Wednesday, September 18th
3 sets in English and 1 Tanakh in English were given.
A team of two were out on an evening in a residential area and at their first door they met a woman from Mexico whose husband was Jewish. She welcomed them and invited them to enter their upper duplex. She ushered them to sit at her dining room table and offered them something to drink. She told them that she was a born-again Christian and so were her two children. The team asked if the husband was also born again to which she said yes. She was grateful to receive a full set, and they explained that the Tanakh was the Old Testament and the Brit was the Hebrew New Testament. They wanted her to know that the Messiah was Jewish and that Jews and all nations who believe in Him and put their trust in Him as their Saviour would be saved. They shared about Beth Ariel and the teachings of their pastor. The daughter arrived at that moment from school and hearing the conversation, she shared that she was born again and how she saw the hand of God in her life. Then the woman’s son, 22, arrived and being amazed by the set, took one for himself. He said he realized he was Jewish and expressed the desire to visit Beth Ariel, perhaps with the rest of his family. They were given the contact card and shown how they could listen to the messages. The team put their names on the card as the woman wanted to have another visit from them. She told them that her cousin who was very religious, was soon coming from Mexico for a visit and she was excited to share the news with him. They hugged each other and when leaving they met the husband who was just arriving. They told him about their visit and he was excited to hear about their encounter with his wife. The team expressed that it was a true blessing and that they were touched by this special visit.
At the next door, they met a man wearing a kippa who was surprised to see them. He received the Tanakh offered, and they gave him a comfort card and an Isaiah 53 leaflet.
Then, a young Russian man, 24, who came to Montreal at the age of four, opened the door. He said that he was from a religious background. He received the set knowing that the team believed in Jesus as the Messiah. He was given the contact card so he could find and listen to the teachings, and they told him that only a minority of people believed in God’s truth, and they shared that the Messiah was coming for both the Jewish and Gentiles. They told him how only the Messiah could make man righteous (tsadik). He said that his parents were religious so the team encouraged him to read the prophecies concerning the Messiah and how he could be reconciled to God. They told him that there were only two places for man’s soul after death; one to everlasting life and one to everlasting shame. He was very grateful and so he was encouraged to seek after the truth from God Himself. He was told that he would find it if he truly searched with all his heart.
It was a wonderful evening, and the team thanked everyone for their prayers and for God’s faithfulness in bringing them joy as they brought His word and comfort to the people.
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Thursday, September 19th
3 sets, 1 Tanakh and 2 Bibles were given.
A team of two were out in another residential area during the day. At the first door they met a French lady who received the Tanakh and the Isaiah 53 leaflet. She also took the comfort card, and it seemed as if she was more receptive towards them after receiving the card. She was then offered the Brit Chadashah and told that it was a Jewish book written by Jewish authors about the Messiah; how he came and will return to rule in Jerusalem. It was an open conversation even though her husband was listening from the stairs above. The wife thanked them, and wished them a Shana Tova (which means have a good New Year, since the traditional Jewish New Year will be celebrated within one week of the writing of this outreach report).
A Moroccan, Jewish man greeted them next, and he was ready for a long conversation. The team presented the Tanakh. While he was looking at the book, they shared with him about the Messiah and Isaiah 53 and how He had come and that He would return. The gentleman then spoke about Rabbi Rashi and so the team recounted the necessity of the blood atonement for the sins of Israel’s people and that sin blocked man from having a relationship with God. Without this atonement, there is no forgiveness of sin. They first gave him the Tanakh which he took and then he was offered the Brit Chadashah. They explained the relationship between the two books. He took the set and wished them well but then he saw the neck chain with the Walk for Jerusalem pendant and told them that he had just been on the phone with the organizers as he was donating to their cause. The team took the opportunity to say that they believed in the prophecy that Yeshua, the Messiah was returning to rule in Jerusalem and that He loved his chosen people. She quoted a verse from Matthew 23:37 saying, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you were not willing”. Then she quoted from John 5:46, “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me”. The man thanked them for the conversation and the gift. Please pray for “M”.
At the next door a woman heard that they were there as volunteers for the Society that Distributes Hebrew Scripture and that they were Messianic believers. They told her that the Messiah had come and was coming back. His name was Yeshua, the Prince of Peace and the Messiah of Israel. They spoke of sin and the atonement paid by the Messiah’s blood, and that it was His righteousness that made it possible for man to have a relationship with God. This relationship was not possible if one did not accept this sacrifice. At this point, the team offered her the Brit and explained that this was a book written by Jewish men during the 2nd temple period who believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. The woman was very touched and received the set along with the contact card about Radio Shalom and the teachings of Rabbi Jacques Isaac Gabizon. The woman said that her husband was already listening to that station, and she was happy to receive the free scriptures.
There were many doors where people were either not at home or did not answer due to the fear and need for more security as evidenced by the solar cameras placed at the end of many of the streets.
At the next to last door the team went to, three women came separately to the door but stayed to chat all together. They shared a common entrance with two women living up on the second floor and the living room area was taken by someone else. One woman was a Filipino and the other two ladies were from the Caribbeans. The team spoke to them at length as the two from upstairs were Catholic and wanted to know more about Jesus. They were offered bibles. One bible was given to the Filipino lady and the other was given to the two other ladies to share. They took the contact card so that they could listen to the teachings of Pastor Gabizon. Before the team left, they prayed for them and they were so very thankful for the visit.
At the last door an orthodox man met them but said he could not speak to them as he was in a meeting. He did not take anything but was very polite with the team, thanking them for their good work.
The team was thankful for the people they were able to give sets and bibles to despite the very hot and humid weather and gave thanks to God for sustaining them.
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Friday, September 20th
5 gift sets (2 English, 3 French), 3 Tanakhs (1 French, 1 Hebrew and 1 English) were given.
A team of two were out on an afternoon at a local mall. The first Tanakh was given to a man parked beside the team. He was surprised by the gift and took it along with an anti-Semitism pamphlet. He was very grateful and so the team spoke with him about Yeshua, the Messiah. He took the gift with joy.
A set was then given in English to a man who also received the anti-Semitism pamphlet. They told him that they had a gift for him, but he refused saying that he did not need a gift. Replying to this, the team asked, “Why, you don’t even know what it is!” When he saw the Tanakh and the Brit Chadashah and heard their explanation about Yeshua being the Messiah who came fulfilling what the prophets wrote about regarding His first coming and the Messianic miracles, he took the set and was very thankful to them.
A set in French was given to a man with a kippa who was also very surprised to receive the gift set. They spoke to him about Yeshua being the Messiah. He was very grateful.
Another set in French was given to a man who they spoke to for about twenty minutes. He was a gentle and humble man who was very thankful to receive the set. He said that he came from a line of rabbis and that he really loved God. They were able to speak to him about the blood atonement, Yom Kippur and how blood had to be shed for the remission of sins. They told him that the Messiah was the one that removed all sins by His death and blood atonement, placing a covering over man’s sins so that he could have eternal life with God. They then told him about Isaiah 53 to which the man exclaimed that he hoped the Messiah was coming back. They replied that He was going to return here but that it was important to be reconciled to God now because of sin. He was very touched and so they prayed for him, his daughter and his family’s health. He was given the comfort card, anti-Semitism pamphlet, the Isaiah 53 leaflet, and he told them that he loved to read. It was a touching moment for the team.
They had a brief conversation with a man who was very loud when he found out that they believed that Yeshua was the Messiah. He said he could understand this faith and that he had read the Tanakh. They told him that he probably saw that the true prophets were persecuted by the religious leaders and that it had always been a minority of people who believed. The man said he had nothing against Christians, and he knew that they loved Israel. The team took that as a compliment and thanked him for taking time to talk with them. The team was thankful that the conversation was peaceful.
An English Tanakh was given to a woman who was in a hurry as her husband was sick. She took the Tanakh when it was offered to her despite her saying she did not have time, but as they said it was free, she decided to take it and was grateful. They asked for the husband’s name so they could pray for him afterwards.
A Hebrew Tanakh was given to a man who understood that the team believed in Yeshua. He did not want the Brit nor the anti-Semitism pamphlet. He said that he did not want to have any trouble with his wife.
As the team finished for the day, they decided to go to a nearby place for a coffee together. Here, they sat beside two elderly women and saw that one of the women was wearing a neck chain with Bring Them Home (hostages). They began to speak to them about the Walk for Jerusalem and were told that one of the ladies was part of the group which marches weekly in Montreal advocating the return of the hostages. They meet every Sunday to hear speakers on the subject. The other woman was a holocaust survivor. They asked one woman if she had a Tanakh and as she did not, they offered one to both of them. Accepting the gift sets, they understood that the team believed in Yeshua as the Messiah. They had a conversation about Israel and were asked when they thought anti-Semitism would stop. They talked to the ladies about sin and how sin separated man from God. They gave them the Isaiah 53 leaflet and explained how they could be reconciled through the Messiah. They both took a contact card, and one was surprised that the congregation met at Madison and Monkland as she walked past there each day. They were invited to attend, and they said that they might, so they were encouraged to listen to the radio and internet and to call if they wanted a visit from them. The team was very excited and encouraged by the encounter. The team is very thankful for all the prayers offered up for them.
Tuesday, September 24th
2 sets were given.
A team of two were out on an evening in beautiful weather and decided to do some scouting on streets where there were mezuzahs. Afterwards they went to a street and at one door they met a woman with her daughter. They took the entire set and were very thankful. At all the homes they visited, the team was able to speak about Yeshua. Even for those homes that did not take a Tanakh, they still gave out some of the literature.
A woman who was seen cooking, came to answer her door. She said she was not religious and as she was offered the set, she said she would not read it. One of the team members however shared with her how she herself had never read the scriptures but that God had called her, and she began to read the word. She told her then that God calls and then saves and so the woman took the set. As they left, they were able to give the woman a hug and offered a contact card to listen online to the messages. They told her that it was important for her to know the scriptures as He wanted her to have eternal life with Yeshua. She was thankful.
A young boy of about 5, along with his nanny opened the next door. Although his parents were not home, he asked them what they were giving out. Answering him, they said, “The Word of God” to which he replied, “Oh, I will take it!” Unfortunately, they had to tell him that they could not give it to him as he was not 18 but that they would return another day. They were very touched by this young child’s response.
At another door, a woman from Egypt took only the Tanakh. They spoke to her about Yeshua telling her that there is only one Messiah who came and will come again. They spoke to her about Isaiah 53 and the covering afforded by Yeshua and how only He can make us righteous before God. She was very grateful for the gift.
It was getting dark, but they went to another door where a woman said that they were not allowed to be at the doors at that time. Asking when they could come to visit her, she replied, “Not at any time in this area” and threatened to call security. They responded by saying that they were only there to give the scriptures and that they were sorry that they disturbed her. The team then left and called their pastor to see if they should continue but he asked them to return another day.
The team praised God for yet another profitable evening of giving and sharing the word and they thank the prayer warriors for lifting them up in prayer.