Tuesday, July 25th
One gift set was given out on this beautiful, warm evening.
A team of two women were out in a local residential area after having a hiatus for a few weeks due to weather conditions. The team came up to one driveway and saw a couple sitting outside. As the team could not see if there was a mezuzah on the door, they approached asking if the gentleman was part of the Jewish nation. Affirming that he was, he took the gift set excitedly. He told them that he was not very religious but that his neighbour was. He was told that it was not as important to participate in a religion as much as it was to have a personal relationship with God. He was advised to consider searching and reading his gift set and getting to know the Messiah who did come the first time as prophesied in Isaiah 53. He was given a bookmark with a list of Messianic verses that foretold how and where and when the Messiah would come and how it was verified by the Brit Chadashah. He said he would read it and he would do so with his grandchildren.
The team approached the neighbour’s home, and a well-dressed woman greeted them at the door. Being offered the gift set, she declined complaining that many people come to their door to speak about religion. Taking the anti-Semitism pamphlet, they spoke to her about the prophesies that introduced the need of a coming saviour, the Messiah. She did not agree to this and declined the bookmark. The husband, wearing a kippa came to the door then joined the ongoing discussion of “What is a Jew?” As the team began to leave, they gently warned them to be careful about whom they placed their faith in and that the word of God was the most important way of seeing the truth. They replied that they were waiting for the completion of the 3rd Temple. Please pray for this “religious” couple that their eyes would be opened to the truth.
Finally, they revisited the elderly 96-year-old woman they met about 3 weeks previously just to go over the things they spoke of regarding the Messiah. They mentioned the fact that personal sin had to be dealt with as God wants repentant hearts and only a righteous Messiah could forgive sins. Understanding this, they spoke of finding eternal life though this One and the same Messiah who lives today. She asked if the Pastor could come to visit her and she would speak of these things with him and so after an affectionate hug from the team she gave a cheery wave and thank you. Please pray for clarity of mind and an understanding of her need to open her heart to receive her Messiah.
The team was very blessed this evening and thanks everyone for praying.
Monday July 31st
A team of two ladies went out door to door in the West Island. They had chosen which street they were to continue on, but somehow got confused even following Google maps. A woman was walking home at that time, and while passing by the team, she was asked for directions to that street. She was very kind, and we shared a laugh as one team member mentioned that although she has lived in this area for 25 years, she suddenly wasn’t able to remember where that street was. After the woman left, the team realized she must be Jewish and so they turned the car around and found her just as she arrived at the door of her home. She was offered the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah. Her husband had also come to the door and he too was smiling at the offer of the set. She took the set along with the anti-Semitism pamphlet. May she now receive direction to the right and narrow road which leads to salvation.
There were few mezuzahs on the street we were looking to do. One woman came to the door but stood behind the curtained window of her door. Without opening up, she waved the team away. They could see that she was perhaps afraid of outsiders in general. We pray God will keep knocking on her door.
At another home, a 40-ish year-old gentleman opened the door and looked open and delighted to receive the Tanakh. He first asked if they were Jehovah’s Witnesses. The question we ask is, do they really know the difference between our doctrines and those of Jehovah Witnesses etc.? Probably not, but this kind of question they put to us, affords the opportunity to answer, “No we are not them” and so they agree to speak with us. Thank You Lord. Once the man was offered the Brit Chadashah, he changed his mind and said that the neighbors should be approached instead and that he already had a Tanakh.
At a third home, the couple was outside their door. They refused the set. The husband looked as if he wanted to somehow engage in conversation, but the wife came in the picture to affirm the “no thank you”.
The team did however revisit, for a third time, an elderly woman of 96 years old. The team spent some time just reconnecting on general matters and then spoke once again of sin, the Jewish concept of blood atonement, and spent some time bringing her to understand that she does not need to fear death. It seems that on her bucket list is the desire to live to 100. Perhaps she sees it as the longer she lives, the longer she avoids death. She was encouraged to consider the freedom from the fear she can enjoy when knowing the Messiah since that knowledge will lead her on a road where she will know exactly where she is going at the time of her departure. They also shared that Jacob, when on his deathbed, did not sit there in fear of death because he knew God intimately. Despite being fully aware of his closeness to death, he nevertheless gave out all these promises and prophecies for each one of his 12 children. B.* was also given (along with her caretaker) a card with the radio hours for the messianic teachings at Beth Ariel. Finally, something most fascinating happened towards the end of the visit. B.* had been told that the pastor with his wife would be visiting the next time, although this visit included a team member along with the pastor’s wife. When leaving and mentioning that they can come back, she said to the wife, “Next time bring your husband”. For someone who complained of a bad memory, she surely remembered this one, and was opened to another visit. Please continue to pray for B*.