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My name is Henry Feinberg. I was born to Jewish parents in New York City in May of 1944. As a youngster, I was taught to mistrust and dislike Gentiles and Christians as they were the persecutors of the Jews and indeed had commited the recent Holocaust. My Jewish identity was strong. Our family atteneded a Conservative Synogogue and I was Bar Mitzvahed at age 13. I was an average student and only at the urging of my parents did I attend college at Syracuse University. Education is highly valued by Jews. While at Syracuse, I met my future wife in 1965 but did not marry her until much later. During these years I was discontent and brooding. I sensed there was so much to life I had been sheltered from and I had a compelling desire to explore the deeper philosophical/religious aspects of life. After college I learned how to fly airplanes and landed a job with United Airlines as a flight engineer and co/pilot. During my tenure with United, my discontent and frustration: my emptiness, my longing for meaning in life became overwhelming. I attempted to ease my pain with drinking and womanizing. This only increased my pain. The thought occured to me that if I could somehow find meaning in or explore the depths of my Jewish roots that I might find peace of mind and comfort of soul. I felt constrained and inhibited by my job with United and so after 6 years with the company I resigned to begin my search. I traveled to Israel and worked on a Kibbutz which is a collective farm. On 4 different occasions throught the next 6 years I spent a total of one year in Israel. I did not find The God of Israel in Israel as the Israelis are quite secular except for a small ultra Orthodox sect adhering to Rabbinic Judaism. They are the modern day decendants of the Pharisees as much in darkness now as they were when they did not discern the day of Messiah's visitation. Between my trips to Israel I made my home in Hawaii. I did marry my college sweetheart but I broke the marriage after only 6 months. We were divorced. This was 1980. The depth of my discontent was quite destructive. I learned carpentry and built many custom wooden homes for others and for myself. I explored yoga, meditation, psychidelic drugs and read spiritual books on different religions. I spent years doing this and it only added to my frustration because my soul was empty, corrupt and desperate for the truth. I realized that after 10 years of my quest I had arrived at a dead end. Indeed, I thought that I would be physically dead soon if the Truth was not revealed to me. I began training for the Hawaii Triathlon to physically exhaust myself in order to have peaceful rest at night. During these months of intensive training I met a woman one day while I was out running. I was not interested in woman at this point as I felt great shame over my divorce. Some time later I ran into her again and we agreed to spend a day together going to Hilo from Kona in order to take care of errands. This is a long car ride and we began passing time in idle conversation. All was pleasant until she told me that she had recently become a born again Christian. My reaction was swift. I told her I was not interested in the details. As the day wore on we stopped at a junk yard in order for her to get a part for her car. I stepped out to stretch and was confronted by the junk yard owner. He walked up to me and engaged me in conversation. He began quoting Bible verses to me. I had never read the Bible but I knew he was quoting to me from this Book. I met his caring, loving look with contempt and disgust. It must have affected him as I began to notice tears in his eyes as he continued sharing with me. This went on for sometime. I was aware that my perception was beginning to change as he continued to speak to me. The words he was quoting to me began to disarm me. I wanted to hear and understand what he was saying to me. My hateful countenance changed to that of an eager listener. He then abrubtly stopped. I wanted to hear more but he turned and walked away without saying anymore. I was stunned. I sensed that I had briefly tasted of that for which I had longed for all these empty years. Mary, who was with me, just returned saying that they had not the part she needed and we could go. We drove away slowly and as we did I burst into tears. I stopped my van in this beautiful, secluded spot and continued to weep not really caring what she would think of me. She began to read to me from a book she had with her. I regained my composure and listened to the Words. My heart leapt. What book are you reading from? She replied, the Bible. The realization fell heavily upon me. These Words, I told her, were conceived in the Mind of God. These are not the words of men. I then quietly listened for the next half hour. The emptiness in my soul began to be filled. We contimued on and upon joining the main road I picked up a hitch hiker. He settled himself in the back seat of the van, removed his day pack from his back and removed a book from the pack and without asking he began to read out loud to us. I thought this a bit odd but then again this was turning out to be that kind of a day. I listened and it dawned upon me that this fellow was reading the Bible! This went on for 45 minutes the time it took to get to the beach where he wanted off. Out he went and around to the driver's window where he looked me in the eye and said, "Man, you need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior". He then walked away. My heart responded quietly, yes I need to do that. I then dropped Mary off and proceeded home. The next day, I began my training preoccupied with the events of yesterday. I put my bike in my van and started the short drive down a huge hill above the Kilua-Kona Airport where I lived. On the way down the hill, I turned the radio on. The words to the song I heard sung by Cat Stevens were, "pick up the Good Book son, it's the Gospel it's the Truth". At this, I began to weep again. When I got to the bottom of the hill and stopped my van the thought weighed in on me: Sin, you are oppressed by sin. Something the man at the junk yard had said to me the day before. Sin. You are a slave to sin. Sin separates you from God. But I am searching for God. I want to be with God I thought to myself. Christ died for your sin. Receive Christ and be reconciled to God he said. I then reached my hands skyward, one out the window and the other pressed upon the head liner and asked Jesus Christ to forgive me for my sins and to be the Master of my destiny, my Savoir and my Lord. What followed was my asking for forgiveness for all the people I had hurt in my life. It seemed endless but He gave me rememberance and when I finished I felt clean, light and filled with joy. My mind's eye beheld the visage of a smiling Lord as I embarked upon a 30 mile bike ride. I returned home and called Mary telling her of the morning events. She came to my house and told me that I had been born again. She gave me a Bible and started me reading the Gospel of John. She left. Reading the New Testament, I expected to find an anti-semetic account. Rahter, I read a very Jewish account of Israel's Messiah. The events became alive for me and I wept somemore reading of the One who had just saved my soul from eternal damnation. At Mary's invitation, I attended a small Church and the brethern began to pray for my needs. My drinking stopped immediately. They prayed for my ex-wife, Janet. Some 6 months later on Thanksgiving day I was at friends house for turkey dinner when the phone rang. My friends had their car for sale. Someone wanted to come and look at the car. The person who showed up was my ex-wife. We had been out of contact for over one and one half years. Last she had heard I was living in Minnesota. She was living in California and had come to visit Hawaii and decided to stay. This truly was a divine appointment. This meeting resulted in Janet's salvation and eventually a reconciliation of our marriage. We were remarried in 1983. We presently live in southern Oregon and have three children, Hannah:13, Rachel:11, Samuel:7. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!!! Click HERE to return to the edited story Click HERE to create a banner that links to this story! Your e-mail address will be kept private!
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