Faith Comes to New York!

Faith Gilmore is a graduate of Caleb Leadership Training and writes about her recent trip to New York City.

I felt God ask me to give the trip to Him, since it was the first of the Jewish New Year and He's been teaching me the principle of first fruits. When we give the first of anything (in this case the year) to God, He multiplies it:

Jesus was God's first son and His death and resurrection produced a multiplied harvest for God, Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord and was given more children, we give God our tithe and He supernaturally blesses the remainder of our finances and so on.

So, I looked up on the internet to see what Jewish activities were going on and found a tour of Lower East Side as it relates to Jewish History. However, before this scheduled tour I started seeing Jews everywhere on 34th street. I felt like God ask me to ask for their forgiveness on behalf of the church for all the hundreds of years of persecution they've endured.

The first two looked shocked and hurried by, not sure how to respond and appeared somewhat bothered, but then I continued on and said the same to about 100 more Jews. Out of than number, only 4 men didn't respond or look at me and I think it's because they were Orthodox Men who couldn't look at me because I was a woman. But, the others all appeared shocked in a good way, and their jaws dropped as they said either "thank you," "I appreciate it," "bless you this year," "I am in awe this is really happening," or "it's not necessary for you to take on that guilt."

I spoke first mostly to the elderly the first day, middle age men and men in their 30s the second day and a group of Jewish youth the second night. All were so thankful and receptive to this.

On the third day, I decided to ask random people who appeared Jewish yet I wasn't sure because they weren't Orthodox nor did they have a kippah on their heads. "Are you Jewish by any chance?" Almost all of them were either older women or older married couples and most said "yes." So, I was able to ask their forgiveness as well and all received me. One couple got tears in their eyes and held my hands. I felt God in our encounter.

When I went on the Jewish tour, I was one of only two people who took the tour--the other was Jew from Israel and the tour guide was Jewish. What was to be a 90 minute tour lasted 5 hours and the tour guide invited me and the other woman to dinner with he and his wife. I let them know I'm a Christian and then asked their forgiveness. They said "wow!," then became silent, and then said it's not necessary for me to say that or take the guilt. I told them I want to acknowledge the injustice and say it's not Yeshua's way.

They were kind to me about it and reminded me the following Sunday is Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. I thought to myself how cool it was that God positioned me there to repent right in between Rosh Hoshannah and Yom Kippur.