The Jerusalem Table Ministry shared with Linga site this report about the outreach that happened in Haifa on the 15th of May.

Five of us traveled from Jerusalem to Haifa on Sunday, May 15 to witness for Jesus at a special annual event scheduled on a special day every year.  When we arrived, we were joined by 5 others coming from the Beit El Church and Baptist churches in Nazareth & Haifa.  We would be a special witness team of 10 persons.

More than 10,000 “Christian” religious patrons turned out for this annual parade honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Thousands of shouting people followed and tried to get a special blessing by touching a large statue of the Virgin, which was carried on a float from downtown Haifa and up to the top of Mt. Carmel.

Our team was at the parade to host a ministry table having Bibles and gospel literature, which would also supply our team members, as they worked among the crowds of people and among those standing around the parade route.  While most of the people were from a Christian background, many Muslims were also in the streets, along with others who were watching the event.

Our table was equipped with a Testimony CD of changed lives (which included my own testimony and others), a DVD movie of St. Paul, some other DVD gospel films, children’s stories, and of course, Bibles, New Testaments, individual gospel booklets and special tracts based on the Virgin Mary, which presented Mary as a believer in Jesus and as someone who encouraged others to go to Jesus for salvation.

It was a blessed day and we had many good conversations with a variety of people.  One “Christian” man was sitting on the side of the street making fun of us and of what we were doing.  He said he knew we were the “Halleluiah People”!   He asked me if we were giving money away to make Christians.  I said, “No, we have no money to give away, we can’t make Christians and we are not taking money either.  Instead, we have come to pray for you”.  We spoke with him about Jesus and were able to pray with him for God to open his heart to believe in Jesus.  We also gave him the tract about the Virgin Mary and the CD of St. Paul.  As we left him, he sincerely said, “God bless your mouth!”

One young mother approached the table and told us she wanted to be a Christian.  She began speaking a lot about Christianity and had some knowledge about Christians.  We thought she was from a Christian background and were surprised when we learned her father is a Muslim and her mother is a “Christian”.  She seemed to express a sincere desire to believe.   Many Muslims would believe this desire is forbidden in a daughter or a wife.  While we talked with her, her Muslim husband kept trying to pull her away from us.  She gladly took everything we had on the table with her, when she left us!

I went to speak with 3 youth in their 20’s; 1 man & 2 women.  I spoke with the man about how Jesus could change his life, like He had changed mine.  While I was speaking with him, I heard the 2 women whispering to each other with skepticism, saying God cannot change this young man’s life or anyone else’s life.  Terreza, one of our team members, then came up to speak with the women.  She presented the Testimony CD and said the story of her mother is on the CD.  She then told how her mother’s life was changed.  When her mother was young, she was pregnant with Terreza.  At the same time, the doctors diagnosed her mother with terminal cancer and told her she and the baby would die.  One night her mother had a dream and was told in the dream that she would be healed.  She told the doctors who would not believe it.  She decided to believe in Jesus and was later healed from her cancer and gave birth to Terreza.  Terreza said, “Look at me.  I am standing before you alive and my mother is alive and well today!  This is a miracle and the way God changes lives!”  The 3 youth took the Testimony CD.  But before they left, we could see tears in the eyes of the young women.

Of course, not everyone was happy with what we were doing.  Some older “Christian” women scolded us for being at the parade and for going to events like this to talk to people about Jesus.  We were wrong to do this, they said, and should “Go home!” and leave these people alone.

What do you think?