Missionaries to North America God could have chosen angels as His representatives here on earth. Instead, He chose to give this privilege to His human family. “Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary. He who drinks of the living water becomes a fountain of life” (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 195).
T
he dictionary defines a missionary as “a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.” Typically, the idea of a missionary causes us to imagine travels to distant lands—with thoughts of people who are thirsting for the Word of God or a mental picture of a land set in poverty with minimal education opportunities and a comparatively substandard lifestyle. But here is the twist—a Messianic Jewish Adventist family was called by God to leave Israel and travel to North America as missionaries to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Netan family is 10 strong with siblings, children, in-laws, and parents ranging in age from 8 to 45. They are self-supporting missionaries here in the United States. Over the last four years they have been to 49 states, witnessing in snow, rain, and heat to bring the gospel to Americans. At one point, they were
asking for prayers for their young son to have relief from the pain in his legs caused by the 21 miles of walking he had done that day, sharing the gospel with the community. In the Reno/Sparks area alone, the family has given away over 5,000 pieces of literature and books over the last six weeks. The majority of the publications they distribute are Steps to Christ, GLOW tracts, and Sign of the Times tracts. In Testimonies for the Church, they read: “There are whole families who might be missionaries, engaging in personal labor, toiling for the Master with busy hands and active brains, devising new methods for the success of His work” (vol. 9, p. 40). This family has taken this challenge from Ellen White to heart. As they give testimonies in churches, their faces beam with the love and glory of God as they count it a privilege to be co-labors with Christ. They will be heading home to Israel soon. To the Netan family, we say thank you for coming to America and bringing the gospel in a way no others can. May there be many more who catch the vision as you have. God bless you. ____________________ By Brian Bilbrey
Elijahu, Kefira, Rachel, Na’tan, and Lydia
36 Pacific Union Recorder
I Nevada-Utah Conference