January 2020 Latvia, Russian Bible App, Israel
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:
Genesis http://n-e-v.info/NEVGenesisCommentary.pdf Psalms
http://n-e-v.info/psalms.pdf Matthew http://n-e-v.info/NEVMatthewCommentary.pdf RUSSIAN BIBLE APP The English
"Bible Companion" app is going viral; we have over 70,000 downloads [Android and Apple together] and people starting the
Bible Basics course every few hours. Amazing response, from now about every nation on earth. Many of these people are now studying seriously and requesting hard copies. You can see some of the comments on the app stores, here's a typical one:
mai deffo Jan 16, 2020 at 12:05 PM0 0
Stumbled upon this site. Amazing very informative I am learning into the inside of Gods nature and the basics again. Even though I have been a Christian from 2005. This app is really helping me to really understand the Lord in a very deep way. And in a simplified form that is good for me. I am not really a reader more visual learning. But I seem to be reading a lot on this app.
Your donations to enable the posting of hard copies of our literature worldwide will be appreciated.
Will be now moving ahead to make it in Russian; we have all the material from years of recording our daily talks in Riga. Audio commentary on every chapter of the Bible, talks about
Bible Basics, doctrine etc.
The cost of doing this [payments to the app developers etc.] is around 5000
UKpound. The great success of the English one encourages us to go to you cap in hand.
Please do donate if you can. There are a few thousand Russian speaking brethren throughout the Russian speaking world, many of them in isolation. To have this app in Russian will be a spiritual help to them which is priceless, no real figure can be put on it. And things are changing in Russia itself- there's no knowing how long there will be any access there. Russia has already created its own internet and threatens to cut the country off from the worldwide web. Entering Russia to preach without registration [which is well nigh impossible to get, as the Russian Orthodox church must approve it]... is now very risky and difficult. We firmly believe this app is the way to go and invite your contributions.
LATVIA This has been a busy week, with high attendances at our daily feeding program and Bible classes. We've been blessed with the baptisms of a married couple, OKSANA and ALEXEI; and then JANIS. Oksana and Alexei had begun searching for Bible truth, and heard there were daily Bible studies and free coffee at our hall. They came along, and found so much more- a free meal, free Bible and
Bible Basics and above all, the truth of Christ.
You can see a video of their baptisms at
https://youtu.be/kPOcdeR4wFI 
Then there was JANIS a man of 60 years old, who a few years ago turned to God. He went to a Catholic priest, who told him to list his sins on a piece of paper. He did, and the priest put a sum next to each of them, between 10 and 20 Euro. Janis was told to go and save up so he could pay for them. He went away disgusted, feeling he had been humiliated, and seeing all the obvious problems with this kind of religion. So he decided to seek God for himself, and began reading the Bible. He heard of our meetings and came along about two years ago. It was a great joy to baptize him.
On Sundays we hold meetings in English only, and are enjoying a really good attendance of mainly younger folks, typically masters students at the university here, often from India. This week we were pleased to baptize RAJEEV,
you can see the video at
https://youtu.be/4UyDqQg0A9g 
We've also been out distributing firewood to our brethren and sisters living in very poor conditions this Winter:
All this work naturally costs money, and quite a lot of it. We have pending soon the annual land tax bill for the hall, which comes to around 2000
UKpound. Again, your donations will really be appreciated.
We wouldn't have easily been able to do all the huge amount of feeding this week without the help of sister Misty from Kentucky USA. Perhaps God especially blessed our work this week because of her presence- for she really stepped out of the boat in faith to come and help us. It was her first time to travel outside of the USA, and only her second time to fly on an aeroplane. The contrast between rural Kentucky and urban Eastern Europe was huge, but she coped with the major stepping out of her comfort zone in an admirable way, in God's strengthening. There are surely many readers who could be challenged to do something similar, and receive the great spiritual blessing and eye opening which she experienced.
We urge you to watch the video where she frankly expresses her experiences and feelings-
https://youtu.be/AdybkhcdLpU 
Misty wrote up some of her feelings on Facebook and below are a few excerpts from a true missionary:
It's about midnight at home in Kentucky, just getting the day started at 8 a.m. here in Riga. It has been such a great experience volunteering with the Bible Center. The two baptisms from yesterday were a husband and wife who had heard there was a place they could go to have coffee and hear the bible. They were spiritually in need of the word of God, so they began attending regularly. They were surprised to find they could also have a meal, and they continued to come to hear the word and listen to the messages delivered by Duncan. What a wonderful ministry this is! Leading others to God's Kingdom that they may find ever lasting life!!
I have settled in and waves of emotion from missing my family have not swept over me for a couple days now. As previously stated, the people here are just not very friendly. Yesterday though, I encountered two that I would go so far as to equate to being friendly enough to fit in in the south in the US! One was a boy selling Kebabs (sort of like a Greek Gyro), and the other a woman at the post office. The boy smiled and answered my questions without irritation, made my kebab and even smiled as he handed me the order, sending me on my way with a sincere thank you. The woman worked for the post office. When we entered, we had to take a number and wait for about 20 minutes. During that time, I watched as the woman at window number 2 helped person after person with a big smile and pleasant tone. Windows 1, 3 4 were also open, but the workers behind those windows were cold and to the point...as are most of the citizens I have encountered in this city. I kept thinking to myself, "I HOPE I get her!!!" I was elated when I did, and even happier when she spoke enough English to understand and communicate with me, and happiest of all, she treated me with the same amount of kindness and pleasantry she did everyone else! I left the post office with my faith restored that my hosts are not the only compassionate and kind individuals that reside in Riga!
Today was a great day here in Riga. Not one but TWO souls were made ready for the Kingdom! Two people who regularly come for the meal were baptized today! God is working good things over here. I am grateful he chose me to be a part of this! What an honor to be considered worthy!!
THIS is what this ministry is all about! In addition to the soup kitchen and message that comes before the meal, they also have an English church service on Sundays.
The people that come to the Bible Center here in Riga to have a bowl of soup, a few slices of bread, a cookie, a hot cup of coffee or tea and listen to God's word don't have much in the way of money. Though I don't speak their language and cannot communicate with them for the most part, I have learned a lot through observation. I see a lot of health issues simply brought on by old age. I am told the majority of those that come are Russian and that here in Latvia, Russians are not looked upon very highly due to the history. They are treated poorly by the Latvians and it is therefore hard for them to find employment and healthcare.
All that said, one of the women who's face I believe I have seen every day, came in yesterday and handed me a hand made hat. I had to have my co-volunteer help interpret for me, but I was able to determine she had intended this as a gift for me. I made sure she did not have a greater need for it before I accepted. It warmed my heart to see someone with so little, give such a gift to a complete stranger! It is cold here in Latvia. I'm sure she could have held onto this for use at a later time for herself, but she wanted to thank me for helping out in the soup kitchen, and I am humbled by her generosity!
If you've been following my posts, you know I am currently a world away in Riga, Latvia to work with Carelinks Ministry in their soup kitchen. This is a volunteer run organization currently, it is myself and one other person who prepare the meals that are served each day. We begin the day by pealing potatoes, carrots, onions, chopping all veggies and any additional as well as the meat that will go in the soup. Clean up as we go, then serve the soup, and more clean up after. Once that is done, it's time to make the 30 minute walk to the supermarket to buy the groceries that will be used for the next day's meal. Last night, I went with my host to deliver some firewood after I got back from the grocery store. Today, there will be a baptism! :)
This ministry is such a wonderful work! Before each meal, Duncan Heaster has a reading from the bible with a message. He has helped many through the years find their way to the Kingdom. Though it is wonderful that we are providing physical nourishment for the bodies of these individuals, I feel the spiritual nourishment being offered is of far greater benefit!
I have had more than one person tell me how brave I am for having made this trip. I have to say, I don't see it that way. My reason for being here has nothing at all to do with me. This was not a Misty thing in the least. The phrase "called by God" is freely used by many, but not one I use frequently. I can honestly say this is the experience I had in this circumstance. Never for one second did I stop and say... "Now wait, I don't want to do this!" Once the thought was put into my head, I obediently followed through, no questions asked! I can not say I do this every time I am led, but that was the case this time. So, what others view as being brave, I simply view as having faith. I was never scared or apprehensive about taking this journey because I knew God was in control of it all.
The selfish part of my heart is struggling a bit. I am having very strong bouts of being homesick. My heart gets very heavy at times. I miss my family and it is hard to be among so many with which I have nothing in common and cannot communicate. Add to that that the people here are not at all friendly, and that just makes me feel very isolated. The willing and obedient part of my heart is overjoyed that God has entrusted me with this task and that I am able to fulfill this need. At first, I wanted to deny myself permission to feel the sadness because I felt I was somehow diminishing my obedience, but I am accepting that is simply not the case. I am human, and I'm sure God understands there is separation between the emotions and the obedience.
So, with a cheerful heart (except when I have to peal those onions.... that I do quite tearfully!!), I will continue to serve, but allow myself to feel the emotions needed. It is still a little over a week before I will be back in Kentucky, back to the familiarity of my daily routine. I will return home with a new appreciation for the mundane day to day lifestyle in which I live, with a wonderful family, a great new career, and of course my horses, dogs and cat! ISRAEL We've now placed adverts on Google for the Bible Companion app, focused upon Israel- and had a few hundred downloads, and now some serious correspondence with contacts there. Do pray for this too.
PRAYER POINTS:
- For more workers in Riga
- For the Russian app plans
- For various Iranian brethren facing their asylum hearings this week
- For those recently baptized
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks