May 2024 Israel, UK, Ukraine
ISRAEL Thanks all for your prayers for our work in Israel. All good so far despite the background noise of the war... the hotel even has two bomb shelters to choose from:
We held various meetings with contacts from all over Israel, every one of them witnessed to by our existing brothers and sisters. A large proportion of the Israeli workforce is comprised of migrant workers, all working long hours and only free on Fridays and Saturdays- and the true Gospel is spreading strongly to them throughout Israel. In the sea of Galilee, we baptized four brothers and one sister, Marie-Claire, who works in a farm at En Dor, of Saul and the witch fame. What lovely truth-seeking people, truly wanting to devote themselves to the Lord Jesus in spirit and truth. They were all given
NEV Bibles as baptism presents. Sister Marie-Claire wrote:
Video at
https://youtu.be/oWEj_CK2i64 
And then at the baptism site on the river Jordan we were able to baptize another nine brothers, some of whom came up from Tel Aviv for the day. We had the place to ourselves and were able to have some good fellowship and Bible study beforehand:
UK After pub church on Sunday, we had a kind of mini garden party in the Heaster's garden, seeing it was 27 C and the hottest day of the year. We even got the blow-up pool out so we could baptize GODWIN and DAYDA in the garden.
Video at
https://youtu.be/ui9j0yJ8l8o Dayda was originally from Colombia in South America; and we had present Joy from Guyana [also in South America] and Cistene from Jamaica, so amazing that women from that part of the world should be united in the Lord Jesus in a home in South London UK. Truly all glory to the Lord Jesus who works behind the scenes in all our lives to build towards the great moments. And all will come to greater culmination at the Lord's return.
And then on Wednesday, Ieva and Evia joined in for a wonderful evening in Streatham baptizing ALEX. He had been searching for baptism into the Lord Jesus for so long. But having a wife and 4 young children, including 1 year old twins, having to work and move around a lot... just meant it was impossible to regularly attend anywhere. But he had such a heart for the Lord Jesus and had been praying to somehow be baptized... and then he stumbled across us on YouTube talking about baptism at The Venue in Croydon [20 minute drive from Streatham]. Nothing is chance, all is of the Lord in some way. He was very very emotional as we baptized him, with his wife and children asleep in the next room, although we really hope Cindy will soon go over there to baptize his wife. Do pray for that.
Video at
https://youtu.be/5EzR15Jny-8 
UKRAINE We have a prayer request from our dear sister Nana, baptized decades, lost her home in the Russian occupied area and now lives with brother Alexei her husband in a now renovated wooden 'dacha' in western Ukraine. She asks us to pray for her son Andrei, who is in the Ukrainian military. He was assigned to a battalion she describes as a cannon fodder battalion, and he has been badly wounded, with shrapnel fragments and other splinters in various internal organs. She is devastated that he has been told that when they fix him up, he must return to the front. She has also permanently lost her sight in one eye at the same time. Her prayer is that he won't be returned to that battalion, and that his deliverance from death will be part of his journey to the Lord Jesus and thus the life eternal. We could also add prayer for her sight situation, and for all our brothers and sisters of whatever side who have loved ones serving at the fronts. The numbers of dead and wounded in the Ukraine-Russia war is staggering, as you likely know... and so many of our brothers and sisters are affected by this. Here's a file photo from our visit to sister Nana earlier this year. It shows us breaking bread, but on the wall is a Ukrainian flag signed by her son and others in his battalion... many now dead or wounded:
The opening of another front in the Kharkiv area is bad news all around- we have quite a few brothers and sisters in the area. A brother sent us a photo of a middle class woman fleeing her village with her baby... do pray for the whole tragic situation. We plan a trip there in the Summer and as ever really appreciate your prayers.
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For our continued work in Israel and also Germany this week
- For sister Nana's son Andrei
- For all our brothers and sisters with loved ones in the military serving on various active fronts
- For our brothers and sisters in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine
- For those affected by the call up in both Russia and Ukraine
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks