Wednesday, November 27th
4 sets (3 English, 1 French) and 1 English Tanakh were given.
At late morning, a team of two ladies were out at a local mall. There were a number of cars but no pedestrians, so they decided to go to another mall.
The first two sets were given to a man from Morocco. He took one set for himself and the other for his daughter-in-law. He was quite surprised when he was offered this gift, and his face lit up with a big smile. He said his daughter-in-law would be amazed to receive this. The team asked him if he followed rabbinic Judaism to which he replied that he had at one time but no longer. They spoke to him about having a relationship with God through the Messiah and that they believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. At this revelation, he accepted the Brit Chadashah and they told him that the Messiah could make him tsadik (righteous). A small conversation ensued, and he accepted the Beth Ariel contact card. They showed him where he could call if he had any questions and how he could access the website. The man was very touched but no more than the team members themselves, in the light of all that is going on.
An English set was given to a man who was going to his car. The team was at their own car and putting their things inside because they saw a police car patrolling. As they approached the man, they asked him if he would accept an anti-Semitism pamphlet and immediately, he said, “Of course”. He told the team that his daughter was studying that very topic in school and was interested in politics. They told him that she must be very smart, and he told them it was because she had his genes to which they all laughed. The team offered the gift set at this point and he was utterly shocked to receive such a beautiful gift. He said that he would take it to his synagogue. They showed him the bookmark and spoke about the situation in Israel. This led to speaking about Jesus. He told them that many people say that the Jewish people killed Yeshua but the team responded by saying that all mankind was responsible for His death because we are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. A member said that in the Brit Chadashah you can see where Pontius Pilot, the Gentiles and the Jewish people were all accused of putting the Messiah on the tav (cross). The man then said that the rabbis rejected Jesus and the team answered by saying that Paul, a rabbi, as well as many other rabbis there accepted Him and came to believe He was the Messiah. It was at this point when the man happily accepted the Brit. He also took the contact card and was shown where he could go to listen to further studies of the Word. They talked about Palestine, the promises of God and the Abrahamic Covenant and how the land would one day belong to Israel. They told him that Israel is a blessing to the nations because the Messiah came through Israel. They encouraged him to go to the website and at this point he had to leave them but first warned them to be careful. It was a passionate and deep conversation, and they said it was wonderful how he received everything.
A Tanakh was given to a woman who was surprised to receive such a beautiful gift, plus an anti-Semitism pamphlet. They offered her the Brit Chadashah but she said she had many books, but upon asking her if she had the Tanakh, they saw a reluctance on her part, so they offered only the Tanakh to which she agreed to take, plus a pamphlet.
An elderly Moroccan woman was approached and offered a gift set but not before she was given an anti-Semitism pamphlet. She wanted both and was very touched. They spoke to her about the Messiah and how he had come and fulfilled the prophecies concerning His coming and how He would return to rule and reign in Jerusalem. She took a contact card and said it was great what they were doing. This encouraged the team greatly.
They spoke to an elderly man who said he already had a Brit Chadashah and that it was given to him by two women. The team surmised that it was a good possibility that it was one of their team members. He accepted an Isaiah 53 leaflet from them and as he did not seem to belong to any rabbinical faction, they asked him if he had read his Tanakh. He affirmed that he had read it and so they gave him the Beth Ariel contact card and showed him the website where he could listen to the messages given by the pastor. He was very thankful and accepted the Isaiah 53 leaflet as well. The team said it was a beautiful conversation.
The team ended their day with thanksgiving for the beautiful weather, God’s protection and thanked the Society that distributes Hebrew Scriptures for their generosity.
Tuesday, December 3rd
5 gift sets, 2 Tanakh and 3 Bibles were given.
As we are coming to the Feast of Hanukkah, the team decided to offer the Hanukkah and Christmas pamphlets as of this week. The first Tanakh was given to a woman who when seeing the team began to smile. She was very happy and grateful to receive the pamphlet and the Tanakh. They did not offer the Brit as they could she that she was religious.
An English set was given to a woman who first said she would not read it. She did not have a strong religious background and said she did not associate herself with any religious groups. The team told her that it was not about religion but about having a relationship with God. They told her that one day she might want to be reconciled with God, and it would be good to have the Scripture on hand to read. Hearing this, the woman took both books and was smiling at the end of their conversation.
One French Bible was offered to an Algerian man who surprisingly was studying about Jesus and named the book he was reading, but the team was not familiar with it. They spoke about the bible, about there being only one God and only one way to Him and that was through Jesus. He received the bible, and they encouraged him to read that book instead. They gave him the Beth Ariel contact card as well and invited him to visit the congregation.
A French Tanakh was given to a woman who said she had the Tanakh but when she saw the beautiful book, she wanted to take it. They did not offer her the Brit as they saw she was religious and were concerned she would not accept the Tanakh. In the end, she took the Tanakh with thanks.
A set was given to a man who was first offered a pamphlet. He took it and then said, “Its about Jesus”. A member responded with “Yes, it is about Yeshua and we believe Yeshua is the Messiah”. They explained that the true Jesus of the Scripture, the Messiah came from Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah and that He would return to rule and reign in Jerusalem. They also told him that they know He is the Messiah because He fulfilled the prophecies related to His first coming. He thanked the team and took the set along with the contact card. They also told him that the pastor was speaking on Exodus at the present time and that he should try to visit the congregation. He was thankful.
A French set was given to a woman who was not certain that she would read the literature. They spoke about Yeshua and how the prophecies foretold of His first coming. They told her that there were many false Christians and that many had persecuted the Jewish nation but that the true believers love Israel and Yeshua. She took all the literature and was very grateful for their conversation. She also took the contact card and was surprised to see Radio Shalom mentioned on it and said she would listen and read the Word.
Next, a woman wanted a bible and took an extra one for her brother. They spoke with this woman for about twenty minutes. She told them that she was baptized as a baby and so they asked her that when she died, would she go to heaven. She responded with the fact that she did good works and shared a few of those things she had done. However, they told her that her works were nothing compared to the work done by Jesus on the cross and that He alone could save man from their sins. It was His blood that atoned for our sins and that only He could make a man righteous before God. They gave her a Christmas tract and invited her to Beth Ariel. They encouraged her to listen to the messages on the radio and online. It was a touching encounter and as they finished the conversation they hugged each other. She was very thankful towards them.
A French set was given to a Jewish couple, one was from Lebanon and the other from Egypt. They were very surprised to receive such a beautiful set. They spoke about the end time prophecies and the situation in Gaza. They also spoke about the Philistines and how this couple could know where the enemies of Israel live, as it was written in the scriptures. The couple mentioned the time of tribulation, but the team stressed how it was important at this time to have reconciliation with God through Yeshua. They were so kind towards the team and were very thankful.
An English set was given to a young man who touched the team’s hearts. He had a big smile when he saw the Tanakh and said, “This is for me?” The team replied that yes, it was and showed him the bookmark and specifically Isaiah 53. They told him that Yeshua had accomplished that prophecy regarding the first coming of the Messiah. They told him that this Messiah would return to rule and reign in Jerusalem but that it was important for him to be reconciled with Yeshua for the forgiveness of his sins. Then they spoke about the blood atonement and how Yeshua paid the price for mankind’s sins on the tav. He was very touched by this encounter as were the team members.
The team was very thankful to everyone who prayed for this outing, and they want God to receive all the glory and praise.