Shalom Family and Friends,
As I am preparing to come visit you all very soon, I am so excited to have the opportunity to share with you in person about what God is doing in Israel! These are very exciting times and in this update you will read some inspiring stories of lives that are being touched, even at this very moment.
Sometimes I reflect on my two and a half years here and I think of how far God has brought me. I think of the many people I have had the chance to meet, befriend, work with and share my heart with. And now, just as I am about to leave on my vacation, God has blessed me with the greatest honor of all: Results! Due to the extreme difficulty of the culture, results often take time to be seen. Israel is not like other countries. It is Middle Eastern in cultural mindset and very dynamic. It's not like the more open countries in Africa or South America where you see almost immediate results. To serve here, you must be extremely adaptable and enduring. Sadly, many people leave Israel before they get to see the results of the seeds they have planted in others' lives. Though my challenges here are great, the impact of Yeshua in my life shining into the lives of others is even greater, because, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. That verse has an entirely new meaning to me now that I live here.
No Pain, No Gain -
Some of you may know that when I battle stress, it seems to collect in my neck and it affects my muscles to the point that I am in great pain and even have difficulty swallowing at times. After my mom visited me recently and set me straight, as moms are good at doing, I began to have a massage therapist/physical therapist visit my home once every other week to help me get to a place where I could heal and no longer be in pain. His name is Itzik and he is a native Israeli as well as a friend of my friend Julie.
After several months of visiting me, last week he was about to leave when he looked on my bookshelf and said, "Is that the Brit Chadasha (New Testament)?"
I replied, "Yes it is... it's the Tanakh (Old Testament) and the Brit Chadasha (New Testament)."
He said, "You believe in this?"
I said, 'Yes, I certainly do."
He said, "That is Yeshua!"
I smiled in surprise and said, "Yes it is!!! Do you know about Yeshua?"
He said, "Yes. I hear he is the Messiah prophesied in Isaiah 53."
My jaw dropped out of shock and also the fact that all I needed to do was agree - he did all the work himself!
He then went on to explain that his family from the States came to visit that weekend and they are all Messianic Jews that believe, of course, in Yeshua. He said they shared many prophesies with him from the Tenakh about Yeshua as the prophesied Messiah and asked him if he was interested in learning more. He said yes but they didn't have a copy of the Bible in Hebrew so they said they would look for one.
At that moment he said, "Do you have an extra copy of the Brit Chadasha that I could borrow?"
I said, "Of course! I have one you can keep!" (This is where I need to insert a special thanks to my friend Justin for sending me those small Hebrew New Testaments!)
I then gave it to him and he was so thankful to have his own copy. He said he would start reading it and tell me what he thinks the following week.
After he left, I began to praise God for opening up a door for me to reach out to another Israeli. And I didn't even have to do anything but keep my Bible on the top of my bookshelf!
The next week, when Itzik came back he said he began to read Matthew and that it is "Very interesting." He said that he realizes he doesn't know much about the Bible and is very interested in reading more. Before he left he asked me if I would pray for his wife who is having hip surgery because he said he could trust that I would really pray. He also asked about the Messianic congregation Tomer and I attend.
Who knows! Maybe he will want to come visit sometime!
Please pray for Itzik as he begins his search for the Truth that will set him free.
I am honored that in my pain, someone else may gain salvation.
Reaching out to hurting women -
An interesting new development has occurred. God has really begun to use me to reach out to women. Both Believing and non-Believing women and I am truly amazed by how it seemed to have happened overnight. The more I am opening up and sharing my story with women at CFI and even my friend Julie, God has caused them to open up in return and even find healing in that. In the past month alone, I have had the chance to go out with Julie and share for hours about life in general which is a true miracle since Julie is a very closed individual. I have also been asked to pray throughout the day for some friends at CFI that have confided in me and feel they need to share things that are on their hearts. Just in the last week, I have had the chance to minister to four different women. Please pray for me as I am entering this new season in life where God is allowing me to speak into the lives of many hurting women who have experienced rejection. And the most beautiful part? I can share my story with them out of joy and not out of bitterness and be a testimony of how God restores even the most broken of hearts.
I am honored that in my pain, someone else may gain healing.
An Orthodox man in a Messianic Congregation -
Can you believe it?
This past Saturday, as Tomer and I attended our Congregation, an "undercover" Orthodox Jewish man came in. Immediately, Tomer and I noticed him though most others didn't seem to make the connection. With Tomer's alertness and my discernment, we both looked at each other, grinned, and said, "This dude's about to hear some serious stuff about Yeshua!"
And that he did.
He acted suspiciously and was most likely from an anti-missionary group that visits congregations and reports back to the Orthodox communities about what's happening, but we are not positive about that. It was just a feeling we got... especially since he hid his side locks under a baseball cap! Anyway, Tomer prayed for him all night and at every point in the sermon that spoke of Yeshua, Tomer would say Amen and whisper kindly, "Did you hear that, Orthodox man?" During the praise and worship, Tomer would stretch his arm out and pray over the man. It was amazing! I told Tomer that this man could be the next paul in training. After all, Paul want from persecuting Believers to writing the majority of the New Testament!
Miracles do happen!
So now you have read several encouraging stories of what God is stirring up in His holy city during these last days... now come and hear more about it in person!
This is Erin reporting reporting LIVE from Jerusalem...
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I would like to personally invite you to:
Thursday August 9th, 7:00PM - "Israel: The Year in Review"
Erin will be sharing from her heart about another exciting year in Israel and all that God has accomplished in the lives of the People as well as the blessings and challenges of living in the Middle East!
Tomer will also be sharing about his year, what God has done in his life and and what his Special Forces Unit in Jerusalem has been up to!
There will also be Question & Answer session following where you can ask anything!
Refreshments will be served.
Saturday August 18th, 6:00PM - "Israel: Exploring the Year Ahead"
This will be a special night for those who want to know more "Inside Information" on where Israel is headed and how this will impact you!
- Learn of the prophecies that are being fulfilled before our eyes
- Gain an understanding of the political situation and how this affects you
- Explore the spiritual elements surrounding the city of Jerusalem
- Expand your understanding of the world's greatest threat: Islam
- Find out what your role is in all of this!
This will be a more intense evening and will explore the heavier issues that won't have time to be discussed in the first evening. Come prepared to be challenged! This is a night that's sure to make a personal impact.
Covered dish supper to follow. Please bring a dish to share and spoil Erin with some good American food!