Last weekend, two teams went out to evangelize, one Saturday and one Sunday.
The Saturday team went to a park but found fewer people in general there, and very few Jewish people. Each Saturday, there is a group that gathers at the Israeli consulate general to yell and threaten the Jewish community before breaking up into groups in cars who drive around and continue the attacks in Jewish areas. Our team was able to give out four anti-Semitism pamphlets to Jewish people and two gospel tracts to Gentiles.
When speaking to one of two Jewish couples speaking together on a bench, the wife of one tried to block her husband from taking the literature, but then he insisted on taking it. We spoke about how the end of anti-Semitism will only come when Messiah is reigning on the earth. The man also took a bookmark, after asking our religion. We answered we were not in a religion but believed in the Hebrew Scriptures and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Another woman quickly walking past, took a pamphlet when she saw it was about anti-Semitism, commenting, “Can you believe what is happening in Israel?” She said she did not have a Tanakh, but then refused to take one.
A European Jewish woman received a pamphlet from us.
One of the two Gentile men who took a gospel tract had recently arrived from Italy. We spent a short time speaking about truth being in Scripture. He was not interested in receiving a Bible, though.
Sunday May 23
A team of two went to a new park for us in a suburban Jewish area. It was a warm, breezy, and sunny day with many families enjoying the weather, going for walks and picnics. In light of the threats, a security detail was stationed very close to the entrance where we stood. Around one-fifth of those there were Jewish. Without their masks on, it was much easier for us to identify them! Most backed away from us when we approached them with our hand extended with the anti-Semitism tract, but then accepted it when they saw the subject, nodding about the importance of the subject now.
A religious couple was walking past on their way out and the woman stopped to receive our pamphlet. We had a good conversation with her and she told us we could only pray and look to God. We spoke of how Messiah would bring an end to it all. She was also interested in the Talmudic commentary leaflet on Isaiah 53 and encouraged us by saying how good it was for us to be doing what we were doing.
A Jewish couple let us approach and pet their three dogs so we struck up a conversation with them. This year, a school known for its anti-Israel stance offered an apology, Concordia University. They proudly shared that their daughter was the principle person who pushed for this reversal. We spoke quite freely of Messiah bringing an end to anti-Semitism and they told us to continue the good work, having received our pamphlet.
In all, we gave out around 30 pamphlets throughout the afternoon, with many also accepting the Isaiah 53 leaflet. A few bookmarks on Messianic prophecy were also received.
We pray for the protection of the Jewish community here and elsewhere, the peace of Jerusalem, and especially for the Spirit to open their hearts to the offer of permanent atonement from their Messiah Yeshua. Please pray for us on the front lines here in Montreal, offering news of the only real comfort in these troubled times.