Thursday December 7, 2023
On the first full day of Hanukkah, a team of two went to a local commercial area in a Jewish neighborhood which was buzzing with shoppers, a good number of whom were Jewish. It was a very fruitful day, with eight complete sets being given out, three Tanakhs, two Brit Chadashahs, along with 56 Hanukkah gospel tracts, dozens of messianic prophecy bookmarks and beautiful Hanukkah cards with only Scripture, and even little bags of Hanukkah candles and dreidels for children in the families. In fact, it was going so well, the team stayed for two and a half hours, which is an extra 30 minutes. Most Gentiles we encountered received anti-Semitism tracts. The best of all, a very elderly Orthodox Egyptian man prayed to have everlasting peace with God through Jesus!
Although we were wary of whether or not we would encounter opposition, we did not. In the past, teams have met Jewish people who were vocal in their resistance. Since the rise in anti-Semitism, we didn’t know if we might also meet those who were against Israel. We saw no animosity at all. In addition, the two neon yellow-jacketed store workers who we saw in the parking lot before we got out of the car never returned outside once we left the car. We praise God!
A middle-aged Jewish man spoke to one team member for quite a while, bringing up the age-old problem of the existence of evil being inconsistent with a loving God. After answering him, he accepted a Brit Chadashah to take home and read. He said he might come to Beth Ariel, too, and listen to the radio show.
A religious Jewish man noticed we were messianic and refused what we were offering after we said the Messiah’s name was Yeshua. But instead of being angry, he said we were “doing good” by handing out the Scriptures.
A young family was thrilled to receive a full set from us, thanking us many times.
As we circulated, we said the first Hanukkah was steeped in war and bloodshed. But God prevailed and so we can still celebrate during this time of grieving, knowing that the faithful God of Israel is our only sure refuge. Most Jewish people responded by echoing our thoughts. Resiliency is a characteristic of the Jewish people.
The Egyptian man in his 90’s had been crying about the October 7 massacre, saying he just wanted peace in the world. We said he could have peace personally, which interested him. He readily was led in a prayer for salvation with the team member. He has a Bible at home so we gave him a card so he can listen to radio messages or online since he uses the internet. We will continue in prayer for N.
A man with two children was very touched to receive the Scriptures. We spoke about God knowing everything that is going on and how the Scriptures are important since during the time of Hanukkah the enemy tried to remove them from us. The plan of God is there and how we can know the Messiah. We encouraged him to come with his wife and children to the congregation to be able to have teaching for the whole family. We showed him where he could listen to messages on the radio or on the Internet. He understood that we were talking about Jesus.
An orthodox woman gladly accepted a Tanakh and Hanukkah card from us.
We met a Jewish man who had previously come to faith from this kind of outreach. Having given away his copy of the Tanakh, he needed another for himself.
Please continue in prayer for our Hanukkah outreaches which will end Friday December 15th. We rejoice at seeing God at work!
Door to Door Report for Thursday, December 7th, 2023
2 gift sets given in French, 2 Tanakhs and
A team of two ladies were out at a local residential area. The first set, in French, was given to a Jewish woman from Paris. She was surprised at the offer of such a lovely and free gift and took the Hanukkah pamphlet as well. Later on, the lady was walking to her driveway when she saw the team and called out “You’re Christian, you gave me a Christian book!”. She had been shown how she would see the writings of the Second Temple period and the prophecies regarding the Messiah as she took the smaller book, but must not have understood it was the Brit Chadashah (New Testament). Despite this she kept the set and did not speak any further with the team.
A young Jewish man wearing a kippah opened the door and stepped outside to speak with the team. He closed the door behind him as there was someone standing nearby. He had no shoes nor coat but spent about 10 minutes with them. Noticing that the team was not Jewish, he asked why they were giving out Jewish literature. The team responded that it was because of their love for the Jewish people and Israel. One of the team members who had Jewish relatives gave her testimony about how she came to know the Messiah and how she gave her heart to Him. The man said he knew of this action as he was accustomed to visiting Messianic and Christian websites. He was encouraged to go online to see the Beth Ariel website and listen to the teachings of Pastor Gabizon. The man was very thankful for the conversation and gifts.
A young woman came to her door dressed all in black with her hair pulled tightly into a cap. She took the pamphlet and nodded a thank you and closed the door. However, the team saw through the window that this same young woman had gone over to the man who was sitting in their living room. They watched how he quickly read through the Hanukkah pamphlet and stood up to use his cell phone. The team took this as a warning and decided to finish up for the day. Other people accepted the Tanakh but not the Brit Chadashah yet they were very thankful for such generosity.
The team then spent half an hour at a local mall and gave out six gift cards and one French set to a Jewish woman going to her car. Also, a couple with a child were approached as they were putting their groceries in the car. The father, wearing a kippah, was very happy to receive the set but his wife intervened saying they had all the books they needed at home and so the man, although hesitating, returned the set. Their child took the small gift of a dreidel and candles and the Hanukkah pamphlet.
The team mentioned that they were surprised that there weren’t so many people at the mall for that time of the year and hoped that the following day would be better when they knew that a second team would be going out. They praise God for His faithfulness and provisions now that the weather is turning cold and they want to thank everyone for their prayers.