June 2024
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you (Psalm 122:6)
Dear Friends and Supporters:
Shalom, dear friends and supporters! I pray that each of you is well and abiding in the Lord as He abides in
you. I always thank our Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, for your steadfast support, faithful
prayers, and gracious love, which make all things possible.
you. I always thank our Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, for your steadfast support, faithful
prayers, and gracious love, which make all things possible.
Passover #29
As of April 18, 2024, it has been 31 years since our late CJFM founder, Dr. Charles Halff, asked my late
husband, Barry, and I to pray about moving to Arizona to start an outreach to the fast-growing Jewish
population. Our Bible study/fellowship, Tikvah BaMidbar (Hope in the Desert), has held 29 annual citywide
Passover Seders by the grace of God. (Except for the COVID-19 pandemic.) Attendance has ranged from 160
to 550 people. Praise God that there are now different Jewish missions represented in Arizona, offering more
options! Non-believing Jewish individuals and Gentiles heard and saw, for the first time, how Messiah Jesus
fulfilled Passover, the first feast of Israel. And believers witnessed the Jewishness of God’s Word and
Christianity. Three people prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior this year. Hallelujah! I am blessed
and privileged that, in the twilight of my years, God has allowed me to continue in the ministry of our calling “to
the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). This has been a significant aspect in our lives: Barry was
Jewish, and I am Greek. The Lord drew us to His saving grace in that exact order.
Doctor M.
I invited my cardiologist, Dr. M., and his wife to our Passover Seder this year. He shared with me that although
he wasn’t a believer, his wife was and would most likely enjoy the Seder and that they would attend. When I
asked why he wasn’t a man of faith, he said it wasn’t a part of his life growing up. I told him that when he’s
confronted with his mortality, he, too, may become a believer. He said that’s exactly what his wife tells him.
Unfortunately, they had a scheduling conflict and were unable to attend. However, it has opened up an avenue
of conversation between my doctor and me, and we discuss spiritual issues quite easily. Our latest discussion
was his amazement at believers’ attitudes about death. He has seen it in his patients. I explained to him what it
means to have the assurance of our salvation and eternity. Please pray for the salvation of Dr. M. I am also
happy to report that the results of my tests were normal. I’ll be seeing him again in six months.
Tikvah BaMidbar (Hope in the Desert)
A good friend, Effie Gross, who has been involved in our ministry here in Arizona since the beginning,
contacted me about having Tikvah BaMidbar participate in a Passover Seder for her church in Maricopa,
Arizona. Effie teaches the Jewish perspective of God’s Word wherever she goes. As a result, her pastor was
excited about sponsoring a Messianic Passover Seder for the first time. Effie used our model, and planned it at
a restaurant in Maricopa. Her pastor and the Passover Seder were a blessing; 75 people attended. He is
already looking forward to another one next year. It will, once again, be an honor.
contacted me about having Tikvah BaMidbar participate in a Passover Seder for her church in Maricopa,
Arizona. Effie teaches the Jewish perspective of God’s Word wherever she goes. As a result, her pastor was
excited about sponsoring a Messianic Passover Seder for the first time. Effie used our model, and planned it at
a restaurant in Maricopa. Her pastor and the Passover Seder were a blessing; 75 people attended. He is
already looking forward to another one next year. It will, once again, be an honor.
“It’s Greek to Me”
I have a mini-ministry within a ministry. I have had referrals from people about contacting Greek individuals
who are not believers. Mostly, they attend Greek Orthodox churches, like the one I attended growing up. My
latest contact is from a friend who is a Jewish believer living in Chicago. I have been in touch via phone with
her Greek-born friend, “K,” and have had some conversations in Greek with her. I’ve also followed up and senther a salvation tract and a book about God’s promises, both written in Greek. Please pray that the planted
seeds will come to fruition.
Progress. . .
I praise God for how the Holy Spirit is overtly moving in a few non-believers with whom I have close contact
that God has brought into my life. They consist of nine Jewish individuals and seven Gentiles. One has shared
that he prayed to receive the Lord and is attending church. Another received the Lord and was baptized in a
Bible church. A third periodically meets with me for lunch as I continue to share with him and discuss spiritual
issues. I would deeply appreciate your prayers for those not yet saved and wisdom for me in our ongoing
conversations.
Thank you!
Thank you, always, for being my partners in ministry and partakers with me of grace. “I thank my God in all my
remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all” (Phil 1:3-4).
Thank you!
Thank you, always, for your faithful prayers and financial gifts that make all things possible. Without them, this ministry would not exist. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account (Phil. 4:17).
In Messiah’s love and mine,
Violette Berger
As the Lord leads, please include a note referencing all future gifts for Violette Berger to:
CJF Ministries
PO Box 345
San Antonio, TX 78292-0345