Michael Goldstone
Michael grew up in a traditional, but not very religious Jewish home. He started
searching for spiritual truth in his later teen years. He experimented with drugs,
read books on Eastern religions and looked for fulfillment in a variety of ways.
There was a longing deep in his soul. He and his friend Ron moved from upstate
New York to southern Oregon, where they purchased 20 acres to grow tomatoes.
It was not very successful or satisfying. Michael grew more depressed and
discouraged so they hitchhiked to southern Mexico in search of magic mushrooms.
While in Mexico, they encountered a group of hippies who talked about the Bible and
Jesus. Michael could not understand this and it was hard at first to think about Jesus
because of the way he was raised. He was Jewish and it did not make sense to him.
On his way back to Oregon, Michael met Debra in San Francisco. As they
fell in love, something changed. He started reading the Bible and his heart
and understanding began to change. God had met him, and as he opened his
heart to the truth, he believed that Yeshua was the Messiah and found shalom!
Laura Fels
Laura was searching, but could not find fulfillment. As a child she frequently
joined her grandmother in synagogue and warmly remembers the liturgy, but
rejected the Jewish religion. She thought she might find fulfillment in love,
success, possessions and life experiences. After a failed marriage, she wore
divorce as a badge of honor. She climbed the corporate ladder. With each
promotion, she encountered more emptiness. Nothing satisfied her. Religion
was the last place she expected to find meaning and happiness. To Laura,
religion was irrelevant and senseless. Her misgivings dramatically changed
when she encountered a woman who seemed to be so happy with her life.
Her friend persuaded Laura to join her at church. Laura agreed and was
intrigued by the people she met. They evidently had a relationship with the
Creator of the universe. She thought, “How can Gentiles have this, but not
me?” Laura discovered happiness, hope, love and peace when she realized
that Jesus was not only for the Gentiles and accepted Him as her Messiah.
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