Outreach Report - April 9th 2025

Friday, April 4^th

Two teams were out on this sunny and milder day but went to four different locations.

Team #1

3 sets, 2 Tanakh and 1 Russian Bible were given.

This team was at a local mall when they met a man who they approached who told the team that he had lived in Israel. Speaking with him, they could see that he showed signs of suffering and brokenness yet when he took the gift set offered him, they said they saw a transformation of joy on his face. He humbly accepted the set and then shook their hands with a big thank you.

A Tanakh was then given to a mother from Morocco and her son. They were putting their groceries in the back of the car when the team approached them, and the mother was surprised when she saw the quality of the gift. It appeared that they were religious and so just before the team reached them, they removed the small Brit Chadashah knowing that they would probably not accept it. As predicted, she accepted the Tanakh. Thanking the team, they returned to placing their groceries in the car.

A Russian bible was given to a woman who was in her mid-thirties who knew some English. This was enough for her to understand that the team was offering her a bible and they asked if she would like to read it in Russian.  A team member went to get one from their car and when the woman saw it, she was very happy. She was also given the Beth Ariel contact card and told to listen to the pastor’s messages online in English. They also invited her to visit the congregation. She was thankful.

They then had a conversation with a woman who said she was a science teacher and that she had received a gift set from another team. They had a twenty-minute conversation with her, but she had difficulty understanding the spiritual points they were trying to make. They told her about Yeshua and that it was important for her to repent of her sins and have a personal relationship with Him. They spoke about sin, Jerusalem, the rebellion and the disobedience against God that was happening in the world.  She received the Passover pamphlet and thanked them.

A man had been standing near them while they were speaking to the teacher, and he approached them in an unfriendly manner speaking aggressively. He asked them where they were from so the team offered him a pamphlet and showed him the contact information. They told him that they were from Beth Ariel Congregation and that they were Messianic. Immediately he returned the pamphlet and said he did not want it and left.  At that point, the team decided to leave the mall as they did not want to have any further aggressive encounters but thanked God for the protection they had had thus far.

They decided to go to a mall nearby and there they gave a set to a well-dressed woman who accepted it with much joy.

Continuing on, they gave a Tanakh to a woman from Morocco who took every piece of literature that was offered her but when they presented the Brit, she told them that she did not want it. They were thankful that she kept the Tanakh.

An English set was then given to a young woman who received everything with thankfulness.

The team then presented a Passover pamphlet to a religious man who was wearing a kippa and tzitzit. They also gave him the Isaiah 53 leaflet and bookmark so that he could see the listed prophecies regarding the coming Messiah.

The team then approached a man who also wore a kippa. They had a long conversation with him, for about half an hour. It was an intense conversation and at one point they had to stop speaking as another religious man wearing black and white passed by, but he continued on without stopping. Their conversation went on for a while and they said it was touching to be able to speak to him about several subjects and especially about the Messiah. He informed them that he only believed in Moses because it was Moses who saved Israel from destruction when Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets and discovered the golden calf. Here the team interrupted him to say that it was God who had saved them. The man confided to them that he was very religious, and it appeared to the team that he was conveying that it was a heavy burden. They spoke to him about sin and the blood atonement. The man replied that there was only one God and recited the Shema prayer, “Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One”. The team spoke to him of God’s attributes and about God being the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh. They told him that His attributes were written throughout the Scriptures, and he could read about the Son in Genesis 9:6 and Psalm 2. They spoke to him about the difference between rabbinical and biblical Judaism. It was a deep conversation and when they told him that the Messiah was coming back, he said he had his doubts on that subject and asked the team why they were in that area. They told him that it was to share the word and speak about Yeshua and the love they had in their hearts to share this with others. The man appeared to be touched by this and accepted the Beth Ariel contact card. He told the team, “I wish you all the best but that you don’t succeed with your mission”. As he was leaving, they responded saying that the just shall live by faith and not by works just as Abraham was accounted righteous by faith. They continued that only by faith one can be saved through grace and not by works and that God had provided this through Yeshua, the Messiah. It was a very good conversation.

Report Team #2

3 sets, 4 Tanakh and 1 Bible were given.

A team of two women were at the other two frequented malls on this day. The team drove into the parking lot of a large mall and found out that the entrance was mainly blocked off due to road surface construction out front with tall fencing obstructing movement. The cars were parked on both sides of this obstruction and the team could see that it would be difficult to walk freely without being noticed. While discussing what to do the team had inadvertently parked only meters away from two parked police cars. One of the team members said she had a police bible she could offer to them, so she quickly but cautiously went over to the cars.  Waving to them at first, she asked if she could approach and when the officer consented, she held up a bible and apologized that she only had one but that it was a gift bible made for police officers. The officer took it and quickly glanced at the sticker on the back and said that he and the other officer could share it! He asked her why she was there and she said they were going to go shopping but decided to go elsewhere and added that she knew the officers would need to have God’s Word and was happy they took it (she knew that at least in the West Island the officers had been told they could not accept any literature from the public) so it was a miracle that this man took it. The other team member approached just then and asked if they could pray for them, but the officer did not respond and so the team wished them a good day and they left the mall.

At the second, smaller mall they met a Jewish lady and had a long conversation with her about the Messiah and the Messianic viewpoint of Scripture, but the woman did not want to hear about Yeshua. They spoke about the blood atonement and how good deeds (mitzvot) could not take man’s sins away but only the sacrificial blood of the Messiah could. They talked about how the Messiah had come and fulfilled all the prophecies concerning Him and that there was only one Messiah and two comings, and how the teaching of the two Messiahs (Ben Joseph and Ben David) turned out not to be true. She took a pamphlet and thanked them.

A Russian, Jewish lady was attentive to what a team member was telling her about the Messiah and wanted to have a Tanakh but had no room in her cart to carry that along with her groceries as she was on foot. She did take a Passover pamphlet and the Isaiah 53 leaflet.

There was a conversation with a Christian man who first took the Passover pamphlet and then as the team realized he was not Jewish, offered him the anti-Semitism pamphlet as well. They had a short conversation about his faith, and he said he believed in Jesus when asked and that he had a bible. He wished the team a successful day.

A couple who was just getting out of their car were approached and showing the gift set to the wife, she opened the Tanakh and examined it for its language and Scripture on the first page. Approving the book, she took it but refused the Brit Chadashah saying she did not need it.  She was more than happy to take the Tanakh and thanked them.

Another Jewish lady who was walking with her grocery cart was approached and they had a long conversation with her as well. They told her that Yeshua loved her and that He had come for the sheep of Israel. Afterwards they had a time of prayer with her, and she said something that later seemed profound in retrospect. She said, “One word can change our lives”.  The team had reflected on this very idea prior to meeting up with her and realized that the Holy Spirit was with them ministering to those the team met. The lady blessed them saying that they should continue the good work.

They met a Jewish man who recognized one of the team members from the hostage walk. He said that he did not believe there was a God and that religion was not a good thing. They told him that the truth was not found in religion but in having a personal relationship with God. He rebutted that he could not buy that and at this point the team saw his suffering and brokenness. As he walked away, the team called out to him saying, “God loves you”.

They then met a man who was a Christian who told them he had Jewish friends. They gave him a set so that he could offer it to his friends. He was very happy to know that he could be the bearer of such a gift. He told them that he had his own bible and so they emphasized the importance of his reading the Word and of having a personal relationship with God. They added that if someone blesses Israel, God will bless them and He will bless the nation that wants to recognize Him but if the nation rejects Israel, He will reject that nation. He was very thankful.

A beautiful, French lady from Morocco took a Tanakh right away and listened to the team as they presented the Brit Chadashah to her. They spoke about Yeshua and that He, as the Messiah could remove man’s sins. She was grateful for the gift set and took the contact card asking where the congregation was located. She said she would like to visit at some point after the holidays and she hugged the team members.

Just as the team was about to leave and was getting into their car, a young Jewish lady walked by. One of the team members quickly caught up to her and offered her a pamphlet which she took. She said she was in a hurry to meet her daughter, but the team then offered her a free Tanakh. She was amazed at the quality of the gift and asked who they were working for. She was surprised when she heard that they were volunteers with the Society that Distributes Hebrew Scriptures and more so when she was told that they were Messianic. They then offered her the Brit and said that the little book was written in the first century by Jewish authors who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. She took the set and told them she would have something to read during Shabbat.

Leaving that mall, the team returned to the mall they were at, at first, and stayed as the police officers had moved on.  One of the team members met a man on a shiny, red motorcycle who had driven into the space next to theirs. When he took off his helmet the members were shocked to see he was an elderly man with long white hair. They had a short conversation about anti-Semitism, and he took the pamphlet and slid it into his back compartment. He confided that he did not believe in religion but agreed that it was more about a personal relationship with God. He said he had a bible. Closing the conversation, he told them that they should continue their good work.

A Jewish lady was greeted with “Chag Sameach” and “Happy Passover”. She was presented with a set, but she accepted the Tanakh only. The team explained that the small accompanying book was written by Jewish authors who believed Yeshua was the Messiah and offered her a contact card.

A Tanakh was given to an elderly couple at their car.  A member presented the Passover pamphlet to her first as she was not certain that they were Jewish. When she was asked if she belonged to the Jewish community and she said yes, she was offered the Tanakh. Oddly, the woman said, “Well, we can’t take it unless it is free” to which the member replied, “It’s free!” The lady took the book and examined it and approving it, said she would take that one but not take the Brit. She said she was aware of the Messianic viewpoint, so the team realized that she had already been approached and had been offered the Scriptures before. A member told her then that Yeshua was the Messiah and that He had already come and would come again to rule and reign in Jerusalem. She was told that this was unlike what she had been told before from the rabbis.  She listened intently and then took the Tanakh.

Next, a member had a conversation with a French speaking gentleman about the Passover. Accepting the pamphlet, he told her that he had a Jewish friend many years ago, but he had not seen that friend for many years. They talked about having a relationship with God, about the forgiveness of sin and repentance. He appeared to be quite mixed up in his faith and so was reminded that Jesus paid the price for his sin on the cross but unfortunately, he could not divorce himself from the religion concept. He was told Jesus was a prophet, but he disagreed saying that He was only historical. He commented that he thought she would go to heaven to which she said that salvation came through the finished work of Jesus. He thanked her for the conversation and left.

Both teams noticed that the time to be out had come to an end as people began to rush to their cars eager to be getting home. They all expressed their thankfulness for prayers lifted on their behalf and for God’s protection over them.  It was an excellent day.