here we are back in india! it took us a couple of days to get used to it again, after being in such amazing tropical areas in thailand. but we’re definitely back in the game, and ready to push through till the end. it’s one day at a time, and we continue to pray for guidance and God’s grace in using us exactly how He desires.

yesterday we kicked it old school a little bit! we split up into three pairs, and hung out in hot-spots for israelis. this is how we started our massah ministry, and it seems that it’s going to be a great way to finish it as well.

traveling for so long has certainly brought a lot of strain–emotionally, physically, and spiritually. and it’s more and more forced us to solely rely on God’s strength. and that was definitely my experience yesterday. God gave me the mindset of just letting go and doing whatever i could to tell someone about Him.

sterling and i went to a german bakery down the road, and placed ourselves a table away from a couple of israeli girls. after just a few minutes, we were really disappointed when a guy sat at the table between ours and that one. as we sat there, we prayed that we would be able to talk to the girls before they left. i really felt God there with us, and i felt that He wanted something to happen.

as i waited, i thought of a new strategy that i was excited to try out. we got out our b’rit chadashah (hebrew new testament), and i was flipping through it, trying to read some here and there.

the guy at the table next to us got up to go, and then the two israeli girls asked for their check. i started to get a little nervous, thinking maybe we wouldn’t get the chance to talk after all. i realized that if i didn’t make it happen, it wouldn’t! so i took my opportunity, and used my slightly comical new strategy: i went over with my new testament, and asked them what one of the words meant. they started explaining it to me, and then the girl holding the new testament proceeded to look at the cover to see what book it was! after a look of surprise, she told her friend in hebrew that it was a new testament! i just smiled i said yea, i’m a jewish believer in Jesus. i believe He is the messiah!

the three of us had a great conversation, all about what it meant for me to believe in Jesus, and about what they believe about the messiah. i asked one of the girls if she had ever read the new testament before, and she said no but that she was interested in reading it sometime. when i told her she could have mine, she was very excited and gladly accepted it!

i had already put my name and email address in the inside cover of the new testament i gave her, and i asked for both of their names and emails so we could keep in touch. i am praying that i will be able to see them again, and possibly even get the chance to pray with them, or discuss something that they’ve read.

please be praying also. their names are tamar and stav (tamar is the one who took the new testament)

God is good, and He makes things happen that are in His perfect plans. yesterday i had very low energy, but that didn’t matter. He transformed my mind, and gave me the boldness and strength to be able to go over and share His amazing gift.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So we are on an island in the south of Thailand, and have been for a few days now.  This is completely new and different. The feeling of the area we are in is different from that of India: Chill/thoughtful; different from Nepal: adventurous/sporadic; different from Bangkok: Distracted/traveler-central; and different somewhat from Laos: lazy/pleasure-seeking. Although I think Laos is the closest.  We are in the party zone. People attend massive parties every night, late into the night. The four of us guys attended the years more anticipated beach-front party, ‘The Full Moon Festival’, on the 2nd as an evangelistic experiment much like a ‘viability sortie’.  Rather than J4J t-shirts, our “colors” were made up of neon colored body-paint that said messianic things like, Yeshua ha’maschiac, Yeshua Ch’ai, and Yeshu=Yeshua=Yeshuah.  It was and interesting experiment.  Most people were not interested, much to distracted by their intoxication levels, but some of us had a few conversations with interested Israelis.

What I want to share with you is something I wrote in my journal today, kind of a poetic reflection of the experience. Here you go…

I stepped out with hesitation into the sandy water that was far too close to the entrance of the beach.  Nothing had changed in the few hours since I had been here last, hoping that the tide would lower and  waters subside from their seemingly palpable irritation.  Almost as if trying to keep something out –away, in defense of itself.  Somehow it seemed obvious rather than silly to attribute human characteristics to the harsh ocean that I had stepped, calf-deep, into.

It was eerie how dis-unified the scene was before me.  Possibly alarming, but more unsettling to experience the contrast.  The stark contrast between the breathtaking landscape existing in a frenzied blur of jade, aqua, cerulean, taupe, and variety of leafy greens shining under and irrepressible sun; with the crashing rumble of the lathering shore breaking, and the warm howling of a pent-up wind.  Drift wood and garbage circled my ankles as the water sucked back to its source in its unending rhythm.  I walked deeper, avoiding a long piece of metal roofing that had been taken captive, probably at so0me point during the night’s downpour.

People came from all over the world to stand here, with expectations of ease and tranquility, imagining themselves blanketed by the unhindered rays of warmth as well as the peaceful chimes of the soothing call of the sea.  THERE WAS NO PEACE HERE.  Not anymore.  Something had been distorted in only a matter of days; barely plural.  ‘Something like punishment’ , I thought instinctively, but I shied away from that sort of thinking… naturally.  It wasn’t like me to see the world through superstitious eyes –at least not with a great amout of self-denial.  But it was so connectible, and my true tenancy towards symbolism swallowed my efforts to not think of God in his punishing role.  It was NOT like me to think of God that way: Heartless. Callous. Merciless.  I was appalled by my thoughts immediately, knowing uncertainly that there is always a balance.  I took it back, for my own comfort.

Shattered and fanged beer bottles rolled up and down the shore with the waves across the almost white sand.  There were less littered in the water now then there had been on the beach two nights ago, but I couldn’t be sure.  They were everywhere, abandoned; and staunch sobering proof of what went on here.  I thought back to all I had seen on this beach, remembering the orgy of tanned, muscled, beautiful bodies pulsing to the beat of an overwhelming bass-noise that deafened the sound of all the alien accents of the attendees.  Alcohol-soaked, eyes glued to the artificially brightened sky that exploded with fireworks.  Everyone was here to not remember much in the days to come.  That is except for us, and so I felt like an intruder, out of place and vulnerable; which I decided was okay.

Was the land purging itself?  Purifying the area swiftly and powerfully…?  Whether or not the beach was truly personified and attempting to redeem its territory in the mystical way that I fantasized –There was no doubt that there was a shift, and the weather was unruly.  I couldn’t help but decide, against my better knowledge, that it was fighting back.  The thought had crossed my mind that night even, as I lied on the sand , eyes closed with the ringing of partying in my ears.  sounds that I was not accustomed to.  As I lay there, faking my comfort in being here, aware of bodies in the dark, some passed out, some on the verge of climax; the rain began.

For two days previous the sun had shown in perfect glory upon the calm tropic.  And now, as the full moon highlighted this human experience of shallow pleasure and independence, the skies flooded down upon the Rites. I had thought it then: ‘how appropriate?, and I went back to my room and fell asleep to the echoes of the lustfully drunk celebration muffled by the piercing wind outside my window.  Now, I surveyed the damage trying to make some symbolic conclusion to amend my discomfort at the sight.  Absorbing the wreckage, the balance I had known existed surfaced to my awareness like a life-raft…

‘God is loving, and God is jealous.’

We landed yesterday afternoon and made our way to the high-traffic traveler-scene on the outskirts of the city.  Bangkok is very different than anywhere we have made ministry efforts.  There are many Israelis where we are, and many signs on the street that I write to you from are in Hebrew.  What is difficult, we are finding in the day that we have spent so far, is that Bangkok is very very westernized and very modern; and what we have observed is that people in this traveler-scene are  much less friendly,  much more like that of city-strangers in America (which is very different from the chill, relaxed, friendly culture of the India traveling scene). So we must adapt to that difference and prod where is most effective.

Please pray that God gives us discernment in our new environment.

Also, the spiritual climate here in Bangkok is very dark. 

Pray protection over us and wisdom in dealing with situations that arrive as a reaction to realities that we cannot see.

much love

Remy

We are presently in Nepal. Thank God. I think we were all very ready to move on from India…

In the Delhi airport, waiting to board our flight to Kathmandu, we bumped into our old friend Nadav who we had met in Leh! If you remember, we met Nadav on top of this mountain and played music for him (MTV Unplugged On Top Of The World) and entered into a full Gospel conversation with him (A Very Sane Way Of Life). When we had parted from him in Leh we had expected to see him again in Nepal at the huge Rosh Ha’shana Service here, we did not expect to be on the same flight from India. We were all very pleasantly awed by God’s planning.
After landing in our new country and sorting out all the visa’s-on-entry and baggage-claim, the seven of us including Nadav took a taxi into the heart of the traveler-scene in Kathmandu. At Nadav’s suggestion we located a good guest house and situated ourselves into our rooms. Isaac and Sterling took one room. Sarah and Talia another. Sean, myself, and Nadav occupied a third. This is the first time we as the Mobile team have had the chance to room with a new Israeli friend with the opportunity to more intimately communicate the Gospel! We had discussed the possibility of this happening many times, and this was our first experience.
The first night as the three of us prepared for sleep, we entered into a dialogue about following Jesus instigated by Nadav’s expressed enjoyment of the book ‘Angels And Demons’ by Dan Brown. As Nadav took the book out to read before going to bed, Sean inquired about his thoughts concerning the content, which turned into a discussion about the true tenants of the “Christian” faith. After an hour and a half of sorting through misconceptions and questions, conveying convictions and relating common understandings, and finally personal testimony and spiritual revelation, we (Sean and I) felt we had come to the end of what there was to dialogue about with Nadav concerning Jesus and his understanding of, and need for, salvation. It ended with Nadav saying that the only way for him to ever consider God let alone Jesus in a lifestyle-transforming way would be for God to present himself or the need for himself in a radical way. We responded with a challenge to seek.
We spent the rest of this week rooming with Nadav. The next day he was much less open and familiar than usual. Over the days between our discussion that first night and when he left for a trek this morning, he avoided anymore further discussion about anything remotely spiritual. But he remained with us, ate with us, watched movies, explored the city, made friends, and attended the Rosh Ha’Shana service with us; and when we said our goodbyes, he embraced us warmly and expressed his desire to visit with us in Israel if not again in Asia.

Please pray for Nadav. He has become a loved friend by all six of us. He is an energetic, eccentric, fun person, with an immense knowledge of American Pop culture! And we love him. Pray that God would reach him in a radical way, and that he would come to accept that he needs salvation and that Jesus offers it as a free gift to him. Nadav has a Brit Hadasha in Hebrew that we gave him… pray that he would have a desire to read it.

Thank you,
Much love.
Remy

more visual aids for all of you back home!

isaac hanging out with some israeli friends we met in leh

we traveled to the amazingly beautiful pangong lake

NLR playing music at wonderland for all the committed fans

with friends at desert rain cafe in leh

on our way down from leh, world’s 3rd highest pass!

NLR playing for a full house at the friendly planet in dharamkot

we love you all, thank you for your prayers!

love,
mobile

This day was a Monday, which is our weekly debrief, intercessory prayer, worship, and reflection day. God had other plans. We woke at eleven as usual, prayed for our day, and set off to our favorite and faithful breakfast place, Wonderland Café. We sat where we usually sit, and each ordered what we ordered every day. Sterling: American breakfast; Isaac: four fried eggs and plain toast; Myself: A8 (Bruschetta-like invention of toast toppled with sun-dried tomatoes, thin sliced potatoes with garlic and olive oil, yum) etc… We ate. We lingered surrounded by familiar faces that we had become accustomed to seeing every morning for the past two and a half weeks; many of which we had become quite close with and had shared the Gospel with multiple times. We prepared to open up our bibles and discuss Acts, as we had done every day.

Today, we made a new friend, Rotem. She had come to the Café to meet up with another Israeli friend of ours, Mi’chal who we had shared with extensively and have become very close with. Mi’chal wasn’t there so she asked to sit near us since she had heard us play the night before and knew that we were close friends with Mi’chal. Within minutes, just as so many introductions turned conversations have gone, I was emerged into an explanation of who we are as Messianic Jews, how we live our lives, and how Jesus makes sense for Jewish people. Isaac continues the conversation, taking over theologically, and is dialoguing back and forth with Rotem (secular but well-educated on biblical writing) and this Frenchman named Bruno who just wanted to piss off Isaac by throwing out random questions and accusations into the discussion. Eventually most of the seating-patio was engaged in their debate and Isaac held his own very well. Bruno leaves eventually when he realized that Isaac and the rest of us knew what we were talking about and left us with Rotem again. A few hours go by and I have shared my testimony and the testimonies of both of my parents, at the questioning and prompting of Rotem. Before she left, Rotem tells me that she is very happy to have happened to have sat with me and that she enjoyed our conversation very much, and that I opened myself up to her. We exchanged Facebook info and said goodbye. Due to the incredible situations of Gospel opportunities, we did not discuss Acts that morning as planned .

We reconvened together a little while later in my and Sterling’s room for a time of worship, prayer, and Sterling had prepared to give us his full testimony (he and Isaac had not given theirs at this point). We situate ourselves in a posture of worship and Isaac begins leading us on the guitar. We have gone through one song, when there is a knock on the door. Sarah opens it and it is Mi’chal. She comes in and says how happy she is to see us how she found us by following the distant music to our door, and how worried she was that we had left and hadn’t been able to say goodbye. After some time of group-picture-taking she pronounces how odd it is that she feels so connected to us, and how much she is going to miss us. We feel the same, but we know why. I let her know that we were actually spending a time of worship to God through song before she showed up, and we invited her to stay if she wanted. She accepted. We spent the next hour in worship and she observed, with an expression of awe and calm. When we finished, Sterling explained that he had planned to give his testimony, and how four of us had already gone and it was his turn to share his life and what God had done through it. He invited her to stay if she liked, and she was very happy to stay. We all gathered on our bed and Sterling gave the account of his life to this point. The back-round of his parents’ stories, his childhood, the pain, hurt, confusion, healing, call, and acceptance of a life committed to following Jesus. As Sterling finished, I explained to Mi’chal that after someone shares, we like to pray over them. After we each pray over Sterl, Mi’chal with tears in her eyes, thanks us for allowing her to be a part of “such a beautiful moment between friends”. We tell her we were happy to have her and there are many hugs all around. More tears fill behind her eyes and Mi’chal shares how blesses she is by us, how she truly loves us and is so blown away by our friendships and our love for her. We share, that THAT is the love of Jesus. We invite her to join us for dinner, and she comes. We did not debrief. We did not reflect. We did not have our time of intentional intercessory prayer. God had other plans, so we went with it.

Please pray for Rotem (professional from Tel Aviv) and dear Mi’chal (married student from Haifa). God is tugging at their hearts, join us in warring for their salvation.

Much love. Remy

Hello everyone!!!

This is Isaac reporting live from an undisclosed location in India!

We have just traveled 20 hours straight on a jeep ride from Leh, our first location as a Mobile team, where we spent the last 2 weeks doing ministry and living life with Israelis. I am pleased to report to you all that it was indeed incredible.
When we started talking about extending the Massah program in this way, we, along with a lot of other people, were quite skeptical about what would come of it, or if it was even possible. There were a lot of ups and downs in the formation and preparation of Massah Mobile, but God knew exactly what He was doing. After spending these last few weeks with this team, living life with them and making ourselves available to be used by God in this way, I can say that there is no place on earth I’d rather be. God is so powerful and so sovereign, and it is so obvious that He is leading us in to the core of His heart and His will on this journey.

In our 2 weeks in Leh, we were able to play around 10 concerts for hundreds of Israelis and others of our music, which is Gospel-centered, as well as talk about the songs and their meanings. We also gave out over 50 Cds of our music to those we interacted with. We had very significant conversations with around 50 people about the Gospel and our personal walks of faith, and are in touch on Facebook and other means of communication with just about all of them. We interacted with dozens more whom with seeds were planted, and many of them received Cds of our music. Among those people, we made several VERY close friends whom we love dearly, and were sad to see us go. Some of these people traveled to our new location at the same time as us, and we will have more chances to connect with them. Please pray for Naama, Rotem, Chen and Ayelet, who we will continue meeting with.

Thank you so much to everyone who continues to read our blogs and continues to pray for what God is doing here. We are so excited and encouraged by what we have seen in our first 2 weeks, and can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next few months. Please continue to pray for health, discernment of God’s Spirit, and an ever-increasing ministry dynamic among the 6 of us. We love you all so much and are so thankful for your support. We cannot express that enough. Until next time. J

Love,isaac

It is so crazy to me that God has me where he does.  He has blessed me with two incredible decades of life and I am in complete awe and humble surrender to him for using me.  The other day, walking along the Pagong Lake, the reality of God in my life became so overwhelming.  To think of how, despite my attempts to escape his grasp at times, God has never let me go and has blessed me in amazing ways.  When I try to recollect where I was even a year ago, to the place God has me now emotionally, mentally, spiritually… I am so thankful and amazed by his faithful and transformative love.  I cannot begin to imagine where he has me, or what he has for me in my twenty-first year.  I am scared for sure, but with a fear that clings me that much more to His side.
I am so thankful to my parents who gave me life.  My father dedicated me before I was born, completely to God, and I am so humbly grateful for his obedience in doing so; and my mother for teaching me by example, to humble myself before God and others in asking for forgiveness. They are so loved by me, and I am so blessed to be here, doing what I am doing, with total support from them.

Tonight we are playing music at our favorite café at the many requests of many Israeli friends and acquaintances.  God is crazy good.

So much love on this day, 8/23/2009
Remy

Isaac here. The conversation, as Remy stated, was indeed surprisingly well-received on Nadav’s part, as well as our 3 other friends who were, at many times, pulled away from their other conversations and listening intently to the dialogue. Although a self-professed “cynic”, Nadav seemed intrigued by the Gospel as we shared it with him. He was raised observing cultural Judaism in Israel, and had somewhat of a bewilderment when it came to the religious practices of Judaism, and any other religious practices for that matter. After clearing up a few theological confusions regarding Messianic Jews, Remy and I along with well-timed help from Sterling and Talia, were able to lay out the entirety of the Gospel, including potent nuggets from our own testimonies. Nadav, elated, many times shared that he felt our beliefs were “a very sane way of life,” which we took as a compliment. We were able to skim the surface of several key doctrines; just enough to peak his interest at the moment and end the conversation on a positive note, just as the café began to close down for the night.

Later that night, as we had made our way down the 700 steps in the dark, we reconvened in another small restaurant closer to our guest house. After sharing a few more laughs, Nadav invited our group to accompany him and his friends on a trip to the lake further up in the mountains. Earlier in the night Nadav had expressed his desire to do this trip, but that he was having a hard time finding “quality people” to go along with him. I guess we made the cut. Our plans are to make the trip with Nadav and two of his friends in the next day or so.

It would mean a lot to have your prayers in these next few days that we will be spending with our new friends. Please pray that God would be revealing Himself to them in a dynamic way, and that we would get a chance to answer more questions and even open up His Word with them. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.