January 2020 UK, Latvia, Turkey
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 https://n-e-v.info/NEVGenesisCommentary.pdf Psalms https://n-e-v.info/psalms.pdf Matthew https://n-e-v.info/NEVMatthewCommentary.pdf IRAN CRISIS We've produced a video about Iran and the recent crisis there, in the light of Bible prophecy. It's already had thousands of views, you can see our thoughts at
https://youtu.be/0Lij8Nzve40 TURKEY We're really pleased to report that we visited and baptized ANDY in Turkey. He was raised a Muslim but applied his very sharp, analytical mind to the whole question of God, the Bible and the Koran. And bit by bit, he came to the right conclusion. He especially enjoyed John Thatcher's material about the Gospel, especially "
The story of the Bible". Last year he wrote that he felt unready for baptism, and wanted more time to go through everything in detail.
That's great, but some folks seem to be so consumed with the search that they never really want to find the Truth at the end. But Andy is different. And so it was with great joy we received a message this year that he had decided for baptism. We'd sent him an
NEV Bible and it's always great to see someone reading right through the entire Bible for the first time, and it all making good sense. Indeed the doctrines we believe can stand up to any fair analysis.
Our new brother is a great example of where "truth" is not just an intellectual attainment but is something really felt and rejoiced in deep within. Living in a Muslim society is very difficult, especially when living with family members. Islam pervades everything in society and it's so difficult to live within it when your worldview changes as radically as it does when you seriously accept the Lord Jesus and His word.
UK In the past, we've advertised the
NEV Bibles [hard copy] in the Daily Mail newspaper, and one feature of the
Carelinks Conferences used to be packing up and mailing out these requests to applicants all over the UK. We've not done it more recently as the cost is huge. A lady from northern UK requested one, and gave it to her husband DAVID. Who became really very interested, and later got more material and then the
Bible Companion app. He recently visited Jean and Robin Field in Kendal, spending a day in good discussion with them, and we're delighted to report his baptism. He writes:
"Baptizatus sum
Sincere thanks to you all, I'm truly thrilled and am so blessed to have received such great help, support and encouragement... Couldn't have got "there" without your ministry, Carelinks Bible and the app. of course.
God bless,
David"
So, thank you to all who have donated over the years so that these various advertising and publishing projects could have happened. We have only desired to "get the word out there" and indeed that word will not return empty.
Here's some file photos of packing and posting the Bibles, prayed over at the time... and now bearing fruit some four years later. You can also see a video of our team in 2016, four years ago, packing the Bibles in response to the "Daily Mail" advert-
https://youtu.be/Tz1OX3bbgZY Truly we cast our bread upon the waters and now we're gathering a greater harvest years later.
And a reminder that our next
Carelinks UK Conference will God willing be held on Saturday 29 Feb 2020: 10.30am to 7pm. ,
St John's Community Hall, Upper Selsdon Road, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 8DD
The
Bible Companion app is proving very popular in the UK and Australia in particular. We had thought the app might decrease the number of requests we receive for hard copy Bibles. But actually, the greater interest means we are getting people writing saying they use the app a lot, they're learning a lot from it- but would really appreciate a hard copy of the Bible with commentary. We're getting at least 10 such requests / day. These are people with some proven interest. The cost is therefore mounting- your donations are appreciated as ever.
LATVIA Great to have sister Misty with us from the USA. She's only flown on a plane once before, and never been outside the USA. So... to come from Kentucky USA to Riga, Latvia, alone, to work in a soup kitchen... was a really huge step of faith. And Misty is doing so very well, and being a great encouragement to us all. She's got the hang of things now and due to illness is now our only assistant in the kitchen. Let's hope her example will inspire others to step out of their comfort zones. By next week GW we hope to have a video of her to encourage more to take the step of faith she has done. Our English church is also going well [see Misty reading Ruth chapter 1 in the photo], along with the feeding scheme and daily Bible teaching sessions in Russian.
So, do step out of the boat and get involved... and please continue prayerfully supporting the work.
PRAYER POINTS - For those recently baptized
- For all the thousands of people who have the NEV Bible on their shelves or now on their phones... that they too may be moved to respond
- For those in very difficult domestic situations because of their faith
- For our work in Latvia
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks