Source: Jews for Jesus
[A missionary] who connects with Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) as well as formerly Haredi [men], reports, “A man raised in the Haredi community came to our website and told a volunteer on LiveChat that he had prayed to receive Jesus and wanted to be baptized. His name and contact information were passed on to me. I called John and we had a great conversation.
“John grew up in the Haredi community, but no longer believes in Orthodox Judaism. He described himself as ‘off the derekh,’ a term for ultra-Orthodox Jews who have left the community.
“John met a Christian woman who explained the gospel to him and led him in a prayer of repentance. He then searched online for Jewish people and baptism and found our website.
“At first, we spoke on the phone every few days. When we finally met in person, John described his lifelong search for the truth, including his curiosity about Christianity. He loved the idea of becoming a new creation through faith in Jesus. The topic of baptism was particularly important to him, and when I asked if he’d like to meet and discuss the New Testament together, he agreed.
“In the following weeks and months, John limited our contact to short phone conversations. After a while, he confided his fear that faith in Jesus will alienate him from his family. However, he still wants to stay in touch.
“Around the same time that I reached out to John, Zach contacted us through Facebook. He also grew up practicing ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
“Zach struggles to live up to the standards and expectations of his community. He feels compassion for us because we are Jewish but excluded by his community. He says he also feels excluded.
“We meet in person and between meetings, Zach sends me videos about Judaism. He insists that he isn’t interested in believing as we do yet continues wanting to meet.
Please pray for John and Zach, and for God’s grace to overcome the challenges that would prevent them from following Jesus.