July 2022 Afghanistan, China, Iran, Israel, North America, South Africa, UK, Ukraine
AFGHANISTAN
Sister RAZIA was baptized this week online, a relative of other brethren already baptized online.
CHINA
We received the following report from our dear, so long faithful brother Donald:
I baptized brother Kai in the sea,below is the testimony.
I am honored to be baptized and have a new life. I am very excited and honored. Thank God for arrangement. thank you for coming. Looking back on my experience of believing in God, at first I just knew that my mother often went to church meetings. Before the epidemic, I went home to visit my mother in order to accompany her, so I also went to church with her. I didn't feel much and just felt that we were so small and insignificant before God.
On National Day holiday in 2021, my son had a serious nasal congestion at night, so he couldn't sleep, so he had to breathe through his mouth. He went to the hospital for examination. The doctor said that adenoids may need surgery, and sleep monitoring can be done to confirm it, but the probability of surgery is very high. Although it was a minor operation, I was still very worried, afraid of any accident, and I was very resistant. I didn't sleep almost all night when my son was doing sleep monitoring. I waited beside my son and kept confessing and praying to the Lord, confessing that I neglected to take care of him because of my busy work. A few days later, the result was that there was no need for surgery. But there was another problem in my work. My work changed to a new field and direction, and I took over a new project. Because I hadn't been in touch with it before, I was particularly unsure. I worked overtime all day long until late at night, and I felt like falling into an abyss. Later, the project was also very unsuccessful and I was fired. At the beginning of 2022, for some unknown reason, I had a high fever and was afraid of being quarantined, so I didn't go to the special outpatient clinic. I went to the hospital to buy some medicine and went home. Finally, I also fell ill for quite long time.
Since my son was ill, work was not smooth, and I had a fever. During that time, I communicated with Donald in the group and always thought about being baptized, but because of my own reasons and the epidemic control , I didn't get baptized, Now that I have been baptized, I feel that I have finally climbed out of the abyss. In retrospect, that experience is God's Revelation to me, and I believe in the Lord even more! After being baptized into the Lord, I had the hope that Jesus would come to the earth again for eternal life. I was no longer afraid of death and found real peace and joy. Finally, slowly, I found peace and joy in my heart. God bless
IRAN
This week saw the baptism of PEYMAN, again fruit from the Persian language Bible Companion app.
ISRAEL
We spent some days in Israel this week trying to support our African migrant worker brethren in northern Israel. Since their baptisms it's been great to keep in contact with them and have some attend or view together the weekly breaking of bread we run on Saturdays for them- seeing Saturday is their only free day. The group were baptized when living all together on one kibbutz, but have now been sent to work on various isolated farms- in the name of 'work experience' for some course they have been put on, which takes only a few hours / week. And it's not far off slave labour. Many now have to work on the Sabbath and through the night in food processing plants attached to the farms. And in the 40 C heat, their accommodation in metal containers with little insulation is just a constant nightmare. Inside those things it really is like living in an oven. And they have to get their water from a tap outside. Exhausted after work each day, many of them take comfort from the Bible app and keeping in touch with each other on social media. They are in Israel on a one year contract and this will soon end and they can return home with whatever they've managed to save after paying the "rental" on sleeping spaces in those awful containers. Do pray for them. The heat really is unbearable and despite the physically hard work, they never really get to rest properly in those containers.
But a big shout out to brother Joseph. He has been such a wonderful co-worker with us and with the Lord in Israel, a true partner in the Gospel
He has tirelessly kept in touch with the now scattered group, all working different shifts including on the Sabbath. And they have spread the Gospel. We've mailed out many copies of the NEV Bible in hard copy, and the Bible Companion app is heavily used by this group and their co-workers with whom they share it. And so after visiting four different kibbutzim at various times to fit in with shifts, we were able to gather together and baptize in the Jordan river brothers ELIAS, LIMBE, WESLEY, WILFRED and sisters PATIENCE and RACHEL. The baptism site was heaving with people so we didn't enjoy the privacy we have done before. You can see the video of the service at
https://youtu.be/DPxbE2GbOOQ . The white gowns are obligatory for users of the site-
we're not particular fans of dressing up for baptism. But one does marvel at the outstretched hand of the Lord, to save over worked migrant workers in the Galilee who have so little spare time. And yet this hard situation has led them to the things that are eternal. And you find the time for what's important to you, that's the moral of the story.
Here are sisters Patience and Rachel with their NEV hard copy Bibles as baptism presents, after using the app for some time:
NORTH AMERICA
This week we had the really amazing baptism of SCOTT. For years we've been emailing on and off. He had really grasped the truths of the non trinitarian Jesus, the "logos" in John 1, and the truth about Satan. But what's even more wonderful is the way he translated all this into practice and has experienced personal, internal transformation. This is half an hour of testimony worth listening to, and some mature discussion with the others present about what experience of forgiveness is all about. Jim and Anne hope to care for him through their online meetings. Video at
https://youtu.be/m5bTjC_oRl8
SOUTH AFRICA
Delighted to report the baptism of JABULANI at the Soweto ecclesia. Jabulani means "rejoice" and you can hear some wonderful rejoicing in the Soweto ecclesia right after the immersion at
https://youtu.be/auQN1qXw5Ss
Soweto was still under apartheid when we first nervously entered there to baptize our late and beloved brother Elijah Rabaji many years ago. Now there is a thriving ecclesia there from his work and the huge labours of the Versters and others- through whom the Lord worked mightily.
UK
On the day of London's highest ever recorded temperature, we had a lovely day, a lovely baptism of a lovely lady TAMICA from our Croydon pub church, and a lovely Lord Jesus who worked so amazingly in her life to bring her to this point. All praise to Him.
Two more of our pub church attenders want to be baptized and we plan to baptize them one this Sunday 24th in the sea near Goring, and the other on Monday 25th at the Heaster's home in Croydon. Let us know if you'd like to attend.
UKRAINE
We've been getting text messages from our elderly Br Alexei and Sis Nana who have been encircled for months in Melitopol, scared to go out and running short of basic things. After some unsuccesful attempts they managed to get past the block posts and have now arrived in Kiev where they are staying with Nana's son. They are very spiritual, Godly folk and faith has been rewarded. We do thank God and continue to care for them and many others as best we can.
We are planning a major trip departing 1st August God willing, deep into Ukraine planning to get as far as Kharkiv. Please do pray for the trip and as ever for wisdom as well as safety in the difficult situation there is there.
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For our brethren in Israel enduring abusive labour regimes in very hot weather
- For our work in Ukraine and all those suffering there
- For wisdom in finding accomodation for the growing church in South London UK
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks