March 2025 Greenland, Iran, Retreat, Ukraine, UK
GREENLAND Thought you'd like to know we're chatting with a woman in Nuuk, Greenland who runs a Bible study group and asked if we can send her Bibles... so, we're sending 12 NEV Bibles there. She came to us online... we've not been advertising there. We're spiritually like President Trump, wanting Greenland [for the Lord]. Cost £ 98 postage, but let's pray the seed grows in that distant land.
IRAN We were so happy to baptize FARDIN online, yet more fruit from the
Bible Companion app.
RETREAT
No words really to describe what an amazing spiritual time this was. All rooms were booked with a waiting list, and such a live and real gathering of a very wide range of people. Talks were on Finding Yourself in the Parables of Jesus and on The 7 Feasts of Yahweh, speakers were brother Charles Abel from Hookwood ecclesia, Wacek from Erith ecclesia and Duncan. They're all together in a playlist at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqHWDPHDmR_xceT2hpIPaOvrNbJxl6W-g
There were baptisms in the on site swimming pool, of IAN, SAMANTHA, BRENDA and CELESTE. Sister Astrid was just amazing with the children and young people- Bible studies and outdoor activities on site. The discussion groups were animated and went on over time... and people connected with each other, from such different backgrounds... Council Estate girls, a retired Air Traffic controller from Manchester airport, and the usual mix of ethnic backgrounds you have in London. A huge range of birthplaces... Ghana, Nigeria, Australia, Jamaica, Greece, Trinidad, Switzerland, Rhodesia Zimbabwe, South Africa, Latvia, Poland... along with a lot of true cockney Londoners. Great table tennis and snooker in the hall... North London vs. South London... Marshmallows around the fire on the Saturday evening... The Hookwood ecclesia kindly provided a catering team so our visitors could focus on spiritual food rather than having to spend too much time on preparing our natural food. We're so grateful to everyone who made this such an amazing success. And to the staff of Carrotty Wood [a Christian organization] for letting us use their pool and being so supportive. A few dramas at the end as all water was cut off to the site and local area on the last day... we bought up what water was left in the supermarkets, all carbonated [sparkling] water as that was all that was left for sale. And had to mop the floors and wash up for the final meals with that.
Next time Lord willing, our young sister Evia with a few young helpers have offered to do the catering... such enthusiasm to serve the Lord. We'll announce the date for the next retreat soon, Lord willing. You can only benefit by coming if at all possible... really this is an amazing gathering with so much energy and enthusiasm for Bible study and spiritual conversation. And good to see so many young people there... this generation may not be the greatest churchgoers, and "the church" may have themselves to blame for that, but at least in the UK, they are now definitely looking to their Maker and wanting to serve Him.
"The arrow is beyond you!"
Two ex-Rhodesians meet up in the UK:
UKRAINE
Things are hard on many fronts for our dear ones in Ukraine. Brothers Mark and Duncan will be making a trip there in April, and appreciate your prayers and support. This time, with Cindy's full agreement, young brother Daniel will be going with them. We wish to clarify that his expenses will not be paid for by Carelinks but privately. Let's pray for our young brother to continue to learn spiritual battle experience on this trip, and for he and all to be kept safe. He's brushing up his Russian every day, which has grown rather rusty since his childhood in Latvia, and is keen as mustard for this trip.
UK
Sister Cis, who faithfully does the food at our meetings, is going into hospital for an operation that will leave her out of action for a bit. Do consider coming and helping us out with the catering at The Venue in Croydon.
Attendance was good this week at our meetings. Remember that we are not only simply preaching the Gospel in South London but also providing humanitarian help to the homeless and very poor- food, clothing, hygiene items etc. For whatever reason, there's a lot of homelessness. The car park near The Venue where we park the car is a common place for the homeless to sleep, and we do invite them to walk with us up George Street to the meetings. And they come, for coffee, food, clothes and above all for the saving Gospel:
Thanks so much for your continued donations making all this possible. We really are at the very front line of engagement with people for the Lord Jesus.
After Lunchtime Church on Tuesday we baptized CLAIRE, who has been attending on and off for a long time and really has turned her life around. She wanted to fellowship the Lord's sufferings by being baptized not in our bath tub but in a river... although it's still cold at this time of year. She took us to a place in Mitcham [next suburb from Croydon] we never knew existed. There's a bit of wooded wasteland where the small Rover Wandle flows and gushes down to a sluice. Along with sister Cis, brother Tony [Spiro's brother in law] and a friend of Claire's, we walked through the woods to the small bit of exposed river. The air was thick with the smell of cannabis being smoked by various people lurking in the woods- it was clearly a drug handover area. There's a bench by the riverside. There was a young man sitting on the bench smoking a spliff... when he overheard our conversation, he asked if we'd like him to move away. We encouraged him to stay and watch, and gave him a card advertising Church in a Pub and urged him to download the Bible Companion app; he said he would... You can see him in the far left of the photo, face obscured. We undressed, prayed, had a simple baptism service and immersed Claire in the dirty water, with broken bottles and other sharp objects on the river bed. And so in the heart of south London, in a drug handover spot in the woods by the River Wandle, Claire was reborn. What a strong and wonderful woman to have been so determined to come to the Lord Jesus. Well done Claire, and all praise to the Lord Jesus for His tireless work in yet another life. Claire's friend was not a Christian but says she wants to study the Bible as well and some day get baptized.
Last week one of our prayer requests was for ex Sunday School students or those raised in the Lord to be baptized. Seeing knowledge brings responsibility, they desperately need to act and to be baptized. Those prayers were wonderfully answered this week with the baptism of EMMA and her husband LEE. Emma is the granddaughter of the late Reg and Elsie Davies, originally of the Lee ecclesia in South London. Now at 49 with Terminal Stage 4 cancer, Emma describes herself as a "wally" for not having been baptized. But now is the day of salvation and she has grasped it with both hands along with Lee. It was truly such a joy to baptize them in their flat in Whitechapel, East London; they are part of the small non-Muslim minority in one of the UK's most Muslim neighbourhoods. Emma is so full of joy and gratitude. She is now eager to get on with the job she perceives the Lord has given her to do- to bring her children and others in her family to baptism into Jesus so they can all share the eternity of God's Kingdom together. She says she'll aim to bring 10 people to baptism before she falls asleep. She's already brought Lee to baptism. She's so eager to get going with her task. She has pain in her bones and shortness of breath as the cancer has spread to her lungs. She was worried she wouldn't be able to hold her breath for long enough as she went under the water. But despite those limitations she is totally committed to her task to share the "priceless hope" of eternal life with others and persuade them to baptism. Let's all pray she succeeds. We believe she will, because the word will not return void but will achieve what it is sent out to achieve.
This is a "must see" video for absolutely everyone who was raised in the Lord but didn't get baptized; and indeed for all of us. Emma's speaks for about 10 minutes about her priceless hope, her inner peace and her plans to preach. It's so, so inspirational.
Video at https://youtu.be/oAMNO7fS6CY
And to cap a fantastic week, there was the baptism of WES who had had much exposure to the Truth, had rejected the trinity and the devil, and earnestly wanted to be baptized. We did this in cold water and our clothes got covered in duck poo whilst we were in the water, but that was nothing compared to the joy of Heaven. He picked us up from the station and it was great to see he had Romans 6 playing from the Bible app, he was really prepared for baptism. The app is really the way to go, with people all over the world listening to it for long periods as they drive.
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For the work beginning in Greenland
- For Emma and all struggling with late stage cancer
- Thanksgiving for the amazing response to the true Gospel in the UK
- For a temporary replacement for sister Cis to do the catering
- For our plans for the Ukraine trip and for our dear ones there
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks
