Report for Wednesday, May 14th
4 sets, 2 Tanakh, 1 Bible and a prayer of re-dedication.
This team of three members were out on a sunny day at a local mall where they were able to give out the new pamphlets for Shavuot. It was a special day as well because it was the day to commemorate the establishment of the State of Israel.
One team member who was alone gave an English set to a man in his twenties who was in a hurry but received everything and politely thanked her for the gift. She then had a conversation with a Muslim man who was surprised to hear that she was Jewish and believed in Jesus. She explained that the bible was written by Jewish men through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and that Jesus was a Jew and that He is the Messiah, the Savior. He told her that in his religion, Jesus was a prophet. They spoke about the divinity of the Messiah and she quoted Isaiah 9:6. They spoke about the remnant of Israel and that there was always a few who believed this truth. They then turned the topic of anti-Semitism and he took the anti-Semitism pamphlet and was told that everything that was written there, was based on the Scriptures. He was offered the Bible, but he refused saying that he was a Muslim. He did take the Beth Ariel contact card and was shown where he could go to the website and listen to the messages.
At the next mall a set was given to a man who was from Spain. This man had married a Jewish woman, and he told the member that she kept kosher but that they were not very religious. The member explained that she was Messianic and believed that Jesus, Yeshua is the Messiah. Presenting the gift to him, she shared that the Tanakh was the Old Testament and that the Brit Chadashah was the New Testament which made up the whole Bible. He accepted the gift set, the literature and the Beth Ariel card.
Another conversation took place with a woman who said she used to be Catholic but that she had left that religion. They spoke about the different religions that were man made and how there were many religions but that there was only one truth and that truth was found in the Bible. The member shared the gospel with her and gave her the contact card and invited her to visit the congregation.
Many pamphlets were given along with some yellow pins supporting the hostages. They thanked God for the beautiful outing and give Him all the glory.
Report from Team #2
A set was given to a Jewish woman who as she listened to the team explain the reason why they were there giving out the gift sets to the Jewish community, decided she wanted to have a second set, which she was given.
A bible was given to a young lady who wanted to give the gift set to her friend who lived in Tel Aviv and whom she spoke with each day. She told the team that she had said a prayer to receive Jesus when she was young but decided that she wanted to say a prayer of re-dedication with the team. She accepted the Bible then and was very thankful.
The team then met another woman who believed in Jesus but they found it difficult to determine if she truly understood the salvation message. They had a short conversation with her.
At the next mall, this team of two met a young Jewish man who said he was not religious but prayed every morning and it was evident that he had the fear of the Lord. They shared the Jewish viewpoint with him, and he took the Beth Ariel card. They then met a Jewish couple but approached the husband first and offered him the Tanakh which he took. While the male team member spoke with this man, the woman member approached and spoke to his wife. She thanked the team for what they were doing, and they had an engaging conversation with them. Afterwards they met a lady who received a Tanakh as well.
There were several conversations where the people were touched by what they were doing and encouraged them to continue. There was one couple who expressed their surprise that they were Christian and were doing outreach to the Jewish community and encouraged them to carry on with the task.
The teams were very grateful for the many conversations and for all the prayers for protection and God’s presence with them.
Report for Thursday, May 15th
3 sets, 1 Tanakh, 1 Brit Chadashah and 1 Bible were given.
Report for Team #1
A team of two were out this day at a local shopping mall. The first set was given to a woman who only wanted to take it after she understood that it was a gift. She asked the team what synagogue they came from and so the team gave her a pamphlet which had the contact information on the back. She wanted to send a donation but was assured that it was a free gift.
One set was then given to a woman from Casablanca. They were able to share about Yeshua and the prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 53. Offering the leaflet then, they mentioned that Yeshua was able to make her righteous and hearing this she smiled. They spoke about the atonement of sin and how the shedding of blood was required. They pointed her to the verse in Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul”. They talked about the sacrifices at Yom Kippur and how the Messiah was the final sacrifice. She took the Beth Ariel contact card and was pleased to see that that the pastor was from Morocco.
A set was given to a woman in her thirties from Ukraine. She said that she wanted to move to Israel but due to the situation, decided to come to Canada with her two daughters. They talked about the situation in Israel and invited her to visit the Beth Ariel congregation as there was a great children’s ministry there. As they parted, one of the members hugged the woman and she smiled.
An Orthodox, Jewish man received an anti-Semitism tract from them and then a religious woman with her two children took an anti-Semitism pamphlet, a bookmark and an Isaiah 53 leaflet. They were able to share with her that they were Messianic and believed that Yeshua is the Messiah and how they believed that there was only one Messiah who would come twice and not the common belief that there were two Messiahs, Messiah Ben Joseph and Messiah Ben David and therefore two comings.
An elderly, Orthodox man was given an anti-Semitism pamphlet in Hebrew and as he walked away, he turned around and shook the hand of the team member and said, “I want to bless you and your family”. Another Orthodox man received the anti-Semitism pamphlet in Hebrew and the Tanakh in Hebrew as well. This conversation lasted for about 20 minutes where the man was happy to share about Israel and its future. He was thankful that they took the time to speak with him.
One French Bible was given to a woman with a Catholic background. She said she was baptized but did not practice her faith as she did not believe in religion. One of the team members shared then about his Catholic background and how he came to understand the real truth through bible studies. They also shared with her what was happening in Israel and in Gaza. She was offered a French bible which she took and was encouraged to start her reading in the book of John and to seek God for the truth and He would reveal it to her. She also accepted the Beth Ariel contact card.
At another mall they gave a Brit Chadashah to a woman from Morocco. She was offered the Tanakh but refusing it, took the Brit instead and said she would read it. The reason for this she said, was because some Christians had given her a Tanakh and she found out later that it was not a true Tanakh. The team said they were open with her about their belief in Yeshua being the Messiah. She was in a hurry then to leave due to a problem with her tenants and the team said they would pray for the situation. She was thankful.
Many pins and pamphlets were given. The team thanked God for His protection from the heat and sun and thanked everyone for their prayers.
Report from Team #2
1 set, 2 Tanakh and 2 pins were given.
The second team went to a separate mall but did not stay long as they were putting asphalt over a large area of the parking lot and the noise was too loud to have conversations. At the next mall they met a young Jewish man and presented the new pamphlet on Shavuot. They also spoke of the Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 53 and how a blood sacrifice and atonement were accomplished through the Messiah who brought forgiveness of sins. He listened while they explained they were Messianic and believed Yeshua was the Messiah. They offered the Tanakh, but he said that he was “good”. He took the contact card as well.
They met a Jewish couple and spoke mainly to the wife who was dressed according to the Orthodox custom. She received a pamphlet first and asked the team if they were from the Chabad. Replying, they told her they were Messianic and believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. They presented the Tanakh which she took and asked if she could have a pin also having seen the pins on the lapels of the members. She was given two as she wanted her husband to have one also. They hugged then and the team was compelled to offer the Brit Chadashah and explained why they were offering it. The woman was interested and so accepted it and the contact card. She told the team that she listened to Radio Shalom every day and was eager to listen to Pastor Gabizon’s teachings.
They met a young woman who was offered the Shauvot pamphlet and the Brit Chadashah. They affirmed that it was the same Hebrew as what is found in the synagogue. She refused this book and the Tanakh at first saying that she had one but then changed her mind and took it to give to someone she knew.
They then met a French, Muslim man who was sitting in his car and asked what they were handing out. He was offered the anti-Semitism pamphlet which he took and then he said he had many questions to ask. The team noticed that he was not really interested in reading the pamphlet but wanted to engage in a debate about the Jewish religion. He asked, “Who was the mother of Jesus” and as the team answered his question, he kept interrupting. The team stayed briefly with him and remained speaking Scripture to him and presented Yeshua. It was a good conversation, but the team recognized that the Holy Spirit was leading them to leave and so they gave him the contact card and encouraged him to listen to the teachings.
They met a Jewish lady who received the pamphlet and presented the Tanakh to her. The woman identified the book as Christian and refused it saying it was not kosher and returned the pamphlet also.
They met a man going to his car with bottles of Israeli wine in each hand. He was offered the Tanakh and he was happy to receive it.
Several Shavuot and anti-Semitism pamphlets were given out as well, despite the quietness at the malls. They thanked all who prayed and for the Lord’s protection.