Wednesday, May 7th
6 sets were given out on this day.
A team of two ladies were out on this day at a local shopping mall. The first set given was in French to a couple who at first refused the gift but when they saw the quality of the books, they quickly accepted it and especially after hearing that it was free. They spoke about the anti-Semitism that was happening around the world and then the team gave them two yellow ribbon pins to show their support for the Israeli hostages. The couple was very thankful.
The next set in English was also given to a couple but they were in a hurry and did not take the time to speak with the team. At first, the wife did not want to accept the anti-Semitism pamphlet, but the husband was curious and wanted to stay and hear about the gift. As soon as he saw the set, he wanted to take it and told the team that he would read it. They spoke briefly on anti-Semitism and gave them the comfort card. They saw that the wife began to smile and was more engaged in the conversation. The team then told them that their rabbi was from Morocco and the woman was surprised to hear this. They thanked the team and departed.
A set was then given to a woman who had been offered the anti-Semitism pamphlet first and commented that she thought this hate would never end. She was hesitant to take the literature but when they told her that anti-Semitism would end when the Messiah comes, the team saw that she began to open up and then took the set at that point. The team explained that they believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and gave her the Isaiah 53 leaflet and showed her the comments by rabbis on the back of the leaflet. These comments are from the Babylonian Talmud, agreeing with the idea that the Messiah would be a suffering individual. They gave her a pin and she instructed them to place it on her lapel in the correct spot. She was thankful and touched as she received it and told them that she had been praying at the synagogue for the hostages. She kept thanking them and they hugged each other. Unfortunately, two police car arrived just then, followed by another police car, so the team decided to leave there and go to another mall. The timing was right as it began to rain lightly and they would have been without cover.
The mall they chose was one that had a canopy over the walkway and so they met a man from New York who took the set. He commented saying, “I’m not from here” perhaps thinking he should not take the set, but they asked him if he was from the Jewish community and he said that he was, and so the team told him that the gift was for him and he gladly took it. The man said that he had gone to Israel five years before and that he had just given a big donation to his sister who resided there. He said that she had 10 children and 75 grandchildren and that she worked as a volunteer with an organization that fed soldiers. The team was touched at hearing this and told him that their congregation was involved with the rebuilding of a kibbutz and also helped out wherever there was a need. He took the Beth Ariel contact card and said he would listen to the teachings. The rain stopped just then so the team decided to go to another mall where there would be more interaction.
Two more sets were given at this new mall. The team approached a man who was putting some items into the trunk of his car. As they came near him, he told them that he felt overwhelmed and was being bombarded from every side. The team felt sorry for him and asked why he felt that way and without hestitation, they told him that they were there to give him a comfort card with God’s promises for Israel. He was touched by that and so they decided to offer him the free Bible set. They told him that there was no donation involved as the gifts were being offered to the Jewish community. After seeing the set, he accepted it along with an anti-Semitism pamphlet and pin. He told them that he was not religious but knew that it was important to do good things with loving kindness. The team agreed and told him that God was calling him and had brought the team to him. They told him about Yeshua, the Messiah and how He could remove sin and they gave him the Isaiah 53 leaflet to read. They told him then that God only wanted the best for him and this touched him. As he left, they could see that he was close to tears.
A set was then given to a woman who said she had converted to Judaism for her husband. She took the set offered and they were able to tell her about the Messiah and how the Jewish people said that there would be two Messiahs and two comings but that they believed this was untrue and that there was only one Messiah but that He would come twice. She received everything that was offered to her, but the conversation was quite short.
Because it had not stopped raining, the team finished at this point. They were thankful to give out six sets and thanked God for their perseverance and for protection. They also thanked everyone for praying for them.
Thursday, May 8th
In total 2 English sets, 4 Tanakh, 2 Spanish Bibles, 1 French Bible, 1 Brit Chadashah in Hebrew
There were two teams out on this cloudy, cool day at a familiar shopping mall.
Team #1 consisted of one team member. The first set was given to a young man in his thirties who was very surprised to see the New Testament and questioned it. The member was able to share with him that the book was written by Jewish men who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. She told him that there was a prophecy concerning Yeshua in Jeremiah 31 and that it would be fulfilled during the Messianic times. She then told him that she believed that Yeshua is the Messiah and that He fulfilled many prophecies at His first coming and that He would come again to rule and reign in Jerusalem. He took everything and they were also able to speak about sin and our righteousness through Yeshua. He was given a pin, and the team member placed it on his lapel. They discussed how it was awkward to speak to people as he said someone had approached him and asked him what he thought about what was going on in Gaza. They talked about the Philistines as the enemy of Israel and how they were in Gaza. He understood that the hatred was still there and she told him about the eternal hatred toward the Jewish nation and that when the Jewish nation is attacked, they are attacking God. He was grateful for the conversation and had a smile.
A Hebrew Tanakh was given to a religious woman who was wearing a turban on her head. She spoke French and came from Morocco. She was surprised to see the three team members, as they had come together at that point, and asked if they were Jehovah Witnesses. They told her that they were not, but that they were Messianic. A team member said that they believed in Yeshua as the Messiah because He fulfilled the prophecies about His first coming. They also spoke about sin and how only the Messiah could remove sin and gave her the Isaiah 53 leaflet. She was given the leaflet in Hebrew as she said she could read Hebrew. She was very touched and surprised and took the Tanakh but did not want the Brit Chadashah. She took the Beth Ariel contact card so she could find the website and took the bookmark. She wanted to talk more but realized she had to return to work as she was on her lunch break. The team member said that it was an amazing encounter.
A set was given to a woman who was surprised to receive such gifts and especially the Brit. The member told her that it was a Jewish book written by Jewish men who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and continued by informing her that the church consisted only of Jewish people in the beginning who then came under persecution. She was told that it was always a minority of Jewish people who believed the truth of God and that it was important to know who the Messiah is because of false ones who would appear. The woman was leaving then but was given a pin as an afterthought and the woman exclaimed that she was just thinking she would have liked to have one of those yellow pins. She put the pin on right away.
A set was also given to a woman as she got into her car, but she must have spoken to someone in the car because she returned the set to the team member.
Team #2 consisted of two ladies. The team met two men in uniform who worked for the same company as one of the members so there was an immediate good connection. They were very friendly but unfortunately spoke very little English or French as they were Spanish and had only recently come to Canada. They accepted the anti-Semitism pamphlet in French and were then offered a Spanish Bible. It happened that the team had two Spanish Bibles to give and the men were extremely thankful.
They then met a woman who said she was a Seventh Day Adventist. She was offered an anti-Semitism pamphlet, and the team spoke to her about Jesus being the way, the truth and the life as written in John 14:6, that Israel was the nation chosen by God and He gave them an unconditional covenant as His chosen people. It was a pleasant and short conversation.
One of the members met a Muslim, French speaking man from Chad, Africa who stated that he had a lot of respect for Jesus and was told that Jesus was more than a prophet. He was offered the Bible and he recognized that it was the Holy Scriptures. He accepted this book and the anti-Semitism pamphlet and thanked the member for the good work that she was doing.
They met a Jewish woman who was wearing a big scarf who accepted the Tanakh right away but there was only a short conversation as she was in a hurry.
They then met a very kind woman who warmed up immediately to the team. She stated that she had just come back from spending 12 days in Israel. She had been able to visit many places and said she felt a great peace while she was there and wanted to return. She gratefully accepted the Tanakh and the Beth Ariel contact card. She was very touched about receiving the book and kept touching it lovingly. She thanked the team for the gift and said she hoped that they would meet again one day.
They then met a young Israeli mom with her infant. She desired to take the Tanakh but wanted to make sure that it was the correct Hebrew first and wanted also to know where the book came from. The team explained that it was the same Hebrew text as the synagogue’s (the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim) and that the Tanakh came from the Society that Distributes Hebrew Scripture which was located in London, England. She was told then that the team was Messianic and believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and they gave her the Beth Ariel card so that she could listen to their pastor’s teachings. She accepted all the literature and was very thankful.
Moving on to another mall, the member who was alone still gave several pamphlets and then had a long conversation with two young women in their twenties. They were pleased to see that the anti-Semitism pamphlets were being given out and so the member explained that she was Messianic. She told them that all the verses in the pamphlet came from the Tanakh and spoke about Yeshua as the Messiah. There was a long conversation about how there was always a minority of Jews that believed the truth and how there was a difference between rabbinical and biblical Judaism. She also told them that there were many extra rabbinical books outside the Torah and Tanakh that were written by men and how those words were actually considered equal to God’s word in authority and that it was very wrong to do so. She cited the Psalms that warned about when we think we are like gods but then we will die like men. She told them that when anyone takes the word of man as the word of God and take the place of God, they make themselves into gods. She gave them the example of how there was just a minority who believed along with Elijah, as he thought he alone believed but God always reserves a remnant. They understood what the member was saying and one of the ladies received the information in Hebrew and the other anti-Semitism pamphlet in English. They took a bookmark each and they took the Tanakh. They said it was interesting and it made them think. The member then told them that if they seek God, He will reveal the truth to them and then shared some of her testimony with them. She spoke of sin and good works and how these works cannot make someone tsadik. She told them about Isaiah 53 and how only the Messiah can make one tsadik and gave them the Isaiah 53 leaflet. It was a beautiful encounter and conversation.
The other team said that they also met a man who when offered the gift set told them that he had received the complete set the week before at the other shopping mall. He did take the anti-Semitism pamphlet and told the team that he was already reading the Tanakh. He was smiling as he drove off. They then met a religious couple, and they offered them a comfort card to which the woman asked what it was and was told that it was about the promises of God for Israel and hearing this the woman took it. They were thankful.
The team was grateful for the many conversations and literature given and thanked God for all the people that He had drawn their way. They also thanked each prayer warrior for their steadfast and consistent prayers as they see hearts opening up to receive the Scriptures.