Thursday, December 19th
2 sets, 1 Bible, 1 Tanakh and 1 Brit Chadashah were given.
On this day, the team went to a new shopping area and remained in the parking lot. One Brit Chadashah was given to a young Algerian man who stated he was interested in knowing more about Israel and God’s word. The team shared that there was only one God, and only one way to Him through Jesus the Messiah. They told him that only the Messiah could make him righteous before God. He did not have a bible, so he eagerly took one in French. The team then invited him to visit Beth Ariel and gave him a contact card to have the address and to visit the website as well.
The team then decided to go to another centre where they gave out 2 sets (1 English, 1 Russian), 1 English Tanakh, 1 English Brit Chadashah. There were not too many conversations here as it was very cold, however, when they first arrived, they met a Romanian man while at his car. He already had a bible he said and told them that his grandmother was Jewish. He was interested to know more about the Word of God and so he took the pamphlet and contact card, and they encouraged him to listen to the pastor’s teachings.
They then met a beautiful woman who was thankful to receive a Russian set. She did not read Hebrew, so the team offered to exchange the Tanakh for a Russian Bible which she took and the Brit Chadashah as well. She was excited to receive this gift.
Next, they met a Jewish woman who took a set but hesitated at first as she more than likely thought she had to give a donation. When the team said it was free she took everything, and they hugged each other.
An English Tanakh was given to a woman who did not want the Brit but was thankful to receive the Tanakh. At that point the team was going to leave, but they then approached a woman who said she already had a Tanakh and many books. They offered her the Brit Chadashah telling her that it was a Jewish book written by Jewish authors who believed Yeshua was the Messiah. Hearing this information, the woman took the Brit Chadashah!
The team then called it a day and were overjoyed to see how the door to hearts opened towards receiving the Word of God and they were humbled to be there and serve Him.
Saturday, December 21st – an outreach to the nations (Gentiles for Christmas)
Result of Pamphlets given by 3 teams:
197 English Christmas pamphlets, 61 French pamphlets, and 5 Hanukkah pamphlets were given.
Three teams went out.
They decided to go to a busy street locally and offer Christmas and Hanukkah pamphlets. It was a cold afternoon, but the Lord provided a parking spot for them exactly where they wanted to be. Also, there was a nearby store where they warmed themselves for a few moments and were not noticed by the store clerks.
One set was given to a young man who was accompanied by a young woman. They were both over 18. The woman was not Jewish but the young man stated he was. He was very surprised to receive the Hanukkah pamphlet and card as well as the gift set. The team said it was so sweet to see his smile. He knew very well about all the antisemitism going on in the universities here in this city.
Sunday December 22nd
1 French Bible, 3 English sets and 1 French set were given by this team as well as 20 Christmas pamphlets.
A team of two were out at a commercial mall and spent one hour there. It was very cold but despite that, the team gave a bible to a young woman who first received a pamphlet. They spoke to her about Yeshua being the only way to God and that He could remove man’s sins. They told her that it was sin that separated man from God. The good news they said, was that Yeshua alone could make man righteous before God and explained God’s divinity, that Yeshua was God, and that only He could remove sins. They asked if she had a bible, and not having one, she took one in French and was told to read Isaiah 53. They said she would see a prophecy written there about the Messiah and how He could remove sins. They gave her an overview of the Old and New Testament and invited her to visit Beth Ariel. This woman said she was Muslim but did not attend a mosque and said she would try and attend a service.
A French set was given to a woman from Morocco who was surprised to hear them greet her with Chag Sameach and Happy Hanukkah. She said she did not know what to think about the gift being offered but the team said to her that they were there looking for those in the Jewish community as they had gifts to offer them. She was grateful to receive a set in French and took the literature as well. The woman said, “It is a great thing you are doing”, and they hugged each other.
A set was given in English to a woman who was in a hurry as her baby was at home. She spoke many languages so chose the set in English/Hebrew. She told the team that her husband was from Israel, so she was very thankful for the gift. At first, she did not know the set was a gift for her but when she realized this, she was very appreciative and thankful.
One English set was given to a young woman who was walking with her friend. The team asked if they were over 18 and one of them said she was, while the other said that she was not. The one who was 18 did take the set and so the team told the other young lady that she could call the office when she turned 18 and she could receive a set also. The young ladies were very thankful.
An English set was given to an elderly woman who was holding her dog in her arms. The dog was so cold it was trembling. The woman took the pamphlet but was unwilling to take the set at first saying it would be too heavy to carry but they suggested she open her trunk of her car in order to put the set there for her. She was very grateful. The team decided to leave then as it was very cold, and they praised God for keeping them protected and how He provided inner warmth for them.
Team 2 report for the weekend
200 Christmas pamphlets and 10 Hanukkah pamphlets were given. There were 4 prayers for salvation.
The team of two stated that it was very cold to be out but that they were thankful that they were able to continue and be used by God. They met a young lady who they were able to pray with and she accepted a Bible from them.
Another team member prayed with three young men. One of the three men was Jewish and wanted to receive Yeshua as his Lord and Saviour after a small conversation about Hanukkah. The team member being cautious, asked him if he realized what he was doing, to which the young man replied, “Yes, I know exactly what I am doing”. They then prayed and the young man received Yeshua as his Lord and Saviour. The team was then surprised when the young men said that they would attend the next service together. One of these young men also accepted a bible and the team expressed how it was such a beautiful encounter.
Another young man from Morocco accepted a bible and prayed. It was noted that he was very excited to learn that the bible contained the verses on how he can be saved. Then, an English bible was given to another young man, and a French bible was given to a young lady. All these people who they spoke with accepted prayer from the team.
The team then finishing their day prayed together for one homeless man at a metro station. He said he knew the bible, but the team saw that he was mixed up in his viewpoint due to listening to the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons he had met. Although he was mixed up, he agreed to visit Beth Ariel.
This team prayed with seven people and four of them accepted Jesus, including the young Jewish man.
Final totals:
From all 3 teams: 258 Christmas pamphlets (197 English and 61 French) on the Saturday.
From the teams on Sunday: 105 English and 50 French for a total of 155.
Total: 413 pamphlets handed out.
Thank You Lord for Your willing soldiers and for those who stand behind them in prayer. We form a great team together!