February 2021 Spain, Benin, Iran, Latvia, Dominica, Russia, Online meetings, Italy

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 08:00 a.m. GMT on www.virtualchurch.cc/fello.html

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 www.virtualchurch.cc/fello.html

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

ONLINE MEETINGS
We are trying to move all our online meetings over to www.virtualchurch.cc/fello.html Do come and join us as listed above. Brother Jim intends moving his online meetings over there too over the next few weeks GW.

ITALY
We have often reported on the terrible poverty facing our African migrant brethren in Italy. And now they have to endure the Winter, the lockdown, economic collapse [especially affecting casual labourers] and Covid itself. So this week , God willing, we are planning on sending out significant funds to the various groups in Italy and Sicily. Let's pray for them. Brother Peter sent us a lovely picture of his green covered NEV Bible which he studies daily in one of the few remaining camps that he is very grateful to still be in:
   

LATVIA
Over the years, many who came to Riga took firewood out to Andrej and Judite, and we are continuing to do so. They've struggled with Covid and are very grateful for the help we continue to give them. They also asked for some Bibles to distribute to others they know.
   
And we were able to give them the last of the "Peggy Blankets" knitted some time back by sister Peggy Joseph and her team in sunny NSW Australia. Although Andrej is over Covid, you can see from the photo that Daniel was still rather overly nervous handing him the blankets whilst trying to keep 2 meters distance!
Video at https://youtu.be/vIwh32mkE_Q
it concludes with an encouraging message from brother Rob.
               

SPAIN
ARGENIS was raised in Venezuela but emigrated to Madrid, Spain many years ago. He has been through various groups in his search for truth, including the JWs, who at least persuaded him to reject the Trinity. He responded to a Google Ad for the Spanish Bible Companion app, and used it daily.
He then joined and actively participated in the WhatsApp groups run by our Hispanic converts in the USA- they hold three meetings / week: a Bible class, a breaking of bread and a prayer meeting. Brother Ben translated at the baptism, and the joy was the greater because it was the fruition of countless interactions over the months by email, messenger and also phone chats with the other Spanish speaking converts. There were some months between his request for baptism and his actual baptism, as we as a group worked through various questions and then the logistical issues for the baptism. So it was a wonderful moment when he was actually baptized in a bathroom in Madrid, and surely our efforts are but a fraction of those made by the Father, the Lord Jesus and the Angels in Heaven. Their joy was surely even deeper than ours.
       

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
GIL has been looking for the Truth for a long time, and enthusiastically studied the Bible Companion app [Spanish version] after seeing it advertised on Google. He then joined our Spanish language WhatsApp group, where he was further mentored, and was helped to accept self baptism by the examples of others on the group baptizing themselves one by one over the last few months.
   

RUSSIA
ARTYOM had also been searching for Bible truth a long time, but was not satisfied with any denomination he encountered. But the nature of the journey led him to really draw close to the Lord Jesus personally, and having studied with us online, self baptism was actually quite appealing to him. The security situation in Russia is really not good, along with the very cold Winter... our brethren there would appreciate our prayers.

IRAN
This week we were able to baptize MOSTAFA and his wife FARISH in Iran . We were joined for the baptism, and at other online studies, by some Afghani Christian refugee women currently holed up in India. So many Iranians are showing interest, from all over the world.

BENIN
HERVE in Benin was baptized one evening just outside his home; the sun set as we were having our discussions. Good to have our Francophone brother Laurent from Canada present and enthusiastic, and giving a lovely prayer in French:
   

PRAYER POINTS
   - For the brotherhood in Russia in these difficult and repressive times
   - For those persecuted by radical Islam
   - For those recently baptized
   - For the African brethren in Italy this Winter