Thursday, December 12th
7 sets and 1 Tanakh were given.
A team of three (2 women and 1 man) were out this day. One English Tanakh was given to a woman who understood that the team was Messianic and believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. She was happy as she received the scriptures and thanked them for the gift.
A French set was given to a man from Morocco, and he was glad to receive his gift as well. The team shared that they believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and when the man saw the Brit Chadashah he said it was the New Testament that spoke about Yeshua being the Messiah. They agreed with him and told him that this Jesus/Yeshua was not the one portrayed in history as the one who persecuted the Jewish nation. They told him that Yeshua was the true Messiah who came to save mankind from their sin. He took everything offered to him and he thanked them.
Another set was given to a woman who was in a hurry to leave. She asked the team to put the set inside her vehicle and as they did, they spoke briefly to her about the Messiah.
The team then had contact with one person who they were wishing “Happy Hanukkah” to when a man stopped and looked at the team. When they had finished their conversation, the team approached that man. He stated that he was a Russian Jew and so he was offered and accepted a set in Russian and Hebrew. He said he had family in Israel but he himself was born in Russia and had spent some time in Israel before coming to Montreal. The team had a brief conversation with him about Yeshua, the Messiah who would return to rule and reign in Jerusalem. The man noticed the neck chain with the hostage pendant that was being worn by one of the members and wanted to take a picture of it to send back to his family in Israel. They stressed the need for him to be reconciled with Yeshua and then invited him to attend the congregation at Beth Ariel. He shook their hands as they parted.
Two sets were given in English to a woman who said she was shocked to receive such a gift. She wanted the second set to give to a friend of hers who was ill. She said that this friend was Messianic also and was happy to take the extra set for her.
An English set was then given to a man who was wearing a kippah. This man was elderly and so the team did not delay him to speak at length regarding the Messiah as it was very cold outside, but the man was very grateful to receive the gift set.
A set was given to a man on the way to his car who received all the literature and was thankful.
Finishing for the day, the team was very grateful for the success that they had. It was a windy day, and it was snowing lightly but the sun did shine for a short while and they said that they were not cold at all. The team of three persons had a wonderful time as they reflected their mutual outing in Toronto in October. They thanked God for their time together and were humbled that they again were out to offer the Word of God to His people.
Weekend Report for Outreach to the Nations, December 14 and 15th
A total of 219 English Christmas pamphlets and 80 French Christmas pamphlets were handed out on both days.
Saturday December 14th
1 gift set and pamphlets were given.
The team that went out that day consisted of five people, plus one person who joined them afterwards. They were in a certain area where they were able to hand out many pamphlets for the holidays (Christmas and Hanukkah). As they finished the outing the team members decided to go to McDonalds to warm up. While there, they met two Jewish men who were sitting next to them. One of the members began a conversation about Yeshua and the Messiah and one of the men who had been listening intently wanted to say the prayer of salvation with a team member. This led the other team member to join in the conversation. This man stated that he understood that the blood of Yeshua was like the blood that was placed over the doorposts during the Exodus period and the other team member told him that this pointed to the Passover. One of the team members began to help the man through the prayer of salvation and after finishing, he began to sing a Jewish song. Meanwhile, the other team member was speaking to the friend that was sitting with him. The man began to say that Jesus was killed by the Jews but the team member explained that all of mankind sinned and that is why Jesus had to come and die on the cross so that the ransom for our sin could be paid for by the “spotless lamb”. This man returned his bible which he had been given but the other man was invited to come to the congregation for the Shabbat Service. Please pray for both men as they search for the truth which will set them free.
A Bible was offered to a man sitting on the floor (possibly homeless) in the area they were visiting. He was grateful for the gift.
Sunday, December 15th
1 French set and 1 French Bible were given.
A large team consisting of six persons were out on this day. The team member reported that they had a conversation with a Muslim man from Algeria. He had been very moved after receiving the Christmas tract and stated that his fiancé was Ashkenazi and that she was very interested in hearing about the Messiah. One team member shared with him that many Jews and Arabs came to know Yeshuah as their Messiah, and how He came to show the way, the truth and the life for all mankind. He was touched when he was offered a Bible for himself and he received the set for his fiancé as well. He took the contact card that was offered to him and he was advised to go online and listen to the messages from the pastor. He was very thankful.
One of the team members met a very young man who was from a Catholic background. He was touched when he heard that Jesus professed to be the way, the truth and the life and hearing this, he took the contact card and was encouraged to go to the Beth Ariel website and listen to the messages he would find there.
The team being refreshed decided to go to another area next to a grocery store and many pamphlets were handed out there and 1 English set and 1 English bible were received there.
A team member approached a woman who said she was from Ukraine. She received the Christmas tract and exclaimed that she was there to buy a gift for her Jewish friend. She was then told by the team that she could have a free gift set to give to her friend and she happily received this gift stating that she had many Jewish friends and loved the Jewish community. She was also offered a Bible which she took gratefully. Lastly, she was given 3 Hanukkah and 3 comfort cards to offer to her friends. She was very happy to receive all the literature and thanked them.
They finished then and thanked God for protecting them from the cold and for perseverance to endure the weather etc. The team thanks everyone for their prayers and praised God for such a blessed outing.
Tuesday, December 17th
6 sets (4 English, 1 French and 1 Hebrew) were given.
A team of two were at a local mall on that day which had been raining but stopped just as they began their outreach. The first mall was very quiet and so they left and went to another just as the sun began to shine.
They began by approaching two young, homeless men who were sitting on the ground next to the entrance of the mall. They were able to speak with them but when they saw that they were holding their hands due to the cold they interrupted their conversation to bring them some handwarmers from their car. Continuing their conversation, one of the men told the team that he was a born-again believer, having been baptized in a Pentecostal church. The other man said that he was working on receiving Jesus as his Savior. A member told him then that he could be saved through grace and belief in Jesus as his Savior. They both received a Christmas tract from them and a contact card for Beth Ariel as they told the team they each had a radio. They were encouraged to listen to the radio program listed on the card as they could hear the teachings of Pastor Gabizon there. They were able to pray with the men who were kneeling on their knees. Please pray for these two men to receive a blessing and grace from God.
A set was given to a sweet, young woman who was very surprised at the gift she received and agreed to take all the literature as well. She was very thankful. Then, as they continued, they spoke with an Orthodox man from Morocco who offered his name to them. He did not want the set but did take all the literature and the contact card. They were able to speak to him about Yeshua being the Messiah. He wanted to visit the congregation but when he learned that the congregation met on Saturdays, he said he would not be able to attend, but assured them that he would listen on the radio to the teachings.
An English set was given to a man who was wearing a kippah. He took all that was offered to him. The team was very encouraged by this and prayed that he seek salvation from the One true God.
A set was then given to a female teacher who worked in the same area. She accepted everything offered and the team had a chance to tell her about Yeshua being the Messiah. She said that she prayed for the peace of Israel to which the team told her that peace would only come when Yeshua returned to rule and reign in Jerusalem. They encouraged her to be reconciled with God for the forgiveness of her sins and that only the Messiah could make her righteous before God. They advised her to read Isaiah 53 then and hugged her as they left. It was a very special moment for them all.
They then offered a Hanukkah tract to a young man who said he had already received a Tanakh gift. The team recognized him then and called him by name. They asked him if he was reading his Tanakh to which he said he was and that he was teaching his son the word as well. They asked him then if he was following the rabbinic teaching to which he replied, “not really”. He told them that he had done his bar mitzvah but aside from that he had not been constant in his following. The team then encouraged him to follow the teachings provided on the Beth Ariel website and to join them at Beth Ariel with his family as there was teaching provided for the children. It was a wonderful encounter.
They then met a man who had been offered a Christmas tract. As they walked away from him, they realized that he may have been Jewish. Returning to him, the team offered him a Hanukkah pamphlet and asked him if he belonged to a Jewish community. He replied that he did and so they then offered him a set which he gladly took as well as the other literature offered. They spoke about the Jesus mentioned in the scriptures and about Yeshua from the tribe of Judah and Bethlehem. He was very thankful and grateful.
At that moment, they met a young woman whom they knew from Beth Ariel. She was actually a close friend of one of the team members. She was at the mall with her mother, and they spent a few moments together sharing the day’s events with them. She received a Christmas tract and was happy to have met up with the team.
The team then was about to leave and were sitting in their car when they saw a man walking towards them holding a bouquet of roses. They immediately jumped out of the car and offered him a set and a pamphlet. He hesitated in taking it as he took out his wallet, but the team assured him that it was a gift and free. As he was French speaking, they offered him a set in French and he exclaimed that he would give it to a friend who did not speak Hebrew as it had a French translation. They then offered him his own French set and spoke to him about sin and reconciliation with God for the forgiveness of sins. They spoke about the Messiah as written in the Tanakh and Brit Chadashah. He received all that was given and also the contact card. He was very grateful.
Before the team ended their day, they visited the home of a Jewish man that they had a previous encounter with but he was not there and so they plan to visit him during the following week. Finishing for the day, they stated that they gave many Christmas tracts and some Hanukkah pamphlets out as well and that they were thankful for such a beautiful outing and praised God for His faithfulness. The sun came out as they were leaving which brought to mind how the angels praised God saying, “Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is to come”. The team stated that they were in awe of His holiness.