News from Europe / Eurasia
SHKLOV
Because of so many problems here I have decided to leave for Ukraine. I am hoping and praying to our Father that there things will be better.
Bro. Edik
STAI
I am very encouraged that, despite your busyness, with the Lord’s work you are able to write to me, thank you. We are meeting once per month in Minsk for the breaking of bread, but it costs me about $15 to get there, which is a lot for me from my pension. Although the world around us - even in this village - is like the world of Lot and Noah, I am determined to hold my faith till Jesus returns.
Bro. Ivan
VITEBSK
My brother and I have now been confined to the house for nine years with our illness, the paths around our village are too rough and often muddy for us to pass there in our wheelchairs. We both dreamt so long of being baptized, and we are so very glad we are now baptized. We are totally lonely here, we have no friends, and we are simply so grateful that we were sent the Bible Basics and were able to learn the Gospel of Hope. We are both sick with asthma as well, we think this was because of the very cold winter, now we feel our whole bodies have thawed out, but it causes us attacks of asthma.
Bro. Sasha
BAT YAM
We here are all well. We were sorry to miss the parents of Sister Cindy when they were in Israel, due to Sis. Natasha’s illness. We so miss Duncan and Cindy and are hoping they can come here soon. Interest in the Gospel seems to have become less here compared to what it was before. However, I am still distributing copies of The Last Days in Russian; so many people are interested in that book, because it speaks about the Arab invasion of Israel.
Bro. Vladimir
ISSYK-ATINSK
It is so nice to receive a letter from another brother. I am trying my best to grow spiritually by reading the literature sent to me. My great dream is to be able to introduce the true Jesus Christ to many people, and to encourage them spiritually to grow and be like Him.
Bro. Ramid
We are continuing to spread the true Gospel. The biggest opposition here is from people who disagree about the devil. This false belief is held strongly in this place, both by the Moslems and by the so-called Christians of Orthodox church. Sometimes it is quite depressing to preach to them. We urgently need more literature. There is a big problem for the brothers in prison who will soon be released. Their families either reject them because of their faith, or they have no families. There is much unemployment and as you may know the economy is in ruins here and the Government always near to collapse. So when they are released, some will have nowhere to live. Let us pray for them.
Bro. Anvar
AIZKRAUKLE
I am trying to persuade my son Maris to come in to Riga with me to attend the meetings but he won’t be persuaded. I feel that there are at most only a few years for us to wait before Jesus comes and I am hoping my health will last out until then.
Sis. Irena
BRINDIESI
I am expecting a baby and am very terrified as we have no money to pay the doctor for anything at all, please pray for me.
Sis. Ilona
JURMALA
Thank you for the support I received. Things are hard for me as I am having to work for no money at the moment as someone stole something from our site, and the workers have to work without pay until there is enough money to pay for it. I am talking to other people here about God.
Bro. Mikhail
LIBAGI
I am really so sad not to be able to come to the Bible study weekend. I have to work that shift, and if we miss a shift, then we lose our jobs, there are no excuses allowed - not even for ill health. I remember you all sincerely as my true brothers and family in Jesus Christ.
Bro. Volodya
MADONA
We are busy now in the summer but still I am reading the many books sent me after my baptism. My favourites are "God’s Truth" by Brother Alan Hayward and the books about prayer, this is what I want to improve.
Sis. Sarmite
PURE
My deepest sorrow is that I couldn’t get to the Bible weekend. I had to work, as there is much work in our factory this summer as we work to process the harvest. I pray for all brothers and sisters whom I know by name, and I read with you each day from the same Bible chapters.
Bro. Normunds
RIGA
Now it is very rare that I am well enough to come out to the meetings, so I thought I would write. I want to share with you that although I am now almost totally confined to my room, I am with you. I seek to serve God, and if I can only do that with my mind rather than my body, then I shall do so, praying for those of you at the ecclesia as I know you meet together to study and serve the Master.
Sis. Aleksandra
Many thanks to you all for your nice words of consolation and sympathy on the loss of my mother. I was really in need of comfort. I’m really happy to have brothers and sisters like you. My dear mother suffered a lot before her passing away. My only comfort is that by God’s mercy, her sufferings are now over. I keep strong in my faith and look for comfort in God’s word, saying with Job: "The Lord gave and now He has taken away, may His name be praised" (Job 1:21).
Bro. Valdis
Photo: Recent Fraternat at Riga
TUKUMS
I am looking forward to the Bible weekend in Riga. Recently I fell and damaged my arm, also my old mother is so sick and has been in the hospital. The problem where we live in the village is that there are no shops, or medical care, and it is hard to get into the town because we have to hitch-hike. I value above all my faith and the hope we surely have.
Sis. Vaira
VILANI
The situation in this part of Latvia is getting worse and worse; now that all is so expensive in Riga, nobody can afford to move there, all able young people are moving out, and there remain here only those like me, the old and the sick. I enjoyed reading Hebrews chapter 11 in the Bible readings. I re-read it a few times. By faith those men like Abraham did what they did; all I have left is my faith, this is one thing I learnt through losing my health.
Bro. Fyodyor
It was good to hear you had a great Bible School in Russia. It’s great that there are so many Christadelphians in Riga. You can meet each other often. Not so long ago Bro Ray Willets from Oslo, together with another Brother from England, came for a visit. We read the Bible, did the breaking of bread, and just spoke. It was nice to meet them. I pray to God and say thanks to Him for all good things that happened in my life.
Sis. Helena
KAZAN
I am endlessly glad that all the work of preaching has come to something and that many have been baptized. For those who have left the faith I am sorry, but the comfort to me is that some, even many, will find salvation because of God blessing our efforts.
Sis. Ludmila K.
RZHEV
Now I am 19 years old I am able to go to work in the factory. I still have time to read the Bible and preach. Recently I distributed exactly 1000 of the Bible Basics leaflets in the town here. May God keep you all.
Bro. Aleksandr
STAVROPOL
I am thankful beyond words for the help I’ve been given. I am now 72 and after my illnesses this winter I still feel very weak, even though the warmer weather has come. I have to walk 3km. to the nearest road where there is any transport and 18km. to the doctor’s and 9km. to get my pension, as I can’t trust anyone else to bring it to me. I have a very old New Testament, printed in the times of the Czars, and as I write this I have just finished reading that from cover to cover. How long I will last I don’t know. But now I have the hope, the understanding of what life is all about, I am so sorry it took me so long, but my baptism was a dream come true. The fact that you took the initiative to help me practically is a great blessing which I also don’t deserve. I love you all and so dream to be able to meet more brothers and sisters.
Sis. Ludmila
TYMSK
Now the winter has past we are busy working in the fields. My family are well and it is such pleasure for me to see the children interested in reading the Bible with us each evening. They all desire to be baptized when they are older.
Bro. Ivan
TASHKENT
I wish to inform you that despite all problems in this country and the massacre at Andizhan, I was untouched and am alive and well by God’s grace. There is something greatly missing in our world, and it is the coming of Jesus with the Kingdom of His Father.
Bro. Oleg
The Truth Spreads To Iraq
We are delighted to report that the first Iraqi Brother has been baptized. One of our aims is to spread the true Gospel into all the world before the Lord’s return. We have consciously aimed at spreading the Truth into Iraq, a land clearly in need of the truth of Christ at this time. We’ve placed banner adverts on Iraqi websites - one is still there at http://www.iraq-today.com/ - and tried other methods to spread the Gospel there. After much correspondence, we’re pleased to say that Brother S has come to know the Gospel in truth and requested baptism. Plans were made to visit him, and much research done. We’d have had to enter from Turkey overland, and then travel through Irbil, Mosul and other hot spots to reach our brother’s town. We were fully prepared to do this but the sheer cost of the trip was beyond us. Most Western contractors are helicoptered around the country with armed guards; even without going to this extreme, the trip would have been costly as well as dangerous. After several phone calls and much correspondence, we decided to invite our friend to baptize himself, and this he has done.
