The Rest of Each Story, God Will Tell!

We have read so many stories from these outreaches, and we have had so many great conversations at the door. We ask, how will each story unfold? We must also not forget all the bibles given out where a conversation did not necessarily take place at the door.  With prayer as a catapult, we look forward to hearing more, even from many unspoken exchanges, for God’s Word and work does not return void.  His pen will finish our story. Yeshua is the Author and Perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2). He brought our new life into being and He will complete the good work that He has begun in us.

We have quite a few weeks to cover in this report. Please take your time to read through and pray with us as we count on your support.

 

Montreal outreach

 

December 10^th 2019

This evening, five sets and one Tanakh were given out.

One French bible set was given to a man who had his little daughter beside him joyfully asking her daddy to take the full set, which he did.

We then met a rabbi at another door who was upset that we were doing this. He called us missionaries.  We tried to talk with him but he ended the conversation very quickly, saying that no one on this (his) street would accept these books, that this was all in vain. However, God had decided otherwise: Both his neighbors accepted a full set!

Another man in his 30’s accepted a set with a big smile.

A Tanakh was given to a man of about 80 years old. He barely opened his door to talk to us and when he saw the New Testament, he wanted to return the Old Testament which he had already accepted. We told him that all the law, the prophets and the writings were in there. He accepted the Tanakh with a smile.

Two young girls accepted a set. We first presented it to a young girl who wanted it, but she was under 18 years of age. Then, another girl who was over 18 came to the door. Though she was hesitant, she finally chose to receive the set into their home.

A woman of around 70 years old accepted a set with so much joy saying she would give it to her son so the son could explain the Scriptures to them. We wished her a Happy Hanukkah.

A woman accepted a set with so much joy. She warmly thanked us keeping her eyes fixed on the Brit Chadasha while closing her door.

 

December 16^th (First Team)

 

Two full sets and one Tanakh were given out. There were quite a few people who were away, either on vacation or out for the evening.

We were greeted at one door by a senior woman with a big smile.  She could not believe that we were giving her such a gift! She wanted to give a donation, but we said it was a gift. She hesitated to take the Brit Chadasha but then smiled and received it along with the prophesy bookmark and the pamphlet on Channukah.

 

At another door a man answered and was shocked to hear that such a big book was free.  He was so thankful and after we explained that the second book, the one that speaks of the prophesies fulfilled, was also a gift, he was touched and gently took it from our hands.  We also gave him the sheet on Isaiah 53 and the pamphlet on Channukah.  We wished him a Happy Channukah and left feeling blessed by the encounter.

 

The last encounter of the evening was with an elderly woman who was on the phone when we knocked.  She accepted the Tanakh, thanked us and closed the door.  Please pray for her that she would receive His Word of Truth and Life.

 

January 6, 2020 (First Team)

Four sets and two Tanakhs.

 

A woman received a set with so much joy! She was saying the she believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. She also took the Brit Chadasha saying she was hoping that Messiah would come very soon, even on this very day! She thanked us for the work we were doing, and we warmly blessed each other while leaving her door.

An elderly woman accepted a Tanakh. She did not want the Brit Chadasha but was filled with gratitude for this gift.

 

Another woman received a Tanakh along with the Isaiah 53 pamphlet. She said she would give it to her son, that he would be the one reading this. She was happy to receive it.

 

An amazingly young woman of 94 years old received a full set with so much joy! She invited us to enter her home and showed us her library and for quite some time we spoke about faith, the Messiah, and what it means to be Jewish. She asked if we ourselves were Jewish and we said no, but that we love the Jewish people. She answered, “For me, you are Jewish!”  This was so touching. She seemed to understand that because of our love for God, we were like one people. It was an amazing moment. She was so awake and full of life! She is a Holocaust survivor. We would have loved to share more with her because she was so avidly bringing up subjects on her own, such as the loss of her Jewish identity, and how other Jews were coming to faith in Jesus.  She told us that she would love to talk with us further about the Jewishness of Yeshua and we have an appointment to knock at her door in the next week or two. Such a divine appointment! God had put so much joy in our hearts with this encounter; a Jewish heart waiting eagerly for the Good News! Hallelujah!!! Thank You Lord God!

 

Another woman received a set. Right away we saw that she was deeply touched hearing us talk about the coming Messiah. She said it was a very special moment for her because usually she does not open her door unless she knows beforehand someone would be coming. She told us that she had just ordered a book on the Talmud along with commentaries in order to start studying on her own. God is never late! She said she believed in the soon coming of the Messiah. We talked about Yeshua’s blood atonement on our behalf, the necessity for forgiveness and the receiving of God’s pardon before He comes for the final judgement.  She agreed that we are living in a unique moment of history. We left her a pamphlet on Isaiah 53 and another on anti-Semitism. She was caught her off guard because she herself was writing an article on anti-Semitism. She said it was a way for her to warn people about the rising current of anti-Jewish sentiment. What a great moment we shared at this door!  We asked if she would like us to come back and study the prophecies together, but she said no, not now, as she was very busy these days. We pray that we might see her again in the corridors of this building, on our next outreach. She had a thirst for truth.

 

A man graciously received a full set but we did not speak with him at all.

 

January 6 (Second Team)

 

Two Tanakhs and Two full sets

A gentleman who was just finishing his dinner came to the door and was greatly surprised to receive such a gift but took only the Tanakh and thanked us.  The second acceptance came from a woman who wanted to know if there was a donation involved.  We assured her it was free and she accepted the set.  She seemed to know the second book was the New Testament and thanked us without asking any questions.

A young mother to small children came to her door and accepted the set with a smile.  She also asked if she needed to make a donation, but we assured her it was free.  We also gave her the pamphlet on anti-Semitism and mentioned that what was foretold in the Old Testament would find its fulfilment in the smaller Hebrew/English book (the Brit Chadashah).  She was interested in this and said she would read it.

The fourth person, a woman, received the Tanakh but waved away the Brit Chadashah.  Next, a shirtless man answered his door and we apologized for disturbing him! We said we were offering a Bible set as a gift to bless his home.  We gave him the printout on Isaiah 53 as well as the tract on anti-Semitism.  He listened intently, thanked us and silently closed the door.

Our last encounter of the evening was with a lady in her late 30s who, when seeing the set in Hebrew and English, asked if we had one in Russian.  We offered to return with one, but she said she could read Hebrew and that for now she was busy with her own studies.  She gratefully thanked us for coming and said, “God bless you”.

 

January 13^th (First Team)

Five sets given out

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass”.  Psalm 37:5

This evening we returned to the same building as last week where we noticed a spirit of openness.  We gave out four sets on one floor alone and have not yet finished doing that entire floor! The first set went to a young woman who seemed confused about the free gift but accepted it none the less.

 

Next, we met a tall man who was glad to receive the set. He told us that he would now read the Brit Chadashah even though he had attempted reading it years before.

 

Next, a young mom holding her freshly bathed toddler opened the door and seeing the Tanakh gave a big smile.  She listened as we gave her the Brit Chadashah, informing her that she would find prophecies fulfilled there about the Messiah.  She was very glad to receive the books.

 

A fourth set, written in French/Hebrew was given to both a woman of European descent and her son.  They wanted to give a donation, but we said it was free. Instead, they gave us bottles of water.  Little did they know that they received, into their home, the water of eternal life.  We praise God that they accepted this precious gift.

 

Next, we waited for a disabled man with a foot injury from diabetes, to come to the door as he shouted, “Wait, I’m coming”. He was very grateful to receive the set saying he once had a Yiddish New Testament but was forced to throw it out. He took both books (the full set) saying there was one God and asked if we were Christian. We said we believed in Yeshua and he repeated there was only one God to which we agreed.  We asked if we could pray for him and he said he would appreciate that very much. He thanked us again and again as we departed.

 

 

January 13^th (Second Team)

 

After we had knocked and walked past a few doors without any answer, a woman took a set and thanked us but we had no conversation.

 

We finally got to the door of a Moroccan Jewish woman. We spent a very long time talking with her. We could see and hear that she was very hurt by her community. She understood the importance of studying the Word and that only God is truth.

 

We told her, that having been raised as Catholics, we were hurt because God’s true nature and intent was hidden from us. We were under human influence concerning the interpretation of the Scriptures.  We shared how we felt- that only the Word is the seed to a genuine faith and that is why we were at her door, to bless her with the Source of all things true. We continued by confirming what we understood—that the Scriptures were preserved by the Jewish nation and that God had chosen and named His people to bring His Light to the world. Jewish people often have a bad reaction at first when we say this. Evoking the reality of the Shoah, they sometimes say, “Chosen to suffer? Chosen to be killed?” But as soon as we explain, in love, God’s perspective, it is as if they so easily agree to remember their Lord of miracles and the awesome goodness of Adonaï Elohim…

 

This same woman was astonished that we, Gentiles loved the Hebrew Scriptures so much that we would even come and deliver them. We know that our conversation brought a joy to her heart that was in despair. God is amazing and knows when a heart is crushed and craving for truth.

As the conversation continued, we were very surprised that she knew so many of Yeshua’s quotations from the New Testament. She was carefully listening to us with a desire to know more.

 

We told her about our messianic leader (pastor/rabbi)  who was also Jewish and of Moroccan descent.

She wanted to know where and when we gathered as a congregation, so we invited her to join us for our Wednesday bible study or to visit us at our Saturday morning service.

We could write pages about this encounter because this rich and surprising moment was a real gift from God. She felt it, as we did!

When we left, she looked happy with a kind of release from her inner war– a soothing peace from the Lord!

The rest of each story, God will tell!

 

Update:  The following day this woman called into the office and asked for another two Bible sets to be given to her adult children. We will be bringing her these two sets on our next outreach.

 

Report from Calgary

 

Calgary December 16^th, 2020

One full set given

We have now completed the Oakridge and Bay View subdivisions We had two opened doors out of the ten remaining homes we visited!

The first man to respond was very nice. He refused our offer of Scriptures claiming he wouldn’t read them. But he did accept the Hebrew – English Messianic Prophecies booklet we offered, promising he would read it!

After we introduced ourselves a very nice couple accepted the full set of Scriptures. The wife invited us in, saying it was too cold out there! Her husband is a very polite Danish Christian man, who kept quiet, closely listening for the full half hour we were there. At first, we mostly listened to the wife explain how she respected all religions! We shared with her that we ourselves were not religious but came to trust the Hebrew Scriptures since It alone contains so many realized prophecies! We shared from Isaiah 44:6-7 …” I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me. 7 Who, like Me, can announce the future?”. We argued that even if other Jewish leaders claimed to be the Messiah, it was only Jesus (Yeshua) who was put to death before the sanctuary (the Temple) and the City (Jerusalem) were destroyed according to Daniel’s prophecy of 9:24-27.  If Jesus wasn’t the Jewish Messiah that would make Daniel a false prophet. The wife then asked us for our ministry’s web address, which I wrote down for Jim. He said he would be able to find it for his wife. She was so happy that we visited, she hugged both of us as we wished her a Happy Chanukkah before leaving!

 

January 7th, 2020

 

Two full sets given out.

For our first outing in 2020, we knocked on 6 doors in Eagle Ridge. Two of the homes turned out to be non-Jewish and one household was absent.

A Jewish man declined our offer, claiming he had no interest in the Scriptures. We thanked him for answering the door and blessed him before leaving!

Two respondents gladly accepted our offer, thanking us for the gift of the Scriptures! Braving the cold both these men took the time to briefly listen to us as we pointed to the Talmudic writings interpreting Isaiah 53’s Suffering Servant. One respondent asked us, what synagogue we attended. We told him that we all three attend church. He initially hesitated but finally accepted both the Tanakh and the Brit Chadasha! Our team is very grateful that the good Lord permitted that 2 full sets of Scriptures were received this night, and that the Messiah was exposed through the Suffering Servant account!

Before the outreach, we went scouting the neighborhood to plan a strategy.  There, we encountered E* (we wish not to mention names),  a back sliding Christian mom! We encouraged her to go back to church by challenging her faith with arguments she had not heard of before. She thanked us for our encouragement and eventually revealed that her parents attend the same church that one of our team members also attends. Many thanks for your support in prayer. Please pray for one of our team members as he will be going to the Philippians for a visit. We will still continue with our outreaches while he is gone.

 

Thank you all so much for supporting us in prayer.