We have exciting things to report directly from the Promised Land. Our work in Israel – the free distribution of Derek Prince material – is gaining momentum and becoming an influential ministry. Our local partners, Rudy & Sharon Friesen, are responsible for the “First Fruits” division of Christian Friends of Israel (CFI).
They have a deep passion for the people of Israel and continue to find new, inspiring ways to bless them and share God's love with them. We are working closely with them to distribute Derek Prince's material in Israel as effectively as possible.
In the following video, Sharon Friesen distributes gift packages to people from all walks of life for the biblical festival of Rosh Hashanah, mid September. The wonderful reactions show how a small gesture can have a big impact:
When the Friesens aren't handing out gift packages, they work with material from Derek Prince, among other things. They travel the country visiting messianic pastors, women's service leaders, Holocaust survivors, retirees and those in need. Their main goal is to stand by these believing people in prayer and with humanitarian aid in order to be a blessing to them. Among other things, they give these people generous, completely free Derek Prince book packages!
This year alone they distributed approximately 2,200 books by Derek Prince in English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish and Hebrew. And that is just the beginning. We already have thousands more books in stock in Jerusalem just waiting to get into the right hands, and many more titles are planned to be printed in the future.
Our partners sent us some photos that we would like to share with you so you can get an idea of the work:
And there are many more! The Friesens travel for us in Israel all year round and distribute the Derek Prince material. Praise the Lord for this! There are always meaningful encounters with people in Israel who are blessed by Derek Prince's teaching material.
Remarkable Encounters in Israel
I asked Rudy Friesen to share some of his most remarkable experiences in this ministry over the past few months. He then told me the following:
1. Meeting with the Pastor of the King of Glory Church in Haifa
During my recent trip to Haifa on September 16th, I met with Pastor Daniel Matiash of King of Glory Church. Pastor Matiash has a long-standing association with Derek Prince. He met him personally and benefited from his ministry work. He greatly values Derek's teachings and considers them fundamental to his own ministry. He has been actively distributing DPM brochures in churches and intends to use them to further develop his own King of Glory church in Haifa. Pastor Matiash showed a strong interest in Russian materials and welcomed more of them. He emphasized that Derek's teachings were sound and free from false doctrine.
We recorded a short interview, which can be seen below.
2. Meeting with various former drug addicts
"Over the past few months, I have continued to meet with people who have struggled with drug use in the past. Many of these people mentioned that Derek Prince's book, Blessing or Curse, You Can Choose, was crucial to their liberation."
3. Great interest in Derek Prince material within the Arab community
"The Arab community greatly values our materials and welcomes them wherever I go. Pastors are keen to bring copies to their congregations and we currently have three titles in Arabic (Blessing or Curse, The Exchange of the Cross, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting). There is great interest and we would be very happy to receive further titles. On July 26, I gave 170 books to Rania at the House of Prayer & Exploits in Nazareth, where she organized a women's conference attended by about 70 people."
4. General popularity of Derek Prince in Israel
"I often meet pastors who knew Derek Prince personally. They comment on how he encouraged and built them up. They are happy to receive his books into their community because they know the value they bring to the community. As contact and relationships with church and community leaders increase, I expect to see more requests for materials. I attend various pastoral meetings and take the opportunity to bring a selection of materials. This will make leaders aware of what is available and can then take it into their churches and communities."
Since we have many books here in Russian and Hebrew, CFI has shown great interest in these books in order to make them available to the Jewish messianic communities.
Thank you
I still can't believe that with this wonderful team, we have the opportunity to serve the people of God in a very personal and effective way. Praise the Lord, what a privilege! We are so grateful for supporters, like you. Your prayers and donations make all of this possible. Thanks to your generosity, we can, in turn, be generous with Derek Prince's life-changing Bible teaching and distribute it in the Promised Land where it is needed most. Thank you for serving with us in this ministry for many years and enabling us to spread the Gospel.
