July 2020 Canada, UK, Iran, Panama, Conference
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"Bible Companion" app, from where you can access
Carelinks messages, daily Bible readings,
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https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-companion/id1475914490 CONFERENCE A reminder of our international conference which will be held on Zoom, on Saturday August 22nd God willing. Let us know if you would like to make a presentation about anything. It will be a long day, so that despite the time differences, we can have contributions from all over the world- from New Zealand to North America.
IRAN We have ongoing correspondence with a large number of folks in Iran who are using the Persian language app. Nearly 50,000 Persian speakers have downloaded it now, many of them in Iran itself. Where there is intense persecution of anyone who leaves Islam and accepts another religion, especially Christianity. There is the constant sense of fear and risk in all our interactions with people there.
Despite all this, some are deciding and being baptized online, using their bath tubs, rivers, outdoor pools etc. We were able to baptize FERAYDOUN this week. And we had contact with one of the few Jews remaining in Iran who now wishes to become Christian. The Iranian Jewish community is estimated at around 20,000. Most have emigrated. His name is Elias and we ask for your prayers for him; his messages sound legitimate, and if indeed they are, then we marvel at how the Lord is reaching out to a Jew in Persia, at this very late stage. You can read some of his messages below; we've obviously removed his phone number, but you can enter into the spirit of it:
We asked previously for your prayers for a sister in Iran who was baptized online by us along with an Iranian brother in North America. She immersed herself in a bath tub, we were praying with her afterwards [all on video as she put her phone on a tripod so we could see her complete immersion]... and there were bangings on the door and yelling. She grabbed her phone and we lost connection. We are now relieved to report that we heard from her that she is OK. What happened is that others had observed her going into the bath room with her phone and a camera tripod, and then they overheard her talking in English on the phone. And drew some wrong conclusions. Here's the message- you will note she feels that her life is changed and now full of joy... what a testimony to the power of the Gospel:
We do really need your continued prayers for the work we are doing in the Muslim world and Iran in particular.
PANAMA Our Hispanic brethren in USA are really a great team and so enthusiastic to follow up app users. We joyfully gathered together with them online to baptize sister AMARILIS in Panama. She only speaks Spanish, and came from our Google advertising of the Spanish app:
CANADA Also from Google Advertising, MERLINE in Canada downloaded the French app and was able to study the true Gospel which she had been seeking a long time- having been displaced from Congo and after years in refugee camps, was brought to Canada. Where she devoted herself to the things of the Kingdom and name of the Lord Jesus, and was clearly led to us at the right time in her journey. It was good to have Jim Anne online with us, although sister Merline is a French speaker and doesn't know much English:
Over the last two years we have reported the situation of our Congolese brethren stranded on the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. A number of them are now in France and are holding their own online breaking of bread meeting in French, and Merline will be able to attend that. Here's a snap of brother John Thatcher in Australia addressing that group through Zoom one evening, with one of them translating him; it's amazing how the Lord is making interconnections between His people worldwide, thanks to the technology He has raised up to enable it:
UK Again thanks to the work of local brethren previously baptized, we were able to online assist brother Ibrahim in the baptism of SADUN in London, originally from Turkey.
PRAYER POINTS - For those recently baptized
- For those facing choices between the way of the Lord Jesus [with much persecution] and remaining passive and uncommitted
- For the thousands studying the Bible's message with us on the app, especially Elias
- For continued wisdom in trying to develop ways of providing pastoral support to so many isolated individuals
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks