"As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" (Proverbs 25:25).

The news that the heavenly hosts brought to the shepherds was from a far country. So was that brought to Jerusalem and Bethlehem by the wise men from the east. "For unto you is born . . . a Saviour" (Luke 2:11), and "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2) wasn't fake news, it was good news and as cold waters to a thirsty soul. And the best part about the Saviour's birth and the news that came with it two thousand years ago, His first advent, is that it guarantees His Second: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him" (Revelation 1:7). May these truths be a source of true joy and expectation for you this Christmas and every day going forward in the decade to come. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

What follows is a bit of encouraging news to hopefully brighten your holiday, some from home and some from far countries:

the homefront

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The above image is High Shoals Falls in South Mountains State Park not far from our rural North Carolina home. Just the other day, an icy morning, I guided some unexpected guests up there. Down in Huaraz this past September, we hosted an Israeli family who live near Netanya. I overheard them speaking Hebrew in a local coffee shop and invited them over to our apartment for dinner. They came a few days later; we took their kids rock climbing; and we shared with them about why we put our faith and trust in the Messiah of Israel, Jesus of the New Testament. They took a Hebrew New Testament from our hands and left very intrigued by this Gentile family who loves and appreciates the role of the people of Israel in the history of the world. Last week, I received an unexpected WhatsApp message. This family had been traveling since we parted ways in Huaraz, and they happened to be driving north to Maryland through North Carolina. For three years in Peru, we have been telling our Israeli contacts that they are welcome in our home in the States, and for the first time, some folks actually took us up on it. We shared a wonderful dinner in our NC home; I took their boys to watch class at my local martial arts dojo; my grandmother hosted them for the night and cooked up a wonderful breakfast; and we went for a hike up to High Shoals Falls. The icy waters plunging down that morning reminded me of Proverbs 25:25, and I hoped that the things we shared with and showed to our guests were just that, good news from a far country. As we parted ways in the parking lot at the state park, I handed the father a copy of a book that I had recently obtained. It was the story of an American Jewish man who got a call from his daughter one night telling him that she had put her faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Of course, he and his wife freaked out. Yet, as they studied and searched the Scriptures to figure out how to persuade the daughter otherwise and prove her wrong, both mom and dad came to saving faith. I devoured the book in a couple of days and knew I needed to pass it on. I pray the Lord will use it. Please pray for this Israeli Family. Here are a few images from our time together. As for that book, it's a great read and can be found HERE.

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israel

Yesterday, at sundown, began the Jewish Hanukkah holidays. In thinking about Proverbs 25:25, I wanted to to send out goods news from a far country to a slough of our Israeli contacts going all the way back to 2017, especially the ones we had visited in Israel. I decided to be bold, sending out more than 50 personal messages that more or less said these words:

Shalom my friend. We wanted to wish you a Happy Hanukkah in Israel or wherever you might be this day at sundown. My family and I haven’t forgotten the good times we shared in Peru, Argentina, and/or Israel; and we look forward to the day we can meet again. You may not know this, but Hanukkah is actually mentioned in the B’rit Chadashah (i.e. New Testament). In John 10:22, Yeshua went up to Jerusalem to observe the feast of dedication (Hannukah) and was walking in the temple. The religious leaders began to harass Him, demanding that He tell them whether or not He truly was the Messiah. His response was simple: “I have already told you, and you didn’t believe me. But, the works that I have done and continue to do in my Father’s name, they prove it!” Unlike politicians and religious hypocrites who SAY all sorts of things and make all sorts of promises, Yeshua HaMessiach proved His claims to be true by DOING exactly what the Prophets said Messiah would do. He opened the eyes of the blind, healed the sick, cast out devils, made the lame to walk again, and raised the dead to life. And all of these things were seen and recorded by Jewish eyewitnesses. And, as was written of Him in Isaiah 53, He was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead that we all, both Jew & Gentile, might have forgiveness and life. Therefore, Psalm 2 declares with chutzpah: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little BLESSED ARE ALL THEY THAT PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM.” I put my trust in the God of Israel and the Messiah of Israel some years ago. And the proof is not in what I say but in what I do. I trust the love for Israel and the Jewish people that my family and I were greatly privileged to extend to you in your travels is proof of the work that the Messiah has done in our lives. Anyway, may the Festival of Lights this year be a time of reflection for you upon the light of the Scriptures, given to the world by God through the Jewish people. And in the light of those Scriptures, the Messiah shines. As He said a few days before the Feast of Hanukkah in Jerusalem that I mentioned above: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Whatever your thoughts may be concerning these truths, please know that you can always count on us as friends and those who pray for you. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you and your family this Hannukah season. I’d love to see a picture of the menorah at your table, and Lord willing, perhaps we can meet in Israel this coming year. Your American friends, The Boyd Family

Surprisingly, I received quite a few responses, and all were very positive. Here are some snippets:

"That was a beautiful read."
"Thank you so much Jesse for your kind words!"
"Even though I'm not that religious in my day-to-day, its always a delight to hear from you."
"I really hope that we will meet again soon! Im looking forward to it. And just so you know I still wear the socks that you gave me!"
"Thank you so much for the blessing and for caring!"
"You are amazing Jesse. Thank you for being who you are."
"Thank you for all the good words; I hadn't heard about any of this."

One young man, Liyam, who I have maintained constant contact with since the time we spent together in Huaraz actually sent me a video clip of him lighting a makeshift travel menorah he had set up in a hostel in the middle of nowhere near Samuk Champey in Guatemala. The funny thing is, I actually stayed in that same hostel 15 years ago, and had a few encounters with Israelis there (long before God gave me a burden to reach them). I also remember sharing the Gospel with a young man from Germany and Gospel tracting some local villagers. This was long ago.

Anyway, when you start talking bluntly about Jesus the Messiah, you never know what you are going to get from anyone, be it Jew or Gentile. But, praise God, there can often be pleasant surprises. Please pray for the lost sheep from the House of Israel that we reached out to personally at the onset of Hanukkah. May the Lord use it as cold waters to a thirsty soul.

colombia

Eric and Mindy Trent continue to labor down in Bogotá, Columbia. He wrote of a recent encounter with a Jewish man in a coffee shop:

One afternoon, Mindy, Michael, and I were exploring downtown Bogotá looking for strangers to converse with about the Lord. We decided to grab a snack at a nearby Israeli-themed restaurant. Upon entering, I noticed a religious Jewish man sitting alone at a table. He was wearing a kippah and tallit, typical garb for the Orthodox. After Mindy and I ate and paid for the food, I walked over, stuck out my hand, and said “Shalom friend, God bless the nation of Israel.” I was immediately met with a smile and he took my hand cordially. He wanted to know where we were from and how long we were traveling in Colombia. After a brief conversation, Mindy and I invited him over to our apartment for a meal at some point while he is traveling in the country. He was grateful for the invitation, and he gladly received a Hebrew Gospel tract. When he asked me what it was, I explained that it talked about the Messiah, the Son of God. Manel was a very open individual. We are praying that he passes back through Bogotá on his way home to Israel and considers reaching out to us.

Not long thereafter, Eric had another encounter, this time with a strange Gentile:

I had an interesting conversation with a self-proclaimed Satanist in downtown. As I was posting a Hebrew invitation on a light pole, he came out to examine what I was doing. He was the owner of a nearby restaurant, and he probably thought I was advertising for my own. Anyway, after explaining it was just an invitation so we could partner up with Israelis to rock climb, I couldn’t help but notice all of his piercings, the pentagram necklace, and a “666” tattoo he had on his face. I asked him if he worshipped Satan, to which he acknowledged that he did, revealing a large goat tattooed on his stomach. He quickly found out I was a Christian, and I asked him why he wasted his time worshipping the devil. I told him that he should be worshipping the One Who CREATED the devil and will ultimately DESTROY the devil, Jesus Christ the Son of God! He alone is worthy of our worship. Jose actually listened to what I had to say, and he took a Spanish Gospel tract assuring me that he would read it.

Please pray for Manel and José, my friends. I am hoping to travel down to Colombia right after the first of the year and partner with Eric and Mindy for a few weeks. Stay tuned.

nepal

Things have changed drastically in both Nepal and India over the past year with regard to freedom to preach the Gospel. Persecution against believers has increased, and many open doors for bold and public proclamation we once enjoyed in these places are largely closed. Notwithstanding, we continue to support work on the ground, and the LORD has been good to allow it to continue largely unabated and unhindered. Brother Bishnu recently shared this encouraging news from Kathmandu:

Brother Hasta has been with us some months to study God’s Word. He had been to a few bible schools in the past without satisfactory teaching of the Word, so we asked him to stay with us for a time. This was almost three months ago. About six weeks ago, someone called him from his village in the midwest mountains and spoke of a local folk singer who had been oppressed by evil spirits and was miraculously healed. Gorakh, the singer, had been severely tormented for two months, and he couldn’t sleep even a single night. He couldn’t digest any food for those two months and was near the point of death. The evil spirits often drove him to a Hindu cremation site during the long nights. They would talk to him live and make him do many crazy things just like the Demoniac in the Gospels. His villagers thought and said that he was insane. Gorakh eventually came to realize that he was going to die and suddenly remembered the Gospel and the God of the Bible he had falsely “accepted" few years ago. He cried out to the Lord, and He miraculously healed him. Immediately, Gorakh wanted to know Him more and serve Him.

So, after hearing of this from Brother Hasta , we invited him to Kathmandu to disciple him and help him to be ready to serve the Lord. Unexpectedly, one day, I received a call from an unknown number. Gorakh didn't have a phone, so he borrowed one from a stranger and called asking me to pick him up from the bus station. He got the invitation and immediately took us up on it. We then decided to also take in his wife and three-year-old daughter to join him in the discipleship training. So she also came to Kathmandu with their daughter for the first time.

We shared with them the clear biblical Gospel, and now we are five weeks into their three-month discipleship training. We have a basic course, and we teach basic Bible doctrines with practical theology. Normally, there are two days of self-study for a lesson and then discussion and teaching on the third day. So, we have two classes of more than two hours every week and weekly fellowship on Saturdays. They study the Bible for many hours every day, and they work in our organic vegetable garden in the afternoon. They sell extra products to a nearby farmer’s market. And they cook their own food.

Thus, the Lord has suddenly started a bible school in our new building. And we would like to continue it. We are planning to bring more youths from the mountains. The criteria are: they should have the desire to know the Lord and study His Word, desire to continue their higher study, financially unable to continue higher study, and willing to submit to the local leaders. Many are coming in April 2020, then we will have a big group of disciples and we will be more busy to teach them. All this is happening despite the government crackdown on Christians and local churches.

ladakh

We also continue to support a good local brother and his very difficult work in Ladakh and Kargil, India where ancient Islam and Buddhism slam right into each other. It was a great encouragement to read these words from him only a few days ago (names are altered for security reasons):

The work in K in 2019 has been constant, and our team was able to get into many different homes in the villages, visit lots of people both young and old. We distributed more than 100 Urdu Bibles. In one village, we ran out of Bibles, and people came pleading for more. We had a new family come to the Lord. They are now in D and getting trained in the faith under the care of a wonderful brother and his family along with other new believers from Nepal. I see their hunger for Jesus, a family coming out of strong Shiite Islam, and now their acceptance of Jesus has been amazing to experience. Brother A and Brother S are keeping up the work of encouraging the new families that we visited, and their follow-up efforts have been great. I also want to thank the Lord for T and C and their whole household. They have been faithful in their walk with the Lord, and their witness to others has led many to question their Islam or Buddhist religions. I know they have gone through a lot of hard times; persecutions have been strong on them from their relatives and friends, but they stand strong. I also want to thank the Lord for Brother P and Sister M and their two kids Mi and Sti who came to Ladakh to labor alongside us in encouraging the believer in K. Brother P has been a great help in teaching and preaching the Word. I remember we would visit homes in the villages, and he would lead us into a great time of worship.

The mention of T and C and their family is a special encouragement because we helped to baptize them at a secret location on the Indus River in Ladakh back in 2015 when we hosted our very first Team Yeshua for the summer. Years later, and despite many persecutions, their faith endures.

My friends, as dark as the days may seem, the LORD is still doing amazing things both at home and abroad. The light of the Gospel and the Word of God still shines in the darkness, and "as cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" (Proverbs 25:25). I pray these snippets encouraged and edified you this Christmas and as the sun sets on 2019 and another decade.

I am reminded of the words from an old Christmas carol written by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

And in despair I bowed my head:
There is no peace on earth, I said,
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.

GOD IS NOT DEAD, NOR DOES HE SLEEP!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. As mentioned, I may be heading down to Colombia after the first of the year. The Trents will return in February, and Lord willing, Eric and I hope to return to Israel to follow-up with the contacts made this past year. We are also starting to prepare for next summer's Team Yeshua. It will either be in Colombia/Peru or back in Ladakh. We are looking for volunteers even now. Your prayers in all these things are coveted and appreciated.

Again . . . here at the end of 2019, your financial support would be much appreciated and prove a true blessing. If the LORD should lay it upon your heart to help toward our needs, those of the Trents, Brother Bishnu in Nepal, or Brother Gulzar in Ladakh . . . please visit fpgm.org/donate for more information. It's also real easy to give directly online: PayPal.me/zerayim

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE 100% TAX-DEDUCTIBLE for United States citizens.

Again, thank you to those who already make those financial sacrifices and have been faithful to do so regularly. You know who you are, and know moreover that you are appreciated and prayed for.

May all those who read this have a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year in service to the King of Kings. And, go preach the Good News from a far country to thirsty souls. Jesus Christ is King!

Jesse Boyd, Colporter
Full Proof Gospel Ministries

encouraging news at home and abroad