November 2019 Italy, Latvia, Australia, USA
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 see the list of exhortations at
http://christadelphia.net/audio.htm Helps for the Bible Companion readings this week:
Job http://n-e-v.info/NEVJob.pdf
Jonah http://n-e-v.info/jonahnevcom.pdf
Hebrews http://n-e-v.info/NEVHebrewsCommentary.pdf
ITALY
In 2016, two brothers set off from West Africa to Europe. They crossed the Sahara on a truck, and were imprisoned and extorted for 7 months in Libya, seeing their fellow Africans beaten and shot at random. They then attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Italy in the infamous "lapalapa" inflatable boats. They were in different boats. One capsized, and all drowned. SIMON was rescued and taken to Sicily, from whence he was put in a camp near Bologna, by the sea.
At that time we were feeding the migrants in the stretch of land between the camp and the beach, teaching them as we did and distributing NEV Bibles. We were asked for another Bible by one man, to give to his friend. We gave the Bible. And that NEV Bible with commentary got into the hands of Samuel, although he didn't meet us at that time. This is how providence works.
And you really couldn't imagine a more humble lover of God's word. Simon read and re-read that Bible and especially the commentaries, and has filled two exercise books with his notes. He then more recently got the app, and contacted us. He is not so far from brother Joseph, and so along with Joseph we visited him. What a wonderful intense time we had around the scriptures which we all love, Joseph testifying of his own baptism and spiritual growth over the last 6 years. Simon's a wonderfully willing servant of the Lord who has that necessary humility to go far in that service. Do pray for him.
The sea was very cold, but our brother wanted to be baptized in the same waters which had taken his brother's life and nearly his own.
Our brother had promised that if God saved him from the water, he would give his life to God's service. And indeed he has done so. He runs three WhatsApp and Messenger groups, with about 50 Africans in each, and he has urged them all to download our app. He uses it every day. You can see a video of brother Simon explaining some of his story, and of the baptism in very cold sea water, at https://youtu.be/Any7wp-HWHo
Brother Simon messaged afterwards: "By God's Grace Today is a great day in my life history, Am so grateful, God bless you And your family, I will keep on praying for you always".
The new Government in Italy is more reasonable towards the migrants, and some camps are reopening, after Salvini closed them. Our brother is in such a camp. Whilst in Italy, it was announced that another 500 Africans had arrived on the beaches of Sicily that day. The boats are now not being chased away, and so the flow of migrants is going to increase.
If you'd like to get involved with a feeding scheme there in Easter and Summer 2020 God willing, do let us know.
All this work, both the literature, the preaching, the humanitarian side... requires funds. We really are open to your donations.
LATVIA
A few cameos from our work in Latvia. Sister Irma, now in her 80s, can't get out to meetings and so she is learning to use the app on a tablet. She can break bread alone and have an exhortation on any Bible chapter. In due course we'd like to provide more tablets to older folks like this who know English, and are looking to get the app into Russian to assist far more such isolated ones.
Brother Daniel from New Zealand has been such a huge blessing. He is the favourite of our elderly sister Tatyana. With tears she tried to express her gratitude to him and us for our care, the Bibles, and especially our teaching about the Bible. She was in the underground church in the USSR, and told Daniel with tears of how she and other believers used to meet in a forest. At one meeting, a man came with a bag of Bibles. They were like gold dust in the USSR.
He said he'd sell them to the highest bidders. She had only a few roubles in her pocket and couldn't compete with some of the others present who had more. She went home from the forest meeting in tears because she didn't get a Bible that day. She is just so happy to see us distributing Bibles and teaching the Bible openly. But these are perhaps our days of possibility, only a frame of opportunity, for who knows what the future holds in the Russian speaking world.
Our English language church continues to prosper. Daniel started teaching Alex the guitar, and Alex comes to the hall for guitar lessons. He can now play with Daniel up front at our Sunday meeting, and hopefully he can take over from Daniel when he returns to New Zealand. He's picked up the guitar amazingly quickly and we see in this too God's blessing
AUSTRALIA
Response continues to come in to our offer of 2020 Creation calendars to Australian prisons:
Dear John,
Thanks for you sending the beautiful sample calendar to Youth Justice Centre. Unfortunately, I can't take your kind offer up as we are not able to have staples in the centre. However, we're always on the hunt for soft covered New Testaments. If you have any that you are able to share with us that would be most appreciated.
Thank you for this great work.
We will of course send some NEV Bibles to this youth prison.
USA
Out of the tens of thousands of people viewing or receiving our literature and downloading the app, some begin the Bible Basics course- someone every few hours at the moment.
Here's a set of answers to the first lesson just received from California:
1 What will most help develop our faith in God?
b - Prayerful Bible study
2 Which of the following is the most correct definition of God?
d - A real, material person
3 Is God
a - A unity
4 What does God's Name Yahweh Elohim mean?
b - He who will be revealed in a group of mighty ones
5 What does the word Angel mean?
c - Messenger
6 Can Angels sin?
No
7 What most convinces you that there is a God?
God is speaking to all those who will eventually receive Christ as savior. I was in my early twenties when God convicted me that I would be doomed without turning to Christ in following him. I am 53 now and just recently have seen the truth concerning the falsehood of the trinity.
PRAYER POINTS:
- For those recently baptized
- For the refugee brethren in Itay
- For all those reading the Bibles we distribute
- For the over 30,000 people who are now using our Bible app worldwide
- For our work in Austria this week
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks