Testimonies

Shlomy's Testimony By Shlomy Abramov My name is Shlomy Abramov, and in this photo you will also see my wife Miriam. They call me a Sabra (in Hebrew "Tsabar") which means I am a native-born Israeli. Sabra is also the name of the Israeli cactus. I was once like that thorny cactus. I was born into a traditional Jewish family and as a boy I loved it. But when I was 13, I asked God to show Himself to me because, if I could not see Him, I would not believe in Him. I didn't get an answer. So I stopped believing in Him. It was very bad for my family, but it happened. Then started a time of rebelliousness in my life. I thought only of money and success. After the army I joined the police force, then went on to private security work where I earned the nickname "Rambo" (I served as Sylvester Stallone's bodyguard when he came to Israel). All of this time, the Tsabar showed himself. But I was looking for answers anywhere: fortune tellers, cards, mystics. When they failed to provide anything, I went back to my roots in the synagogue. Even there I didn't find answers. During this time you would not even have wanted to talk to me. My life was a string of night clubs, bodyguarding, and fights. While I was on vacation in the north, I met a young woman who talked to me about Jesus. I remember telling her, "Don't talk about that and don't say his name in my presence. I'm a Jew. If you were a man, I would break you in half." But I didn't know the Lord was working. I kept asking her questions. And she made me look at the prophecies about the Messiah—where I saw things they had never told me at school. I struggled within myself because, for the first time in my life, I wanted to make a decision for God by accepting Jesus. But what about my tradition and my family? I struggled hard. But God is bigger than anything and He gave me the ability to make a stand for Him. I did it! I found myself enthused about Y'shua day after day. And I married the young woman who was so brave to speak to me about Jesus! A big change happened in my life. As an Israeli, I had seen how my uncles and friends died in the army. Before I knew Y'shua, no Arab could stand next to me without my trying to kill him. The Lord, in His grace, arranged for me to be baptized* with a Palestinian who became my friend. Isn't the Lord wonderful? The thorn of the Tsabar is gone for good!