November 2019 Latvia, Australia, Canada, UK
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 The
Bible Companion readings for this Sunday include 2 Chronicles 32 and there is an MP3 file about this at
http://www.n-e-v.info/en/messages/2chron32.mp3 You can see the archives of our MP3 files at
http://christadelphia.net/audio.htm
Helps for the
Bible Companion readings this week:
2 Chronicles http://n-e-v.info/2chroncomm.pdf Hosea http://n-e-v.info/HoseaNEVCommentary.pdf Acts http://n-e-v.info/NEVActsCommentary.pdf LATVIA Lots of activity in
Riga at the moment, and would appreciate your prayers, support in whatever way you can, and also your help in the kitchen in 2020 God willing. You'd have to get your own air tickets but accommodation is at the hall and just buy your own food for breakfast and anything you want to eat apart from soup. We're just 15 minutes from the airport in Riga. Attendance so far this year has been markedly larger than in the last couple of years. There is clearly a need, and many of those who attend have now been baptized. We teach the Bible for 30-40 minutes before feeding them. Very happy to report the baptism of ANASTASIA and TALIA last week.
Here you can see Anastasia in the line for food, and then being baptized. This is surely the ideal example of meshing material help with the preaching of the Gospel:
One encouraging thing is that absolutely every drop of soup is eaten, every bit of bread is taken [you can see young Daniel giving away the last slice], and folks come up with plastic containers and ask us to fill them for them to take away with them. That signals the real level of need. We have lots of elderly folks, some handicapped, two blind etc... those in the "highways and byways" whom the Lord's parable says will respond to the Gospel in these last days. For many of them, mobility is an issue, but still they come to us. It was good to overhear conversations when we started the daily feeding again, clearly they feel as family and the soup kitchen church is their home. Daniel Aldersley and our 8 year old Daniel [during his half term] have been holding the fort in the kitchen, but looking forward to Vanessa coming over from
UK to take over that department.
We have had a good go at distributing fliers advertising our English language church which we run on Sundays. One Messianic Jewish guy brought us fresh bread for the feeding scheme as a result of that. And last Sunday we had a good crowd, English speakers but born in Australia, Brazil, England, Latvia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia... and some real interest amongst them.
Do please pray for us and support as you can. You can see a video of activities the last week or so at
https://youtu.be/TjFvSnVt0IA CANADA Jim Anne Barton (Canada) report:
"Today we delivered the last of our inventory of 2020
Creation Calendars to a Canadian prison. (Specific locations and names are not allowed for publication). The Chaplain (pictured) was available to receive the calendars outside so they could be scanned before being allowed inside. He commented on how beautiful these calendars are and how much they mean to the inmates who receive them. He mentioned how they are often at a point in their lives where they are ready to re-evaluate their past decisions and are willing to consider a new path, which will often lead to a new found spirituality and faith.
While there, we inquired if Jim may be able to help in some way with the prison ministry. The Chaplain noted, they do need volunteers for some of their programs so we hope that will provide future opportunities to share the Faith.
The
Creation Calendars have been a very successful outreach project as we have been able to expand the distribution to almost 2500 across Canada this year. The supplies are now exhausted but hundreds were ordered by Canadian ecclesias for local distribution to members or for preaching efforts. Over 100 were distributed at the International Plowing Match in
Verner, Ontario. Close to 2000 were distributed to prisons all across Canada thanks to the enthusiastic help of Pat Bouttell, whose efforts were able to arrange these valuable contacts.
We have received some donations to help fund this work but are still in need of much more to keep this program going. Similar distribution efforts of
Creation Calendars are concluding around the globe, if you can help us fund this effort, please donate to your local "
Carelinks" Charity (see info below).
A big thanks to Marcus Heaster who pioneered this project last year and continues to make it possible. May the Lord bless those who receive them. May they come to appreciate the wonders of the God's creation and embrace the Gospel Hope we hold so dear"
Sister Pat Boutell has been instrumental in getting the calendars accepted in Canadian prisons, and she writes further:
"Here are 2 more comments: "Just wanted to let you know we've received 3/4 of the boxes you sent to us and I'm sure the last bit will arrive soon. I must say again the calendars are stunning. Thank you so much! We will excitedly give them out at Christmas!". "My days are needless to say "busy", but I love it. We also are a good team here and that makes a great difference. We will take as many calendars as can and maybe next year you can send us a notice early so we can get many to pass on."
Certainly more calendars are called for next year, should Christ remain away! Would it be possible to do some fund raising before they are printed, to help with the cost? Your sister by God's grace, Pat Bouttell"
UK The letters attached are a huge encouragement- COLIN, a prisoner in UK received the calendar, thence
NEV Bible and
Bible Basics, and as you can see, is now fully persuaded of all our doctrines and on that basis has been baptized; and through him so has another woman in
Latvia.
The connections made by the hand of providence are amazing. Truly there is a God in earth. He is clearly very thrilled with the Truth. He has become an ardent non Trinitarian and this resulted in great difficulties in getting agreement to visit and baptize him. However the chaplains allowed him to immerse himself after giving his confession of faith. You can read the thrilling account in his own words, and of how he has firmly grasped the Truth about the Kingdom, nature of God and Jesus etc. It's wonderful to see the lights go on in someone's mind when the whole picture comes together. And the same day, news from Jim Barton of his visit to a prison in Canada to deliver calendars to a chaplain eager to distribute them to his prisoners.
Again we see the hand of providence at work as the Lord seeks to reach out to His people worldwide. Thank you for all your prayers and donations which enable us to be workers together with Him in this way, and please continue them.
Brother Steve Gretton in UK has made up some business cards advertising the Bible Companion app, they are standard size and could be printed wherever you are. They are double sided, and the artwork is at
http://www.n-e-v.info/publicity/BCFront.jpg and
http://www.n-e-v.info/publicity/BCReverse.jpg He could let you have some if you want- they're great for leaving around the place or giving to folks we have brief contact with. For those outside the UK, postage costs mean that you're probably better getting the cards printed up wherever you are.
The app has now had well over 15,000 downloads, from
Greenland to
Antartica, and including many remote islands and troubled areas like
Syria where our preaching would never otherwise reach.
AUSTRALIA Phil Miri Worsnop have been at it again distributing
NEV Bibles,
Bible Basics,
Real Christ etc. at the Jacaranda Festival in
Ipswich QLD, with good response:
"Having great interest for Bibles ,
creation calendars etc. Had a suggestion from a community policeman tonight, who we meet at last year's festival weekend. He took "
Bible basics for Moslems" for a friend in Toowoomba. His suggestion was 'You need to do a stand like this in Toowoomba. Toowoomba has many Syrian refugees now'. Then had another community policeman come to find us to get a few NT Bible packs and
Bible Basics".
PRAYER POINTS: - For those recently baptized
- For more workers to come forward for Riga, Latvia
- For all the prisoners receiving creation calendars
- Special prayer for brother Colin in prison in the UK
- For the Ukraine Bible School which starts next week Lord willing
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks