Report for Friday, December 22nd
6 gift sets (5 English and 1 French), 2 Tanakhs, 1 French Brit Chadashah, 1 Bible were given.
Team #1 was out in a nearby shopping mall when they gave a set to a young Jewish man who had been living in Montreal for three years. He previously lived in Israel and was so happy to receive the set that he placed his hand over his heart.
Then a French set was given to a man from Casablanca. His daughter, he stated, was the president of a Sephardic Association and he was very proud of her. He said he could read Hebrew so the team showed him where he could read about the Messiah and how only He could make man righteous before God. He was further encouraged to read about the Messiah in Isaiah 53 and he stated that he read his Scriptures every morning. The team told him that they could see the fear of God was in him.
Another set was given to a woman who stated she had a Talmud but did not have knowledge of the Tanakh. They explained the difference to her, and she became very excited to receive the gift set.
Then a set was given to a man who said he could read Hebrew as well and was shown the bookmark and the list of Scriptures that foretold the coming Messiah and how only He could cleanse this man of his sin.
An English set was given to a man who was surprised to receive so many gifts.
Then a set was offered to a woman who was also surprised and thankful. She shared how she had just given $3 to someone in need and saw how so quickly she was gifted with the set which she felt was a blessing from God. The team was very thankful for everyone’s prayers and for God’s favour over them.
Team #2
On the same day, a second team was at another mall in the area, and they gave out 1 French set, 2 French bibles, 30 Blessings for Israel pamphlets in English and 10 prayer cards for Israel.
On that day there were no major conversations, but many were thankful for the prayer cards and the team saw that it really touched the peoples’ hearts. They had travelled to a second mall as the first was quiet, but here too they had very few encounters.
Report for Tuesday, December 26, 2023
This report is for two of the three persons who joined together at a local shopping mall.
130 English Christmas pamphlets, 20 French Christmas pamphlets, 30 Blessings for Israel, 10 Prayer for Israel Cards, 1 English bible and 1 French bible, plus 1 full bible set were given out.
On this overcast but very busy and crowded day at a mall people were accepting the pamphlets with curiosity and thankful concern. A member on 2 occasions noticed the men return to their car and begin to read the pamphlet closely. As she watched them, she prayed.
Two bibles (English/French only) were given when people who accepted the Christmas pamphlet were asked if they had their own bibles. When they said no, she pulled one from her bag and gave it to them. They both laughed at the speed to which they received this gift but were very thankful.
One gentleman who was loading his car with a huge amount of groceries said that he had lived in Israel for some time but did not follow his faith as his wife was Catholic and it was a difficult situation on both sides. He received the set saying he would give it to a family member.
One of the team members decided to engage the people in light conversation about their children, about their country of birth, how long they had been in Canada etc and this opened the door to smiles and laughter. With slight gestures of kindness, they received the gift of the Scriptures and even one young teen left his mother to come back and ask for a pamphlet. He folded it and placed it inside his jacket pocket. Each person who took these pamphlets etc. was thankful for the short interlude and glimpse into the Word of God.
One Tanakh was given to a lady from Morocco who said she had previously received a set but had returned it as she did not want the Brit Chadashah but, on this day, she did receive the Tanakh. The team member gently told her about the Messiah and explained that for her to come close to God she needed to be cleansed of her sin and only the Messiah was able to do that. Although she did not take the Brit Chadashah, she left with a deeper understanding of her need of the Righteous One.
A man opened the Jewish/Christmas pamphlet and started speaking Hebrew to the team member. He said that he had lived for ten years in Israel and was happy to receive the Blessing for Israel pamphlet to rekindle his knowledge of Hebrew and the Scriptures.
Another lady thankfully took the card for the nation of Israel but did not want to take any of the other pamphlets.
Finally, a young lady was offered a Christmas pamphlet but happily stated she was Jewish. Asking if the team member was from Beth Ariel, she informed her that she was very good friends with one of the young men there. She had known him for some time and had recently returned to Montreal from British Columbia having married a Montrealer. She stated that she was a believer in the Messiah and would be visiting the congregation. It is amazing how God works in mysterious ways to bring the Body of Messiah together.
Thank you to all of those who prayed for the hearts of the people to turn to the Lord and for blessings to be upon those that went forth to proclaim His word on those days. Thank you too for all the prayers throughout the year as it was surely a testament of God’s faithfulness to His people.
Tuesday December 26 (third team member )
On this busy Boxing Day, many shoppers of various nationalities were out to get bargains on a mild winter day. As we extended our arms, we asked if we could offer them some Christmas joy. A total of 40 Christmas tracts were gladly received by non-Jewish people as they hustled into the stores. About 16 Jewish shoppers took our new “pearl” tracts on the blessing of Israel, along with around ten cards offering comforting verses from the Hebrew Scriptures. A Bible in Farsi was given, and a Jewish woman took a set of Scriptures.
When asked if he was Jewish like the team member was, one man wryly said, “Most days.” His wife is Gentile and accepted the pearl tract for the both of them, exclaiming how beautiful it was. Almost all the Jewish recipients exclaimed how attractive it looked. Of course, this is the first step to them reading and receiving the vital message inside.
An Israeli woman acknowledged that we live in difficult days, but smiled when she accepted the pearl tract on the blessing of Israel and comfort card.
A Jewish woman said she had no Scriptures at home. She was troubled as we spoke of the present situation around the world, saying that God wasn’t protecting us very well. We shared on the ongoing problem of evil in the world, and that God says He is afflicted when we are afflicted (Isaiah 63:9). We reminded her that our only refuge is in Him. She was surprised to see a Brit Chadeshah, but took it when we explained how Jewish it really is. She thanked us for all our gifts that day, including the messianic prophecy bookmark, comfort card, and pearl tract, saying she would read Matthew. May she see the Light!
An Iranian man said he didn’t speak English or French, but only Farsi. Excited, we ran to the car where we had a Bible in that language. Upon returning to him, he communicated that he and his wife were believing Christians. The Jewish team member shared that she, too, followed Jesus the Messiah and immediately a celebratory scene broke out with wide grins. He wanted to give the Bible to someone else he knows.
We look forward to more days of broad outreach surrounding New Year’s, and cherish your ongoing prayers.