Latest updates from Simon Lissak, Chosen People Ministries UK:
Spring is finally in the air and people are starting to live their lives outside again. This is great news for public space evangelism. Moishe was sitting on a porch in the sunshine when I met him. I greeted him and asked him how he was. A simple question that led to a long discussion about how to know God personally! When
I told him that you can only really know God through Jesus the Messiah he laughed and said “A man could never become God and God could never become a man.”
Really?…This sparked further discussion about Adam and Eve and how they knew God and then how Moses related to God face to face (Deut 34:10). He was enjoying the conversation but had to go. He offered me his number so we could talk again. Please pray that next time we speak he will be open to reading the Bible with me.
“Oh how I wish that Mohammed* was Jewish”! —This came from a young man who comes from a Muslim background. He works in shop in Golders Green that has mostly Jewish customers. I have said ‘hello’ many times as I pass the shop but this time I asked him if he thought about spiritual things? To my delight he said
“Yes, it’s my favourite subject!” We talked about God and the differences between the Abrahamic faiths whilst he was serving customers.
He is very open, so please pray for the relationship to grow and that he would be willing to meet and read the Gospel of Mark with me. I have met two other Muslim men like this recently and, I am excited by the possibility of them coming to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. Muslim men who get saved often have a real desire to share the Gospel with Jewish people who they see all over the pages of their new Bibles and think it natural to evangelism to them!
Lastly, I want to tell you about a group of different Jewish people that I have met recently and who are all suffering from various mental health challenges. We are sometimes accused of targeting the “weak and the vulnerable” and yet these are the very people that Jesus seemed to make a beeline for whenever he was in public spaces. Jacob* suffers with a combination of challenges that seem to encompass Tourette’s, depression and epilepsy. Mel* is a secular Jew with severe diabetes that has cost him some toes and the sight in one eye, and Sarah* has found herself homeless and struggles with addiction.
I met all these people on the streets of North London. They all needed someone to listen to them and love them and I was able to do that because of your support. So, thank you. Please pray that these people who have found themselves on the margins of society would find their true identity and value in their Messiah Jesus.
In His wonderful name,
Simon
*Names Changed
Latest updates from Oliver Sims, Chosen People Ministries UK:
Recently I spent some time in Manchester prayer walking and engaging the Ortho-dox. Whilst exploring the neighbourhoods, some highly decorated for Purim, I gave out leaflets pointing people to the website I Found Shalom. In the evening, as I walked down one of the main streets, the windows of the synagogues were open and the carnival experience of Purim could be heard everywhere—what a joyful atmosphere!
As the scroll of Esther was being read, the Jewish people were recalling the miracle of how they are still alive, even today! I was also able to be part of a small team to visit various homes giving out Purim gifts. We had prepared some keepsakes, beautifully embroidered with a ’Happy Purim’ design.
We prayerfully gave them to home owners, people in a Jewish bakery, a kosher butcher, and even to some dog walkers! The message was simple: “We have a gift for you. We are Christians who love the Jewish people, and we just want to give a gift to wish you well and a Happy Purim.” This led to a friendly exchange and many conversations. They knew we were believers, and this was a good opportunity to be a blessing.
In fact, one lady was nearly in tears with gratitude at her door. She mentioned that this was a very appro-priate gift as she was going through a troubling time. Please do pray for her. Later on, I met an Orthodox gentleman in Morrisons; We talked about the Torah, Purim, the plums in his trolley, and he also got a gift!
Please pray that those spoken to would be touched with the message of kindness in a time when there is much fear in the Jewish community. As part of my studies with the Feinberg Programme, I am now enrolled in a New Testament survey module, and I also continue on with Biblical Hebrew. Studying Isaiah 53, I can see how this chapter has caused many a Jewish person to cry “what’s Jesus doing in my Bible!”
And it has given me an idea: This week, I have been engaging people in spiritual conversations about the text: “May I ask you a spiritual question—has your Rabbi ever explained this pas-sage to you?”, “Have you ever read it?”, “Who is it speaking about?” I trust the Lord will open the hearts and minds of the people.
Let’s pray that they truly encounter Messiah Jesus, the ultimate Passover lamb. Concerning church meetings, I have some Messiah in the Passover meetings in Leeds, one in Harrogate and a seminar in the Gateshead area. Please can you pray for the following things in your prayers:
•For opportunities for a summer outreach on the Manchester University Campus.
•For up coming exams in my university studies.
•Our daughter Zoe has her GCSE’s and is preparing for them now. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Blessings, Oliver
Latest updates from Fiona Sorbala, Chosen People Ministries UK:
REFUGEE REPORT
I have been here in Berlin at Beit Sar Shalom for three weeks helping with the Ukrainian refugee crisis. Chosen People Ministries Israel staff sent two teams to help in Berlin. We sent them to the railway station to minister to the refugees as
they passed through Berlin’s main railway station. We had the ability to reach so many with the Good News of Salvation. And we pray with, and for, as many people as we can.
So that every emergency becomes an opportunity, our opportunity to bear witness to the Saviour and be Light in the darkness, to be God’s loving arms to embrace the broken. And as a result, we saw a number welcome the Saviour into their lives.
The story of my meeting a lovely older Jewish man shows how we are all part of something bigger. His biggest concern was how to get his sister out of Ukraine. Through contacts in Moldova, I found a Russian speaking pastor near the border
in Romania. He agreed to meet her and help her catch the train to Bucharest. There his contacts helped her get tickets to Berlin, via Budapest and
Munich.
Part of the journey isn’t free—but the brothers and sisters in Bucharest paid for their tickets. In Munich, she was met by my contacts and helped to continue her journey. To bring her grandchild to safety, we thought she must leave behind her husband. This is the heartbreak that faces many families in their desire to protect the children from the trauma of the war. The horror of the shelling and the destruction makes any sacrifice worth it.
But in this case, PRAISE THE LORD, at the last minute, she was able to bring
her grandchild too. They left on Thursday and after four day journey this family was reunited here in Berlin. The young man in the flat above where I put the brother offered to take his sister, her husband and grandchild into his flat so they
would be in the same building!
A few days later we sent them to Grossenhain where a church helped them settle and get a flat. Recently, I brought a mother and daughter to the flat where I am staying and once again we saw God’s hand at work. Luda one of the team
from Israel shouted “I know her—we met in Israel last year!” This dear woman who had left her husband and brother in Kyiv and experienced Russian shelling on a daily basis was comforted knowing that she had not been brought here by
chance but under the guiding hand of God to be met and greeted by a friend.
These are the stories of many of the people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. As you can see it takes people in a number of countries to make this possible. It’s a great honour to be a link in the chain to help people. As you pray and as you give to support this work…you too become a link in God’s chain to minister blessing to those fleeing the war. Each link has the opportunity to pray, donate, or even become a host.
We are seeking to help believers in the UK make connections with believers from the Ukraine who need a home in the UK.
With every blessing,
Fiona