praise prompt

In September, we asked you to pray for the work that God is doing among our people in Budapest, and here is one way that God is answering those prayers.

Branch leader Kata Tar reports, “I met Valerie in a group for descendants of Holocaust survivors. Like many people we minister to, she is an intellectual, among whom there is a tendency to worship the gifts of intellect, knowledge, and creativity rather than the Giver. The hearts of our Jewish intellectual friends can be softened to the gospel just as much as anyone else’s, but usually something dramatic has to happen to redirect their focus. That was the case with Valerie.

“When I asked to interview her for our Jewish Identity Survey (JIS),* she readily agreed. Even before we started the interview, Valerie told me that it had only been a few months since she had entered a dark spiral of depression and decided to end her life. However, she was found and rescued. A faithful friend was with her to help her recover.

“After our first conversation, Valerie came to our Shavuot (Pentecost) feast, our art exhibit opening (mentioned in our September newsletter), and our afternoon Bible tea. And she agreed to continue studying the Bible with me! When I asked Valerie what she thought about the Messiah, she said, ‘I was raised an atheist by my survivor parents. But something happened to me on the brink of death. I saw no angels, no tunnel, or light. But for some reason, my heart was opened to believe.’ And so, Valerie has listened without objection as I share the gospel with her. Please pray with me that the gospel seeds being planted in her open heart will soon bear fruit, and that she will know and follow Yeshua (Jesus).”

*This survey was conducted by our Budapest branch and is specific to the demographic there.