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September 2016 Ministry Update
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Greetings and Shalom in the name of the Lord Jesus the Christ,
We have been greatly encouraged by God’s provision and grace as our travels continue. We had a great time with the brethren in Colorado. We saw such hospitality and love and were fortified to continue on our mission.
We have seen beautiful countryside and are reminded of the Lord’s blessings upon this great nation of ours. It is so good to see meeting houses of local churches in virtually every town we go. Many to be sure have gone apostate but we also know God has his faithful remnant everywhere which is a great blessing to us as we prepare to go to a land with very few witnesses of the gospel.
We were especially blessed by our visit to Flagstaff, AZ, as the church there was hungry to hear about the ministry we will have to the Jewish people in Israel. They, like so many others around the country, were very hospitable and shared with us in so many ways. We wish we had more time to spend with the brethren in each place we go but we must keep moving towards our goal as it is our intent to make it back to Israel by the end of October, Lord willing.
Life on the road...
Life in the RV has been a great experience to see the country, meet many new friends but most importantly to learn to love one another, especially now with another adult member of the family joining us. We realize our ministry will mean nothing if we, as believers who are family, can't truly love each other. The scripture tells us that we will be known by our love (John 13:33). So we want to make it a point to learn to bear and forebear with each other in love. Daily we discuss how to live in an understanding way with each other and try and give up our "rights" for the sake of the other person. If we are to be effective ministers of reconciliation to the world we need to begin in the home, even if that home is only a 33'X8' RV! We praise God that He has given each of us a spirit of love for it is only by His grace and power that we can show the world His love towards us by loving each other daily (Rom. 12:9-21; 2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13).
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Enjoying God's creation with the Colorado brethren.
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Had a wonderful visit with Dr. David and Mrs. Noeble. Mrs. Noeble is a living miracle having just survived a major stroke and, by God's grace, is way ahead of the recovery schedule!
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Scott preaching with the family looking on at SGBC -- Flagstaff,
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Had a blessed time of fellowship at a hymn-sing & bonfire in Flagstaff.
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O
pportunities to share the gospel & Special Blessings
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Witnessing along the way, one person at a time
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It is amazing how the Lord brings people in our path to share the gospel. In Manitou Springs, Colorado, which is known to be a hippie town that attracts homeless people from all over the world due the legalization of marijuana. People don’t call themselves homeless anymore but rather “travelers.” We met one such couple holding a sign looking for bread. We were able to impart to them the bread of life. Their names are Athena and Caleb. Athena grew up “homeless on purpose” in Colorado Springs and her boyfriend Caleb grew up in "church-going" home in the Bible belt of Alabama. Both believed in a higher power but have never put their trust in Jesus to save them from their sins. We gave them a tract and offered a Bible but they said they had one so we just encouraged them to read it. They seemed very receptive. Please pray that Athena and Caleb would come to repentance and personally know the Lord.
At one RV park in Arizona, when Beth was doing laundry, she met a man and his wife and was able to tell them about our mission and he told her he was Jewish. Beth was able to tell him that I’m Jewish and have a ministry to the Jewish people. The Lord providentially brought him to our RV as we left some cloths in the dryer which gave me the opportunity to bring the gospel to Tony Simon whose family is from England. On a side note, our good friend and fellow minister of the word in Israel is also named Antony Simon who is a Jewish believer from England as well. It appears that Tony has been seeking God. He recently went back to synagogue as part of his search. I asked him the most important question of all – who did he think Jesus was? He recognized He was the Jesus of the Bible and could even be the Messiah. Amazingly, this well-traveled and educated man had never read the New Testament or heard the gospel. I was able to share with him the gospel and give him a Hebrew / English New Covenant that also shows the fulfilled messianic prophecies. Please pray that Tony would come to know Jesus as his Messiah.
At one church we had the opportunity to meet with a Jewish man the congregation has been working with to bring the fullness of the gospel to. The Lord providentially had this man named Zvi come to the service that morning I was preaching through Acts 3. I had an opportunity to speak with Zvi after the service. Zvi comes out of a mystical / Kabbala background like so many Jewish people do. Zvi has made a profession in Jesus and even told his family but is having a hard time telling his Jewish brethren and leaving Rabbinic Judaism. He doesn’t want to lose his connection with his brethren or his Jewishness. I told him to be bold and proclaim Christ no matter the cost and that he didn’t have to depart from his lineage but rather fulfills it. He seemed a bit confused on some aspects but certainly recognized Jesus as the Messiah and has paid a heavy price with his family. I told him he ought to attend the church there but he said he was not ready to make that jump from the synagogue. Please pray for Zvi that he would have boldness and a clear understanding of the fullness of the gospel so that he may grow and even have a real effective ministry among his Jewish brethren. Pray also for those in the church who are ministering the fullness of the gospel that they too would be effective in his life.
Special blessings
One of the most important things we have learned is to wait upon the Lord and trust Him for His provisions; the Lord never disappoints us. We have been invited into perfect stranger’s homes with the only connection being our saving faith in Jesus Christ. We have been so encouraged by the openness of people to share their homes and lives with us.
We have heard so many great personal salvation testimonies. If you want to be strengthened, ask people about how God saved them, it will be a great encouragement to your faith. It gives us great confidence in the power of God to save through the simplicity of preaching and hearing the gospel.
We were able to enjoy God’s creation in a very special way by visiting a lake in the middle of the desert with our new friends. He is a Jewish believer and has a music ministry where they bring the gospel. We also had the opportunity to meet many who have unique gifts of writing, speaking and and a love for the Jewish people and who are faithful to bring the message of God’s love to the world.
One small blessing that really touched us happened when
we stopped at an RV park in East Texas. The management were Christians and asked us about our ministry. They were so kind to pray for us and even gave us free nights stay at the park towards our mission. Sometimes it’s the little things that mean so much. It has been great for our children to
see God’s provision as we walk by faith in Him.
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As we look ahead to moving back to Israel there are many practical things we need to be praying and preparing for. We will certainly need God's guidance and provision. We are learning to be more patient and rely on God's timing as we prepare for our transition to life in Israel.
- We need to prepare to move our belongings from a storage unit in Maui to Israel.
- We need to find a home in Israel. As of right now we have a strong lead on a safe and reasonably priced apartment. Our hope is to have a home that is safe and practical, especially for hospitality as we plan to use it for ministry.
- We are also looking at options for a car. We are working with our friends in Israel to find the best solution.
- Shortly after arriving in Israel, we will begin Ulpan, which is a Hebrew language school for Olim (new immigrants). We are praying that God will give us the time, ability to focus, and a supernatural ability to truly "acquire" Hebrew as a second language.
Blessings,
Scott, Beth, Thomas, Abigail, David, Mark, Levi
לוי ,מארק ,דוד ,אביגיל ,תומאס ,ג'יין ,סקוט
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- For continued safety and provision as we travel
- For boldness to always share our Messiah with all we come in contact with and to have faith that God will use the simplicity of the preached word to save some that hear
- For more opportunities to meet with the brethren who want to know about our ministry in Israel
- For peace as we learn to trust God and not worry about tomorrow for all of the things that need to get done prior to our heading back to Israel
- For the ability to focus and be led by the Spirit as Scott prepares to speak and teach the word
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To make a donation to our ministry please press here: IBJM On-Line Giving Link
or call IBJM at (425) 876-8150 or mail to IBJM PO Box 1386 Hixson,TN 37343 and mark support for Scott & Beth Friedman
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Copyright Scott Friedman | The Road to Emmaus | P | 808-280-1407 | Email | scott@rtemmaus.com
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