October 2024 Australia, Lithuania, UK
AUSTRALIA The huge response from Western Australia is in principle similar to that from the UK- people who have been searching for authentic Biblical Christianity, disillusioned with churches, coming to us online. Brother Mark writes of this week's baptism in central Perth:
"Praise God for giving a spirit of repentance to Paul; and praise to God that more than a spirit of repentance was given, but a spirit of wanting the spirituality of Jesus and not just mere ritualism in church. Paul sensed his life was spiraling downhill, but he also sensed that rather than running away from Jesus and the scriptures, true joy and peace with God comes via drawing closer to God and Jesus and we were on hand to confirm that. But from where comes this "sense"? From where comes this "intuition"? From where comes this spirit that says, "True Joy and peace is in Christ Jesus"? Well, it comes from Christ Jesus himself, the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus. Praise to God for giving us His son."
Video at
https://youtu.be/No36foeIv7A 
LITHUANIA Lithuania was where our work in the former USSR began very many years ago. So, we rejoice in the baptism of LEV a young man who was searching for Bible Truth online and was led to us.
UK
This is a last call to grab one of the few remaining places at our Carelinks / Croydon Pub Church retreat in Tonbridge this next weekend, Lord willing.
Our meetings at the Pub and Lunchtime Church continue. The continued heavy rains and strong cold winds make it so hard for those who are living in tents, put in car parks and under flyovers in Croydon. We provide them with soap, shampoo, razors and sometimes clothes, bedding and tents.
This week we met up with AKIL who encountered us online and is an app user living about 30 minutes' drive from Croydon, and he led us out to a wonderfully cute place just beneath the M25 motorway where we baptized him in very cold water in the Darent river near Swanley. A brave young man for the Lord who had like so many, quit Catholicism then looked around many churches but never found anything that fitted in with his Bible reading.
Video at https://youtu.be/HBHBHWZd-XE
This week we went up to North East UK to visit with some more who have encountered Croydon Church in a Pub on YouTube. Both were people who had tried many churches, but just didn't find what they were looking for, doctrinally, socially and in general attitude. First there was LISA in Redcar, a depressed seaside town just outside Middlesborough. She was quietly determined to be baptized in the North Sea, walking distance from the council estate where she lives. It was a hugely windy, rainy day, with yellow weather warnings. The water was really, really cold. But she was determined to do it. She was well prepared when we arrived, even with foil to wrap herself in after the baptism, for the walk from the beach to the [warmed up] car. She was amazing. She was so brave.
On the video at https://youtu.be/rpvg3vj6Ua4
you can see her shaking uncontrollably from the cold as she thawed out in the car. This was all a great victory for the Lord Jesus and His Truth. One after another she lost her husband, her son and then her daughter. All that grief led her to the Lord Jesus and to serious Bible reading. And to a strong desire for baptism into the Lord she had learned about. Nobody would go through that intense cold water experience unless they were truly committed to Him. And our prayers are that Glen, who came along as witness, will also soon be baptized. He sure does want to do it now that he's witnessed Lisa making such a sacrifice to be baptized.
And then we drove further north in torrential rain, with the A1 motorway closed because of the flooding, to Newcastle upon Tyne. How great to finally meet with MEL, a smart 34-year-old who has devoted his life to the Lord Jesus and Bible reading. Despite living in a very nice place, he wanted to be baptized in the open air. But it was cold, pouring with rain, and the river Tyne was overflowing its banks at the place Mel had in mind, where earlier he used to go fishing. We drove down there however and did it underneath a bridge, despite the cold water, as the water in the mainstream of the Tyne torrented by. He has many friends he's witnessing to and we really hope to be invited back up there soon to baptize them.
Video at https://youtu.be/2qxMOjaiBC8
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For our Carelinks retreat this weekend
- For those cold and wet in Western cities and wherever they may be in the world
- For sister Nina and the group with her, whose tiny village is currently in the flight path for missiles, both incoming and the fire going up to destroy them in midair before they land
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks