ministry moments: from our Massah teams who connected with Israeli trekkers in India and Peru

Dean Chariker reported from India, “We celebrated Rosh Hashanah evening at a guesthouse run by two believers. Due to heavy rain, we were concerned that the roads would flood and keep people from coming. The rain also knocked out the electricity, and the owner’s wife, who was making us challah (Jewish holiday bread), didn’t know if it would be ready on time. But praise God, the electricity came back on just soon enough for the bread to bake on time—and it remained on the rest of the night as we celebrated! Despite the rough weather and the roads, 18 Israelis came to celebrate with us, and we had a blessed time with many amazing gospel conversations.

No, no—that would upset my grandmother!

“One guy, Naphtali, was very spiritual and seeking for the truth. He grew up in a religious home but doesn’t practice anymore. He listened to us talk about Jesus, and we had a deep conversation about faith. We met him often over several days and each time we got to talk about our faith. He even learned the song ‘Talk to My Heart’ (a Hebrew worship song). He said things like, ‘my heart opened’ and ‘I love Jesus,’ but when I told him that I would pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to him, Naphtali said, ‘No, no—that would upset my grandmother!’ Please pray that Naphtali’s eyes will be opened and that his heart will be softened to the truth of the gospel!

“Please also pray for Etan, who asked our team member Ilor many questions about the Messiah, and why we believe He is Jesus. Ilor shared Messianic prophecies with him and also opened his heart about how he fell in love with Yeshua (Jesus) and all that He does and promises to do for those who trust Him. Then Ilor offered Etan a Hebrew New Testament, and he took it. Please pray that he will read it and come to faith.”

He told me about his travels throughout South America.

A team leader also reported from Peru, “While in Lima, I had the chance to meet Rafi, who told me about his travels throughout South America so far. I asked him to tell me about the interesting people whom he’d met along the way, and he told me about Dylan. I actually know Dylan as he works with ‘Life in Messiah,’ and I had interned with him for a month in Argentina as a university student! This made it easy for me to connect with Rafi and share some of my story, including how and why I believe in Yeshua like Dylan does. Praise God for divine ‘coincidences’ and for partners in the field who are also reaching our Israeli friends with the gospel!”

Another team leader reported, “We went rock climbing with an Israeli named Yechiel. And during our breaks, we had plenty of time to talk. During one break, Yechiel asked how we celebrate holidays as Jewish believers in Jesus. We explained that many of the Jewish holidays have even more meaning to us as believers in Yeshua. We explained how our Messianic Passover celebrations tell about Yeshua the Lamb of God, foreshadowed by the lambs sacrificed for our redemption from Egypt in Exodus. He was very intrigued and said he would love to celebrate a Seder with us. Additionally, Jesse got to share with him about Isaiah 53 and the concept of a suffering Messiah. Yechiel was surprised that he had never heard this before and thanked us for sharing with him. Please pray that we can stay in touch and that he will come to know Yeshua as well.”

 Names are changed to protect privacy.