Tuesday, May 24
5 gift sets and 1 Bible were given out
It was a nice sunny day for the two team members out that day. They first encountered a young man who was happy to receive the set and also an Isaiah 53 leaflet. The team encouraged him to read it with them and he was led to see how only the Messiah can make us righteous as explained in Isaiah 53.
A set was then given to a lady who received it willingly and asked if she could give a donation to which she was told that it was a free gift. She was directed to the website for our contact information. Another woman received a pamphlet and she promised that she would read Isaiah 53.
Next, a Jewish man who said he read Hebrew received a gift set. He was given an Isaiah 53 leaflet that tells about the prophesies pertaining to the Messiah and told that he would find the fulfilment of those prophecies in the Brit Chadashah he received. He also took a bookmark.
We saw another young woman who received a set a few weeks earlier. She was with her mother this time and asked if the team could visit them at another time to chat about the things related to the Messiah over a coffee.
Then a Jewish fellow received a set. He said he thought God was calling him because he saw the pamphlet before on the ground and did not pick it up! He listened intently and was very interested in learning more about the Scriptures. We showed him the website and told him he could call the office for further help. He took a business card so that he could find the address to our congregation. He actually said he was looking for a church.
Many other conversations took place and God’s gracious hand was upon the team as they met each person with joy in their hearts.
Thursday, June 2nd
79 pamphlets, 9 sets and 1 Tanakh were handed out.
It was a beautiful day for the team of two ladies to be out and the Lord provided wonderful discussions with the passers-by.
A man walking to his car was happy to receive the set yet was quick to leave and go to his car.
Another man named “I” received a gift set joyfully and as he could read in Hebrew, the team member read the leaflet Isaiah 53 with him. We showed him how he could receive atonement for his sins from the Messiah who bore our sins for us. We said each person needs to be reconciled with God through the Messiah and that he should seek that personal atonement for his sins now. As well he was shown Daniel 9:26 about the Messiah being cut off. We went to a bookmark verse in Zechariah 12:10 which says He will be recognized by them as the one who was pierced. The man listened intently. Seeing the website, he recognized the radio station he had previously visited. Please pray for this young man to continue searching our website for a revelation on whom the Messiah is.
A Jewish gentleman came up to a team member and was offered a pamphlet on Ruth. He took the pamphlet and asked, “Who is the Messiah?” Handing back the pamphlet, he listened as we replied that the Messiah is spoken about in Isaiah 9:6. He, the Messiah will come as a child but will be called El Gibbor and become the atonement for the sins of the world. The gentleman was touched by this and said he would read it when he returned home.
A Jewish Moroccan woman named “N” who parked her car wanted to take the set but said she would not be allowed as her son was a very religious person and would not accept her having the set. However, after speaking with her about the Brit Chadashah and the Messiah she accepted a time of prayer and asked for team member’s phone number. She was given the phone number to the office.
June 2nd – Second team report at another location
77 pamphlets, 11 gift sets (7 Eng., 2 Fr., 1 Heb. and 1 Russian), 2 English Bibles and 1 Brit Chadashah were given.
The fact that it was just a couple of days before Shavuot when rabbinical teaching says the Law of Moses was given, it made it very easy to give out the Scriptures. Several times we were asked why we were distributing the Scriptures but everyone quickly nodded when we explained it was an appropriate Shavuot gift.
Not long after arriving, a team member met a couple from Kiev, Ukraine. They had not been in the country very long and were intrigued by our belief in Yeshua. They spoke with us for a little while, but only accepted a Russian Tanakh and a messianic prophecy bookmark.
Then, an English-speaking Jewish woman told a team member that she was sure she had a Tanakh but definitely did not have a Brit Chadashah and wanted to take one home!
A French-speaking woman was very excited to have a complete set of her own while another woman who had received an English set later exchanged it for a French one. People were so open to accepting our gifts.
One woman wanted nothing but our pamphlet and repeatedly asked when the holiday was, which days and times she had to light candles, and which days she had to pray for the dead. Religion is all she wanted, not to hear about the living God of Israel. We felt sad.
A Russian woman and her grandson gladly took pamphlets and spoke with a team member whose grandmother came from a Russian Jewish shtetl (village). The team member didn’t have quick access to a Russian or Hebrew set, so after a short conversation, the two continued into a store. They have been away from Russia for over 30 years, even spending a few years in Israel, where they perfected their Hebrew. We prayed to notice when they came back out and had a Hebrew set in hand to offer them. They were totally overjoyed to receive them, asking the team member’s name and saying they would pray for her. The grandson proudly held up the two books and said he would read everything in them! They both blessed us and said how glad they were that we’d met. It was such a joy for the team member, who was warmed by just hearing the accent of the woman, who sounded like her own European grandmother. May they meet their Jewish Messiah and respond to His love for them.
One young woman was very thankful after receiving the pamphlet. She said that she had the Tanakh but was wondering if it was possible to have an English Bible as she, being a recent college student, wanted to see where it spoke about the Messiah. She was curious to see what she would read there. We gave her one and showed her our contact information and website so she could listen to the pastor’s teachings.
Next, an older Jewish gentleman was carrying his groceries to the car, so the team member offered to help him with his heavy load. He took the pamphlet first and was asked if he had a Tanakh. He did not know what that was, so he happily accepted the gift set.
There appeared to be a large number of Orthodox Jewish people there, but the Lord protected the team from opposition. What a wonderful God we serve!