Here's an amazing story of how an Arab man and his Jewish boss were led to faith in Yeshua together by an Arab Israeli believer… in Texas! It's a pretty crazy story – buckle up!
About a year ago, Eitan and Erez were on their way to a One For Israel appointment in Texas, arriving from different destinations, and were flying via Turkey, but due to a hitch, Erez ended up stuck in Istanbul for 24 hours. Happily, he found himself in the company of several other men from Israel in the same predicament, two of whom were bound for the same destination in Texas.
Erez was the only believer among all of these Israelis, but he and his new friends wandered around Istanbul and got to enjoy each other's company a bit before he made his way over to Houston. Erez and Eitan had a successful trip to Texas, and returned to Israel, thinking that was the end of that.
A year later, a Jew and an Arab travel to Texas…
Then a year later, two other members of our team, one Jewish and the other Arab, flew to the same area in Texas to represent One For Israel at a conference held there recently. But before they could return, the Arab brother, George*, had to go to meet up with his old friend from dark times in his past who was now living in Houston.
This friend, Anton*, was an Arab man whom George had unfortunately led into a life of hard drugs and crime before he knew the Lord. Anton had been sent to the US by his family, in a bid to help him escape the terrible trouble he had fallen into, but had seen this radically different version of his old friend in crime when reading the local Israeli news online, and saw a picture of George utterly transformed, and sharing his faith publicly. And more than that, he was coming to Texas! He demanded that they had to meet up!
A friend from the dark past sees the light
“Have you become mujaded?” He asked George incredulously (mujaded is a pejorative way of saying born again). But now Anton could see his old friend George standing before him, and the reality of his life-changing decision to follow Yeshua was quite apparent. George started to explain about the gospel to his friend, but Anton insisted that they must come and meet his boss, a Jewish man, also from Israel. George was then able to share the gospel with them both, until they were all weeping together, with both men repenting on bended knee before the Lord.
So we started off with 2 Israeli believers setting off for the US, 1 Jewish and 1 Arab, but suddenly now there are 4 Israeli believers – 2 Jewish, and 2 Arab! And they're praying together in Texas!
The Instanbul Connection
After leading the two men to faith, George suggested that the Jewish boss might like to talk to Erez, a fellow Jewish Israeli, about the profound life decision he had just made.
They talked on the phone a little, and it seemed to Erez that the conversation rang a few bells, but wasn't sure why. It wasn't until our new believing friend saw a picture of Erez that he realised that they had walked around Istanbul together!
Erez was thrilled to be reunited with one of his travel companions from over a year ago – and under such wonderful circumstances! What a delight to see how God bring things around that we might think nothing of at the time, but in his sovereignty, he's weaving all things together in his amazing plan.
* Not their real names
