News from Europe / Eurasia
We are delighted to announce the baptisms of ANDREJ and INNA. May they hold fast in the faith until the Lord comes.
BARANOVICHI
I have been talking to two more people here and given them Bible Basics, they seem to want to be baptized. So I am encouraged that people are listening and are interested. Life here is so hard, people do turn to God now.
Sis Larisa.
I am really looking forward to coming to Poltava to the Bible School and hope to bring at least one interested person with me. I so like Zvezda magazine and the article of sister Cindy.
Bro Leonid
I continue to make the breaking of bread in my home. I have one person at work to whom I read the Bible, as he fears to have his own copy. I feel I am growing in faith.
Bro. E
We here are still safe but only thanks to God. I really see the wrong in all forms of violence for whatever end. Please pray for us.
Bro. Sirwan
We would appreciate more of your literature and leaflets to be sent for Sis Natasha to use, thank you.
Bro. Michael
We received literature, Beyond Bible Basics and other books, once we read them we give to others here. Zlata tries hard to persuade her friends of the gospel and the need for baptism but so far we have no response!
Bro. Vladimir
KOKSHETAU
My sympathy is very much with sister Nina whose house burnt down, I pray for her each time I pray for my own daughter Olya, who has already been in the hospital a month with chronic bronchitis. It is now so cold here I can't imagine how she will one day be better again. But we will live, by God's power and His love. I was so thrilled to get an invitation to the Bible School in Ukraine and I will by all means try to come.
Sis. Valya
I am getting older but I hope I am still strong in my faith. I feel very alone here after my daughter left for Germany. I speak with my granddaughter on the telephone, but she has forgotten her Russian and it is very sad for me as I don't know German. Brother David Pearce was here from England, and we eagerly await when Brother Duncan will come.
Sis. Svetlana
I have been thinking much of how important baptism is, and how even Jews today will not be saved unless they are baptized into Jesus. It makes our need to preach more important. I appreciate Zvezda magazine. At last we have a voice!
Bro. Stas
I received Zvezda magazine with such joy! I was inspired to write some poems, poems of joy and hope. I really hope to come to the Bible School in January, it will be such a joy to be together with brothers and sisters who love the truth and the true God.
Sis. Regina
We were delighted to get invited to the Ukraine School. We so wish to come, for us the best thing is to be able to read the Bible according to the Companion reading plan, when usually we read alone, it is so good to be able to read together with brothers and sisters, to discuss, to hear the verses explained.
Sis. Marija & Bro. Sergej
Once a month we gather with others in our group for breaking of bread. We think of you and pray for you wherever you are working. Our daughter Ira has given birth to a child but it is so sick so much of our time goes on assisting with this, which is hard as we are now both on a pension and we can hardly feed ourselves with it. We received a big parcel of books and are happily reading them and understanding more and more.
Bro. Anatoly, Sisters Irina & Izolda
I would love to come to the Bible School but I feel so old now, I fear to travel far, but please know that I totally support you in prayer.
Sis. Julija
My wife is still preparing for baptism. We love you all and hope to meet.
Bro. Yuri
We are delighted to announce the baptisms of ROMAN, RIVA, LIGA, RAIMONDS and ALEXEI . May they hold fast in the faith until the Lord comes.
AIZKRAUKLE
Thank you so much for such an interesting magazine! My prayers are with all those who have none to help them. I am blessed to have adult children, indeed recently they came and repaired my flat for me. But I know that the Government doesn't help people and so to whom can they turn if they have no family, so my prayers are with them very much. I am grateful for a package of help I received from brothers and sisters.
Sis. Irena
DAUGAVPILS
Here things are so hard for me, and I appreciate receiving the clothes etc. I live day to day, relying on God each morning as David said he did too in the Psalms.
Bro. Ruslan
Only recently have I come to feel that Jesus is truly my Saviour, I mean, that I have come to understand that He is an actual person who relates with me. I was raised an orphan, maybe for this reason it was hard for me to understand that really I have a true family member who has such love for me.
Bro. Andrej
KRASLAVA
I get so confused when on the street going for the shopping, that I really can’t face to travel to Riga for the Bible weekend. But I want you all to know that I think so much of you and am reading with you here on my own.
Sis. Valeriana
MADONA
I am now working away from home, with no days off, it is really hard for me. Then I return home for a few weeks. I find it very stressful to have to live like this but there is no work here where I am in the village. Now I am catching up with my reading, and am sending the next answers to Beyond Bible Basics .
Sis. Sarmite
PILTENE
I have some people here in need of Bible Basics and I so hope they will read it well. I don’t wish to talk about my problems. They are many. But agape love is what will be the answer for all of us in the end.
Sis. Olga
Delivering winter firewood to Sis. Olga as part of the Carelinks Winter Heating Project.
REZEKN
I marvel at the grace of God towards me. I still have in my body some parts of a bullet from 1945, and still I am live now, and have the hope to be for ever in God’s Kingdom. Despite all ill health, and the problem of paying for medical care now, I can say I am happy because I know the future is assured for me.
Bro. Fyodyor
Bro. Fyodyor
RIGA
I am now grateful to have a new bed, a very nice one, not too low as the last one was, so I can sit on it and get up more easily. I pray for you all each day, several times a day, in my bedridden situation this is all I can do and I do it with joy and thankfulness I can do something.
Sis. Aleksandra
SALDUS
I am really so happy to be baptized! I treasure the memory of your visit to my home.
Bro. Alexei
Lebanon and the people of Lebanon have witnessed hard circumstances recently due to the Israeli offensive. At the beginning of the crisis, my family would always move, rather escape one place to another, a neighborhood to another, an area to another . I decided not to stop working and indeed I drove around all the time with an American journalist called Paul Taggart.
As for my family, I gave them the liberty to decide where and when to leave. First, they escaped from Haret Horeik to Hazmieh in east Beirut then to the village in Bekaa and at last to a town called Jub Jannine, a relatively safe shelter. Most people in Lebanon became either Refugees or evacuees. Certainly, the process of evacuating Westerners from Lebanon increased the fear and confusion of the local people.
The panic was enlarged by the Israeli attempt to destroy the infrastructure, especially the roads making the passage from one place to another virtually impossible. In addition, they obliterated whole residential places in order to try to track Hizbullah fighters, who are invisible like devils or ghosts sneaking from a place to another.
Emotionally speaking, I felt so sad to watch Lebanese people in front of their destroyed houses trying to save whatever things survived the bombings. While walking in the streets, the bad smell of dead bodies will follow you to every corner. Many corpses were reached only days later by the red Cross due to the heavy shelling. I was unable to contact anybody— telephone network coverage was weak and electricity unavailable most of the times. I had my food in the car—biscuits, crackers and some bread. Petrol prices went up and was available in the black market: 16 liters for 50 USD. As a result, transportation fees increased far more than the average price. There are a lot of other problems that we faced but cannot be counted all. Now, after the cessation of all hostilities, the reconstruction process is initiated especially in Haret Horeik and South of Lebanon. Thank God, none of my family members was physically affected but the memories of this war will always haunt us psychologically. I thank you and all my friends who worried and cared for my safety during the war. Your moral support and sympathy is a big help for us. We always thank God for watching over us. This is my picture taken during the difficult times when we had to leave our homes and become refugees. Your ultimate help will be your prayers for me, my country and for the end of war. Many innocent victims are paying the price and many children are still injured daily by the war leftovers in the South of Lebanon.
Bro. Ahmed
Photos taken by Brother Ahmed of the destruction near where his family lived.
We who journeyed to Jurmala really enjoyed the Bible weekend, we spoke of it throughout our return journey. Thank you for it.
Bro. AlbinasI read the report about the baptism in Serbia with much joy and interest, as knowing brother William I know this will be such a great encouragement for him.
Bro. Valdas
We are delighted to report the baptism of ALEK, son of Sister Luba and brother of Brother Evgenij.
Photo: Two rightfully proud mothers with their baptized sons in the Chisinau Ecclesia
I find Gospel News so exciting to read! Thank you for it!
Sis. Helena [ex-Latvia]
POZNANWe're sorry to say we can't come to Ukraine for the Bible School but we are kept alive spiritually by Zvezda and we loved the words of Cindy there.
Bro. Henryk and Sis. Zhenya
We are delighted to report the baptisms of OLEG and NINA. May God be glorified in the lives of all who turn to Him in truth.
ARMAVIR
Things here are hard for me. My chronic asthma gets no better, and nobody will take me to work because I cough so much and am often too weak to work. My brother Vitaly who is also as you know my true brother in Christ is my only help, and he is an invalid himself. The pensions we are paid are so tiny, one simply can't live on them, so it is really hard for us to survive. Our dream is to come to the Ukraine Bible School but I don't know if we can. I live in faith in Yahweh Elohim for whom all things are possible, and I am comforted that neither He nor you forget us here.
Sis. Galina
BALAKOVO
I would appreciate more copies of Bible Basics to give to people I am preaching to. I am encouraged to revive my preaching efforts after reading in the magazine of how other brothers and sisters keep on trying. I wrote an article too for Zvezda, I hope it will encourage our Russian brothers and sisters to keep on trying for our Lord.
Bro. Mikhail
CHELYABINSK
Thank you for Zvezda magazine and for your support of us. We have brother Leonid staying with us at the moment. We will try to come to the Bible School but maybe I will not have holidays.
Sis. Lena
We are planning to go to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan etc soon to visit brothers and sisters and try to preach there more. We’d love to come to the Winter School and we are with you all.
Bro. Alexei & Sis Vika
JOSHKAR OLA
I am trying to improve my English with the Speaking About Jesus book! I am going to make a special effort to come to Poltava, I miss you all so much.
Sis. Elena
KAZAN
It was such a wonderful, wonderful time we had when brother Duncan came, we baptized Oleg, and had such a good fellowship here in our ecclesia. Despite all things which can depress us, I believe that the Truth will prevail always. To try to brighten up my life I am trying to plant some flowers in my apartment, to remind me of God and the resurrection and new life which we believe will be ours.
Sis. Ludmila K.
It was very good to be together again and to see that we have one mind and one desire to serve the Lord. I am sending the names and addresses of my relatives in various parts of Russia, so that you can send them Bible Basics and Zvezda magazine, I will keep writing to them and I hope maybe to make a journey to see them and help them grow in faith and even to be baptized. I have now baptized my wife’s relative NINA and we are meeting as a small ecclesia for breaking bread. I feel I have passed on the truth which God gave to me.
Bro. Alexei
I am now placing advertisements in the newspapers here with the Carelinks address, I hope sincere people will respond. It was very encouraging to meet recently and I was inspired to write an article for Zvezda.
Sis. Svetlana
Receiving the photos of our recent meeting meant much to me and I really appreciate it. I still remember the very warm fellowship and breaking of bread.
Sis. Lidija
MUSLYUMOVO
Here I am fine, but praying for the tragedy of the sister in Latvia whose farm burnt down. I think of you all and try to imagine how you are all.
Bro. Mikhai
NIZHNY TAGIL
Here I feel so incredibly spiritually lonely. I will make every effort to get to Ukraine for the Bible School but it is hard getting time off from the factory. Please pray for me.
Bro. Leonid
RZHEV
I continue preaching to my relatives in Western Ukraine by correspondence and would be happy to have contact with any brothers there. I so enjoy Zvezda magazine.
Bro. Sasha
St. PETERSBURG
I was delighted with the latest edition of our Zvezda magazine, and I was inspired to do some research on Adam and Eve’s sin in Eden, and I will send an article about this for the next number. I pray strongly for God’s blessing on all the wonderful work done to spread the Gospel.
Bro. Valerij
SARATOV
I was really thrilled to receive much Bible literature from brother Marcus. Here things are not so good for me as the harvest of potatoes was so poor. Also my relatives in Kazakhstan write that it is the same for them too. I with great eagerness each day read the Bible portions, this is what keeps me going. I am hoping to come to the Bible School and I hope my granddaughter will come with me as I rather fear travelling so far alone.
Sis. Raisa
Photo: Sis. Raisa at Bible School
SHAKHTY
It is good that so many Russian speaking brothers and sisters are now writing for Zvezda magazine. It is a pleasure to assist in producing this for them.
Bro. Andrej
We here are OK and I hope we grow in faith and understanding. We would love you to come here and teach us more and help our preaching!
Bro. Sergej
SHCHYOKINO
I'm delaying replying as I was away visiting my sister in Ukraine. I am alone here in this town, my late wife's relatives don't want to
know me, they are alcoholic, and I have absolutely nobody apart from my sister. With my heart condition I dread the winter. We get such strong winds, the ice is so bad, it is a huge burden to even go out and do the shopping. I fear too how I will be buried, as there would be nobody to inform any of you in time were I to die suddenly. I have seen how they bury such people as me, I watched it several times- they take the body from the hospital in a polythene bag and just throw it somewhere. I want to be buried with a testimony that I wait for Jesus and will rise again when He comes back. So my only chance is to move to Ukraine to live with my sister who as you know is also waiting for the coming of our Saviour. But if I live in Ukraine, I will not get any housing from the Government, and only two thirds of my pension. It will be hard or impossible to live where Sofia lives as you know. There is no inside toilet or washing facility, water is only from the well. So I don't know what to do. Ijust want to live with my sister so we can care for each other. Our only hope is that Jesus will come soon.
Bro. Boris
Photo: Brother Boris and his sister, Sister Sofia
TALITSA
We here in our small ecclesia are constantly praying for you. We are preparing for visiting the Poltava Bible School and Sasha is already writing some lectures to present. We’re so sad that here in our town nobody wants to respond to the challenge of the true Gospel.
Sis. Vera
TAMBOV
I and brother Aleksandr send you greetings from Tambov. I so love the Zvezda magazine, at last we Russian speaking Christadelphians have our own voice. I was moved to write a poem, A Star Over The World and I hope it can be published. I love you all and thirst for fellowship with all true brothers and sisters.
Bro. Vadim
TVER
I recently had my 50th birthday and was able to look back at how God has worked with me. I thank you for all you’ve showed me and done for me. I enjoy reading Beyond Bible Basics. I see God in all things around me, even in the huge buildings which the rich people are building here, and in the lives of us poor people too, I see God’s hand and the beauty of all He has created.
Bro. Igor
VOLGOGRAD
We received with joy the magazine Zvezda and were encouraged to be more active in our faith by the examples we read of concerning other brothers and sisters. We would like copies of the Speaking About Jesus course which was used by the ecclesia in Riga, so that we maybe can start a Bible group in English language here and attract some younger people to the faith.
Bro. Sergej
YAROSLAVL
I received and am distributing the literature sent. My health is now broken, I don’t go out much, but I so want to play my small part in the wonderful work of spreading the truth about God to others.
Sis. Anna
BELGRADE I am much encouraged by news of more baptisms in China and Asia, this is a great sign of progress for me. Here in Serbia there
is much renewed interest in religion, the main newspaper
Blic is publishing articles of a religious nature, e.g. about Judas Iscariot.
So I keep trying to talk with people. It was a great joy to be with Duncan again here. I am trying to place Christadelphian books in the
libraries here. I placed some by brothers Alan Hayward and Harry Whittaker as well as
Bible Basics and they were accepted, so I
pray this will be a further witness to the truth. I like to think that at least people have the opportunity to know the real truth. I like
the
Zvezda magazine, I agree absolutely with what was written by Sister Cindy.
Bro. Vladislav
I am quite ill now so I really can’t work. I really need to return to Russia but there too I have nothing and no work for sure. So please pray for me I just don’t know what to do.
Sis. Anna
Things are not so good for me, my mother is ill and in constant pain and I must care for her, plus I find working in the school damages my nerves. I am still making camels and selling to those who want to buy them. Please keep on your prayers for me. I want out of this situation as it is getting so hard here to be a Christian, but it is almost impossible in human strength to see a way. I hope in the coming of the Kingdom of God on the earth!
Sis. Guncha
BILA TSERKVA I am so sad to report the death of my beloved grandmother Galina. I can't recognize the fact of her death up to the present but nevertheless I comfort myself that she was baptized by you and has the hope of eternal life when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to this wicked earth.
Bro. Alexei POLTAVA I am really hopeful that the woman I work for in the Summer in France may become interested enough to be baptized. She is such a nice person and I have begun to explain things to her.
Sis. Veronika Sadly so many people because of economic crisis think they can join a religion and get money. This is not only simply sad, but it’s a barrier as we try to spread the Gospel here.
Sis. LudmilaROVENKI I am so looking forward to the Poltava Bible School, that event is a real taste for me of the paradise to come on earth and amongst us as believers. I received from Marcus more books to read, now I have read all of Brother Alan Hayward's books and they so confirm my faith. I also thank you for Russian
Zvezda magazine, I very much enjoyed and agree with the article of Cindy.
Sis. Tamara
