My mom died in 2004, the born again Christian daughter of a very Jewish family. Years before, the Lord had promised her that her family would be saved. No one realized what this actually meant! What I DID know was that I was determined to have an opportunity to witness to grandma before she died. I spent a lot of time wondering how in the world I would go about witnessing to a very "anti-Jesus" Jew.
Grandma Cohn had been a harsh woman driven by fear her entire life and there was enough water under the bridge to drown in. I had made up my mind that I would petition her over the years to let me take care of her when the time came. She said she would never live in Georgia and her people were not here. She did not want to hear about Jesus, nor was she big on a lot of children! Hmmm...
Sure enough, grandma had a significant stroke at the age of 86 and I was able to convince my Uncle to let me care for her, against her will. She came in September and, although slightly ornery, came to trust us and love our home as her own. She has continued to have mini-strokes since she got here and has slowly lost memory and some cognition. After her second of two mini- strokes in less than a week, I prayed with my husband and made the decision that I would witness to her about the promised Messiah once and for all. I was concerned about her ability to comprehend, but I still had a job to do. I needed to fulfill my purpose for bringing her here, to show her the LOVE of Christ, and now to tell her. It seemed a shot in the dark, given her memory, cognition and the fact that she had thrown our Bibles across the table because she said she was tired of seeing all of our Bibles laying around everywhere she looked.
She repeated a prayer after me, babbled some, and stopped me a couple of times to say things like "He did that? They hurt him." to which I responded "Yes, they did, but He did that so you wouldn't have to!" She continued to repeat the prayer and I left her to rest. I called Pastor Scott to intercede because I don't put much stock in a woman with severe vascular dementia reciting a prayer after me. Pr. Scott put out a request for intercession and confirmation.
About an hour, or less, later, Gramma came out of her room and told us "HE" was speaking to her "right here" as she pointed to her heart. She said He came to her bed and spoke to her. She looked to see where "HE" was but she couldn't find Him. Then she said, "He was a man, but not like you would say...There's a man!" He told her to get up and tell us what He wanted us to hear through her. She began to quote new testament scripture and she ministered to us until night time.
As she came in and out of the Spirit, she stopped and said "Why did He pick ME?" She said she knows it is because He loves her. Then she spent 20 minutes witnessing to my uncle. She said "Ricky, He will come to you the way He came to me and you will know Him because He loves you." John and I were on our knees, humbled before God! Then she said "It will be in HIS timing, not ours and it will be His way, not ours."
Since then, she has ministered to many people and given specific prophecy to some of them. She has wisdom as though she has been a Christian for 40 years. Today she sat in the sanctuary at Bethel and worshipped with us and prayed and ministered. She shared a conversation she had with Jesus at the cross at his crucifixion. She said " They (the Jews) didn't know what they were doing. They didn't know, but I know because He told me, they now they WILL know. She said "Did you know He cried because they didn't know?" There is so much to tell! I am humbled.
Everyday, there is a new message coming through her. Day one was that we need to learn to laugh because He LOVES to laugh! Day two was that we must LISTEN to what He is telling us and speak the things He tells us. Today was "Never forget the things He has told you."
I plan to continue to update here as Grammas walk unfolds and she moves toward heaven!
This is a picture of Gramma's first encounter with a physical cross since her salvation. The diologue is visible in her face..."Thank you for doing this for me!"
This is a picture of Gramma's first encounter with a physical cross since her salvation. The diologue is visible in her face..."Thank you for doing this for me!"
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