The Hyde family is unique.  In the more than 25 years that I have known them I have been drawn to Yeshua’s presence in their lives.  Their home and activities are a combination of worship, joy, hunger for more of God and a pioneer spirit.

It is no easy thing for an established family to land in Israel and make the adjustments of language, culture, relationships, education and economics that are involved.  Richard and Carolyn came to Israel after the bold step of investing two years in Germany, obeying the Lord in an exceptional calling.  They went first to experience reconciliation in their own hearts, then to bring reconciliation between Jews and Germans.  As Messianic believers, their approach was to show the Jewishness of Jesus, enabling German people to identify with the Jews through the Savior they’ve associated with the Church.

What an amazing trail God has led them on.  First Texas, then Germany, now Israel is their home.  Here they are making a valuable contribution to the planting of Messianic faith.  We find ourselves at an historic turning point.  The harvest is ripening in Israeli society.  God is giving us unprecedented opportunities to make Yeshua known.  As the Master said “The harvest is great, but the laborers are few.”

The Hydes are such laborers. I want to thank you for assisting this family in any way you can, to continue laboring as part of Tents of Mercy.

Richard and Carolyn moved to San Antonio, TX, where he started a real estate appraisal business and they started a Messianic Jewish congregation; eventually they turned it over to a pastor and elders.  I spent a long weekend with them in the early 90’s in San Antonio and attended their Messianic congregation and was greatly blessed there as Carolyn led worship.  Richard and Carolyn are more apostolic in nature, being able to start things and turn them over to others.  They then moved to Germany and had a ministry of reconciliation between Jews and Germans there.  They spent a lot of time in various groups and schools where Carolyn would play a guitar and sing and Richard would teach.  Many came to know Yeshua while they were there.

They then made the Aliyah to Israel.  They do a lot of street ministry; Carolyn is a natural evangelist in the way she just meets people in stores, on the street, in buses, and usually has a story of divine appointments on a weekly basis.  They are a part of Ohalei Rachamim, Tents of Mercy, network of Messianic Jewish congregation.  They host visiting Christian and Messianic Jewish groups as well as engage in a worship, praise and evangelism ministry.  They also go back to Germany and minister in the public schools and churches twice a year.

Das wollte ich testen, machte mit meiner Gruppe einen Termin bei ihnen aus – und tatsaechlich konnten wir dort biblische Gastfreundlichkeit erleben.

Seitdem ist ein Stop bei Familie Hyde bei allen unseren Israelreisen fast schon ‘Pflicht’. Je nach Wunsch werden die Begegnungen als kleine Gottesdienste, Lobpreisabende oder einfach nur Zeiten der Begegnung gestaltet – meist mit richtig leckerem Essen!

Doch viel wichtiger ist fuer mich, was ich hier in Deutschland mit Ehepaar Hyde erlebe. Es klingt fast zu schoen, um wahr zu sein, es entspricht jedoch vollkommen der wahrheit! Ehepaar Hyde gestaltet Schulstunden für deutsche Schulklussen. Schon oft begleitete ich sie als Übersetzer, Fahrer, Freund… Meist sind es Doppelstunden und ueber einen lockeren Einstieg mit Kultur, Tanz und Gesang landet man dann bei der Bibel. Und beim Messias. Und ganz am Ende folgt ein Entscheidungsaufruf, wer Jesus in sein Herz aufnehmen moechte. Und ganz gleich, welchen Alters die Schueler waren (bis Klasse 13): Sehr viele, oftmals sogar die ganze Klasse (!) hebt die Hand und sagt ‘Ja’ zu Jesus! Ich weiss, das ist schwer vorstellbar, entspricht aber der Wahrheit!

Dieser Dienst ist allerdings nur moeglich, wenn man von einem glaeubigen Lehrer eingeladen wird, der sich dann auch um die Nacharbeit kuemmern kann. In freien evangelischen Schulen haben wir im Anschluss manches Mal Jugend-Alphakurse in der Schule angeboten oder die jungen Leute staatlicher Schulen am Ende einer solchen Woche mit mehreren Schulbesuchen zu einem extra fuer sie gestalteten Jugendtreff eingeladen.

Hin und wieder habe ich dann in unserer Gemeinde einen Info-, Lobpreis- und Gebetsabend mit Ehepaar Hyde organisiert. Dieser Abend diente dann nicht nur der geistlichen Auferbauung, sondern auch dem Fundraisung – da die Aktivitaeten in den Schulen natuerlich alle kostenlos angeboten wurden, Flugtickets, Reisekosten, etc. aber ja auch bezahlt werden sollten.

Summa sumarum kann ich Richard und Carolyn uneingeschraenkt empfehlen, arbeite auch in Zukunft voller Freude weiter mit ihnen zusammen – und wuensche ihnen fuer jeden einzelnen Schritt und Dienst von Herzen Gottes reichen Segen!

Richard and Carolyn deserve our support and trust as Christians from Germany and it is a joy to minister together with them especially in the context described above.

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is John Love and I retired two months ago after 28 years as an associate pastor at Trinity Fellowship Church in Amarillo, Texas. My wife and I along with 35 other people founded this church thirty-seven years ago and we have grown to a congregation of about 12,000.

I have been asked by my friends, Richard and Carolyn Hyde to write this letter recommending them and their ministry to you. I am happy to do so.

I have known Richard and Carolyn for nearly ten years. They have in fact become good friends. On trips to Israel, we have been in their home (in the Tiberius area) for meals about three times where they would feed and minister to about thirty people each time.

The Hyde’s have also been to our church where they led a typical Jewish Shabbat dinner for nearly two hundred people. Carolyn is very gifted in leading worship and Richard is an anointed teacher. The two combine their ministries and function as a team (which they are at home or in ministry settings).

They glow with the life of Christ and I would recommend them to you without reservation.