May 2021 USA, Latvia, Congo, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia
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 break bread live online as follows:
Sunday mornings 08:00 a.m. GMT on the Facebook "
Carelinks Ministries" page; and on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6697401754?pwd=K0VWNDlScGwzaThPM2tiU0didmNyUT09 Meeting ID: 669 740 1754 Passcode: XPb9Sz
Sundays at 3:00 PM New Zealand time. That's 1 PM in Sydney Australia; 10 PM in New York, USA on Saturday evening [run by Br John Aldersley in New Zealand] on
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81015280780?pwd=LzAwNDRTTzhNcFpiRGlmaGx6YUpvZz09 Sundays at 10am North American Eastern Time [3 PM UK GMT time, 11 PM Sydney Australia time]. Run by Br Jim Barton in Canada.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9123758179 Meeting ID: 912 375 8179
Also, Bible class on Wednesdays at 7 PM North American Eastern Time
AUSTRALIA Br Phil Sis Miri are still busy pastoring the
Sudanese and
Congolese immigrants they've baptized in
Ipswich QLD, holding meetings, Sunday School, outings to the park with them, barbeques and reaching out to others. Miri writes:
We have had 2 long weekend holidays in a row, which resulted in some away on the Sunday. We had the Bible lesson of the parable of the sower. This involved all, both 9 adults and 13 young ones from 4 yrs to 15 yrs old. We then went to a local park for a easy pizza lunch. Children played and adults continued discussions.
Young Bro John Chol, will delivery 15
NEV New Teastament this week to a small hotel need the Brisbane Roma St. station. Seems like they had all their Bibles taken from the hotel rooms. I had also put a
Bible Companion app sticker in the front page of each NT Bible.
CANADA GERALD has had an absolutely awful life. Raised in foster care, he was a gang member in Toronto, involved in drugs etc. When in prison, he decided to become a Christian. But he says he was lacking Bible truth at this point. He married, had children, had a disastrous divorce, lost everything, returned to heroin... and then sought the Lord in spirit and truth. Totally sober, he began his search for God in more earnest, and this led him to turning to the Bible and seeking more truth there. And this led him to us and to his wonderful baptism into Jesus. You can join in the happy occasion by viewing the video at
https://youtu.be/woy42QcaACI witnessed by some of Jim and Anne Barton's online church group, and others worldwide. You can see Gerald's testimony afterwards on Facebook. Here is a man whose conversion and baptism was no fake, and words are just not enough to thank God for how He is working.
CONGO Brother Marcus Losah, baptized already for some years, made a long journey from where he is to
Maluku, which you can try to find on Google Maps. It's far in the jungle in northern Congo. It was raining heavily and the buses he used were delayed and stuck in the mud; he had internet and was able to be in touch with us, so overnight and through the day we were praying for him. Such is the wonder of technology in our age, when used properly. He got there and was able to baptize RUTH, with Miriam Craig and ourselves online with him.
If you speak French and would like to be involved in this exciting but time consuming work, do let us know:
GERMANY We were delighted to baptize JAVIER, after a very thorough conversion from Trinitarianism to the Truth. Even more noteable was his desire to be close with the Lord Jesus and benefit from the blessing of connecting with Jesus personally. For doctrinal truth alone will not save anyone, but relationship with Jesus is of the essence. And it is this which will save, and which is so enhanced and encouraged by understanding His true nature and mission. As usual there was a good attendance, from within Germany and worldwide- those who witnessed brother Gerald's baptism in Canada were able to stay on in the Zoom room and witness Javier's too. And we had another German present who is not yet baptized but we pray he will be soon. The video is at
https://youtu.be/finc7i6VMxE After both baptisms, Jim Anne led us in singing "
Amazing grace" and how appropriate the words were. We are seeing that amazing grace bring forth its fruit worldwide, in spirit and truth.
INDIA For a long time we have been emailing and chatting with HAR in far northern India. It has been a very long journey for him, from Hinduism to true Christianity. His decision was therefore all the more wonderful. Here are some clips from the journey with us:
"Actually the problem is that I come from a Hindu family. Baptism would come as an act of conversion which I don't want to do as with God it is a personal connection. Plus my family also will not allow it. So it is a big thing for me. I hope you understand. I need time....
Yes I would do baptism but I want to take some time. As it is not just an activity. It means commitment which has no turning back. I respect baptisation as an act of surrender and for that reason I think I'm not prepared for it right now, but it will happen for sure... "
LATVIA We continue providing food and support to the needy in
Riga, and ask for your prayers for several of our number struggling with Covid, especially our sister Liga in Naukseni, who has been hospitalized.
USA We're so excited to tell you of the baptism of LEON, a former synagogue attending Orthodox Jew in the USA. The video of the service and his testimony is rather long, at
https://youtu.be/df--y6sK8c8 but his personal testimony towards the start and then from about 27 minute asked if he could explain why he converted to Jesus. His replies are quite profound. That it was meeting the pure grace of God, which he saw manifest in the Lord Jesus; and he came to that grace by meditating upon Israel's inability to keep the law. And he spoke a lot about Bible history. He was also led to that grace by a lot of Bible reading and reflection upon Israel's sins and God's patience to Israel in the Old Testament. And then, reading and re-reading the account of the crucifixion... this was the explanation, this was the answer, and yet the answer demanded his total response in giving himself to Jesus. Our brother has a great humility and is so eager to learn yet more. We look forward to his presence at our online meetings.
In other news from USA, brother Joe, who self baptized in 2014, has given this wonderful testimony of his growth since then. It just shows how those self baptized can grow and flourish spiritually:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDEu71D7VqI UK Very pleased to report that after years of considering the Gospel, JOHN baptized himself. At his age he doesn't do Zoom etc. but he has email. He wrote:
"It was announced that as from 3rd. May that public swimming pools are now to open, though on a strictly controlled basis. Also, pensioners are allowed a free swim as a government scheme. Today I have booked in at 8.30am. and I will baptise myself, at last, "into Christ" in accordance with the Word of God. Thank you for all the help and support you have given me on my ongoing journey to the Kingdom of God... [later] ... Thank you for your kind, thoughtful and caring words and prayers; despite a pool full of enthusiastic pensioners in 3 lanes swimming up and down, I managed after a couple of attempts in the shallow end to baptise myself in the deep end! At last, baptised "into Christ". Thank you again for your help and prayers".
PRAYER POINTS - For those newly baptized
- For our dream to win more Jewish folks to the Lord Jesus
- For further blessing on Jim Anne Barton's online ministry in Canada and North America
- For those battling Covid and the economic and social effects of the pandemic