A Day In the Life Of A Missionary with Chosen People Ministries

Upon hearing that I’m a missionary and that I share Jesus with Jewish people, an acquaintance of mine commented, “Oh, you must not have that much to do”!!!!????

Jewish ministry is NOT “ho-hum.”  Come travel with me during a typical “on the road” day.  Our festivities begin at a central Phoenix retirement center with a large Jewish population.  We gather with Sadie, the Jewish Activities Director, and 60 plus Jewish people.  During our time together, we enjoy skits, singing, dancing, and a teaching from the word of God.  Jesus is shared!

Because Esther, my Russian Jewish Jehovah’s Witness friend, lives near the central Phoenix retirement community, I drive to her home and knock on her door.  We bond in the midst of going round and round about Jesus!

Leaving Esther’s house with a royal headache, I travel to Essie’s nail salon.  A friend of mine had given me a gift certificate for a manicure with Essie for the express purpose of speaking with this Jewish woman about Jesus.  Essie is Bukharian.  Bukharian is a blanket term for Jewish people from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik language.  Clear as mud, right?  As Essie files my nails, we discover that we have mutual Bukharian Jewish friends.  When I speak of Jesus, Essie sighs deeply…very deeply!  I continue speaking of Jesus.  Essie invites me to her synagogue which I know well.  I met the Rabbi at this synagogue a year ago and he asked me to leave!

My next stop - a retirement center in Scottsdale with a large Jewish population.  Upon entering the lobby, I converse with Goldie.  She shares with me that she has lost her faith.  We talk of Jesus.  Goldie visits us at our afternoon Bible study in the retirement center.  As I walk down the hallways inviting people to the study, I hear a familiar voice.  Sylvia’s door is open and she is speaking about the tree of life in the Bible.  I pause at the open door.  Pearl, a Holocaust survivor, is listening to Sylvia.  I speak with them about the tree of life in the Garden of Eden which will be in the New Jerusalem.  Sylvia and Pearl both attend the Bible study.  Elie, another Holocaust survivor, joins the study along with 13 others.  The study is a JESUS study!  No one wishes to leave following our time together.  Heni approaches me to let me know that she has decided to commit to reading the Hebrew Scriptures each day.  Madeline, who is looking for miracles, tells me that she intends to read Max Lucado’s  He Still Moves Stones which I had given her the previous week.  I tell Madeline that the biggest miracle is salvation in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.  “Madeline,” I pointedly said, “the most Jewish thing you can do is accept Jesus as your Messiah.”  Madeline listens and smiles.  I visit Ariel after the Bible study.  She asks me, “How does one cope?”  I tell her that we need to depend upon God and give our lives to Him through Jesus.   Ariel shrugs and smiles ever so slightly.

It’s dinner time.  I travel to Sweet Tomatoes to meet a Pastor and his wife.  While sitting in the front of the eatery, a woman walks into the entrance and stares at me.  She flits away and then reappears with “take-out”.  Before exiting, she stops to talk with me and blurts out, “I wondered what your necklace says in Hebrew.” 

“This is my name in Hebrew,” I offered.

Almost immediately the woman offers me a food suggestion, “Go to Trader Joe’s for Kosher ground turkey.” 

I’m not Jewish,” I tell her. 

She responds with, “You could’ve fooled me.  Are you Italian?” 

“No, but I teach Jewish roots of Christianity classes around the Phoenix metro area.”

She quickly leaves.

My Pastor friend arrives at Sweet Tomatoes and his eyes follow the fleeing woman.  “I know that lady,” he tells me.  “She’s Jewish.  We had a conversation at the other Sweet Tomatoes downtown.”

What a lovely day!

God is at work!

Cathy Wilson