March 2021 Latvia, France, Central African Republic, Congo, Burkina Faso, Iranians, North America, Nicaragua, Ecuador
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 the Facebook "
Carelinks Ministries" page; and on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6697401754?pwd=K0VWNDlScGwzaThPM2tiU0didmNyUT09 Meeting ID: 669 740 1754 Passcode: XPb9Sz
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
We are truly sorry to report the peaceful falling asleep in the Lord Jesus of our beloved brother
Ted Russell, founder member of
Carelinks in
Australia, elder statesman, encourager, understander, sympathizer from much experience, Bible student extraordinaire, lover of our Lord Jesus. Our very deep love and sympathy is with our dear sister
Bev and the family as we long all the more for the day when we shall work together again, eternally, and after the power of an endless life.
NORTH AMERICA We were so happy to witness the baptism of JUSTINE and ROBERT , and probably you can meet them on brother Jim Barton's online meetings advertised in our header. Justine now has her mum interested in baptism... quite amazing! She was really very spiritual, praying on the floor with Bible open, and lots of hand written notes she'd taken about the Bible lessons... and again praying in the bath tub, absolutely from the heart. Again we marvel at the Lord's use of technology through our fumbling efforts.
The French app has resulted in the Gospel going to many corners of Francophone Africa which are largely Muslim, and is thus fulfilling the Lord's comment that the Gospel must first go into all the world, and then shall the end come. Our French speaking team are working daily on following up on all the contacts and converts, with WhatsApp meetings and support groups.
IRANIANS This week we witnessed the baptism of MARYAM in Iran, again a very sincere confession of faith, and as ever, we ask for your prayers for all our brothers and sisters living under that very oppresive regime.
LATVIA With temperatures dipping to -10 C this week, it seems the Winter will never end. We continued taking out firewood and food. Having to wash and cook outside in the snow is quite a challenge- although one couple have curiously managed to prop up some large mirrors as a slight luxury:
On one of our distributions this week, we took the firewood, noting that yet another wooden shed used by the homeless had burnt down [due to burning wood without a proper fire place]. From there we drove to take food for brother Robert to distribute- and had a major car accident that scribbled the 17 year old VW which has been veteran of so much such work. We were unharmed but grateful to God for deliverance from what could easily have been a fatality. You can see video of the distribution, and also of the crash scene, at
https://youtu.be/Hj1Xvk1kmeY FRANCE A group of us from all over the world gathered to witness the baptism of OKSANA in her bath tub in France. Formerly connected with JWs, our sister had had much correspondence with us, and very many questions, discussions of difficult passages etc. She has two babies, and between caring for them all day, she grabs 5 or 10 minutes at many points throughout the day to read and study the Bible, using the app phone in hand as she carries the children and lulls them to sleep. Originally from Ukraine and a Russian speaker, she got her first Bible sent from Marcus, the Russian
NEV with commentary, and was so thrilled to get it that she sent us photos of it the day she first opened the package on the kitchen table.
Marcus continues his ministry of sending out literature worldwide, despite the pandemic, advancing years, health issues and such things. And here is some fruit of it. Our sister is absolutely of one mind with us, and we conducted the service in English and Russian- see the video at
https://youtu.be/SMUOFQa9WCQ Have a look at it- this is what online baptism and fellowship looks like. Crying babies distressed and then bemused to see mummy in the bath tub, tears of joy from young and old, clear expression of faith- this is the body of Christ in 2021. And let us know if you'd like to be involved in this great work. As was observed, Galatians 3:27-29 teaches that baptism makes us Abraham's seed, and all ethnic divisions are ended in Him. And that came true that evening- with believers united together in joy online, from Australia, France, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, UK and Ukraine.
BURKINA FASO PAUL was baptized here, and was really so very appreciative that we would so bother with him.
CONGO Jean Claude had been searching a long time for the Lord "in spirit and truth"; it was a pleasure to baptize him:
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC This is one of the world's poorest countries, located in the heart of Sub Saharan Africa. It has the lowest GDP in the world, and the population have the lowest purchasing power in the world. Sandwiched between Sudan and Chad, the country is suffering from an ongoing civil war.
But here lives ROSYNS, who has had lots of engagement with us for some months. He displayed a remarkable desire to connect personally with the Lord Jesus, whom he has really come to know in spirit and truth. Despite awful internet connection- internet can go off for days at a time- we were able to finally gather together and witness his baptism:
ECUADOR Last June, a group of us witnessed the self baptism of brother Celestino in a really remote spot on the Conambo river, in the border area between Ecuador and Peru. We went with him as he trekked through the virgin rain forest to the river and baptized himself, with his mother holding the camera. Our brother has some internet access, and is a regular contributor to the Spanish WhatsApp group. He has got hold of some Bible literature in Spanish and is distributing it and talking to people about the Gospel.
He sent some photos of some of the kids he meets as he walks around in that beautiful area, some of the most untouched territory on the planet- and it is evidence that the Gospel is really getting into all the world, even the very remotest parts. This is surely a sign of the Lord's return. We have sent him more
Bible Basics literature to distribute there, although literacy levels are very low and he mainly has to tell people the message. He has become a true evangelist:
NICARAGUA The Spanish app reached EDGARD in a small town in Nicaragua, and he has been studying from it until this week he baptized himself with us watching. Again, it was secular man coming to the Lord Jesus. Raising an 8 year old child alone, working shifts in a factory, looking for God and the Lord Jesus, not finding answers nor a particular welcome in standard churches, living in an iron shed.
The night of his baptism, Edgard gave us a 'tour' of his very humble home, with the child sleeping on a blanket on the floor. He can only afford limited internet credit, although we have been paying for him to have more, but he can use the app offline:
PRAYER POINTS - For those recently baptized
- For all those isolated believers worldwide
- For those suffering from the unusually long Winter in Eastern Europe this year
- For those who could so benefit from more, and more stable, internet connections
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks