Monday, May 3rd
31 pamphlets, 4 sets, 1 Brit Chadashah were given out
A woman told us she was “partly” Jewish since only her father was Jewish. She was happy to learn that that was enough to make her fully Jewish according to the Scriptures. This is contrary to what rabbis today teach about Jewishness, that it can only be passed down through the mother. She happily accepted a Brit Chadashah from us, since she already had a Tanakh at home. As we were handing it to her, a man just a few feet away seemed interested as well. He shared that he was the president of a local orthodox Jewish agency. We were sure he would create a stir concerning our literature distribution! In the end, he said he “didn’t need anything” from us so we had no trouble from him.
One of us stopped and spoke to a Russian-speaking Jewish man wearing a broad smile who had lived 14 years in Israel before coming to Canada. We found out that we had many connections with him and he was happy to talk with us. He was surprised at seeing the Brit Chadashah but seemed interested in the Russian YouTube teachings that are available from Beth Ariel. He proudly said he and his son practiced the annual chicken sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, a ritual called “kapparot”. This ritual entails taking a live chicken (or money) and waving it over a person’s head. The chicken is then slaughtered according to Jewish rules for slaughtering. This is usually done on the day before Yom Kippur and the following prayer is said: This is my exchange, this is my substitute, this is my atonement. This rooster (hen) will go to its death, while I will enter and proceed to a good long life and to peace.
We spoke to him about permanent atonement from the Messiah which startled him. When asked, he said he actually admitted that he had no blood sacrifice. He then took a full Bible set and several other pieces of literature thanking us for it. He said he might go to Beth Ariel with his wife since we have simultaneous Russian translation for the message.
A man from Casablanca, Morocco was approached at his car and given the anti-Semitism pamphlet and gift set. In a conversation he was shown the words of the gospel recorded in the Brit Chadashah to which he asked, “What is that?” He was told that it is a Jewish book written by Jewish men and while giving him the bookmark we pointed to the Scripture verses where he could read about the prophesies of the Messiah and their fulfillment. He was given the Isaiah 53 leaflet to read about the Messiah and he agreed that there is nothing we can do that will make us holy before God. He also agreed that the Messiah is coming soon. He was encouraged to put faith in the Messiah before it was too late as it is impossible to be saved after death. He said he listened to Radio Shalom (1650 am local Montreal radio broadcast) and was encouraged to visit our website. Asked if he wanted a visit, he declined but said he would visit the website. He then gave the team member a hug.
A Jewish man who was approached said he was too old to read all the literature we were offering, but finally agreed to first give it to his son, then changed his mind and said that his wife loved to read and that she could read it to him. He took the set and said, “You are beautiful” and gave the team member a hug.
Thursday, May 5th
70 pamphlets, 5 English, 1 Russian gift sets, 2 English bibles
We met a man who was French Canadian and who spoke English with the team member. He listened intently to the gospel. He mentioned that he had been on a mission in Africa and how the children were affected by a bug that entered their eyes and made them blind. His question was, “How could God allow this to happen to children?” He asked why and the team member explained that when the children are afflicted God feels their pain and that many in this world are today experiencing the result of our fallen state. It was a long conversation, and he appreciated the way we responded to the question as he had not heard that perspective before.
A tiny Muslim woman spoke about being made aware that the Jesus she was taught about did not match the Jesus of the Christians and as she read more she began to have a personal relationship with Him and realized that He was indeed “God on earth”. She refused to receive a bible but was happy to take the pamphlet and said she would go to the website for more teaching.
After several conversations with Catholics receiving the pamphlets, a believer in Yeshua stopped to thank us for ministering to the Jewish people and we prayed together for more opportunities, and for an anointing of the Holy Spirit and for healing for a team member who had shoulder pain during this outreach. The prayer brought joy and momentary relief so that she could continue to carry the bible sets to people.
An agnostic Jewish woman was approached, and she consented to take the pamphlet. She talked about how the world was messed up and she did not see God moving today and so refused to believe that He was present, yet she consented to receive the pamphlet as she was intrigued by the anti-Semitism topic. Please pray for this woman that she would find her faith in the Messiah who has already come and will return to establish His Kingdom.
One set was given to a woman in her early forties who was placing her groceries in the back of her car. She was delighted to receive such a gift and asked if she could give a monetary donation but was pleasantly surprised when she heard it was a free gift.
Another woman who was an aide for an elderly Jewish lady received the set for her as they walked to their car. The elderly woman gave a big smile and thanked us as she struggled to walk.
Thank you for your continued prayer support for these outreaches.