Steve Conover: Welcome to The Friends of Israel Today. I'm Steve Conover, with me is our host and teacher Chris Katulka. I'd like to encourage you as we start, to visit our website, foiradio.org. There, you can find out more information about The Friends of Israel Today radio program. You'll find our archives there and you can listen to six years worth of Chris's teaching. Again, that's foiradio.org.

Chris Katulka: Steve, in our Israel My Glory magazines that we have, we have a new section called FOI In Action. We've been running it for 2021, it really is designed to show our readers and our listeners that are listening right now about the work that the Friends of Israel's doing on the field, both domestically here in the US and Canada, but also internationally. So today we're going to have Ty Perry talking to us.

He's from Las Vegas. He's a field ministries representative with The Friends of Israel. He's going to be sharing some amazing stories about his passion for Genesis chapter 12, verse three, and how that works out and sharing the good news of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It's going to be a great program.

Steve Conover: And if you're not a subscriber to Israel My Glory, we will give you an opportunity to receive a one-year subscription at no cost, so stay tuned for that. In the news, The Jerusalem Post reports a team of researchers at Tel Aviv University, they've developed a breakthrough RNA-based drug delivery system to target diseased cells that could improve the treatment of blood cancers, various types of solid cancers, different inflammatory diseases and viral diseases, including coronavirus.

Chris Katulka: Steve, it's amazing the kind of technology and science, health sciences that are coming out of Israel, almost what seems like on a daily basis. There are websites that are dedicated to simply sharing about all of the technology and science and high tech that are coming out of Israel. But this is just amazing to me, this new report that came out because it shows that researchers in Israel have been able to identify how to differentiate between diseased and non-diseased cells. Today we use antibodies which target every cell, whether it's diseased or not, but this Tel Aviv University group of researchers have learned to identify only the diseased cells, leaving healthy cells intact. This is such amazing Israeli research coming out of the startup nation.

Well, it's fantastic to have Ty Perry, a dear friend of mine. Ty and I actually met for the first time in Israel. He joined The Friends of Israel several years ago on a ORIGINS trip. He actually won our Go Israel contest which got him a free trip to Israel with us. He served on our ORIGINS program, which is our young adult ministry trip, volunteer trip to Israel. I think it's there, where Ty's heart, the Lord tugged on the strings of Ty's heart to direct him toward ministering to the Jewish people. Since then, Ty and I have been really good friends and it's a joy to be able to see him as a field ministries representative for The Friends of Israel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ty, great to have you with us on the program.

Ty Perry: Thanks for having me, Chris. I'm glad to be here.

Chris Katulka: Ty, that's where we met right? In Israel?

Ty Perry: You were right, great. It was a life-changing trip for me. I got to experience Israel and I got to meet Chris Katulka, so it was a big deal.

Chris Katulka: I don't know about that, but that was a fantastic time. I can remember seeing you,your heart and your passion early on. How long ago was that, Ty? That has to be more than 10 years now, right?

Ty Perry: You know, I think it's just shy. I think it was about nine years, yep.

Chris Katulka: Nine years ago, I met Ty for the first time. And now nine years later, the Lord is using him in Las Vegas. He goes from Cass City, Michigan to Las Vegas to do Jewish ministry, which is fantastic. Ty, I wanted to pull out some of the amazing accounts that you've had recently for our listeners, to hear about the ministry that you have with The Friends of Israel. I've been thinking lately more and more about Genesis chapter 12:3, God says to Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and Abraham in you, all the families of the Earth will be blessed."

The thing that keeps going through my mind as I read that verse is that there's a double command here. There's the command to support Israel and the Jewish people. Then there's also this amazing command to share the good news of Jesus Christ, that that one verse is both sharing about the fact that we're to edify Israel, encourage Israel, which also then encourages us to share about the good news of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus. I'd be interested in your thoughts regarding Genesis 12:3 and how it connects to both edifying Israel and evangelism simultaneously.

Ty Perry: When you think about it, that is a passage that really tells us about God's heart for the Jewish people, they're central to His plan. And He has used them to be a blessing to the entire world, to the nations. But it's also a reminder to Christians that we are to take that message, that blessing that's come through Abraham, and to share it with the world. In fact, I think of Paul in Galatians chapter three, where he says that essentially this was God preaching the gospel beforehand to Abraham. He was saying, "Here's how I'm going to use your people. You're going to be a blessing to all the nations of the world and that's going to come through the Jewish people," and ultimately that fulfillment is in Jesus, the Messiah.

Chris Katulka: The more and more I've been reading that Ty, the more and more I've been seeing that there's that command to support Israel. Then at the same time, God says to Abraham, "This promise isn't just for you," but that God's going to protect Israel and bless Israel ultimately for the sole purpose of bringing the Messiah to the world. Then we get the chance to share the good news of that Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. And all of it wrapped up in that little verse, Abraham, "I'll bless those who bless you, curse those who curse you,” a promise of protection, but then also “through you, all the families of the Earth will be blessed." That promise wasn't just for the Jewish people. That promise was that the Jewish people would bring God's plan of salvation to the whole world.

That's what I actually love about what you're doing in your ministry Ty, because you've had these Genesis 12:3 moments. In our recent Israel My Glory magazine, The Power of The Gospel, we highlighted an amazing moment that you had because as you were showing love and support to a Jewish woman, it actually led you to share the love of Christ with a Korean woman who was in need of emotional, spiritual, and financial help. But all that came because you first were blessing the Jewish people, can you share that story of Myong with us?

Ty Perry: Sure. What you said, by the way, is absolutely right. Part of our ministry is trying to bless the Jewish people because they've blessed us. There was a woman, a Jewish woman, she was actually our landlord. My wife and I live in an apartment and she is our landlord. She knows about the work we do helping the Jewish community. She called me a while ago and said, "There is a lady who needs help. She's one of my tenants. She lost her husband recently, she's in her 80s, but she has no idea what to do. She's just very lost right now without her husband and I'm wondering if you could help her." She said, "By the way, she's not Jewish. So I don't know if you can help." I told her, her name is Jodie. I said, "Jodie, our ministry is to help the Jewish people and to support you but we want to bless all people," which again goes back to Genesis 12.

So I met with this Korean lady, her name is Myong and I helped her get on a budget. The Friends of Israel through the gifts of donors was able to assist her in a small way with some of her financial needs. Through that, we had a great opportunity, a great opportunity to share the gospel with her. It was a bit difficult because English is her second language. I wanted to make sure that she understood the gospel. She seemed to assent to it, but I called a local pastor friend of mine in Las Vegas and asked him if he knew of any Korean believers that I could connect her with. He did, in fact a Korean church, Baptist church, meets in his church building every Sunday.

So he put me in contact with the pastor. He came over with me to Myong's house and shared the gospel with her again in Korean and had a Korean Bible, gave it to her, showed her the verses and throughout the scripture that speak of salvation through Jesus, the Messiah. Over the course of a few weeks, she seemed to really be getting it and eventually it put her trust in the Lord. So through an interaction with one of our Jewish friends, blessing the Jewish people, blessing also went to a Gentile lady and ultimately the ultimate blessing for her, was that she came to know Jesus as her Savior.

Chris Katulka: Through blessing Israel and the Jewish people, the message of the gospel went to all the families of the Earth. Here's a Korean woman where English is her second language in Las Vegas, and you were able to minister and it all started because of your kindness, your love, your support of Israel and the Jewish people. Ty, we only have a few more moments left in this segment, but the title of this FOI In Action piece that we have in Israel My Glory is called Beshert, Indeed. Now, if somebody might be thinking, "Beshert? What in the world is he talking about?" That's a Yiddish word that the Jewish woman that you were speaking to actually said. Can you share what that word means in Yiddish?

Ty Perry: Yes, beshert means essentially “it was meant to be,” and this Jewish lady, Jodie, she's always saying that. She said that in this case with Myong. Beshert, it was meant to be. God orchestrated these things, we would say for His purposes and for His glory.

Chris Katulka: Amen. That's fantastic. Well, listen, if you're just joining in, we are speaking with Ty Perry. He is a field ministries representative in the Las Vegas area, his wife, Lissy, and two kids are out there. He ministers with a team of people in Las Vegas that serve with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Later on, I'm going to share with you ways that you can get involved in Ty's ministry and connect with him as you're hearing about the work that he's doing in Las Vegas. But this whole idea of what Ty is doing ties, no pun intended right there Ty, it goes back to Genesis chapter 12, verse three. "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you."

We at Friends of Israel, we take that verse literally. We believe that verse that was made to Abraham 2,000 years ago, 4,000 years ago, still matters today. You can see how it plays out all throughout history. And here we are, 4,000 years later, Ty is using that verse, taking it to heart, showing love and support to his Jewish friends around him, showing and sharing the love of the Messiah. Then through that, finding amazing opportunities to share the good news of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And it's not done, we have more. So we're going to take a quick break and Ty's going to share with us another story of the Genesis 12:3 experience. So you're not going to want to miss it, stick around.

I hope you're enjoying hearing from Ty Perry. We really want to feature this new section in Israel My Glory, you'll find it in our magazine on pages 10 and 11, where we highlight our Friends of Israel in Action. Can I tell you something? One of our most popular sections in Israel My Glory is of course, Apples of Gold with Zvi Kalisher. The story of Zvi Kalisher. He's ministering in Jerusalem and sharing these amazing testimonies that he has of ministering to Jewish people, to Gentiles. But you know what, the amazing thing about Zvi's life is that he is with the Lord right now, but that doesn't mean that the ministry of The Friends of Israel stopped with Zvi. Zvi's legacy lives on in our workers that are ministering all around the world. One of them being Ty, as you've been listening to.

So we not only want to feature what happened in the past with Zvi Kalisher, but we also want to make sure that we are sharing about what's going on today on the field with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. So, if you're not already a subscriber to Israel My Glory, I want to encourage you to get a one-year free subscription to our award-winning Christian magazine. It's going to share about not only what we're doing on the field with The Friends of Israel, but also it's going to share with you about events that are happening in the Middle East from a biblical worldview. It's going to give you insights into what the scriptures teach about Israel and the Jewish people. Again, it's Israel My Glory, and we want to offer you a one-year free subscription.

If you get our digital option, you're going to get 40 years of Israel My Glory, if you sign up for the digital magazine. Steve, do you want to share how our listeners can get their hands on Israel My Glory?

Steve Conover: Sure, Chris. If you've never subscribed to Israel My Glory magazine, we would love to give you a one-year subscription at no cost to you. Visit foiradio.org to learn more, that's foiradio.O-R-G.

Chris Katulka: Welcome back everybody. We've got Ty Perry, field ministries representative in Las Vegas. Ty, you moved from Cass City, Michigan down to Las Vegas. That's a pretty big move, isn't it?

Ty Perry: It sure is. Culturally and geographically, it's a huge move.

Chris Katulka: The one thing I know about you from following you on social media is that you are a history buff. You know what I always love? Is I see you, Cass City is a small town in Michigan, and it's something that I can tell, even though you're living in Las Vegas now, it's something that you're proud of. You have a sense of pride for the city of Cass City, Michigan. Where does that pride come from? I can see it in the pictures you post, and the interactions you have.

Ty Perry: Well, Cass City, it is a tiny village, about 2,500 people, but I'm the sixth generation of my family to live here, and so those roots go very deep. Knowing the history of the community ties me to it even more. It's the place where I was saved, came to know the Lord. So it's, on multiple levels, a very important place to me. So I'm very proud of the place I come from.

Chris Katulka: I love that Ty. I always enjoy seeing those pictures of Cass City, even though you're living in Las Vegas now, but I want to go back to this Genesis 12:3 concept of blessing Israel, blessing the Jewish people. And then through that, evangelism almost naturally comes out through our efforts. I'm thinking, we just heard about Myong, the Korean woman who came to faith in the Lord in our previous segment. But now I want to turn to a more recent account that you had and all of it starts from the fact that you're a docent at a Holocaust Museum. Can you share about that?

Ty Perry: Yeah. So that love for history that you mentioned really comes into good use because every week on Thursdays, I volunteer at the Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center in Las Vegas. This is essentially a library or media center filled with materials relating to the Holocaust, antisemitism and Israel. So I work there every week doing tours of the synagogue and of the Holocaust Resource Center, as well as doing work as far as putting books in the library system and things like that.

Chris Katulka: When you say work, too, I'm assuming you were meaning more volunteer. You're volunteering your time there, is that correct?

Ty Perry: Yes, it's entirely volunteer and the purpose for it is to demonstrate our love and support for the Jewish people. As you can imagine, the Holocaust is very much alive in the memories of our Jewish friends and to be able to work at a place like this voluntarily and to show them that we too want to make sure the memory of what happened to their people is kept alive. It means a lot to our Jewish friends.

Chris Katulka: So you're volunteering one day at the Holocaust Museum and then it's that day, there's a day that you meet a gentleman named Dr. Sherwood. Can you share about that experience? What happened there?

Ty Perry: Well I was giving a tour, it was a group that just came in. I hadn't scheduled it. They came in and I gave them a tour of the resource center. Afterward, this man came up to me, elderly man, and began asking me questions about why the Holocaust happened. I explained to him from a biblical worldview that ultimately, antisemitism and generally the Holocaust, came about because of sinfulness in the heart of man. I took him back to Jeremiah to demonstrate that, and the more we talked, he became very interested in the Bible and wanted to know more. So, I gave him my card and then I said, "If you're interested in talking more, I'd love to get together with you." So the following week we met at a local coffee shop and just began talking about his life story. He had a very difficult childhood and upbringing, but became a doctor.

We talked about that, as well as the Scriptures, and the Messiah that the Old Testament points to and the fulfillment and the new. Throughout the month, or a couple of months of meeting every week, he finally came to me one day and said, "I believe this and I want to put my trust in Jesus for salvation."

Chris Katulka: Amazing.

Ty Perry: So, that was one of the highlights of my life, to see this man come to faith in Christ.

Chris Katulka: I believe it. What was the feeling that washed over you when he said that? That doesn't happen often, especially in evangelism, where somebody just looks at you and says, "I believe this." What was that feeling like for you when that happened? I can only imagine what it would feel like for me, but when it happened to you?

Ty Perry: Yeah, I was on cloud nine. As soon as we left the coffee shop, I just started texting all my believer friends and telling them, "Hey, praise God, a friend of mine came to know the Lord today." I'm still not off of that high, and I hope I'm never off of it, because I'm just so thankful to God. Because when you look at this man's life, I was just the one at the very tail end that got to help him along. But looking back on his life, there've been other believers in his life from the time he was in med school who have been a faithful witness to him. It's really neat to see how the Word works in a person's life, over the totality of their lifetime.

Chris Katulka: To think about the fact, Ty, that when you approach people, especially as you're volunteering at the Holocaust Museum, and you're showing, you're sharing the love of the Messiah, you're supporting Israel and the Jewish people by being there, the thing that's so important is that you could have given some political view on how the Holocaust came about. You could have used some language that might've led you down the path of tolerance and intolerance, but you chose a different path, which I think really opened the door for this, is that you looked at what happened at the Holocaust from a biblical worldview, and that changed everything. It invited Dr. Sherwood to be able to come in and to open up with you, and to want to dive deeper into the issues of sin and to know more about who God is and how he provided a savior to wash away the sins.

So that is really the base, if you will, that you started not from a political perspective or tolerance and intolerance, but more, no, this is a biblical issue. We have to look at this with a biblical lens as to how this all came about.

Ty Perry: Well, I think you're absolutely right. We're not doing anyone a favor if we don't tell them the truth, we need to do it in love certainly, but every one of us who is a believer today, we're a believer because someone else had the courage and the love for us to share the gospel with us and to tell us the truth, which is pretty unpopular because you're telling someone, "You are not basically good, you are basically evil in your heart, but there is one who will redeem you and he has, he's accomplished at work on the cross." So, I think that if we really love people, we need to love them enough to lovingly share the truth, and that is the gospel.

Chris Katulka: Ty, can you really quick give us a brief update. How's Dr. Sherwood doing? How's Myong doing? Are they going to church? Are they investing in the Scriptures? How are you discipling them through this new relationship they have with the Lord Jesus?

Ty Perry: Yes. Well, with Myong, because of the language barrier, I try to meet with her every once in a while, but she is plugged into the Korean Baptist church from which the pastor came to speak with her. She goes to church every week. She was baptized Easter Sunday, which was a joy to see. Then she is just in her Bible all the time. I've never known a woman like who just ... she's 80 years old and she just spends most of her day reading the Bible.

Chris Katulka: That's awesome.

Ty Perry: So, she's growing by leaps and bounds, Dr. Sherwood and I meet every Tuesday at the coffee shop where he was saved. We have a fairly informal meeting, a discipleship meeting. I try to get a little bit of a lesson together to take him through certain aspects of his new life in Christ, but it's also a time for some biblical counseling, just to talk with him about his life and the issues he faces and how being a believer in Jesus changes everything. So, both of them are growing and we have regular contact with each of them.

Chris Katulka: Hey Ty, just as Jodie, I believe her name, said beshert. It was ordained, it was providence that God brought you into Myong and Dr. Sherwood's life, as the Yiddish word beshert means. So I believe that too, just as Jodie does. Listen, for our listeners, you can get involved in Ty's ministry right now. It's very simple actually. You can just go to foi.org/perry. That's foi.org/perry and that will take you to Ty Perry's page, where you can read up on what he does with The Friends of Israel. You can even pray and participate financially in supporting Ty in the ministry that he has, the amazing ministry that he has, loving and supporting Israel and the Jewish people and finding opportunities, Genesis 12:3 style, to go out and to minister to all the families of the Earth. Ty, we're so thankful for you and your ministry brother, and you for being on with us today.

Ty Perry: Thanks for having me, Chris. It was a pleasure.

Steve Conover: Thank you so much for joining us today. It's always great to have Ty Perry with us. Chris, tell our listeners where we're headed on next week's program.

Chris Katulka: Yeah, I am excited to be talking about what's called the Kidron saga. You might be thinking, "Kidron saga, what's that all about?" Well, there's actually a location in Jerusalem where I think the tension of what God is doing prophetically between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives, where it matters the most, this amazing prophetic location that's not only ... we can see unfold right now in front of our very eyes, but we can see it in the future as well. It's going to be a great series that we're going into.

Steve Conover: Our host and teacher is Chris Katulka. Today's program was produced by Tom Gallione. Our theme music was composed and performed by Jeremy Strong, and I'm Steve Conover, executive producer. The Friends of Israel Today is a production of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. We are a worldwide evangelical ministry, proclaiming biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah, while bringing physical and spiritual comfort to the Jewish people.