Victory in Vic's life...

Just under a year ago Igal Vender met Vic, a jewish drug addict, on the streets of Tel Aviv and invited him to a pop-up café for the homeless. Vic accepted the invitation and Igal was taken aback when Vic told him that he recognised Igal from many years before. As Igal reports, this meeting marked an important turning point in Vic’s life…

Vic is a 42-year-old divorcee who moved to Israel from Uzbekistan in 1998 with his wife and daughter. Of the 21 years he has lived in Israel, 16 of them have been spent in prison. His wife divorced him during his first prison sentence and he turned to drugs for consolation. Life outside was difficult to adjust to and, tragically, prison was the only place he really felt at home.

JESUS IS THE DIFFERENCE

Despite Vic saying he knew me from years back, I couldn’t remember him. After he had eaten, he listened intently as I explained the gospel before telling him how Jesus had transformed my life. Vic looked me straight in the eyes and told me that he found it impossible to believe. He went on to explain that we had been in prison together back in 2001 and during that time he saw me having a vicious fight with another prisoner. I immediately remembered the incident, which gave me another opportunity to emphasise the change Jesus had made in my life.

I explained how I had struggled to accept that God could forgive my sin and all the wicked things I had done but that the very moment I repented and believed, God changed me. So much so that for the past twelve years I have been serving God by sharing the Good News about Jesus with Jewish people, particularly those who are in the position I was once in. I invited him to come to our rehab house and challenged him to discover the change that God could make in his own life.

Vic was astonished by the change he saw in me. But he told me that, as a Jewish man, he didn’t believe Jesus could help him. He then simply got up and walked away. This saddened me although it wasn’t a total surprise. However, I committed to pray for him. Two months later my prayers were answered as Vic returned, this time asking if he could come to the rehab house for help.

GOD AT WORK

We began reading the Bible together, starting at the Gospel of John before moving onto Matthew. I showed him that Jesus and his first disciples were Jewish, before explaining that the Messiah had first come to the Jewish people and the offer of salvation was then opened up to all nations. Over the days that followed, I saw the Lord at work in Vic’s heart. He told me that for the first time since he was in prison he felt a sense of belonging.

A few weeks ago, after another Bible study, Vic told me that the previous night he had woken up in floods of tears with an overwhelming awareness of his sinful condition and his need to repent. I was overjoyed as we prayed together and Vic turned to Jesus as his Messiah and Lord!

Praise God that Vic was recently baptised! Pray for him as he grows in his faith and for Igal as he disciples him.