Update on Israeli Outreach to Nigeria
Greetings, From the one true Democracy in the Middle East! Boy, have things changed over here since the last time I wrote. Who would have believed it? I am afraid to mention anything because by the time you get this, things could change even more!
Libya is on the verge of overthrow, Egypt’s future is uncertain, Lebanon is being overrun by Hezbollah (i.e. Iran) and Iran itself may be over thrown (one can only hope). It is mind-boggling, which is why I want to switch to a more pertinent subject: The Isaiah 2 Initiative and our effort to train Israelis for ministry, by taking them to Nigeria in May to preach the gospel and win thousands of souls for Yeshua.
Generosity in Tel Aviv!
We have a team of 11 Israelis that are preparing to go to Nigeria to preach the good news of Yeshua. Just a few weeks ago Ari, the senior leader, brought the eight participants that are from our congregation in Tel Aviv forward and we prayed for them (see picture). Each week, we are encouraging the congregation to give towards this trip. You have to understand that Israelis are not used to being challenged to give. Tithing is hard enough when taxes eat up 30-40% of one’s income, but to give beyond that takes even deeper faith and discipleship.
Let me explain how this works. The cost for each Israeli to join the outreach is $2,000. Messiah’s Mandate, through your generosity, subsidizes half of this. That means they must pay $1,000.* We have challenged our congregation to contribute to half for each of them—or $500. The Israeli young adults must also bring $500. This way, everyone in the congregation is connected to the outreach.
Israeli believers are so used to being blessed from other believers around the world who have marveled at the restoration of the Israeli body of believers. But no longer are we merely feeble receivers—God is challenging us to give, to go and to send!
Our goal was to raise 16,000 ₪ (₪ is the sign for shekel, like the $ in the US), 2,000 ₪ apiece for each of the eight young people from our congregation. After three weeks we raised just over 3,000 ₪. On Shabbat, when I encouraged the congregation to continue giving, I really butchered my presentation in Hebrew, but God uses the weak to confound the wise, as over 12,000 ₪ came in that morning—putting us just 600 ₪ away from our goal. Hallelujah!
You can change a Life!
As I have stated over and over, this is a double-edged sword. Yes, we are going forth from Israel as Yeshua commanded His Jewish disciples in Mark 16:15 and Acts 1:8, but we are also raising up leaders for Israel. This trip is going to powerfully touch each Israeli that comes. Some will work in music, others will preach, some in media, but all will have an impact and be impacted.
Friends, despite this great open door, we need your help to make it happen. Praise God that we have received over 25% of our budget, but we still need $31,400. Please consider sponsoring one of these Israelis. You will be investing in the future leaders of the body of believers in Israel.
We want them to see that if God can use them to open blind eyes and heal the sick in Nigeria, then He can use them here in Tel Aviv!
Scholarships
As I have stated, we need to raise $1,000 for 11 people. (That is the 8 from our congregation, plus 3 others) You can provide a full sponsorship for $1,000, a half sponsorship for $500, a quarter sponsorship for $250 of even a 1/10th sponsorship for just $100. Everything helps.
In addition to travel expenses for the team, we will provide the funds for advertising, electricity, rental of an area that can fit tens of thousands of people, lighting, sound, and so much more. In addition, it will fund a robust follow-up effort. Decision Cards that are filled out will be distributed amongst local churches in the region with whom we partner so they can follow up on new believers.
Thank you so much. We could not do this without partners like you who are burdened to see Israeli evangelists and pastors raised up and the gospel go forth from Zion. You can use the enclosed response card and envelope to send in your gift, or simply go to: http://israel2africa.org and use PayPal. Elana and I bless you from Zion!
From Zion, to the ends of the Earth (Acts 1:8),
Ron Cantor
*We had to change our original projection of $900 per scholarship to $1,000 due to the increase in airfare.
