http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN0D5RaOLi0

Look at how amazing God is!  God is working through us in NYC

Actually, all of us in the picture are opening our mouths in New York City this summer to declare the praises of our great God and to proclaim His glorious gospel. And by God’s grace we are having an impact.

So far we have handed out 367,495 broadsides (gospel tracts). We have prayed with 43 people to receive the Lord. 1,992 people have given us their names and addresses requesting more information, including 259 Jewish people who don’t yet believe.

Along with the victories, we do face quite a bit of rejection and that can be discouraging. Plus, this kind of all-out effort is tiring; no, it’s exhausting. To help keep up our spiritual strength, we have regular chapel services and times of devotion each day. In a recent chapel, I spoke to our campaigners from Luke 3 about John the Baptist and the encouragement we can take from his life and ministry. Maybe you will be encouraged as well.

John was an unsung hero for the Lord, a truly unconventional servant of God. Luke introduces us to John’s ministry by giving some historical context. He mentions seven people who were prominent in politics and/or religion: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, three tetrarchs and two high priests. He points out that the word of God did not come to these prominent and powerful people. Instead, the Word came to John, son of Zacharias-an unconventional, unknown, somewhat eccentric individual who wore camel skin clothing and ate locusts and wild honey.

These seven powerful people Luke mentions also represented powerful places- not only cities like Rome and Jerusalem, but the Temple. Yet when the Word of God came to John, he was not in any of these prominent places. He was in the wilderness, a place of desolation and discomfort. Some might think it unconventional, though John was not the first to hear from God in the desert. But John was a voice crying out in the wilderness. As Isaiah had prophesied, John had come to prepare his Jewish people to receive their Messiah.

His message, like the prophet who had predicted it, was unconventional and not especially designed to win friends: “Break down mountains and fill up valleys. Repent! Don’t boast of being Abraham’s children. Messiah is coming and none of us are even the slightest bit worthy of Him.” To anyone who was self-satisfied and self-righteous, John’s uncompromising message would have been an affront-but for those who were truly seeking God, his message resonated with truth and many received it.

When large crowds went out to the wilderness to hear John and be baptized, he was not impressed with their show of piety. He wanted to see real fruit. And he refused to receive the attention for himself but instead pointed people to Jesus: “He must increase and I must decrease.”

What a wonderful example John is for us on the Jews for Jesus summer witnessing campaign in New York City. The very week we began this campaign the prominent and powerful people in the New York City area were arguing about budgets, manipulating global finance and voting to legalize gay marriage. Lady Gaga was releasing her multi-platinum recording telling people they are all good because they were “born this way.”

And here we are, not very prominent people and not especially powerful from the average person’s perspective-a small group of mostly young, unknown and not particularly accomplished Jewish believers in Jesus. We’re just handing out our little pieces of paper, our gospel tracts, wearing jeans or shorts along with our (often sweaty) Jews for Jesus T-shirts. (But hey, at least we aren’t wearing camel hair in the subways-and I can assure you our menu is significantly upgraded from locusts and honey!)

But our place is not in the statehouse or on Wall Street or a big stage with television cameras following us. We are voices crying out in the subways, on the city streets and in the parks: “repent and believe the gospel.” Of course, we try to communicate in ways that people can understand. We have developed some wonderful new literature to capture the attention of the masses. (Click here if you didn’t see the literature we posted last month.).

Thousands are taking our literature and talking with us about the Lord, but many Jews and Gentiles react to our message with less than positive comments, calling us names I would never repeat here or anywhere else. But that’s okay; we are in good company. After all, the people of John’s day told him he had a demon. And the one John pointed to-Y’shua? They called Him a glutton and worse. Yet despite those who ridiculed, many opened their hearts to the message. And who’s to say that some who came to ridicule did not change their minds along the way?

Likewise, we can’t presume to know the end of the story of those who oppose us. Each Tuesday night throughout the campaign, we have held lectures that are open to the public. We have been challenging people to answer the question, “Who is He?”. People have been coming out to those lectures to hear what we have to say. So far, each time we have had rabbis as well as other religious Jews come to the lecture. But like some who went out to hear John in the wilderness, these seem mainly interested in disputing or undermining our efforts. But at least they are hearing the gospel message-and who knows what may come of it? (You can view the lectures here).

The venue for the Tuesday lectures is small, but we are also streaming them live on the Internet, so I imagine many more are listening. But we don’t count numbers as the main evidence of our success-we want to be faithful to what God has called us to do.

When you think about John the Baptist, he had a huge following but he never seemed to view that as a measure of his success (though some of his disciples did). In fact, John didn’t have much to say about his own success, and some probably considered him a failure. He was thrown in jail for criticizing the moral failings of one of the political leaders of the day. While in jail, he became so discouraged he doubted his calling and even questioned whether Jesus was actually who he thought He was.

He may have even died in doubt because his questioning of Jesus was the last we hear from him-though we know Jesus sent back a message to affirm His Messiahship. But in the end, John’s head was severed from his neck by a drunken despot who was manipulated by a vengeful adulteress and a shameless adolescent. Humiliating?  Maybe, but it’s been said that you can’t humiliate a humble person.

John was unconventional and controversial and some might believe he died an ignoble death-but Jesus commended him as the greatest among those born to women. Yet Jesus also also said that the least of us in the Kingdom is greater than John. How so?

John’s message was the preparation for the gospel. Those of us who are on this side of the cross are privileged to proclaim the finished work of Jesus. There is no greater message, and there is no greater place to proclaim it than right where God has called us to be. Finally, there is no greater purpose than to declare His glorious praise, even from a New York City subway.

The Fourth of July

Independence Day is always a great time for us to proclaim liberty in Jesus throughout our United States branches. In New York City our campaigners, along with an influx of other volunteers and staff from our branch, handed out 45,650 gospel tracts!

Phoenix Branch Photos

Meanwhile, our Phoenix branch did a sortie in Tempe Arizona at the Tempe Town Lakes July 4th festival. Leader Bruce Rapp reports, “It was only 105 degrees !! We distributed 300 bottles of water and 3,500 broadsides! It was great to have ten volunteers with us, including friends from a local Messianic congregation.”

Our Chicago branch participated in the Skokie 4th of July Parade. Lyn Bond drove the Jews for Jesus van and the rest of the staff marched and carried a banner, handing out gospel tracts and waving. While we were waiting in the staging area, we got into some conversations with Jewish people, one of whom gave us her business card for further contact. There was a live camel, but his trainer objected to us posing (in our Jews for Jesus T-shirts) for a picture. Several of our contacts commented later that they had seen us in the parade.

Pray for the gospel seeds that were sown in these and other branches on the 4th of July.

Camp Gilgal

Camp Gilgal is a Messianic camp for Jewish children and youth and is a big part of Jews for Jesus’ ministry to these age groups. This year is our 20th summer! On June 26, Jewish children and youth ages eight to twelve years came together for camp in New York and California to have loads of fun and grow in their identities as Jewish followers of Messiah. This year’s junior camp Bible lessons were based on the book of Genesis and centered around the theme, “He is faithful to all generations.”

In New York, 34 campers enjoyed Tabernacle Time (worship and Bible lessons), as well as activities such as archery, swimming, Hebrew and horseback riding. Almost everyone had memorized our entire Scripture passage (Psalm 145:3-13) by the end of camp; one camper learned it by the third day! One of the girls from a somewhat unstable background was struck by how loved she felt by everyone and thanked us for showing her God’s love. By the end of the two weeks, twelve campers rededicated their lives to Y’shua, and two campers surrendered to Him for the first time.

Meanwhile on the West Coast, 54 campers attended our largest junior camp in ten years. During camp, seven campers surrendered to Y’shua, and ten more rededicated their lives to Him.

Every year as part of West Coast Gilgal, we participate in Columbia’s glorious Fourth of July parade. This year we sang “Psalm 23″ and “Prince of Peace” as we marched in the parade, wearing our Camp Gilgal T-shirts. The campers won the best singing group award for the parade. Afterward, we spent the rest of the day in Columbia, enjoying the games, the town and drinking sarsaparilla. It was a great opportunity to represent the Lord, and some of our staff met Jewish people who were open to hear them about Y’shua.

Our teen camp in New York is currently in progress (July 10-17), and our teen camp in California is about to begin (July 17-23). Adventure camp for high schoolers in both New York and California will be July 30 through August 6. Please pray for these campers, that their hearts and minds will be open to receive what the Lord has for them this summer.

Germany “Light of the World” Campaign

The campaign began on June 22 in Berlin and will continue there through July 16. Meanwhile, on July 9, three team members went on to Frankfort where they were joined by seven more, and will continue outreach there through July 17. We’ll have the final wrap-up for you next month. In the meantime, please rejoice with us and pray for the many Jews and Gentiles whose hearts have already been touched. Our European director, Avi Snyder, reports:

“God answers prayer! The weather forecast for Berlin called for rain through the 11th of July. The first day that we were ‘hit’ with rain, the team still managed to hand out nearly 10,000 tracts for the day. The first day of our second week, the weather started out extremely foreboding. But we prayed and asked God to hold back the rain. And He did.

“The whole team has a great desire to reach the 9,000-15,000 Israelis now living in Berlin. That’s why we invited six Jews for Jesus from Tel Aviv to take part in this outreach. Also standing alongside us is a faithful core of German and former Muslim volunteers. And standing behind all of us are the German and American stewards who’ve volunteered to take care of the administrative details. You’re part of this campaign team as well, because your prayers are crucial to all that we’re doing. Praise the Lord-the majority of the team members (not just the Israelis) have interacted with inquisitive Israelis every single day! Many are still reluctant to give us their names and addresses for follow-up ministry but they have heard the gospel from us, and many have happily accepted Hebrew copies of the Gospel of Mark or John that we carry in our bags.”

Click here for lots more campaign highlights and a few photos that we hope will bless and encourage you.

New York City Summer Witnessing Campaign

As you receive this, the third week of our campaign will have just ended. Thus far, campaigners have handed out 367,495 evangelistic tracts and postcards, have received contact info from 259 Jewish and 487 Gentile seekers and have prayed with 43 people to receive the Lord, four of whom are Jewish.

Please pray for the home stretch of the campaign. Next month we will give you a final wrap-up, and we hope, lots of photos; meanwhile, we hope you will be blessed by the following reports.

Click here for reports from this year’s campaigners as they were training at Moody Bible Institute.

Click here for reports from the actual campaign.

Massah

Our Massahniks are now leaving Israel en route to India. Thanks for helping pray them through the first part of the journey; please keep upholding them through the second part. Click here for team members’ reflections on their adventure so far, and some photos from their time in Israel.

OOPS to newsletter readers

If you get our print newsletter, our apologies for the confusion regarding the insert. The newsletter has a brief article about our broadsides and shows the cover of one that our campaigners are handing out this month. That article mentions that we’ve inserted the broadside for you to read. And indeed, we did insert a copy of the broadside … in the previous month’s newsletter! Again, sorry for the confusion.

Here is an interesting perspective from a Jew who does not (at least yet) know Jesus.

*We are currently upgrading our PPP website and are temporarily unable take orders online, so please call in your order. You can however preview the book details on our catalog site here.

Be sure to mention RealDeal when you ask for free shipping on this item.

The very first time that the team took to the streets to hand out tracts, UK team member Barry got our first Israeli contact, Rafael. Barry had ending a witnessing conversation by asking, “If I sent you some free literature that explains a bit more about our faith in Y’shua (Jesus) the Messiah, would you be open-minded enough to read it?” Rafael gave Barry his contact details so that we could stay in touch.

While handing out tracts near the Brandenburg Gate, one of our Israeli staff members, Moti, suddenly felt someone poking him in the back. He turned to see a young Israeli who had seen the words “Jews for Jesus” (in Hebrew) written on the back of Moti’s shirt. Soon, Moti was in the midst of an entire bus load of Israelis who all wanted one of the tracts that he was handing out.

Moti also met a German believer named Steven who wanted to say how bad he felt about the Holocaust. Moti replied, “I am a Jew and I am sharing the Good News that in Y’shua there is no guilt … only forgiveness.” When Steven heard that, he shed a tear and said that it really encouraged him. He took one of our newsletters and left. Moti says, “Please pray that more Germans will be free of guilt and will share the Good News with the Jews.”

More from Moti: “When I asked Constanza, ‘Who do you think Y’shua is?’ she answered, ‘I have been thinking about that for the last two weeks.’ So I explained to her why I believe in Y’shua. She asked, ‘If there is God why are there wars in this world?’ I told her that even if we took away all of the weapons people would still have something to fight about. I shared with her from Ezekiel 36: 25-27. I told about the true peace we can find in Y’shua and she can get it today. She replied that she was in a hurry to get to work. But just before I asked for her contact info, she said, ‘You know what?  Let’s pray now.’ After Constanza prayed to receive the Lord, she told me that her father is Jewish. Please pray for her spiritual growth.”

Yulia, another member of our Israeli outreach team, was approached by an American Jewish man named Mike who has been studying Buddhism, but wanted to know more about the Lord. And Tigist, an Ethiopian Jewish member of our team, spoke with an Orthodox Jewish man named Aaron who admitted his spiritual dissatisfaction with the synagogue, and acknowledged that he wanted to know more about our faith. He gladly gave Tigist his contact information and said he’d welcome a call and visit from one of our staff.

While handing out tracts on Friedrichstrasse, team member Kata was approached by an older man named Karl who told her with undisguised anger that he was a Nazi. Undaunted, Kata proceeded to tell him that Y’shua loves him and died and rose from the dead for all of our sins, including his. As they talked more, the power of the gospel message touched the man’s heart. Finally, he walked away, perhaps in shame. But a few moments later, he started a conversation with another team member named Linda who stood nearby. By the time both Linda and Kata had finished speaking with him about God’s love, Karl had been moved to tears.

Team member Paula was accosted by three young Palestinians who began shouting some rather hateful words at her. But Paula responded with a declaration of Y’shua’s love for them and an explanation of His gospel. A soft answer really does turn away wrath, and as Paula continued to speak with them, their countenances clearly changed. After challenging them to examine the claims of Jesus with an open mind, two of the young men, Kisimir and Abdelsub, gave Paula their contact information so that we could send them more information.

Paula also met a young Israeli named Anna from Jerusalem who asked what she was doing. Paula explained that she was telling the “Good News” that the Messiah of Israel has already come. She told how Y’shua is the Passover Lamb and our atonement. Anna said that she was living in Berlin temporarily, but was unemployed. She listened intently as she heard that Messiah Y’shua took the punished for her sins and rose from the dead. She prayed to ask Jesus to forgive her!

The team was handing out tracts at the gay parade-half a million people crowded the streets amidst pounding music and outlandish costumes. A young woman named Joanna approached one of our campaigners, Jessica, as her partner darted off. She said she was a Catholic lesbian studying theology at the university. Her posture seemed receptive and her eyes sad. The conversation was pointed and when they got to the issue of sin, Jessica said, “You know, it’s when we do the things we don’t want to do, and don’t do the things we want to do.” Joanna looked quickly around at the scene enveloping them. Then turning back to Jessica, she said in a pleading tone that she was eager to hear the Good News and she gave her contact information. Jessica says, “As she walked away, the Lord Jesus burned in my heart-He wants to cleanse her. Please pray for Joanna, that she would hear the voice of Messiah say to her, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’” (Luke 5:13).

Vova, from our Israel branch, was also handing out tracts at the gay parade when he met Leonid, who he recognized as a friend of his uncle’s family from Ukraine. Leonid recognized Vova as well though it had been more than fifteen years since they had seen one another! Vova says, “Leonid and his wife (who are Jewish) invited me to have lunch with them while I’m in Germany. They were not disturbed by my faith in Y’shua. Please pray for them as I share more about the gospel with them.’”

More from Jessica: Jessica reports, “I almost did not go out on our first sortie-I had permission to rest and get over my jet lag-but I opened my Bible right to 2 Timothy 4:5, “Do the work of an evangelist.” The Lord was encouraging me to go out and I am glad He did. On a noisy corner in Friedrich Strasse I met a young woman named Esther, a university student studying psychology. She was quietly receptive to the gospel and wanted to hear more. Three days later, I was in the same place on my way to lunch. Up the elevator came Esther. ‘Esther!’ I cried out happily. We spoke briefly and then I asked if I could pray for her.

‘I think I’m okay,’ she said softly.

‘Well, what about your exams?’

‘You can pray about little things like that?’ she asked, surprised.

‘Jesus invites us to tell Him everything, big and small.’

‘Then yes, definitely please.’ After I prayed for her we opened our eyes, we looked at each other. It was time. ‘Would you like to ask Jesus to forgive you now?’ I asked.

‘But how do I do that?’ Very smoothly, we prayed together and I told her that the angels in heaven were rejoicing. She left happy. Please pray for Esther, that she would become a true disciple who stays in the Word, knows the truth, and blossoms into a beautiful woman of God.”

Also from Jessica: “I passed a young woman sitting on a bench and was moved to go back and sit down next to her. She was a beautiful, well-dressed young woman, but a skeleton. I shared the gospel with her. She asked many thoughtful, profound questions; ‘How can Jesus forgive his enemies?’ ‘Does God have a destiny for each person? For me?’ I began to speak to her about how Jesus longs to nourish her spiritually as well as physically. She was listening intently. I shared with her three scriptures (Revelation 3:20, John 10:10 and Psalm 107: 18-19) that the Lord gave me when I was in her condition-anorexic. She wrote them down, astonished that God understood her depression and torment. A burning compassion welled up in my heart for her. It was the Holy Spirit. I told her ‘Satan wants to steal, rob, and destroy you. He says you can’t eat, but Jesus came to give you a full life. Jesus says that you can eat with Him.’ She started to cry and then beamed-relieved. I know that smile because I have smiled it before. I prayed for her.

“When I reconnected with my team leader, Moti, he asked, ‘Did you pray with her to receive the Lord?’ No! I rushed back to the bench, but by then she was walking away. ‘Annika! would you like to ask Jesus to forgive you now?’ I called to her. ‘Yes!’ was her answer. We prayed and hugged. Immediately we felt like sisters. ‘This is amazing!’ she said.

“Later I was asking God for a scripture to reassure me that Annika would continue with Him. My Bible flipped right to Romans 8: ‘For whom He predestined He also called … ‘ Please pray that God would persuade Annika that nothing can separate her from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

One of our team members, Han, was taking surveys when a young man from Korea began to hurry past. He was listening to his MP3 player and Han doubted that he would stop to answer the three questions. But when Han repeated his request for the young man to answer the questions in English, he immediately agreed. Han reports, “He answered the questions clearly, then I shared the gospel with him and asked what he thought about it. He told me that he is seeking God and I had the impression that he was crying. He really wanted to be led further in faith and God. He immediately gave me his contact address.”

Linda met an eighteen-year-old Muslim girl who said she believed in the Koran and Mohammed. When Linda asked who she thought Jesus was, she said a great prophet. Linda then asked if a prophet could tell a lie and when the girl said no, Linda explained that Jesus claimed to be one with the Father, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. She then asked the girl if she had ever asked Jesus to forgive her, and the answer was, “No, but I want to.” She bowed her head and said, “Jesus, forgive me and I will love you.” After she prayed, she said her heart was happy. Please pray that God will nurture her love and faith in Jesus.

Linda also reports, “A French girl, also named Linda, said believed Jesus was the Son of God and that she wanted receive Him into her heart and have forgiveness of her sins. We prayed and she said, ‘My heart is so happy.’

“I was talking to a Christian friend and Niels, a young man from Denmark, stopped to listen to our conversation. My friend said, ‘I think the young man wants to talk to you.’ I turned to him and he explained that the previous night he had been drinking too much and told his friends that he needed Jesus. So he stopped when he heard our conversation. ‘How can I have Jesus in my life?’ he asked. We talked about what Jesus had done for him. Then we prayed and Niels asked Jesus to forgive him. Afterward he said, ‘My heart is so clean. Thank you. I need a Bible.’ He gave me his contact info and I told him we would send him a nice Bible.”

Barry reports, “My team was suffering in the hot sun with very little fruit from our efforts. I asked God for help and soon people began to give us their contact details. I spoke to two young Israelis: Rona and Yuval. They took our survey and Rona agreed to give her email address. Later God brought two more young Israelis who gave their contact details. Hallelujah!

A group of four young Arabs approached me and I gave them tracts. One asked, ‘Are you Jewish?’ When I said, ‘Yes.’ They immediately gave the tracts back to me. I said, ‘Wait a minute! I respect you. Please respect me!’ They agreed and took the tracts again. One of them told me, ‘I am Ahmad; I am a Palestinian. Your people hate me.’ I said, ‘I don’t hate you, I am your brother.’ I offered my hand. He shook it. I said, ‘This is about Jesus. Would you like to know more?’ He gave me details for follow-up.”

More from Barry: “Today I shared my testimony in public in front of a small crowd at the Brandenburg Gate! The whole team marched from Friedrichstrabe Station to the Brandenburg Gate. We blew the shofar on the way and exclaimed, ‘Jews for Jesus! Jesus for everyone!’ At the gate, we sang hymns and Hebrew songs and six team members from six different countries shared their testimonies!

“I felt so moved to march from Friedrichstrabe Station because that was where the Kinder-transport carried 10,000 Jewish children away from the Nazis to England while others boarded trains that led to death. My mother was one of the children who were rescued.

“After we shared our testimonies and sang songs, we went into the crowd and shared the gospel. One Jewish man came to faith and many people gave contact details for follow-up! Hallelujah! We returned home, marching and singing more hymns. As we marched, we told people ‘Jesus loves you!’ So we had marched from a place of death with a message of life in Jesus!”

Shelley spoke with a young woman named Sarah and her mother Ilana-they were Israelis living in Berlin. They both took the survey and Sarah was signing for her mother, who is deaf. Shelley reports, “After the questions and hearing Sarah’s opinions on life after death, I asked if I could share my belief. Sarah was polite but Ilana was eager to hear! At one point Sarah stopped signing. I asked Ilana if she could read my lips and she said she could a little, but she doesn’t understand English very well. But she said she loves God and wants to know about Jesus. I had brought a New Testament in Hebrew, hoping for someone who would want to read it. Praise God, Ilana was happy to receive it! Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. May Ilana be drawn close to Messiah, see her need, and receive Him.”

Shelley also reports, “We were at the square and I asked a tall man named Jon to take a survey and he agreed. But when I asked the first question about God, he said he didn’t want to go through the questions but would talk about God. I asked him who Jesus was to him. He told me Jesus was a good man and I agreed but said the Bible tells us He is much more-that He died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead to bring us to God. Jon became angry and yelled that what I said was rubbish. He was angry and raised his voice. He then told me of his own beliefs. I asked if I could tell mine, and he listened as I told him how I received Jesus as my Savior. He ended the conversation with a handshake and said, ‘Goodbye my sister.’

“Twenty minutes later, I was talking with a tour group and I noticed Jon waiting to talk to me. I asked him what he wanted to say and he said, ‘No War.’ I did not understand this. He pulled a sandwich from his bag and he wanted me to sit with him and eat. I sat with him. I held up the hot sandwich and thanked God for the man’s ‘peace offering.’ Jon was raised a Catholic; he has read the Bible and believes in God. He told me he felt bad for having raised his voice earlier. This was a homeless man that spent money to make peace with one sent from God. As we parted, I asked him to open his Bible and ask God if Jesus truly died for his sin and rose again. We looked into each other’s eyes and he was very respectful. I asked God to make peace in Jon’s heart so he can receive the Peace Offering of the Messiah, Jesus. He said, ‘I thank you, my sister’ and shook my hand firmly.”

Metin, a Turkish Muslim, approached one of our campaigners, saying, “You’re the ones who killed Jesus. You sold Him out.” “Wait a minute,” the campaigner said. “Did you know that Jesus Himself told his disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem, would be delivered over to the gentiles, would be killed, and then rise from the dead after three days?”

Metin kept insisting that the Jews killed Jesus but the campaigner (who was not Jewish) patiently spoke of why Jesus went to the cross and how through His blood, we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

Gradually Metin’s attitude changed. He agreed to read a copy of the New Testament and allowed the campaigner to pray for him, that God would reveal the truth to him and that Metin would receive this truth. Please pray for his salvation.

Christine was approached by two Israelis who notice the Star of David on her T-shirt. When they discovered she was not Jewish, they expressed amazement and gratitude that she would so openly identify herself with Jews in the streets of Germany. They also expressed concern that somebody might attack her. Christine explained that she felt completely safe as she went out in the name of Y’shua, her Jewish Messiah and hero. She was amazed by how attentively they listened to her explanation of the gospel. Please pray for Ronit and Victor to be saved.

And once again, from Linda: “Carlos was sitting on a bench with a friend. I asked who he thought Jesus was. He said the Son of God. As we talked, he realized he didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he wasn’t sure if he were to die that he would go to heaven. I asked him if he would like to receive Jesus and ask Him to forgive him. He said yes, and after praying he told me how his mother had packed a Bible in his suitcase and told him never to forget God. I saw him later in the afternoon and he smiled and waved as he said ‘Linda with the beautiful message from Jesus.’

“Soon after I prayed with a homeless man named Michael to receive Jesus in his heart. He said, ‘I feel great joy.’ Next, a German woman named Sanya prayed to receive Jesus, but she didn’t want to give her address. She said she would email us. Right after lunch I met Rachel, a Jewish girl of 26 who wanted to know more about Jesus. I gave her the book of John in Hebrew. Then Alisha, a Jewish German girl asked about Jesus and she said she was ready to ask Him to forgive her. She prayed to receive Jesus and said her heart felt clean inside. I gave her two books in German.

“Then suddenly it felt as though my throat had closed and I was coughing non-stop. I couldn’t speak and felt this was an attack by the devil. But the enemy could not prevail. The coughing stopped and I witnessed to two Muslim women about Jesus.

Many more heard how to be saved, some were not yet ready, but almost persuaded.”

As you can see, God has used your prayers to strengthen our hands, to direct us to those who are searching for Him, and to open the hearts of the people with whom we speak. Thank you for standing with us on the streets of Berlin!

Please pray that God will ground these new believers in Him so that they’ll bear lasting fruit to the glory of His name. Pray that those who are still seeking the truth will not be turned from that path.

Metin, a Turkish Muslim, approached one of our campaigners, saying, “You’re the ones who killed Jesus. You sold Him out.” “Wait a minute,” the campaigner said. “Did you know that Jesus Himself told his disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem, would be delivered over to the gentiles, would be killed, and then rise from the dead after three days?”

Metin kept insisting that the Jews killed Jesus but the campaigner (who was not Jewish) patiently spoke of why Jesus went to the cross and how through His blood, we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

Gradually Metin’s attitude changed. He agreed to read a copy of the New Testament and allowed the campaigner to pray for him, that God would reveal the truth to him and that Metin would receive this truth. Please pray for his salvation.

Christine was approached by two Israelis who notice the Star of David on her T-shirt. When they discovered she was not Jewish, they expressed amazement and gratitude that she would so openly identify herself with Jews in the streets of Germany. They also expressed concern that somebody might attack her. Christine explained that she felt completely safe as she went out in the name of Y’shua, her Jewish Messiah and hero. She was amazed by how attentively they listened to her explanation of the gospel. Please pray for Ronit and Victor to be saved.

And once again, from Linda: “Carlos was sitting on a bench with a friend. I asked who he thought Jesus was. He said the Son of God. As we talked, he realized he didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he wasn’t sure if he were to die that he would go to heaven. I asked him if he would like to receive Jesus and ask Him to forgive him. He said yes, and after praying he told me how his mother had packed a Bible in his suitcase and told him never to forget God. I saw him later in the afternoon and he smiled and waved as he said ‘Linda with the beautiful message from Jesus.’

“Soon after I prayed with a homeless man named Michael to receive Jesus in his heart. He said, ‘I feel great joy.’ Next, a German woman named Sanya prayed to receive Jesus, but she didn’t want to give her address. She said she would email us. Right after lunch I met Rachel, a Jewish girl of 26 who wanted to know more about Jesus. I gave her the book of John in Hebrew. Then Alisha, a Jewish German girl asked about Jesus and she said she was ready to ask Him to forgive her. She prayed to receive Jesus and said her heart felt clean inside. I gave her two books in German.

Metin, a Turkish Muslim, approached one of our campaigners, saying, “You’re the ones who killed Jesus. You sold Him out.” “Wait a minute,” the campaigner said. “Did you know that Jesus Himself told his disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem, would be delivered over to the gentiles, would be killed, and then rise from the dead after three days?”

Metin kept insisting that the Jews killed Jesus but the campaigner (who was not Jewish) patiently spoke of why Jesus went to the cross and how through His blood, we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

Gradually Metin’s attitude changed. He agreed to read a copy of the New Testament and allowed the campaigner to pray for him, that God would reveal the truth to him and that Metin would receive this truth. Please pray for his salvation.

Christine was approached by two Israelis who notice the Star of David on her T-shirt. When they discovered she was not Jewish, they expressed amazement and gratitude that she would so openly identify herself with Jews in the streets of Germany. They also expressed concern that somebody might attack her. Christine explained that she felt completely safe as she went out in the name of Y’shua, her Jewish Messiah and hero. She was amazed by how attentively they listened to her explanation of the gospel. Please pray for Ronit and Victor to be saved.

And once again, from Linda: “Carlos was sitting on a bench with a friend. I asked who he thought Jesus was. He said the Son of God. As we talked, he realized he didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he wasn’t sure if he were to die that he would go to heaven. I asked him if he would like to receive Jesus and ask Him to forgive him. He said yes, and after praying he told me how his mother had packed a Bible in his suitcase and told him never to forget God. I saw him later in the afternoon and he smiled and waved as he said ‘Linda with the beautiful message from Jesus.’

Metin, a Turkish Muslim, approached one of our campaigners, saying, “You’re the ones who killed Jesus. You sold Him out.” “Wait a minute,” the campaigner said. “Did you know that Jesus Himself told his disciples that He was going to go to Jerusalem, would be delivered over to the gentiles, would be killed, and then rise from the dead after three days?”

Metin kept insisting that the Jews killed Jesus but the campaigner (who was not Jewish) patiently spoke of why Jesus went to the cross and how through His blood, we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God.

Gradually Metin’s attitude changed. He agreed to read a copy of the New Testament and allowed the campaigner to pray for him, that God would reveal the truth to him and that Metin would receive this truth. Please pray for his salvation.

Christine was approached by two Israelis who notice the Star of David on her T-shirt. When they discovered she was not Jewish, they expressed amazement and gratitude that she would so openly identify herself with Jews in the streets of Germany. They also expressed concern that somebody might attack her. Christine explained that she felt completely safe as she went out in the name of Y’shua, her Jewish Messiah and hero. She was amazed by how attentively they listened to her explanation of the gospel. Please pray for Ronit and Victor to be saved.

And once again, from Linda: “Carlos was sitting on a bench with a friend. I asked who he thought Jesus was. He said the Son of God. As we talked, he realized he didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he wasn’t sure if he were to die that he would go to heaven. I asked him if he would like to receive Jesus and ask Him to forgive him. He said yes, and after praying he told me how his mother had packed a Bible in his suitcase and told him never to forget God. I saw him later in the afternoon and he smiled and waved as he said ‘Linda with the beautiful message from Jesus.’

And once again, from Linda: “Carlos was sitting on a bench with a friend. I asked who he thought Jesus was. He said the Son of God. As we talked, he realized he didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and that he wasn’t sure if he were to die that he would go to heaven. I asked him if he would like to receive Jesus and ask Him to forgive him. He said yes, and after praying he told me how his mother had packed a Bible in his suitcase and told him never to forget God. I saw him later in the afternoon and he smiled and waved as he said ‘Linda with the beautiful message from Jesus.’

“Soon after I prayed with a homeless man named Michael to receive Jesus in his heart. He said, ‘I feel great joy.’ Next, a German woman named Sanya prayed to receive Jesus, but she didn’t want to give her address. She said she would email us. Right after lunch I met Rachel, a Jewish girl of 26 who wanted to know more about Jesus. I gave her the book of John in Hebrew. Then Alisha, a Jewish German girl asked about Jesus and she said she was ready to ask Him to forgive her. She prayed to receive Jesus and said her heart felt clean inside. I gave her two books in German.

“Then suddenly it felt as though my throat had closed and I was coughing non-stop. I couldn’t speak and felt this was an attack by the devil. But the enemy could not prevail. The coughing stopped and I witnessed to two Muslim women about Jesus.

Many more heard how to be saved, some were not yet ready, but almost persuaded.”

As you can see, God has used your prayers to strengthen our hands, to direct us to those who are searching for Him, and to open the hearts of the people with whom we speak. Thank you for standing with us on the streets of Berlin!

Please pray that God will ground these new believers in Him so that they’ll bear lasting fruit to the glory of His name. Pray that those who are still seeking the truth will not be turned from that path.

Joel: “I was handing out broadsides on Michigan Avenue and was a little discouraged because it seemed like every Jewish person I offered one to said, ‘No, I’m already Jewish,’ and sped by before I could respond.

“Finally, a young man came up to me, and said ‘What is this? I’ve always wondered about you people but I’ve never asked.’ I explained about our mission and quickly shared the gospel. Although he didn’t give his contact info, Daniel told me his name. I was encouraged to find a young Jewish man who was open to hearing our message.”

Phillip: “The question, ‘Who do you think Jesus is?’ seems to be a loaded one. People’s answers seem to come from deep inside them. A Jewish Korean War veteran said he didn’t believe everything the rabbis told him, but he couldn’t hear the possibility that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. Regardless of what I asked, he ‘road blocked’ the simple question about Jesus. In the end, however, he took a broadside and I pray that he reads it and thinks about the Messiah.”

Alexander: “During my first sortie in Chicago, a fireman took my broadside and asked me in Hebrew, ‘Mi Hu?’ ['Who is He?']. I asked if he knows Hebrew, and he said, ‘I’m from Israel.’ I told him, ‘Me too. God must have something to say to you. He sent both of us out of our country and we meet here. It can’t be coincidence!’ So he told me that he wanted to know more and gave me his contact info. Maybe I’ll meet him again in Israel!”

Tamar: “I spoke with a young woman who was spiritually ripe and ready to receive the gospel and the free gift of salvation right there on the street. She walked away excited and called her boyfriend to tell him about it right away.

Samuel: “I offered a broadside to a Jewish man who responded, ‘Get out of my face!’ and then stormed off. About ten minutes later, I saw the same man coming right for me, so I braced myself to get yelled at some more. But instead he said, ‘I owe you an apology.’ He felt terrible for what he had said to me. After a short conversation I offered him a broadside and he reluctantly accepted.”

Rebekah: “While broadsiding on Michigan Avenue I met a Jewish lady called Rutie, an Israeli on holiday with her friends. She told me that back in Israel she had a friend who was a ‘Jew for Jesus.’ She thought it might be true that Jesus was the Messiah, but asked why it was that the rabbis didn’t believe in Him. I challenged her to read the Scriptures and consider Y’shua for herself. Please pray that she continues to talk to her friend about Jesus and discovers the truth.”

Warren: “I went to the Peace and Love Festival, which was a hippie event full of people on many substances. Being in recovery from substance abuse myself, I thought this would be tough. But through my weakness, God gave me His strength to face my problems and talk of His Messiah. During this sortie I got three Jewish contacts, including two who were quite open to the gospel. Please pray for them and followup.”

Keilah: “Handing out broadsides and engaging people can be challenging. But I’ve realized that even if people don’t take one you can ask them a question. One young man refused to take a broadside, but he did stop to talk with me. He had never considered the possibility that Jesus might be the Messiah. Although he was unwilling to receive more information, I know our encounter challenged his beliefs.”

Sandy: I work as an admin assistant in the New York Branch and I answered a call from a man who had received one of our broadsides at Grand Central Station. Though not Jewish, he has great respect for the Jewish people. He wanted to ask a few questions about our ministry and he also shared about his journey. His wife is Catholic and he had attended her church but was looking for more. He had just bought a Bible. After asking him a few questions, I could tell that he believed in Jesus but had never had a spiritual rebirth. I asked him to turn to John 3 in his new Bible and I shared the simple gospel with him. He was so impressed with how clear the truth was. I asked him if he would like to pray and receive Jesus as his Savior-he said yes and he repeated the sinner’s prayer after me. It is amazing how ‘one plants, one waters and God gives the increase!’ He is faithful!”

Moishe, a Hassidic guy, called the New York office. He said he had questions and the staff invited him to come by. He took the train in from Queens and first met with Jeremiah and Sam, and together they looked at the prophecies in the book of Isaiah. Stewart then joined the group and took him through some other passages. He was very curious and told Stewart that he would come to the Bible study on Tuesday!

Sam: “I talked to a guy named Louis, who came up to me crying and asking questions about God and Jesus. So I explained the gospel and asked if he had ever received Jesus. He said he always prayed that God would accept him, but never felt like He really did. I explained that you only have to ask once, and the Holy Spirit will be given to you. And with tears in his eyes, Louis came to know Jesus as his Savior.”

David: “I met a man named Isaac in Union Square who spoke Yiddish. He had recently had a stroke and had forgotten much of what he had learned. I said, ‘I’m a Jew also, but I don’t speak Yiddish. However, I believe Jesus is the Messiah.’ Isaac told me he didn’t think his family would be happy if he became a believer. Isaac then told me that he had a son named David. I said, ‘That’s funny, because I have a son named Isaac.’ And Isaac the unsaved Jew said, ‘Well, you know what’s funny-I raised my son to be a Yankees fan and now he’s a Red Sox fan.’ And I replied, ‘Well that’s sort of funny because it’s kind of like me.’ And Isaac the Jew said, ‘What? You play for the other team?’ I said, ‘Well yah, sort of, but I am still playing baseball!’

“I was sortieing at 59th & Lexington. A woman who picked up one of our tracts off the ground handed it to me. I thanked her. Then she left but came back to talk. Maggie was raised a Catholic, but for a number of years had been an atheist. She recently decided she wants to connect with God, has read halfway through the book of Matthew and is open. I got her contact info and invited her to this week’s lecture.”

Ron: “A guy came and ripped up the broadside in front of my face. The next guy came up-same thing. The next person came up and said, ‘God bless you.’ And the next came up and was ready to receive Jesus! It showed me that even though we have opposition, God had planted someone to encourage me and someone right after to come and receive the Lord.

“I met Larry, who told me, ‘I’m a Muslim.’ I said, ‘Okay, but who do you think Jesus is?’ Larry prayed with me to receive the Lord.

“I approached Dwayne at a street fair and asked him if he knew who Jesus was. He said yes he did, and I asked if he knew Him as his personal Savior. Dwayne said no, he thought only 144 people could be saved. I told him Jesus was for everyone and shared Romans 3:23 with him, then asked Dwayne if he would like to receive Jesus as his personal Savior today. Dwayne said yes and prayed with me right in the middle of the street fair. He went away rejoicing, saying that he was going to go home and read his Bible.”

Warren:

“I was on the Upper East Side and was on a break when a woman approached saying, ‘Help me, help me!’ She then explained that her boyfriend was in big trouble. I didn’t know what she might say next, but to my relief, she told me that she’s a believer, her boyfriend is Jewish, and she desperately wants him to believe in Jesus! Then her boyfriend, Alvin, showed up. I was able to present the gospel to him and he got saved! They both hope to come to our Tuesday lecture series.”

Alex: “Rebekah and I were on a sortie last night. I encouraged her to go and talk to a group of religious guys. She was a little reluctant but went ahead and asked Niv, an Israeli guy, ‘Have you ever read the New Testament?’ He responded, ‘Oh, I dabbled in the New Testament. I think He [Jesus] could be the Messiah, maybe.’ Rebekah said, ‘Are you serious?’ He gave her his contact information. Rebekah said, ‘Niv was one of the easiest contacts I ever got!’

“Our team of Russian-speaking Jews for Jesus went to Brighton Beach (where there are many Russian-speaking Jews). I met an older Jewish man who at first didn’t want the broadside but ended up taking it. Then he said to me, ‘Okay, so what does that mean?’ When I said it was about God, the man responded, ‘I don’t believe in God. I believe in numbers. If I can add it up, then it makes sense.’ So I took him to the book of Daniel and told him that it speaks of numbers, the dating of when the Messiah will come. The man said he would think about it.

“I tried to hand out as many tracts as possible during the Fourth of July celebration and wasn’t really expecting much by way of contacts. However, towards the end, around 10:15 PM, I heard someone with an Israeli accent say, ‘Mi Hu?’ I answered, ‘Y’shua.’ Then I had an animated conversation with two Israeli girls and one Israeli guy. They all wanted to know more about our faith and what it could mean for them. One of the women, Shelly, gave me her contact information.”

Ofer: “We were at Macy’s and there were numerous Israelis there. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked one of them. ‘Pele,’ he replied. I asked him if he knew where it was from. He did. (The Hebrew word ‘pele’ means ‘wonderful.’) He quoted Isaiah 9:6, and was open to finding out more about why we believe Jesus is that Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. I got his contact info.

“At Union Square, I met a 20-year-old Lubavitcher named Mendy. His parents had traveled to Brooklyn to the Lubavitcher headquarters to study. He had good questions and Amer got to share with him and invite him to our lecture series.”

Isaiah encountered two Orthodox men who asked him what Jews for Jesus was. Isaiah replied, ‘We’re Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah.’ They seemed open, but said they couldn’t talk long, so Isaiah gave them invitations to the lecture series about Jesus here at the branch. Both took them, but one threw it away saying, ‘My friends would kill me if I went to this.’ The other placed it in his pocket and walked away. Please pray for them.”

Tamar: “We were on the Upper East Side. I was on the corner, handing out broadsides, and gave one to a woman, Linda, who was in a helpless state. She really was looking for spiritual answers. Her father was Jewish and her mother was Catholic (very similar to my own situation) and so I was able to minister to her and eventually pray with her to receive the Lord.”

Sorcha Porter: “Tuesday night Jeremiah Zaretsky gave a lecture on Jesus’ title, ‘Prince of Peace’ and how we can tell that Y’shua is the Messiah, because he gives inner peace. The public was invited, but we were surprised when three Orthodox Jewish men walked in, including a Hassidic rabbi. After the lecture, there was a time for questions and answers, shmoozing and nosh. During the shmoozing time, I took the opportunity to speak with the Orthodox men. I asked the rabbi a few questions, including why he came to the lecture when he didn’t agree with the topic of discussion. He answered me by saying, ‘I teach the Jewish people and love them, and there are Jewish people, so I come.’

“After speaking with the rabbi, I turned around to see another Orthodox man standing behind me. I was holding my Bible, and he asked, ‘What is that, the red letter edition?’ I replied, ‘no, it’s the English Standard Version,’ and we got to talking. We talked about the Messianic prophecies and politics and our individual faith. He looked at me at one point and said, ‘Well, you understand, being a religious girl, even if someone brought you all the facts you’d still believe what you believe.’ I looked at him and said ‘No,’ which caught him off guard. I think he assumed that all us Jews for Jesus were closed-minded. I continued by saying, ‘If I were to be proven wrong, I would listen. I don’t think faith is something that should be practiced just for the sake of practice. I make my decisions based on truth, and if what I believe could be proven wrong, I would listen and stop practicing it.’ He was taken aback by my statement; he just kind of widened his eyes, looked confused and changed the subject. I continued talking with him and the other two men up until it was time to leave. They all said they would be back the next week to hear the next lecture about the Messiah. Please pray that they have ears to hear and hearts that are open to the truth of the gospel, that they might hear the truth and decide to follow it.

“Yesterday I was at the Staten Island Ferry site. I met this young guy sitting on a bench and asked him who Jesus is. Craig didn’t know. I gave him our proposal statement. He told me of problems in his life and finally he said to me, ‘I don’t know what to. I screw up all the time. What would you advise me?’ I told him that I didn’t have answers for his life, but that God did. So I said, ‘I would get down on my knees and ask God for help.’ He prayed with me to receive the Lord.”

Stewart assured the rest of the campaigners that even if someone throws your tract away, it doesn’t mean they are not interested. One such person called up the office and told Stewart that he threw a tract on the ground in front of a campaigner, and it bothered him enough to call. After Stewart’s conversation, the guy said he was coming to that night’s lecture.

Aaron [one of our staff leaders]:
I think we have faced more issues this year during our pre-Massah planning than on any program in the past that I have been involved with. IT GIVES ME HOPE!! Seriously, it excites me to think of the logistical problems that we have been facing, because it is the perfect reminder that I need to trust in God’s strength and provision and not my own. I have never been so driven to prayer on a Massah project and I hope that the posture of prayer and waiting on the Lord continues in our program over the summer. Going to a foreign country (a Jew I am, but an Israeli I am not!) and being driven out of my comfort zone is such a perfect reminder that I am not in control, but God is! I am forced to grapple with God’s sovereignty and furthermore, I am forced to grapple with His GOODNESS! While I would never choose difficulty in life in general, I take joy in relying on the Lord in ways that seem unnecessary when life is comfortable and I am in my own element.

Christian:
I’m writing this blog post about 25 minutes before we depart from [where we're staying] to Jews for Jesus headquarters in Tel Aviv and I must say, God is Good! The past few days have been both amazing and trying due to the twenty hours of travel time from New York to Tel-Aviv and inconsistent sleep in the past four days. A challenge for me is not letting physical health interfere with emotional and mental health. I chose last night to surrender that challenge to God and waited on His peace, rest and serenity-and boy, did God answer! I feel refreshed and renewed after a solid night’s sleep, and look forward to beginning the evangelism part of Massah today. I want to encourage everybody to look to God’s strength, mercy and peace whenever we truly realize our human limits. Our strength does not come from our own will, but rather comes from merciful, powerful God (Joshua 1:7-9).

Gabby:
It’s already been one week starting tomorrow. We just got back from going into different parts of Tel Aviv to try and start conversations with just the late-night crowd. So far, Israel is fantastic and I love it. We have done three different types of outreach: visibility, which is wearing our colors (Jews for Jesus shirts) and walking around a mall; survey sortie, where we ask people to take a survey on spirituality to start conversation, and the last is the normal handing out broadsides (gospel tracts) sortie.

I have learned a lot about how to answer different questions in different scenarios and I feel more confident about it [than I did a week ago.] Today, we thought of ways to do creative evangelism. I am going to be a part of a group that will play music on the beach with either a small bonfire or grill and be like a cover band. We’ll play some Bob Marley, since they love him here, and also some David Crowder or Relient K, [with their] godly lyrics. We’ll have some s’mores and try to get some instruments so people can play along with us.

I already feel so close to the people here and it’s been a great community so far; I am excited to see how God uses each of us in each others’ lives.

I really need to trust in God with everything I do and go through in life, ESPECIALLY the hard stuff. This trip really stretches you in so many ways. I absolutely love it and am so grateful I was given this opportunity.

Hannah:
Our first week was pretty much hard-core evangelism. We had training through [role playing] scenarios, background understanding of the Israeli people, and we have come up with four plans of action to creatively share the gospel through drama, photography, music and food. We had an awesome time learning and doing “sorties”-blocks of time where you break into teams and share the gospel using tracts and surveys and collect contact information for followup. Usually, I am not a fan of tracts. However, in Israel many seem willing to accept them and read them for themselves. Surveys are great, because you can get people’s opinions, but it also serves as a tool to find out where the person is at in their life and lead into the gospel. The Israeli branch of Jews for Jesus has been more than kind to us to help us and be with us.

A Turkish cab driver asked for a broadside and showed it to his friends across the street and started getting angry. He tried to be dramatic by burning it, but the paper was not burning well, so he just threw it to the ground. We understand why many people get mad when they see our Jews for Jesus shirts. However, we must share the gospel and give them the opportunity to hear the truth and make a choice for themselves. The last day of the week, we shared the gospel with people at the Tel Aviv Gay parade. We shared our own testimonies of struggles with sin and how the gospel of Christ offers forgiveness … [it was a chance to explain that] we have to commit daily to being a new creation, not living our own way, but His way.

Rebekah: Consecrated … for what?
We had our consecration service after a really full and challenging week. We’re learning how to live in community with new people, learning to share our faith on the spot, learning to deal with foreign currency, learning to ask everyone if they speak English … and the list goes on. I think it is really appropriate that we had this service a little way into our adventure, if for no other reason than we know how to better ask the leaders to pray for us now than we would have a week ago. We know a little more of the character-building growth experiences we’ll be facing this summer. Maybe most of all, we know better what it is in us we need to ask God to help us set aside so that He can be fully at work in our lives this summer, as we are willingly uncomfortable so that we can grow in Him.

Also from Rebekah: Team Work Makes the Dream Work
Today [Jews for Jesus staff member] Melissa talked to us about the power of our testimony as a team unified because of the love of Jesus-especially as we prepare to fly to India. We are all excited, but we are all nervous, too; to travel to a country we know nothing about, to be in an environment [where many we hope to reach] are running away from the realities of their lives and to be uncomfortable together. Please pray for us as we mentally, emotionally and spiritually prepare, that we would be empowered to love one another as a response to the love that Jesus has for us and as a testimony to the unity of our God. We know that the gospel is life changing and we know that the unity of our group is attractive to those who are far from God-but the reality of living it isn’t always so easy. Please pray that we would love one another in an extravagant way and that we would be willing to die to ourselves so that Jesus might be glorified in us.

We are going out tonight for Tel Aviv’s “White Night.” I am not sure exactly what it is, other than it has something to do with Tel Aviv and independence. We will be writing surveys and challenging people to consider what it means to truly be free.

Molly: United for a Purpose
As our time in Israel draws to a close, we are preparing for what will prove to be the most spiritually, emotionally and physically trying time of our summer-the weeks spent ministering to traveling Israelis in India. While our community is growing closer, I think, it has been brought to our attention that we have a whole lot of work to do. We are going to be in smaller teams in India, and we will need to rely on our team members more than ever. In the meantime, our team needs to be one-where we all build each other in our relationships with God, where we can fully operate as a group who is united for a purpose-to lift each other up in community, making our testimony so much stronger to those who we meet here in Israel and in India.

Please continue to pray for the unity of our team and our relationships with each other. Pray that God will knit our hearts together in a way that can allow us to stand up against anything we might encounter in India. Pray for the hearts of the Israelis we meet, that they will be moved by the collective testimony of our group.

Click on each image to see the front (left side) and back (right side) of the card.

Watch real life witnessing encounters:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3BIBwi2Pw0

Welcome video encourages seekers to explore our website

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WnRfWJIdBw