Just got back from Poland, we had a good time of ministry.
The Polish believers are very kind and hospitable but they need much prayer. The biggest non RC denomination is the Watchtower Society, they are very zealous and are doing much promotion of their cult, I hope to give a full report soon on the whole trip.
We are planning to go to Kurdistan and help the refugees, with blankets and tents and baby formula and whatever else we can purchase with the funds we receive plus NTs in Arabic.
It’s a big project and there are many obstacles and even dangers, but our God is sovereign and on the throne of heaven, so we pray for His hand to be upon us and guide us through His mighty providence. We hope to have a team of around five to six men who will work together to help the refugees. The situation in Iraq is desperate, many Christians have fled their homes and villages with nothing, they sleep in fields and in empty buildings and in whatever shelter they find. The winter is coming and in that in northern Iraq it freezes at night.
THE PEOPLE ASK WHY NO ONE IS COMING TO HELP. We also will bring with us medical supplies and hope to have a doctor on our team. We would be glad if other doctors and medical staff could join us. There are over 1.2 million refugees in Iraq.
Our priority will be to help Christians whoever we can help. We know that whatever we do will be small compared to the need but it’s better to do something than nothing and we will see also how we can help long term. We are concerned about the physical needs but we believe the spiritual needs are most important.
We live so comfortable lives; suffer little, that’s why a large portion of Christianity in the West is weak. Let’s deny ourselves and do something to help these people.
We value your prayers and if you need further information please write.
This is another letter of a lady who spent some time with us doing ministry in Israel.
“Why are you here in Israel?” Whether we were handing out Bibles in Tel Aviv, reaching out to soldiers in the south, or standing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, this was frequently a question that was posed to me. Although I had gone to Israel to take a summer course at Hebrew University, my real desire had been to join others in doing evangelism. I am so thankful to report that the greater, more challenging and more fulfilling experiences of my summer came while travelling with the missionaries and volunteers who sought daily to engage people with the gospel.
One Saturday night after a church service ended, a group of us headed out to Ben Yehuda Street for outreach. As I stood there with gospel tracts in my hands, two young Jewish men approached me and asked to have some of the literature. As I introduced myself they asked me why I was there in Israel. I told them that the two great treasures of my life, Jesus and the Bible, were given to me by God through the Jewish people and that I was really grateful for that. This led into a spiritual discussion. At this point in their early twenties, they admitted that they were agnostics. Upon a brief review of the history of the Jewish people these two young men did agree that their preservation as a people group over the ages did appear quite extraordinary. I told them that I saw the hand of God all over their history. They took the gospel literature that they had initially requested and headed off to watch a football game at a café. Sadly, I have been surprised by the number of atheists and agnostics that we have encountered here in Israel. It confirms the need for much evangelism to be done so that, through it, God may open the eyes of the blind enabling them also to treasure Jesus and His Word.
One thing that I have appreciated about the missionaries and volunteers is their willingness to go and cast a wide net in places of great need like the Detention Center in the Negev and among the many people groups living in the southern part of Tel Aviv. The team goes to great lengths to make sure people are able to get bibles and gospel literature in their native languages. I can only imagine what a comfort this must be to these refugees and migrant workers who are so far from home. One time when we were down at the Detention Center, another volunteer encouraged me to walk over beyond a wall where a group of men were seated. I am glad that I did this because I have a picture imbedded in my memory of a circle of men looking through the Bibles and storybooks that the team had given out that evening. This really is such a strategic outreach because so many of the refugees are Muslim. What a privilege it was to be able to take part in the distribution of God’s Word.
Another benefit that I received from travelling down to the Detention Center was that it made stories that seemed distant to me very real and personal. I was able to speak at length with a man from Darfur. Tragically, his whole family had been murdered and he fled to Israel. He can’t go back to Darfur and he is waiting for a new country to call home. He claimed to be a follower of Jesus and he was glad for the literature that we had given him. I tried to encourage him but I think that he was probably a greater encouragement to me. It makes me look at John 14 in a different light now. Jesus has gone to prepare a place in His Father’s house, a permanent home from which not one of His sheep shall ever have to flee.
Another place that I really enjoyed travelling to was also down in the southern part of Israel. In early July the Israeli Defence Force launched Operation Protective Edge which brought many soldiers down near the border of Gaza. Going to cafés and gas stations provided us with wonderful opportunities for outreach. After one of these occasions a baseless article had been written about us. This, however, was not instigated by the soldiers but by anti-missionaries who were trying to obstruct the Lord’s work in that place. I read the article on the day that we were planning another trip south for more outreach. My experience with the Israeli soldiers has been nothing but a positive one. Though some took the New Testaments and other literature that was offered to them while others declined, the ones I encountered each time were very polite and expressed appreciation for our prayers and support. This day would prove to be no different. A few of us were dropped off at a gas station where there were plenty of soldiers to speak with as they waited in their vehicles. Many did receive the New Testaments that we offered them. At one point there was a young soldier who, although he declined to take a New Testament, proceeded to tell us where we could find many more soldiers nearby to speak with who were attending a barbecue. I stood there in amazement. The irony of the situation was not lost on me. The article that I had just read accused us of “harassing” the soldiers. Yet, here we were standing before a Jewish soldier who was encouraging us to go to more soldiers! How beautiful is that! So when the rest of our team arrived to pick us up we headed to that suggested location and the Lord blessed us with more opportunities to speak on His behalf. Indeed, our God is the great vindicator of His people!
In their daily outreach the missionaries and volunteers often encounter other believers who are intrigued by what they are doing and want to be involved. One time we were outside the New Gate when we approached a young woman from Croatia. In our attempt to give her a NT we found out she was already a believer. She was invited to come with us into the Old City and do evangelism, which she accepted, and spent the rest of the day with us. She later commented that it was such a blessing to her and sought to arrange to join the team again before she left Israel.
I, too, have appreciated the privilege of volunteering alongside this multi-national team in Israel. I am so thankful to the Lord for providing in every way above what I could have asked or imagined. It was truly an enriching experience.
Please pray for these ambassadors as they continue to plead for souls to be reconciled to God through the Messiah. To Him be all the glory.