Field Workers Reports
MYANMAR
A brother whom we baptized earlier this year in Myanmar, Suum Pi, has travelled to the Irrawaddy Delta area which was decimated by Cyclone Nargis last year. The devastation was under-reported by the military Junta governing Burma, but Western estimates of the final death toll are between 150,000 and 400,000, with 3 million homeless and mass destruction of infrastructure. Suum Pi reports that the only 
way to get around some of the areas was by chartering boats. He distributed literature and held meetings with his contacts there. He didn't baptize anyone this time but did manage to teach a number of people, and is hopeful he may be able to baptize some on a future visit. In the photos, Suum Pi is the one in the plain shirt and cap and the one standing by the table. He also met a number of orphans and others in need of assistance. Seeing Western aid groups are severely limited by the ruling Government, this is an amazing entrance for us into another area where the true Gospel is going for the first time. It is amazing how the Truth is spreading- and an honour to be part of the process.
Giving some small aid to orphans
With Bible contacts
Travelling by boat
Riga Bible Centre May 2009
The fast growing Riga, Latvia ecclesia has moved into new premises,and a great team of Brothers and a Sister- Graham Mitchell, Pauline Brett, Pete Eichhorn and Mark Leadbetter- came over from England to assist in this work. They worked extremely hard and returned home with the empty hall now a functioning Bible centre, with a baptismal pool, kitchen, etc. There's still much work to do but everything's now functional. They tackled some major plumbing issues, installing drains and bringing water quite some way to enable this property to be functional. Here is the team installing the baptismal bath:
In the 10 days they were in Latvia, they stayed at Duncan and Cindy's apartment and each evening did the daily Bible readings together from the ‘Bible Companion’. Staying at the apartment was LJUBA, whose mother is a Sister, and who lives normally in Azerbaijan. She enthuastically joined in the daily Bible readings and finally made the decision to be baptized. So she was the first to be baptized in the new tub. Here she is with Cindy just beforehand:
She's now returned to Azerbaijan, and our thoughts and prayers are with her there. A few days later it was our pleasure to baptize MARIJA in the same tub. Marija lives in the women's shelter in Riga and became aware of the Gospel through our ministrations to the women there.
Brother Mark is a master carpenter and put up shelves around the place, where we are already displaying our literature in several languages:
Mark also did an amazing job transforming the storeroom into a kitchen, and already the ecclesia is meeting here and using it:
So, Sunday Breaking of Bread meetings are already being held here- but we have many plans to start holding seminars, "Improve your English through reading the Bible" courses, mothers’ and women's groups etc.
What we need is workers! Those empty chairs in the photo above are waiting for you to fill! Thanks to our brethren's work, the hall now has a kind of ‘apartment’ which can provide basic accommodation for short to medium term visitors. It's on the direct bus route from the airport and has a supermarket next to it. We're looking for anyone interested in coming out to give presentations just for a weekend; or coming to stay for 2-3 months [or longer!] to run the classes here. There have been many baptisms in the Baltic states over the last 20 years; there's much pastoral work to do as well! Please do prayerfully consider this challenge, and do contact us if you're interested at info@carelinks.net . The Latvian economy has well nigh collapsed and there is huge unemployment and slashing of wages- leading many people to turn to God. You may have read press reports about it, here's a quote from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1106666.stm : "An economic contraction of 12% and a 50% increase in unemployment was predicted for 2009, and the government was prompted to seek aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The social turmoil triggered by the financial crisis led to the fall of the government in February 2009". All this makes fertile ground for the Gospel.
Italy
We reported earlier this year the baptism of two brethren in Naples, Italy who run a church there. We gave them a boxfull of Bible Basics and they have been updating us about their progress in teaching their church. We spent a weekend with them recently, and what an experience it was. Brother Festus had been the pastor of a large church, comprised of African immigrants, of whom there are many in Naples. But he was convinced of the truth, was re-baptized by us, and told his congregation that they no longer should believe in things like a personal Satan, trinity, and that Jesus is returning to earth to establish the Kingdom here. Each week he has been teaching them a chapter from Bible Basics, at the end of each session he asks them the questions and they note down the correct answers. His congregation has dwindled to around 25 people, but they are truly on fire for the Truth. We turned up at the large hall they have, and found it in a way sad to see Festus mount the platform and speak through the PA system to just a few people, with masses of now empty seats.
The group turned up on time, mostly in their own cars, with their Bibles and "Bible Basics", dressed in Sunday best and some in their traditional African costumes. We video recorded Festus' lecture about the Kingdom of God coming on earth, and his asking the group the questions from the final lesson of the course.
It was really most impressive to see their love of the Word, their eager taking of notes, and to see how on fire they are. You can see in the video how earnest they are. They took up a collection to defray their expenses, and then there was a very lively African style praise and worship session. It's amazing the power and volume of 25 dedicated people! They had been planning the baptisms for a long time, and everyone was prepared. So after that we drove down to a beach and baptized those who had succesfully and correctly completed the course: Brother CHIEDU and Sisters EDITH O., EDITH I., DORIS, MERCY, ROSLYN, GLORIA and SANDRA . It was a windy, rainy day, but surely the Lord was present there on that beach.
We continue to be humbled at the Lord's usage of our small efforts, and we are humbled, too, through our partnership with Festus, a man of unusual humility and yet energy, blessed with an excellent knowledge of the Word, able to quote and reason freely and with power. We really do pray that this group will continue to blossom; we owe them all the support we can give them. We see ourselves as very much in partnership with those to whom we have been led, like Brother Festus, simply giving them the teaching and spiritual infrastructure with which to spread the Word further, helping them to trade their talents to the Father's glory.
For all this, we truly give thanks
LATVIA
We're delighted to report the baptisms of PAVEL, ILGUNIS and GENOVIEFA. These are all in Riga, and we can say we are seeing a huge upsurge of interest here, especially in the wake of the economic disaster affecting the country. Some of the poorer people are turning to God very seriously.
Pensioners benefits have been severely reduced, and just don't cover basic food needs let alone medicines, clothes and utilities payments.
Sister Genoviefa is an invalid who used to live at the women's shelter. The conditions are so bad there that she tried her best to get out. So, she clubbed together with two other pensioners, Pavel and Ilgunis, and between them they manage to rent a room- literally, a room- in a very run-down and crumbling apartment block. She's scarcely mobile and has bandaged her right arm tightly to relieve the awful pain in her bones. She was given a Bible by one of our Sisters in the women's shelter, and has been reading this each day for as long as her weak sight allows her. She's also been learning the Gospel, and given that she and the two invalid men are living together in about 15 square meters, sleeping on chair-sofas, it's inevitable they spend their time talking with each other- especially about hope for the future and resurrection. After 18 months, they now reached readiness for baptism and it was our joy to baptize the three of them. They are all of limited mobility, so the men collect her pension for her. They, too, are weak, and the three of them are currently suffering an outbreak of scabes [see photo below] because of the poor hygiene in that tiny room. They've shaved themselves but the problem persists. They have no medical attention, so Cindy's doing what she can for them.
Genofieva sits like this for most of the day with her Bible on her lap, reading as often as she can. Note how close is the 'bed' next to her, and there's another such bed the other side of that one, too:
Talk about "the hope of the Kingdom". It really is, just as it is for our dear Brother Leonid whom we've mentioned in recent Carelinks [he's pretty weak just lately, but keeps saying he's looking forward to the Kingdom].
The block in which the three live in is just terrible. It's a hangout for drug addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes. One can't safely enter it in the evenings or at night. The graffiti of the drug abusers is in English, so you can see what kind of a place it is- we took this photo in the stair well:
Note the red hammer and sickle [symbol of Soviet Communism] sprayed there too. There's quite a resurgence of this, given the failure of capitalism in the eyes of many poorer people. These three pensioners literally barricade themselves into their room after 5 p.m. The toilet is in the corridor, so they have to use pans etc., contributing to the smell and terrible hygiene in the room.
We keep asking for your prayers, but please do pray for them and know that these are very genuine cases of need.
Brother Ivan
Brother Ivan is typical of so many poorer people in Eastern Europe. He has no relatives apart from a daughter who long ago disappeared to live in Western Europe and has gone off contact. He gets a pension of 80 LVL / month, and lives in a hostel which costs 2 LVL / night, including two cups of tea / day. So he has to live on about 20 LVL / month- for all food, clothing, medicines. He lives in a dormitory style room which has seven beds. He has a plastic bottle he fills with tap water which he drinks, and has one bag of posessions. There's a tiny TV / Radio set in the room which is how he keeps up with what's going on in the world. He spends his days reading the Bible and picking up discarded fruit in the nearby market, which is largely what he lives off. He's a Jew who has struggled for many years with the issue of Jesus. He has read a huge amount of Jehovah's Witness literature, but he refused to accept their obsession with the Jehovah Name and their view of Israel. And he saw through many of their other errors as well - as he will explain to you in great detail!
Ivan was spotted reading his Bible by a cleaner at the hostel who is a Sister, and she put him in touch with us. It was a pleasure to baptize IVAN into Christ, and to see him so rejoicing in Him for whom Israel hopes, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is very frail on his feet and it's a tragedy to see such a fine man in this situation. Please do pray for him. We will do our best to support him with food, medicines and clothing.
Photo: The hostel, with what used to be the museum of atheism in the background.
Fellowshipping together in the dormitory whilst the other men were all outside:
