This former Portuguese fishing village on Cape Cod is now the 'Gay mecca' of the East Coast. Last year, one of our team led a homosexual man to the Lord. This man wept as he heard about God's love fully expressed in the sacrificial death of His one and only begotten Son Jesus (Isaiah 53, John 3:16). Within six months, this man left his partner and lifestyle and rapidly got anchored into a Bible teaching church. We generally find much hostility to the Gospel message here because of the depth of pain and shame that is prevalent among this populace. Please pray for God to increase our love, gentleness, and compassion as we share our Savior with them.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Reaching out to Provincetown (2006)
The first year we reached out with the Gospel to Provincetown, I felt very uncomfortable. But with each passing year, God reveals more of His heart and love to me for the people there. There is much brokenness and rejection they have endured. Right on the public street, complete strangers have openly spoken about the tragedies of their lives. They often allow me to pray for them. Please pray for God's vast love and healing to pour out into their hearts and lives and that we might clearly reflect how very much God cares.
Prayer needs for Local Work
Please Pray for the salvation, healing, and spiritual growth of those we are discipling:
• ‘S’, a Jewish man bedridden with MS. He continues to meet with Oded as he has for some time now, despite the warnings of his rabbi friend. He wants to believe, but doesn’t yet.
• ‘J’, a Jewish woman who Bimini studies the Bible with weekly. She is getting very close to believing. She thinks that Jesus might be the Son of God, and is already attending church and serving. One of her sons believes in Jesus. Please pray for her health and marriage.
• New Jewish Believers ‘T’ and ‘H’ and ‘P’ who came to faith through Bimini’s ministry but are not yet attending church and have not yet been baptized. ‘P’ actively shares her faith with many in her influential circle, and Bimini will be meeting with two of these Jewish women.
• For God to pour out His love and salvation to the others we are ministering to and to the many Jewish people we will encounter during our Provincetown outreach, Back-to-school sorties, and High Holiday services.
July 4th Outreach at the Esplanade
It felt a bit lonely in the midst of the crowd. On July 3rd, only Oded and I were available to sortie at the Esplanade. The two-day music festival and dramatic fireworks display drew an impressive crowd (estimated at 500,000), but there was not much interest in the things of God. Boston is known to have one of the best celebrations of Independence Day. Folks were draped in the full array of red, white, and blue, expressing the patriotism of New England-- birthplace of the American Revolution. But sadly, for the most part, God has been forgotten here.
However, we thank God for the seven enthusiastic volunteers who came out with us on July 4th. I am also grateful for the tender heart a young man named Rich has. As I explained what sin is and the necessity of the sacrificial death Jesus paid for all of us, he told me his Christian aunt is praying for him. He also allowed me to mail him a Bible. A local church will follow up. Please pray for God to save him and the others we shared with that day.
July 4th Team by the Charles River
We are thankful for our 7 faithful volunteers and that our team was not harassed by authorities as we have been in times past. There were good conversations and a few open hearts. However, most were there to picnic and party at this huge extravaganza. One of our joys is to help encourage other Christians to share their faith, like Gwen, who is the wife of a pastor, (standing at my right) and her son Audi-- who both joined us for the first time.
Gwen writes:
Bimini, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to meet you… God had a purpose, (and I must give Him thanks) in allowing you to come into my life to teach me things that I should have known-- but I wanted to and chose to remain in my little “comfort zone”. I learned so much yesterday (in what I am lacking) from watching you witness to people. You know, Bimini, I have spent my entire Christian life within the confines of four-walls, teaching and talking about Jesus. You have exposed me, as well as Audi, to another level in Christ that we knew existed, yet not within our bubble “world”…. Thank you! Gwen
July 4th Outreach near the Hatch Shell
Offered in love to every Jewish person and anti-missionary reading our Blog.
Who or what is your refuge? Who is God's Son that is spoken of here?
Psalm 2:6-12
"I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill."
I will proclaim the decree of the LORD :
He said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
John 4:24-26 (New International Version)
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
May, 2007, Brooklyn Chassidic Outreach
Oded:
While walking in Crown Heights, I stopped an Ultra Orthodox Jewish man and asked him if it might be possible that Jesus is the promised Messiah to the Jewish people. Right away he asked with suspicion if I had some pamphlets, most likely to confirm if I was a missionary. I gave him a little card with our information. He began interrogating me with many questions. He asked where I am from, and when he found out I am from Kibbutz Revivim in Israel, he was surprised because he had lived there for awhile. His tone completely changed and he was willing to converse about Jesus and how the Scriptures point to His messiahship. Every time I mentioned a Scripture verse, he wrote it down. He promised he would look them up and give me a call which he did the next day! We exchanged telephone numbers and he is curious to know more so we agreed to keep in touch.
Bimini:
What was it like for me being on the Brooklyn Chassidic Campaign? I felt like a foreigner in a foreign land. Everyone spoke Yiddish (in Boro Park and Williamsburg) and they dressed funny. I happen to like how they dressed because I am somewhat old fashioned and search hard and long for appropriately modest clothing for my grandchildren. There was something elegantly beautiful about these people, even though most of them seemed sad and heavy laden. Here is a glimpse of my experience there:
I was chased out of a few neighborhoods. Please know that this was my first experience reaching out to them, unlike Oded who has done this before. (He likes excitement, I don't.) In Boro Park, I asked a young Chassidic Jewish man in his late 20's or early 30's if he thought it might be possible that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. He was enraged at my question and began screaming at me, yelling, "Missionary, missionary! Get out of our neighborhood!!" (It wasn't an advantage to come the second week of the outreach because by then the word had spread that we were there.) I had a partner across the street who was busy conversing with someone, so I could not just leave and she wasn't answering her cell phone. This angry Chassid gathered a couple of his friends and began following me and yelling at me some more. I crossed the street and told my partner we had to leave-- it was time to go meet the rest of the team anyway. As she walked next to me, I told her not to walk with me. They took our pictures with their cell phone cameras. I walked briskly a few very long blocks thinking they would leave, but they continued to pursue me. Finally I came to a subway station and walked up the steps, but they continued to follow me. Remembering my early campaign training 7 years ago, I suddenly turned around and yelled back, warning them that if they continued harrassing me, I would call the police. With newfound courage, I ordered them to stop following me. Suddenly, a sweet, kind older Chassidic gentleman appeared and escorted me away after telling them to leave me alone. I thanked him with overflowing gratitude and prayed for our Lord to save him and the pursuers. When I met up with my team, I asked them if anyone had a sweater so I could change clothing and disguise myself. They got a good laugh out of that as they looked upon my Chinese face--they didn't think a different sweater would help much. When I went out the next day, I felt afraid to approach anyone, thinking this might happen again. But I asked God to take away my fear and I thought, all they have are cell phones and loud voices, why am I afraid? The Lord helped me overcome my fear.
A Mother's Prayer
While in Boro Park, I stopped an Orthodox Jewish woman and asked her if she thought it might be possible that Jesus might be the Messiah. She responded with intense emotion and perfect English (no Yiddish accent) that she grew up in a Christian home and went to Bible college and on a mission trip before discovering that Christianity is idolatry and Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah. She told me that she converted to Orthodox Judaism after the rabbi satisfactorily answered all her questions. She is now married to an Orthodox Israeli man. I asked her how she could turn her back on Jesus who loves her so much He died for her. When I shared my testimony with her, she said I led my husband astray. When she found out my husband is a 'Cohen' (priest), she was emphatic that he had to come back to his religion. She took my telephone number and left. The next day I ran into her again, and she showed me some Scriptures about how Oded should not have married me--a pagan who took him away from his faith. I again shared how Jesus is the only true hope for our salvation. She became upset and yelled at me to get out of her neighborhood. Even though she was not very nice, I had it on my heart to pray for her daily. The following week, after we returned to Boston, she called! Oded had an opportunity to share his story with her and I could tell by her voice that she was softened. She even said that she would like to get together with us. She gave us her email and since then, we have been exchanging weekly emails. She told me that her mother is praying earnestly for her but it is no use because it says in Hebrews 6:4-6 that those who fall away can never be renewed to repentance and return to the faith. I know that there is conflict in her heart and I clarified that verse and continue to share with her how everything in the Old Testament points to our Messiah Jesus. Please pray for God to answer the prayers of her mother's heart and save Zelda and her Israeli husband.
Upset with Bimini
I stopped this Ultra Orthodox Jewish woman to ask her our usual question about Jesus being the Messiah, and she very angrily ordered me out of the neighborhood. Seeing her disinterest, I meekly left, but she began warning others that a missionary was here. She asked everyone around her if she could borrow a cell phone to call the shomrim (private security patrol). Thankfully, no one had a cell phone which gave me more time to duck into a store a couple blocks away. I waited a few moments and removed my hat, hoping to not be recognized as I continued on my way, seeking someone who might be willing to listen.
Anna Marie and the Rabbi who listened
Our New York staff and campaigner Anna Marie wrote:
We were earnestly praying to God to send us the 'spiritual leaders' of these communities. While in Boro Park, I saw an elderly man walking alone so I approached him and asked him if he's a rabbi. He told me he was, so I was elated and asked him if I could ask him a question. He agreed, so long as I walked with him. The conversation started out with a simple: "Rabbi, do you think your people could have missed Moshiach Ben Joseph?" He was stunned at the question and stopped to look at me. He then looked over his shoulder (and mine) and said "Yes." Now it was my turn to be stunned!! I said "Rabbi, you really believe He could have come and you missed him?" Again, he said "Yes." I thought to myself that maybe he wasn't understanding me, so I actually asked him if he understood English (Oh ye of little faith!)--and he assured me that he understood. I asked him if he was aware that Ben Joseph was to suffer. He agreed and kept looking over his shoulder! So at this point, I lit up and started to share the Gospel. "Rabbi, I too believe you missed Moshiach Ben Joseph--I believe Y'shua mi Nazaret is the Suffering Servant that Ishaia novi speaks of in capitol Num Gimmel!" (translation, Jesus of Nazareth, in Isaiah Chapter 53). He seemed upset about my comment, so I challenged him to read it for himself. I asked him if he desires truth. He said, "Yes, I do." My response was, "Rabbi, please seek the truth and ask the Lord, the one you call Ha-Shem, to reveal to you all truth; are you willing to know the truth and serve the truth?" At this point, he began to twitch (literally) and said, "I can't do this." So I said "Rabbi, what if Y'shua is Moshiach?" He accepted a Yiddish translation of the Gospel of John and quickly shoved it into his coat pocket while cautiously looking over his shoulder. He promised me he would read it at home, in private. I told him that I love him with the love of Christ. We parted ways as he blew me a kiss and called me a 'good girl'.
The following Sunday morning, I headed for church on the outskirts of Boro Park. This house of worship has a pastor who has a huge heart for the Jews! I was excited about that and eagerly parked my car around the corner of the church. As I walked, I saw a Hassidic man walking towards me. I just prayed, "Lord, help me to speak to this man." So I said "Shalom!" He looked familiar to me, so I said, "Have we spoken before?" (These Hassidic folks all begin to look alike after a while..Lord help me!) "Yes," he said. I suddenly realized it was Rabbi M. He told me how precious I am, how he sees love in my heart and then he thanked me for giving him the booklet (Gospel of John). "Rabbi M., please know that my desire for you is to come to know and love my Y'shua, He's your Holy Messiah." Then a weeping came over me. I tried to control it, and barely did, when he told me he has the booklet at home and has been reading it! I asked him if he is considering Jesus, and he said, "This, I am considering." I asked him to pray to the Lord, the one he calls HaShem and ask if what I am telling him is true. He then told me he could kiss me for telling him about Jesus and I invited him to the church we were in. He hesitated, blew me a kiss and walked away.
I know I'm going to see Rabbi M. again--the Lord is so faithful. Please pray that Rabbi M. will come to know and love and serve the Lord. I am overwhelmed with the Lord's mercy and love for this precious man, who by the way is at least 80 yrs old!
Bannering at the Williamsburg Bridge
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God..."
A True Chassidic Believer growing in his faith!
One of the highlights of this outreach was meeting a Chassidic Jewish man who came to faith in Jesus last year after seeing the 'Jesus' DVD in Yiddish and being ministered to by our New York staff. We had a special dinner with him, and we all thoroughly enjoyed a time of worship together. He reads the Bible every day and says that when he reads the New Testament, he has a sense of peace. He is considering being baptized because he notices that in the Book of Acts, it repeatedly says 'they believed and were baptized.' He fears that his wife and six children might leave him. Please pray for God's strength and protection over him and the others who secretly believe, including two who came to faith this year. Please pray for their wives and whole families to come to faith as well.
A Sunny and Fruitful Day in Brooklyn
After we returned to Boston, we thought we could catch up on rest, but the last few days of the outreach, automated calls were made to tens of thousands of Chassidic Jewish homes telling them that these are the 'Days of Messiah' and offering them more information. For nearly a week, the calls and responses were non-stop. Many of these calls were directed to our home, mostly for Hebrew speakers, and they came in until 1 or 2 in the morning. These people don't sleep much at night. We had to turn off the ringer to get some sleep. Surprisingly, thanks be to God, most of the calls were not hostile, but engaging. At least a couple dozen callers were willing to look up the messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures and quite a few were willing to receive the 'Jesus' DVD in Yiddish, as well as other information. Of course, there were some very hostile angry people but they were the minority. From a closed community like this, we were greatly encouraged that it seemed safer to talk and ask questions on the phone, rather than on street corners. Aside from the fear of being ostracized from all they know, many are descended from Holocaust survivors so there is the additional fear of being eradicated through 'conversion' or other means. Oded continues to share with them in the religious chat rooms which is another safe place where anonymity can hide one's identity. Please pray for God to pour out His mercies on Chassidic Jews everywhere. They are coming to faith in Jesus!
Discussion
Due to being carefully watched and the high alert and extreme sensitivity of this outreach, we did not want to be caught with a camera. (This photo and the following 7 photos were taken by various photographers who posted them on flickr dot com. They had nothing to do with our outreach, but are here so you can gain a sense of Chassidic Jewish life and pray for their salvation.)
Thursday, May 17, 2007
"For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (Rom 11:15)
May, 2007, Brooklyn Chassidic Outreach
The calls often come in at dinnertime. I watch and listen to Oded speaking in Hebrew; I finish my dinner then do the dishes while Oded seizes the opportunity to witness, letting his food get cold. I find out later that there was much cursing on the other line. My calm, collected husband is not moved and has hope that something he said will impact the Jewish men who call almost daily--a few are beginning to listen some. For the past few weeks literature has been distributed in Brooklyn that forwards calls in Hebrew to Oded. During the last two weeks of May, Oded will co-lead with Karol another outreach in Brooklyn to the Chassidic Jewish community, similar to what we did last July. Yes, he grew a beard again. I will join him the final week. Please pray for God to strengthen the faith of the 5 Chassidic Jews who came to faith last year, and for God to move powerfully among the rest. Can you imagine the impact these Ultra Orthodox Jews will make upon all Jewish people as they come to faith, one by one?
Please also pray for...
* God's wisdom, strength, and empowerment as Oded and I as have stepped up to leading and carrying out the work for Jews for Jesus here in Boston/New England.
* God's blessing and protection over Rhett and Virginia as they continue to minister to the Israelis in Myrtle Beach.
* God's salvation to pour out upon Israel and Oded's family. See the link to the right to view a favorable program on Messianic Jews that was aired all over Israel. Oded's family saw it and called us.
* ‘Talia’ who is the daughter of a rabbi. She recently came to faith in Jesus. Her daughter ‘Sasha’ is willing to translate even though she doesn’t yet believe. They are Russian-speaking Jews.
* 'Beverly' who took some literature about Isaiah 53 and said I could contact her again.
* God's complete healing for sweet Emily (the 9 year old daughter of a pastor we know) who was stricken with sudden paralysis and agonizing pain. Thanks be to God, the pain has subsided, but she continues to need a wheelchair. Let us cry out to God for Emily to run, jump, and dance again so that our God might be glorified through this.
We thank God for each one of you. Your prayer covering makes all the difference in our effectiveness for God. We praise God for any fruit we bear for His Kingdom and we acknowledge you for your part in the harvest.
Myrtle Beach Outreach to Israelis
In March, Oded did a five-day outreach in Myrtle Beach with our dear friends Rhett and Virginia who moved to Myrtle Beach specifically to reach out to the thousands of Israelis who live and work there. Lining the streets are row after row of stores filled with colorful tee shirts, alligator hats, and assorted keychains—almost all with Israeli owners and workers. This was just before the busy Spring break which left ample time to talk or at times share a meal together. From late morning to late evening, Rhett, Virginia, and Oded went from store to store, talking with 60-75 Israelis, and having in-depth, meaningful conversations with about 40 of them.
Oded felt that ‘Tal’ and ‘Irina’ (pseudo-names) were perhaps the closest to grasping truth. ‘Tal’ said, "I believe that God and Jesus are the same." Oded spoke to him of needing an atoning Savior and ‘Tal’ said, "I need to read the New Testament to understand." They gave him the New Testament in Hebrew and he promised to come visit Rhett and Virginia again. ‘Irina’ listened well to Oded and told him of enjoying a Christian TV program that week. "It sounded so good, but it is not for us!" When Oded explained that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, she exclaimed, "It is for us? That gives me chills! That makes me afraid!" She is drawn to Jesus, but she is also afraid of letting go of her preconceptions as a Jewish person. Her Israeli husband was very friendly and said his best friend is a Christian and they "barbecue" every week. He said they would like to bring these friends and visit further with Rhett and Virginia.
Before meeting Oded, many of these Israelis told Rhett and Virginia that Jews don’t believe in Jesus. So you can imagine their reaction when Oded shared in Hebrew his amazing journey in coming to faith in Jesus. Jewish people believe that you must know Hebrew in order to understand the Scriptures, so when an Israeli comes to faith, it carries great weight. Please pray for all these Gospel seeds to take root and bear great fruit. Other responses were: "I respect you for your beliefs, but it is not for me." ... "Everybody believes in what they want." ... "Every man lives by his own faith."….”I’m a good person, except I work on the Sabbath.”…”We believe we are in exile now as a punishment from God.”
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Myrtle Beach Outreach: March 12-15, 2007
Please pray for our Lord God Almighty to pour out His salvation upon the thousands of Israelis who flock to Myrtle Beach to sell beachwear, and for Oded, Rhett, and Virginia to touch many hearts. Rhett and Virginia moved to Myrtle Beach specifically to reach out to these Israelis, so they have a continuing ministry and presence there. They have already befriended many Israelis with the love and kindness of Jesus.
bimini & Oded in Eilat, Israel
We returned to Boston in late January after a three week vacation in Israel. It rends our hearts that several of Oded's family members have died over the years, including his cousin who went to sleep last March and never awoke, leaving a widow and 5 year old daughter. This cousin's younger brother, Dani, took the news so hard that he continues to be in a deep depression. Dani is the only religious person in Oded's whole family. He has always sought God; as a child, he would walk to the syngagogue by himself. Dani's faith in God has been shaken--he rarely attends synagogue and has been unable to return to work. During our time in Israel, the Lord granted us three 'chance encounters' with Dani during which we shared our faith. Please pray that the Lord will break forth into Dani's heavy heart with the love and hope that is in our Messiah.
Peek-a-boo!
How marvelous it was to see these beautiful fish with no need for snorkeling equipment; we were able to walk down a spiral staircase to view the coral reefs under the Red Sea! As I stood there admiring these colorful fish, an Israeli named David asked me if it was my first visit to Israel. I shared with him a bit about my life and connection to Israel and then found out that he is studying to be a tour guide. I asked him about his biblical studies and what he thought of Jesus. He thought perhaps the New Testament has been changed or that it was made up. I mentioned to him that there is manuscript and archaeological evidence supporting the New Testament which intrigued him. He gave me his business card to email him some more information. I emailed him some info that I hope will pique his curiosity to the point of being willing to meet with our missionary staff in Israel. Please pray for David to know the truth about our Messiah Jesus and for many Christians to share their faith with him as he takes them on tours in the Holy Land.
bimini & Oded in the Negev Desert, Israel
Online witnessing: Oded meets D. face to face
After about a year of sharing his faith with D. in a religious chatroom, Oded finally met her in person for a two hour visit during our time in Israel. As he shared some Scriptures with her, he could see that she is very drawn to Jesus even though she believes he is only a prophet. D. is an Israeli woman who watched a televangelist one day, went to their website and read a letter there from Jews for Jesus which linked to our website. D. has since read the New Testament and befriended (online) a couple of other Jewish believers, including Oded. She is very open and seriously considering whether Jesus might really be her Messiah.
Oded's parents, Dalia & Rami Cohen
Oded has about a hundred family members in Israel—all unsaved. Oded’s mother, Dalia, has always been softened to the Gospel—she is very attracted to Jesus and even told us awhile ago that she wants her sins forgiven through Jesus. But Oded’s father, Rami, is very cynical, despite the religious upbringing of his father who was a Bible teacher in Jerusalem. Just two years ago, Rami threatened Dalia when she wanted to go to the messianic congregation, asking her if she wanted a divorce. During this vacation, we gently invited Rami to the congregation, and he not only came with Dalia, he invited a couple other family members. In total, 6 of Oded’s
family dropped by the congregation! After the service, we were one of the last ones to leave because we all enjoyed meeting and talking with other Israeli believers. We eventually left with Oded and Rami both singing a praise song to God! All praise and glory to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine! (Eph 3:20)
The New York Branch joins us for Bannering
Christmas 2006 Outreach: Bannering on Storrow Drive, Boston, with 9 of our dear New York Branch team-mates—we gave out 6500 broadsides and were noticed by many. Drivers were very responsive, with honks, waves, and other not-so-nice gestures. Oded and I are in the middle. Someone I love dearly is not fond of bannering because he says it is something a mere pole can do; but one thing we did that poles can't do--we smiled and waved with great enthusiasm despite the bitter cold!