people they met were very surprised at their presence and through the conversations the team came to understand that Messianic evangelism had not been done in that area. They realized that God had opened the doors to this part of the Jewish community and were very touched at the thought.
The team had a number of pamphlets and comfort cards with stickers prepared in advance to put in mailboxes so they distributed these to about 30 homes. As they finished the blitz at the doors, they decided that it was time for lunch and wanted to eat in the Jewish area. They went to a restaurant that had a mural of an Orthodox man in a black hat on the wall. While there, the team spoke with two employees. One man was from Ethiopia and another man was from Iraq. The men asked the team where they had come from and were told they were from Montreal and that they were Jews and Gentiles who believed in Yeshua and the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The men asked them how they could believe in Yeshua when they were Jewish. They responded that Scripture teaches that there is only one God who was the way, the truth and the life. The team told the men that they had brought comfort cards and pamphlets to bless the Jewish community, and were then told that they could leave some comfort cards on the counter. The man was so pleased that he allowed them to share the gospel with someone in the restaurant.
This Ethiopian man said he had been in Toronto for six months and that he believed in Jesus. They asked him if he wanted a bible, and he informed them that he did not know what that was. The man from Iraq was also interested in having a bible so they gave him a contact card for Beth Ariel. After the team had eaten, they approached another man who was a Russian Jew. He was given a set in English and Hebrew and a bible in Russian. He took everything and was happy.
The team went back to the car and found another bible but told the man from Iraq that they would bring him a bible when they returned to Toronto. Outside, they met another religious man dressed in black and greeted him and his friend with a Shalom and began a conversation. They told the man that they were from Montreal and came to give comfort cards on God’s promises for Israel. Both men took this card, and they spoke briefly about Jacob’s trouble and how peace would only come when the Messiah came to Israel. The men were very attentive. After the conversation concluded the men were seen walking across the street, stopping near the restaurant, and reading the comfort card.
The team went then to scout out another street that had a Jewish bakery. As they did not have a lot of time, they entered the bakery and looked at the pastries. One of the team members recognized the woman behind the counter as that same woman they met the day before. The woman recognized them also. She was the one who had received the Yiddish translation of the Book of Hebrews. They decided to divert her attention by buying some pastries, but she told them she recognized them. He asked her if she had read the Yiddish book and she said no, but that she would. They spoke to the owner of the store about Yeshua being the Messiah, the Messianic times and the calling of Israel to be a nation of priests and a light to the nations.
As they got into the car, they found another bible, so they returned to the restaurant to see the Iraqi man. There they met a woman who was a reader of the Kabbalah and Zohar. They spoke to her about sin, and they could see that she understood that it was the truth, but she did not want to engage in this conversation. The team found the man from Iraq and offered him the Tanakh which he took and then offered a comfort card to the man from Ethiopia along with the contact card.
Another team member met a woman from Israel who said she knew the Tanakh very well and that she had a Brit Chadashah in Hebrew. She took the comfort card and was pleased to know the people had come from Montreal to comfort her people.
Finally, the teams decided to distribute the remaining pamphlets and comfort cards in the mailboxes of homes. Some people were there and took the literature at the same time as they were handing out the Halloween candy to the children. One woman said it was so kind, and another said that her mother had been in the Holocaust. On one of the streets, they stopped a woman who was an immigrant to ask her what the name of the street was and when she found it on her phone she exclaimed, “Thank you Jesus!”. The team shared that they too were Christians and the woman told the team that God was protecting them with His angels. The team took these comforting words as a blessing.
Team 2 Report
A team of 3 (1 woman and 2 men) were out at a local mall in the Jewish neighbourhood. The team member who was on his own reported this: A discussion took place with a young man (20 years old) about the rising anti-Semitism and the team member told the young man that many Gentiles were praying for the chosen people of Israel. He was touched upon hearing this and took an anti-Semitism pamphlet and comfort card. The man was asked if he believed about the coming of the Messiah and if he could recognize him when he came. He then took the bookmark with the verses pertaining to the prophecies of the coming Messiah and he mentioned that he was reading the Tanakh. There were four or five men with this young man, and each accepted a pamphlet and comfort card.
A man of about eighty years old said he was waiting for BenDavid as the Messiah and a cordial discussion ensued as the man stated that he did not have the same Messiah as the team member. However, the man said he was touched to know that the team was praying for the Jewish people and that they stood with Israel. He left with a smile. There was a connection with a Jewish man who said anti-Semitism would never stop and that we should buy a gun.
A female team member was having a conversation with a Jewish woman. The woman had lost her husband a year ago and she said that he had taught her all she knew about the Scriptures. It was obvious from her conversation that she was well versed in the Kabbalah. She was argumentative and had a quick answer for most things and her replies were very odd at times, and sometimes unheard of by the two team members. Her thoughts on Jesus were insulting and bizarre but the team did not retaliate but after a lengthy conversation and getting nowhere they asked if they could pray for her. Accepting to receive prayer, the team prayed but it was cut short as she began to talk again as if she had not noticed they were praying for her. They excused themselves from the conversation and wished her a good day and she returned the blessing. She took the comfort card only.
The male team member helped a woman with her car. They had seen this woman getting out of her car and approached her to offer her the literature. She was in her mid eighties and frail and as she was taking the comfort card, she thanked them in Spanish. She told them she was from Chili and had been sick for over a year. It was at that point when they noticed that the car was smoking. This member asked her, in Spanish, to turn her car off and to open the hood (God is so good, that he sent this team member who spoke Spanish to comfort her) and he would try to fix the problem. She did not know where the latch was, but they finally opened the hood and found that she had no antifreeze. He tried to assist her, but she called her daughter to come and so after the team made sure she was safe before they left.
Prior to the conversation with this woman the other team had given out several pamphlets and comfort cards. One woman asked how they knew that she was Jewish. In a loving way, she was told that they were going to all people because the world needs to know the true Messiah and that God also leads them to those who have a seeking heart. She accepted that with a smile and received the set and literature, putting it in her car, she went into the mall.
In the evening, Halloween night, the teams decided to give one last blitz and distribute the literature to the mailboxes. Many children were on the street with their parents. The team of three were working both sides of the street and at one door a young boy (13 years old) was present. Upon seeing the Hebrew literature, he yelled out “Bring them Back” as did the father. The father shouted, “Am Israel Chai”! It was a rejoicing moment for everyone. At another door a gentleman received the literature and said, “Thank you”, over and over. This was a contrast from the night before when they were told that they were not welcome in the neighbourhood and that they should go and evangelize their own people.
After the team finished for the night, they stopped at a grocery store to buy water when a member noticed a young Orthodox Jewish man, 25 years old, walking towards the team member. This member told the young man that he was praying for Jewish people every day.
Team 3 Report
We put tracts and cards in mailboxes all day and in the evening.
We had one conversation with a young Orthodox woman who had a baby with her and was coming up to her house when we arrived there. She accepted the literature because she already had a Tanakh. She promised to use the bookmark to look up the verses about Messiah and then thanked and praised us for offering comfort to the Jewish community of Toronto.
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Once again, we want to thank each one who supported this outreach in prayer and in financial assistance. We know that your prayers sustained the team. We are considering other outreaches. Please be in prayer for these team members as we continue to do evangelism in the city of Montreal.