August 2020 Conference, Latvia, Iran, Cuba
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 CONFERENCE Our virtual conference on Zoom is scheduled for next Saturday, 22nd August God willing. It really does like a great program.
The link to join will be
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88459599424?pwd=YlRuMjgrQWxDdmUzcGFRbmVzYTdOUT09 Passcode: 429897.
NEW ZEALAND Daniel Aldersley: Music.
Guy Collins: From white South African Policeman to true Christianity in New Zealand.
John Aldersley: What should church be like?
AUSTRALIA Mike Flaherty [Queensland]: A voice from mid ocean.
Jonathan Hallett [NSW]: When you lose everything to find the Lord Jesus through the Bible app.
Phil Miriam Worsnop [Queensland]: The amazing response in the African community in Australia.
Mark Hawkins [Western Australia]: From dope smoking conservative Christadelphian to real conversion.
CHINA Donald Feng: My life for the Lord in China.
UK Rob Alcock [Birmingham]: What it's like to baptize yourself.
Joe Coutts [Aberdeen, Scotland]: An older man reflects: A personal path with Jesus.
Robin Field [Kendal]: A path towards faith: Reflections on a long journey.
Frank Campbell (Liverpool): A scaffolding inspector downloads the Bible app and comes to baptism.
LATVIA Pleased to report three baptisms in Latvia this week.
Firstly IVETA in Western Latvia; it was great to see her very much 'take' to Evia, who is quite the young evangelist. This was the outcome of one of those apparently 'chance' encounters about 6 months ago, where the Gospel was preached and then followed up on:
And then, on an otherwise grey rainy day in the Bay of Riga, where you have to walk out a very long way to get to any depth of water, we baptized VIKTOR, a carpenter specializing in restoration of wooden window frames, and his fair lady INA:
You can see the video at
https://youtu.be/pOeg6wxJFJA IRAN The Farsi language app continues to have much usage in Iran. A few weeks ago we made a prayer request for Elias, an Iranian Jew:
"And we had contact with one of the few Jews remaining in Iran who now wishes to become Christian. The Iranian Jewish community is estimated at around 20,000. Most have emigrated. His name is Elias and we ask for your prayers for him; his messages sound legitimate, and if indeed they are, then we marvel at how the Lord is reaching out to a Jew in Persia, at this very late stage. You can read some of his messages below; we've obviously removed his phone number, but you can enter into the spirit of it"
Here was the screenshot we shared in order to focus your prayers:
We're now so pleased to say that we have been able to baptize ELIAS and his friend DAVID. Your prayers were answered. We did the baptism online and were able to witness it by video. It was a a remarkable journey to Divine Truth and the Lord Jesus. Who can doubt that the Lord knows His people and calls them in the most apparently impossible situations.
We can only live in awe that He should choose to use us in His far greater program of salvation. Ilias has been strongly opposed by his parents, and so he went to a friend's house, sending us a photo of the bathroom to enquire if it was OK for baptism. Do pray for them.
Here's a message sent as he was about to baptize himself:
CUBA The Spanish version of the
Bible Companion app is very popular in Cuba. Only Android apps which offer no advertising are allowed to be downloaded there. And we have no advertising, unlike many Spanish Bible apps. One enthusiastic user has been using it to teach a group of people who meet in the open air for worship every Sunday. They sent us some photos of the group:
We've mentioned before how brother Pedro patiently read
Bible Basics onto audio for the app, with his heavy Cuban accent. No wonder the app is popular in Cuba.
Clearly God wanted to get His truth to Cuba in this way.
PRAYER POINTS - For those recently baptized
- For the continued spread of the Gospel in difficult areas like Cuba, Iran and Afghanistan
- For brother Elias in his difficult situation, that he might spread the Gospel to more Jewish people
- For our upcoming conference
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks