After the most recent Back to Jerusalem evangelism conference, Bishara and a group of local pastors had planned two days of outreach around the country.
photo credit: Jenny Oetzell
Thursday was the final day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, so we bought some sweets to give out to people in Nazareth, along with Christian materials. We had also ordered matching blue t-shirts, which had “We love you” printed on the front and back in Arabic.
In the late morning, we spent a solid hour in downtown Nazareth handing out materials. There were at least 25 of us, all wearing the bright blue t-shirts, so I believe we made something of an impression. We returned to one of the local churches afterwards to rest.
After catching our breath, we drove up to Karmi’el. Karmi’el contains a very large shopping center, and is surrounded on all sides by small Arab and Bedouin villages. Many of the people from these villages come to Karmi’el to shop, especially during the holidays.
We split into a few different groups and posted ourselves at the traffic lights.
Marlyn, a woman from our church in Yaffa, had come with us to Karmi’el. She began speaking with a family about Jesus in the middle of a busy intersection. When I walked by, she was talking to them about how Jesus gives peace and joy. I watched from a distance, as she continued talking with them for several minutes. Praise God for the opportunity for such a conversation in the midst of such a busy time!
Near the end of our time, a woman from a Muslim village came to speak with us. She encouraged us to continue what we were doing. We were surprised by her words, especially when she revealed that she lives in a part of the country that has a reputation for being very staunchly Islamic.
She said that she was very happy to see us and that she reads a lot about the Lord Jesus. She thanked us for doing what we were doing and encouraged us to come to her village and do the same thing. Bishara asked her why she wanted us to come there.
“You know why,” she said.
“I want to hear you say why,” replied Bishara.
“You are bringing light,” she said. “Many people come to our villages bringing dark teaching, but you are bringing the light.”
She also gave us the phone number of another woman who she said would want to talk with us.
The next day, the local pastors took a group to Haifa to do outreach. They spoke with people and handed out Christian materials on the beach front. While they were there, they noticed several tour buses from the Muslim villages that the woman had asked us to go to. Her prayer had been answered the very next day! Instead of us going to her village, the people of her village had come to us.
Please pray for wisdom in approaching this tense and sensitive part of the country. We know that God can break down every wall and obstacle.