November 2021 Afghanistan, Australia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Germany, Israel
We strongly recommend you download the "
Bible Companion" app, from where you can access
Carelinks messages, daily Bible readings,
Bible Basics, commentary on every verse of the Bible and audio exhortations on every chapter of the Bible.
For Android / Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carelinks.bc and on the App Store for Apple / iOS at
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-companion/id1475914490 You can break bread live online as follows:
Sunday mornings 09:00 a.m.UK time; on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6697401754?pwd=K0VWNDlScGwzaThPM2tiU0didmNyUT09
Meeting ID: 669 740 1754 Passcode: XPb9Sz. We are currently going through the book of Genesis, a chapter every week.
Sundays at 3:00 PM New Zealand time. That's 1 PM in Sydney Australia; 10 PM in New York, USA on Saturday evening [run by Br John Aldersley in New Zealand] on
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81015280780?pwd=LzAwNDRTTzhNcFpiRGlmaGx6YUpvZz09
Sundays at 10am North American Eastern Time [3 PM UK GMT time, 11 PM Sydney Australia time]. Run by Br Jim Barton in Canada. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9123758179
Meeting
ID: 912 375 8179 . Also, Bible class on Wednesdays at 7 PM North American Eastern Time
AFGHANISTAN
A group of us from Australia and New Zealand gathered to hear the confession of faith of MORTEZA in Afghanistan. He had worked for the security forces and is anyway a marked man with the Taliban, quite apart from his determination to give himself to the Lord Jesus now that life has 'gone wrong' for him. We didn't record it, but he gave a gripping account of what life is like under the Taliban, and how he is willing to give his life if necessary for the Lord whom he has now come to know through the Bible Companion app. We listened in silence and all offered their heartfelt support in prayer and future thought for him. All he said had the absolute stamp of circumstantial truth, and he displayed a good knowledge of the Bible. Again, do please pray for him.
Sister Janet Aldersley was present and writes: "I was a witness to Morteza's baptism in Afghanistan. It was beautiful and emotional, for myself, to see the conviction of this man who has given his life to, who he calls, his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He spoke of the life Jesus sacrificed to give himself life. He had peace and joy committing his life to Jesus knowing now he was in God's hands. He even "showed" his happiness knowing he was in a very dangerous situation with the Taliban ready to kill anyone who showed any following Christianity. It was surreal for me to see this smiling man even though he was in such a desperate situation, I have my Christianity so easy. God bless and keep His angels surrounding Morteza until his death or the return of Jesus Christ. Morteza is also sharing the ways of Christ with his wife, we pray she too will give her life to our Lord. Please, prayers for them both".
We keep getting distressed messages from our brethren in Afghanistan, without doubt the Taliban are hunting for Christian converts and checking peoples' phones for evidence of their Christian connections.
AUSTRALIA
Phil Miri continue doing great things in Ipswich QLD, with their house church growing as a result of their humanitarian outreach. Miri reports: "No markets or Jacaranda festival has been able to happen this year again. But we have been able to go to the homeless afternoon in the Ipswich public park area, with donated clothing and bedding coming to us via contacts in Toowoomba. From this we have been able to also give Bible packs to ones who want them. It was on one of these afternoons that we met up with Doris Greg who now are coming weekly. I had first met Doris via the weekly multicultural / refugee sewing day. Doris is the lady pictured sitting at the machine. They attended the virtual Israel tour and are looking forward to next one". As you can see, Miri's efforts to sow the seed of the Gospel through sewing caught the interest of the local newspaper; and she and Phil are also advertising the Bible Companion app in that newspaper. Phil Miri are really a great inspiration.
COSTA RICA
We noted when discussing the usage statistics of the Bible Companion app that you see some strange things. Someone using the Farsi version in some very obscure place, a repeated Russian user using it every day in Iraq, a Spanish user in Latvia etc. And so there was a Farsi user in Costa Rica. Not where you'd expect a Farsi speaker to be. So we're happy to report the baptism of SPRING [aka Baharak] . For some reason so many of you were online and we had about 20 witnesses to a wonderful confession of faith and baptism- of an Iranian Canadian dentist currently in Costa Rica, but back to Canada this weekend GW. She hopes to meet with Jim Anne so you can catch her on their Zoom meetings. How wonderful it is to have a worldwide church to as it were spring to attention and come attend a baptism at short notice, and then exchange contact details with our new sister. True, functional fellowship. Video at
https://youtu.be/rdrOGZ4zQ1M
CYPRUS
Pleased to tell you of the self baptism of ROZA, originally from Sydney, Australia, but who's been living in Cyprus for some years. Again, a case of a secular woman realizing there is a hole in the heart which only the Lord Jesus can fit.
GERMANY
MOHAMMAD in Berlin, Germany, baptized himself in his bath tub with brother Reza from Canada translating, and others present with words of encouragement from as far away as South Africa and New Zealand- truly global witnesses. Unfortunately his phone dropped into the bath water and the mic stopped working.
ISRAEL
We have been making a special effort to advertise the Bible Companion app in Israel, and keeping in touch with our existing brethren there. We are spending a week there now the Covid regulations have been relaxed somewhat. We worked mainly with two groups of farm workers in the Galilee, and Russian contacts in the Tel Aviv area. As you can hear explained in the video, the farm workers are provided accommodation but must feed themselves, and work very long hours, six days a week, with only the Sabbath off. They start at 6 or 7 AM and finish around 8 PM, with one afternoon off, but sometimes finishing at 10 PM. And so it turns out that of course people caught up in such long hour working... turn to God. They have no time to attend any physical meetings, and are living in remote locations with no cars, so they can't get out and do much on Saturdays anyway.
JOSEPH was one of these workers, and he downloaded the Bible Companion app, and then requested a Bible, which we sent. He lives with about 30 other such workers, mainly from Africa originally. Many of them had been Christians in Africa, but often of a Sunday School Christianity variety. He shared the app with them, and requested more of the NEV Bibles for his fellows. We sent one box, and then, another box. These dear folks use the app and gather together on a Saturday to read the Bible, sing songs they have downloaded or remember from their youth, and try to worship God. They have a large metal shed which they meet in. They are in a sense sheep without a shepherd as they have no pastor and none of them has such experience. Lovelier, more sincere people you couldn't imagine. It was great to see the green NEV Bibles all over their accommodation area. Some had also shared the good news of serious, Bible based Christianity with other workers they know on other such farms. We have been planning their baptisms for months, but it was impossible to visit due to Covid. So it's the fruition of much teaching, but above all the patient working of the Lord, to report that 14 were baptized so far.
We took the group by minibus to the sea of Galilee, picking up more from another farm on the way, and then had an outdoor service on the shores of the lake. Our focus throughout was upon how real the Lord Jesus is.
Being near the cliff from where the pigs ran down into the sea, we were able to talk about demons; about the storm on the lake, what happened to Peter when he took his focus off the Lord, the need for the bread of life more than physical bread, and the way the Lord always uses small and weak things, like the little boy and his 5 loaves and 2 small fishes to feed thousands.
Afterwards we returned to the big shed, where we had a communal meal, and for the first time they broke bread together.
More humble, teachable folks it would be hard to imagine. "In simple trust like they who heard beside the Syrian sea / May we like them without a word rise up and follow Thee".
Although they have the app, they are otherwise new converts who are as sheep without a shepherd. One would love to be able to go visit them every Saturday. We're planning a follow up pastoral visit next year God willing, and will try to revive our feeding scheme around the Tel Aviv bus station where many homeless congregate.
Please do see the video at
https://youtu.be/_sL2rN3jmH0
This is amazing fruitfulness, and we glorify the Lord of the harvest for His work. And yet on a human level, it has been through your kind donations enabling us to print and mail out the Bibles [they cost nearly 100 £ / box to mail to Israel], produce and advertise the app, and so much else. God has worked through it all.
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For the terrifying persecution of those in Afghanistan
- For the new ecclesia in Israel and our wisdom in following up
- For those seeking to flee Afghanistan, and especially any of our dear ones caught up at the Belarus / Poland / Latvia / Lithuania border
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks