Quiet and somber, Astelda told her story to a prayer counselor. The Jewish woman was consumed in sadness and depression. She was in physical pain, too, and longed for healing in her body and her soul.
Astelda had been suffering a long time with headaches. After being examined in the medical clinic, she sought comfort for her spirit in the prayer tent. At the time she came to our clinic in Gondar, Ethiopia, She was in her forties. Astelda is a member of the Beta Israel Jewish community, as such, she is also identified as a member of the “Lost Tribes of Israel”.
The Beta Israel believe they are descendants of the ancient tribe of Dan. Thousands of years ago, this tribe left Israel when the Assyrians conquered the Land that belonged to the ten Northern Tribes of Israel. As the inhabitants fled or were carried off into captivity, they were dispersed to the North, South, and East and never again lived together.
The Beta Israel hold that the tribe of Dan migrated south, resettled in Egypt, and later followed the Nile River into Ethiopia. For centuries, the tribe of Dan continued to multiply which ultimately resulted in Astelda seeking comfort from a Jewish Voice medical clinic.
Astelda opened her heart to our outreach prayer partner, Bernice in the prayer tent, and Bernice told her of Yeshua’s love. Bernice explained that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah spoken of in the Jewish Scriptures, and Astelda believed. She went home with hope in her heart, but what Bernice witnessed the next day truly astounded her!
As Bernice finished praying with another woman, she looked up and saw Astelda rushing into the prayer tent toward her.
“I could barely recognize her because she had changed so dramatically,” Bernice said. “She was radiant!”
Excitedly, Astelda told her that she’d experienced a miracle the night before and depression and pain disappeared and were replaced by peace and healing. In her rejoicing, she saw a vision of Bernice’s face and was compelled to come back and see her. She came back to thank Bernice and give glory to God. Like the one out of ten healed lepers, she returned to show her overflowing gratitude.
Astelda came back. She came back to Bernice to thank her, and she – as a Jewish woman – “came back” to the God of her fathers.
God is returning His People to His Kingdom through Yeshua. The “Lost Tribes of Israel” have never been “lost” to God. Though quietly hidden from most of the world for millennia, God has known all along where the People of His covenant are. There is much rejoicing in Heaven when one of them comes to faith in the Messiah and comes home to the Father. Astelda found her way home, and the angels rejoice!
The “Lost Tribes of Israel” have fascinated the world for centuries. Where did they go? What became of them? If you’d like to learn more about the “Lost Tribes” and where Jewish Voice ministers to them, we think you’ll enjoy our new photo book: The Lost Tribes of Israel. Find out more here.
