It is such a privilege to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of our Jewish people, wherever they may be on their journey of faith in Messiah.

Yuri is in his 30s and was raised in a secular-Jewish home as an atheist. He contacted our office in Tel Aviv because he recently became a believer in Jesus. He ordered a Hebrew New Testament and wanted to know what his next steps should be. Our missionary, Annie, took Yuri’s call and was astonished to hear how Jesus appeared to him through dreams and visions three times before he fell to his knees in repentance. Praise God!

He then began to read the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) online. He watched YouTube videos from various ministries including ours, which prompted him to reach out.

Annie connected Yuri to a local congregation near his home and continued to follow up and study the Bible with him. Over the next few months, Yuri flourished at his congregation, and it wasn’t long before he asked to be baptized.

Annie was thrilled to be invited to Yuri’s baptism in the Jordan River. Annie says, “Yuri was baptized exactly three months after he first contacted us. It was an amazing time with the Lord. It was clear that Yuri was truly born again in Messiah. Hallelujah! He even told me that one day he would like to become a street preacher!”

Yuri has become so full of life and the joy of the Lord that everyone sees a noticeable change in him.

Yuri’s passion for his new faith is contagious. He is constantly sharing the gospel with his friends and family, with some of them also becoming believers!

From the moment Yuri received Messiah’s gift of eternal life, he couldn’t help but share the gospel with anyone who would listen. Yuri is passionate about telling his family, friends, clients, and neighbors about Jesus and how He is revealed in the Jewish Scriptures.

Yuri has become so full of life and the joy of the Lord that everyone sees a noticeable change in him. Shortly after contacting us, he began sharing the gospel with some of his friends including a young, secular Israeli, Eitan.* Eitan was struck by the changes he saw in his friend and was intrigued by what Yuri was saying. It wasn’t long before Eitan also became a believer in Messiah and was baptized on the same day as Yuri!

Yuri invited many of his unbelieving friends and family to his baptism, which was a moving experience. Many of them were touched by his powerful testimony, which opened the door for future gospel conversations.

Yuri’s transformation has impacted his parents the most. They live across the country from him, but he phones them regularly to check in. In every conversation, he would share the gospel with them and read Scriptures to show them how Yeshua is the promised Messiah. One day his mother told him she believed that Yeshua is truly the Messiah, and she felt the need to repent. Just over a month after his baptism, Yuri led his mother in prayer to repent of her sins and receive Yeshua in her heart. Amen!

Yuri continues to share the gospel with his Jewish-atheist father and has noticed a softening in his father’s heart. Pray that Yuri’s father also receives Messiah’s love!

Meanwhile, Yuri’s neighborhood had been suffering under massive rocket fire. Because of that, Yuri’s prayer life flourished. He would constantly pray for the peace and protection of those around him, and in these moments of turmoil, he experienced a deep sense of God’s peace. That peace was noticed by another friend, Gil,* who has since also received Messiah because of Yuri’s testimony. Gil has already visited Yuri’s congregation twice! Praise God!

Yuri is clearly on fire for God!

Since becoming a believer, Yuri’s business has been growing rapidly with new clients and employees. This gives him an even wider network of people to share the gospel with, which he continues to do at every opportunity. Yuri is clearly on fire for God, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

Annie continues to disciple Yuri and is amazed at what the Lord is doing in his life. Thank you for making it possible for us to serve new Jewish believers in Messiah and help them discover their calling.

Yuri is pursuing his call to evangelism and desire to truly know God every day. Please pray that the seeds he is planting with his friends, family, and community will take root. Pray also that the Lord would raise up more Jewish believers like Yuri who can’t help but share the good news of Messiah everywhere they go.

 

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.