Look on the Fields: March 2024

Costa Rica Day: 1

Venezuela Day: 2, 27, 30

Wales Day: 3

Canada Day: 4, 17

Pakistan Day: 5

N. Ireland Day: 6

India Day: 7, 8

England Day: 8

Mexico Day: 9

Brazil Day: 10, 15

Malawi Day: 11

Dep Rep of Congo Day: 12, 28

Scotland Day: 13

Australia Day: 14, 18, 27

Sri Lanka Day: 16, 24

Turkey Day: 19

Angola Day: 20

Grenada Day: 21

Moldova Day: 22

Colombia Day: 23

Lebanon Day: 25

Zambia Day: 26

Argentina Day: 29

Cyprus Day: 31

BRAZIL

COSTARICA

Friday 1st

COSTA RICA

San Juan de Dios

January has started off in an encouraging way as we just finished hosting a two-day marriage retreat for several young couples in the assembly in San Juan de Dios where we currently are labouring. Some have teenage children and have been married for close to 20 years and others are just recently saved and married in the last few years. Regardless, the desire for growth and blessing in each marriage was evident as many commented on how beneficial the time was. Kevin and Patty Flett from El Salvador came to spend the weekend and help lead the studies and their extensive experience was greatly appreciated. The assembly in San Juan is in a rare situation as the majority of the assembly is 45 years old and younger, and even both overseers are in their early 40s. There has overall been much cause for rejoicing over the past year as two teenage boys were both baptized and added to the fellowship of the assembly as well as two elderly brothers both being restored to the assembly after several years being away from the fellowship.

January is the summer holidays from the public school system which results in many opportunities for children’s work. Summer Bible Classes have been planned at different

Group of Young Couples at January Marriage Retreat

Children at Summer Bible Class in Jan2024

assemblies throughout the month for which we look for encouragement for the local believers as they get involved in gospel work as well as for new contacts to be made. The first few days in the San Juan de Dios assembly have already resulted in several new children coming out for the first time, some with parents. Children’s work continues to be one of the best ways to make new contacts and earn trust in the communities surrounding the local assemblies in the country.

Prayer is greatly appreciated in the following areas:

• For the growth of current overseers in the assembly and for the Lord to raise up more to help guide the small flocks here in Costa Rica

• For wisdom on how and where to best use our time and effort in serving the Lord in the coming year as we take a step back from the San Juan de Dios assembly and help in a much lesser capacity as they continue to experience growth and strong leadership on their own

C. 2017 (Can)

KORY & REBECCA CRAWFORD 10/1/24

Saturday 2nd VENEZUELA

Palo Negro

On the 15th of January we joined the assembly in Gonzalez Plaza, in the city of Valencia, for a four-week series of gospel meetings. We were encouraged by the good attendance of unsaved friends and the diligent labours of the local believers. We all rejoiced to hear of some dear souls getting saved.

Believers in Gonzalez Plaza Assembly

Deut 24-26

Last night we joined the assembly in Santa Rita for a series of gospel meetings in the home of an elderly sister. She opened her home last year for the assembly to hold a week of Children’s Meetings. The interest was encouraging so the assembly continued a Children’s Meeting each Wednesday afternoon. Since parents started to attend, they continued with a Gospel Meeting at night. Interest has been sustained so the believers felt they should try a series of Gospel Meetings there. Pray that God will bless His Word in the salvation of precious souls.

The monthly Ministry Meeting for this area was held last Saturday afternoon in Maracay, and we enjoyed hearing the Word of God from three of the Lord’s servants. A good number of the Lord's people gathered and profit was received. This was followed by a Gospel Meeting with many unsaved attending. Three believers were baptised at the close of the meeting.

A week ago we travelled to the state of Falcon to be present at the happy occasion when our brother Mario Vargas was commended to the work of the Lord. He and his wife purpose labouring in an area where there has been a gospel work going on for some time. Please remember Mario and Rebecca in your prayers, as well as their three children: Esther (20), Elias (16) and Eliseo (7).

Mario & Rebecca Vargas -recently commended workers

Sunday 3rd

WALES Pembrokeshire

We have much for which to thank the Lord. The witness of the assembly in Tenby has been steady. We were able to print and distribute 2,500 of our calendars last year - the second year we have had them printed, with full-colour scenes of Tenby or Pembrokeshire for every month, along with a Bible text. They have been very well received, even amongst unbelievers, and we have had several come into the coffee shop we run at the hall to ask for this year’s calendar (they evidently appreciated last year’s) and several have thanked us for them as they have been put through letter boxes. I have delivered them personally to the businesses and restaurants in town and only one cafe refused them.

Last year we ran a children’s Bible Club and were glad to see so many come in, along with their parents. One family in particular has been consistent in attending - with grandma being the first contact, coming in to the coffee shop to ask if we ran a Sunday School. She has attended faithfully, bringing her daughter and her three grandchildren to Sunday School and to the Bible Club. She has also brought along her husband, who attends our Wednesday outreach Bible study along with her, and they have both been attending the Sunday evening ministry meeting. Her husband asks frequent questions about the scriptures.

We baptised a young man in the sea in November. He has come into fellowship and gives us much encouragement, though he is still struggling with the effects of long-term drug and alcohol abuse and the influence of non-christian family and friends. Please pray for him. The influence of the coffee shop has been steady. We open it five days a week and all food provided is free of charge. We get many Tenby residents in, and all have commented on the peace of the place, the welcome that is given and the Christian kindness shown. Hymns are played in the background all day long and texts on the walls announce our faith clearly. Most of the contacts who attend our Wednesday and Sunday meetings have come from this daily witness. The influence of this witness has been recognised by the previous town mayor and the present one - and others who attend regularly and - for what it is worth - we were voted the best place in Tenby last year by local residents!

We run a food bank from the hall, which has proved immensely useful in the town. Food parcels are handed out almost every day and those who are referred to us by GP’s, social workers etc, as well as those who apply individually for help, often stay for a coffee or bowl of soup and contacts are made as a result. Rebecca also runs cooking classes for those who are unable to cook for themselves and these too have resulted in contacts being made. We put on a free Christmas lunch on Christmas Day last year, largely for those who are single, vulnerable, homeless or generally alone and over 40 attended. Local businesses donated much of the food that was cooked and served.

Our Wednesday evening meeting takes the format of a light meal followed by a Bible study. A topic is introduced - Why did Jesus come into the world? for instance - and

Entrance to Coffee Shop

verses read to start the subject off. Then questions, comments etc are invited so the topic becomes a discussion. It is an outreach evening, and we regularly get about twenty coming along, eight or more who are not believers or who are not yet in fellowship with us. Several are very serious in their search for God and for faith. Please pray for us on Wednesday evenings. We need the Holy Spirit to convince of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.

IAN & REBECCA REES

Monday 4th

CANADA

Prince Edward Island

Here is a short report of some activities and challenges during the last three years, throughout which the Lord has guided and proved ever faithful. In that period, I have had some health problems which curtailed my activities somewhat. I was diagnosed with bladder cancer and some heart problems. However, I’m thankful to report that I’m somewhat better now. All during those three years I didn’t miss any of the local meetings of the assemblies. Also, I was able to take in two conferences of the people of God and give a little help where this was needed. “God is good”!

As time passed and I began to recover, I was able to engage in a couple of gospel efforts. These efforts were in the province of Nova Scotia, and both were with brother David Swan. In 2022, we used a tent in a rural area on Cape Breton Island. Much visiting was done, and a large country area was covered, many doors were knocked on, and we had some good talks with the people. Each evening, we had unbelievers present and the Lord gave us help to preach. Before the effort ended, we were cheered in our spirits when God blessed the Gospel and two souls professed. We are thankful to God!

In 2023, I engaged in another gospel effort on a small island off the southeast coast of Cape Breton, called Isle Madame. There is a new assembly there, which I had the joy, along with others, of seeing planted six years ago and there are now 17 in fellowship. Our gospel effort lasted for five weeks and each evening there were unbelievers in attendance. The people of this island are French Acadian and R.C., however, over the 1214 years I’ve been visiting there, we have got to know a number of the people. In relation to this effort, we had some in for the first time (12-14) and some came a number of times and listened well. Again, God was good and kind to us, giving help to preach nightly. The saints really appreciated and enjoyed the gospel and there was a degree of sorrow when the effort concluded but we had the joy of a nine-year-old girl trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. She was the daughter of one of the believers in the assembly.

As I conclude this short report, please remember us in prayer. We are yours in Him, the “Coming One” even our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. “Maranatha”.

Deut

Tuesday 5th

PAKISTAN

An update on Pakistan from Sohail. In summary, two sisters are safe (Ai and Ta) and three sisters (Fa, Kha & An) will probably need to flee after treatment. Sohail is seeking to find them a home to rent and to ensure that they have some food to start off with. Sadly, Muslims are still searching for them to kill them. You will see from the update that it looks as if Ai’s sister (Ta) has been saved through her sister’s testimony and courage and that she has also been taken to a safe house. We are abbreviating the names for safety.

Sohail’s most recent update, dated 22/1/24

There are four Iranian women that repented and trusted Jesus Christ:

• Sister Fa, Sister Ai, Sister An and Sister Kha

Writing from England

In addition, we believe Ta may also have been saved recently. Sister Kha’s mum and Sister Fa’s father are both searching for salvation.

Sister Fa

One of the sisters is Fa; she has two small children. She started reading the bible for her children. Her husband asked her to restart saying prayers five times a day to Allah, but she refused and said she is studying the gospel. She said to him that she is happy to know that Jesus came to this world, that we cannot earn salvation with good works, but it is God who sent His son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins. This statement made Fa’s husband very angry, and he said she is blaspheming and asked her to repent but she asked her husband to read the gospel in the Bible, to look at all the prophecies about Jesus and His suffering. He beat Fa but she was still faithful. Fa’s husband continued to beat her severely and took her to the board of Muslim priests who ordered her death to please their prophet if she didn’t come back to Islam after repentance. In time we tried to help send her to some safe place, but she fled to her father. Then some people attacked her father’s home. They threw acid at them and burnt her chest and some of her face, sadly her father was injured too.

I am glad to say that sister Fa had surgery and they removed the burnt skin from her chest after the acid attack. She also had surgery on her feet which they think has been successful. Her father is very frightened because people are searching for them, and some Muslims are asking their relatives about them. Those who were asking are from a mosque in Iran. Fa and her father will go to a safe place in Isfahan province. We have secured a rental property for them and provided some kitchen stuff, a mattress and some other basic things.

Sister Ai

Sister Ai is almost 39 years old. When she returned home, they heard her reading the

Map of Pakistan

Deut

gospels and praying to God in Jesus’ name. They beat her severely and tried to kill her. They left her barely alive. She called brother Qasar’s relatives, and he helped her arrange an ambulance. Her sister Ta was also beaten by her family, and they also tried to kill her. They broke her ribs and her lower leg and foot. We helped her with surgery after sending her to her sister, Ai. Both women went to “J” city, 400 miles away from their home. We arranged a home to rent for them and we provided medical assistance for both of them.

Sister A

Sister A was abused for saying that she is a believer in the Lord Jesus. They tried to torch her to death, but her mother saved her life. Her mother now says that she hates ‘I’ for torching people. She says she is happy that her daughter is praying to God in Jesus name and that she will allow her to. She seems to be searching.

Sister Kha

The fourth woman was sister Kha who went missing and we did not know what had happened to her, but she faced the same evil treatment. After some days we got access to Kha’s mother and heard the story. She said she was going to Pakistan when all this happened to her. When she was travelling to Pakistan people noticed that she had a Bible in her hand. When she told the men on the bus that she was Christian now they beat her and raped her (‘M’s’ think they have the right to do this to a woman if she turns away from the ‘I’ faith). After that she decided to return to Iran and after two days she reached her home. Her husband beat her and threw her into a dark room after breaking her arm and leg so that she might die. Then brother Qasar’s relative managed to contact her mother and she released her and took her to the hospital. We helped fund her treatment.

Sister Kha is not well after her surgery. She and her mother will move as soon as she becomes able to move when she recovers from her surgery. Her mother is happy to know how God’s people helped to save their lives. She is learning about the gospel now and sister Kha is teaching her about the Lord Jesus. Her mother previously did not think well of Christians but now her thoughts have changed. She has repented and is now angry at the behaviour of Muslims towards women and their attitude to freedom of religion. But Kha is teaching her to forgive everyone in Jesus’ name.

In summary, sister Ai and her sister Ta are safe, but sister Fa and sister Kha are in need of further surgery. Kha’s mother wants to escape and know more about the gospel and why Kha became a Christian and Fa’s father wants to flee too and learn of the Saviour. Sister An and her mother may need to leave their home, but we are waiting to hear from Qasar’s relatives in Iran about what the situation is there. We can rejoice that despite all this deep suffering souls are being saved.

Map of Iran

Brother Ra

Ra, the elder from Herpa, Punjab Province, who is in prison accused of blasphemy, was meant to go before a Judge on Friday, the 9th of February, to have his case assessed.

The case against him was brought by a witness who said that Ra had blasphemed Islam. If convicted, he could be executed by hanging.

The witness was the servant of the Brick Kiln owner to whom Ra’s father (who recently passed away) owed a large sum of money.  Ra was unaware of this debt until his father died and does not have the means to clear the debt. Initially, the Brick Kiln owner tried to get Ra’s daughter to marry him because he promised that the case would be dropped if she had done this. She is a believer and so refuses to marry him.

The hearing was cancelled because Ra has no lawyer. The family could not hire a lawyer because, initially, no one would take this case seriously. Eventually, one lawyer was willing to take it on, but he asked for so much money that it became impossible.

Basically, the outstanding debt is the reason for the claim of blasphemy.  Please pray that the Lord will open the right doors to preserve this man’s life and give him back his freedom. He remains in prison. The case does not sound hopeful at all.

C. 2006 STEPHEN & CAROLE BAKER 22/1/24

Wednesday 6th

N. IRELAND Magherafelt

God is truly faithful even when the path of service is not always clear or easy. At the beginning of the year, I was with the assembly in Cookstown, County Tyrone, for the Lord’s Day followed by four nights of ministry on Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy. While numbers were not large the interest of the assembly and other saints who attended was encouraging. God was gracious to us as we considered these final words of Paul to his beloved son, Timothy and as we appreciated their relevance and significance for our own time.

Prior to Christmas I did the annual calendar distribution here in my home village of Castledawson. It’s encouraging to hear different people each year express their appreciation at receiving the calendar and it’s good to talk with people here and there as we go round the doors. One interesting and lengthy conversation occurred with a gentleman very willing to talk. His question though, is a common one, “How do you know it’s true?”, but it at least affords the opportunity to give an answer.

A few weeks previous to that I enjoyed a week of ministry on the Levitical Offerings with my home assembly in Magherafelt. I accompanied these meetings with notes as I also did when covering the subject with the saints of Central Hall Bangor back in September. Again, numbers were not large in Magherafelt, but the interest of the saints present was an encouragement to me.

Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated and are a real encouragement. C. 2003

Thursday 7th

INDIA

Writing from Scotland

Report on trip to India

In November and December 2023, we travelled to India with brother Josh Jacob from Bicester for 15 days of meetings. The Present Truth magazine (which I edit along with brother Simon Sherwin of the Leven assembly) is translated into several Indian dialects and distributed in various parts of India. We went to the translators of the magazine and had meetings in the assemblies they are from.

We flew initially to Qatar before flying to Mumbai. In Doha, the capital of Qatar, we had two meetings with two assemblies. The assemblies we were in are large and growing despite the controls placed upon them. They are not allowed to give out a tract, or witness publicly and they must meet in a hall that is in an area where entry is controlled by the authorities. I had, for example, to pass through a metal detector before I could preach. Despite all of this, the saints are in good heart, the interest in the Word was most encouraging and there is a private work of evangelism going on that God is blessing. We arrived in Mumbai (the capital of Maharashtra) at 5.30 am due to some flight problems and we stated preaching in the Santa Cruz assembly at 10.30 am! It is here that our Brother Abey Kiruvilla helps us with the translation of the Present Truth into Marathi and Hindi and is invaluable in the work. The ministry of the Word was well attended and there was good interest over all five sessions. We also managed to be with the Telegu assembly and the Hindi speaking assembly in Santa Cruz. In the Telegu speaking assembly brother Chandra Shaker translated for me. A fortnight before we had arrived his daughter Glory was tragically killed in a fire along with his grandson. Glory was the wife of brother Noel from the Holburn assembly (Aberdeen) who was over visiting her

Kushinbagh assembly new hall – three floors. Ministry video linked between floors

father with Noel and the family. We preached on suffering in the life of a believer and, incredibly, brother Chandra Shaker translated. It was one of the most moving meetings that I have ever been in. Please remember this dear brother and brother Noel and his daughter (who are back in Aberdeen) in prayer. The Hindi meeting only commenced in 2021 but there was 75 there. God has blessed them.

Our next stop was Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state. Brother Shadrack of the Kushinbagh assembly translates the Present Truth into Telegu. They had built a new hall recently and the assembly is expanding. We also preached in the YMCA assembly where brother B John translated. It was an election the day we preached in the YMCA assembly and so since it was a public holiday, they started the preaching early at 8.00 am. We were thrilled with the interest in the Word of God in Hyderabad, all the halls were full. We were picked up at 5.00 am and taken by train to Guntur, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. On the way brother Shadrack pointed to a village – Sathenapallyand told us he was born there. Seven days every month he goes there to preach, and many have been saved, a hall has been built and he hopes to see an assembly planted. Please pray for this new work. In Guntur we arrived just after 9.00 am and after a quick turnaround we started preaching all day to a congregation of around 250 saints. This time two other local brethren also helped in the preaching. The sincerity of the faith of the congregation and the dignity of their teaching brethren impressed us. We preached the next day as well in a conference and then flew from Vijayawada to Bangalore (the capital of Karnataka).

In Bangalore we initially had meetings and fellowship with the Bethany assembly (Malayalam speaking) and a Hindi speaking assembly. Brother Siddharth Schegal serves the Lord here and is a Hindi speaker. Siddharth is a saved Hindu Brahmin and a mighty man in the scriptures. We had a lovely time with the assembly where he is from, and it is growing. We discovered that the meeting was invitation only as there is a new law passed in Karnataka called an anti-conversion law. You are not allowed to give out tracts or even have a public meeting to preach the gospel openly. Siddharth and his wife sit in local parks and on public transport reading the Holy Scriptures and as people approach, they use their homes to witness to people. This way many have come to know the Lord. The use of the believer’s home as a means of witness is a major feature of the work in India. We had been anticipating having meetings in a Kanada speaking assembly. Our dear brother T G Benny who serves the Lord in Karnataka and also translated the Present Truth into Kanada eventually felt they could not allow the meetings to go ahead in case we were arrested, and our visa taken from us. We instead met with him and his wife and another brother Pramesh who serves the Lord in Mysore to discuss the issues facing the assemblies in Karnataka. It was a lovely and helpful time together. Despite all this opposition the assemblies are still growing: ‘the more they afflicted them the more they multiplied and grew’ (Ex 1.15).

We flew home marvelling at God’s grace to us sustaining us on our travels and showing to us how God has prospered His people despite the persecution.

CRAIG & HANNAH MUNRO

Friday 8th

ENGLAND/INDIA London

Wallington Children’s Special

This year’s children’s special at Wallington was the 20th anniversary since the work began back in 2003. Back then we had only 7 children for the first mission but with much prayer, numbers increased considerably over the years. Many hundreds of children and parents have been reached with the gospel, for which we give God the praise. This year so many came that for the first-time, children had to be turned away because it was not possible to accommodate more. A total of 96 children came during the week, and a number of parents also stay to listen every day to the gospel. The children are from many different nationalities including Hindu and Moslem children. This year’s theme was the stories of David, along with a lifesized depiction of Goliath on the wall.

Clifton Hall Holiday Club

The holiday club at our home assembly at Clifton Hall saw a total of 44 children attend. A few parents were present for the prize giving. Numbers are down compared to what we used to see before Covid, but we continue to thank God for the great increase in numbers the assembly has seen with many young believers coming from India to work here.

Outreach at Festivals

Clifton Hall has the opportunity to have a stall at three local festivals every year. There was opposition this year from the South Norwood festival organisers forbidding us to give out literature outside the stall. We were told there was a complaint the previous year. Despite restrictions a good number of parents came to the stall in July and showed interest in our children’s meetings. While the children play games, the parents look at the gospel literature and one sat down reading through a booklet on creation. In September the two festivals, Thornton Heath and Grange Picnic in the Park clashed and took

place on the same Sunday. However, with more in fellowship the assembly was able to have two teams at both places which were not affected in numbers, with some going to both. No restrictions are upon us here, so much gospel literature was distributed to the thousands passing by, and conversations held. Pray for this good work to continue.

Wembley Children’s Work

We continue meeting a few children online every Saturday morning. The children are very enthusiastic and give us much joy. During Christmas we visited the children to give them their prizes for the year and a Christmas present. It was sad to see Wembley Gospel Hall used as a marketplace, with traders selling goods in the car park. We continue to wait on the Lord to open our way back to use it for what it was originally intended, a hall from where the gospel is preached.

Visit to India

We were able to visit India for two weeks in December and returned in time for Christmas. We had a family wedding to attend and were able to make a trip to Gujarat to visit the believers in Anand. We had a Christmas experience when the inn keeper told us there was no room in the inn for us despite having booked hotel rooms! We had to spend one night in a dirty hotel but reminded ourselves that our Lord was born in a stable. Persecution continues and a brother in our home assembly in Borivali, named Sitaram, was arrested in his village in North India simply for having a meeting in his own home, though that is not against the law. Six families in a village of 250 have been saved and the neighbours have been causing a lot of problems for the believers. We were also able to visit the assembly in one of the slums and pleased to see the work continuing to grow with souls saved.

Saturday 9th

MEXICO

Cancun Qta. Roo

In August, the assembly had a week of children’s meetings in the hall and there was a good number of children, young people and adults who attended each day. It was a big boost to our weekly Sunday School effort and new contacts were made.

During the fall, the assembly had a two-week series that ended with the baptism of 5 new believers. Two of these believers were saved during the pandemic and the other three were saved last year. It has been a joy to see their willingness to obey the Lord in baptism and to see them continuing on faithfully in their walk with the Lord.

In December, a group of about 60 believers came from Mexico, Canada and the United States to help with a Seed Sower distribution. There were approximately 78,000 texts given out in a large area of the city of Cancun, along with an invitation to gospel meetings that commenced on January 1st. It was an encouraging time as everyone worked together for the furtherance of the gospel.

Miguel and Ruth Mosquera (Monterrey, Mexico) came for the distribution and stayed to help with the preaching in the first part of the series. Shad Kember (Iowa, USA) also came to help with the rest of the series for the month of January.

There have been various new contacts that have come to the meetings after having received a text in their home in December. One woman, Rosario, was visiting from Spain and she professed to be saved before returning home. A couple, Angel and Angelica, have been attending consistently and she has professed to be saved. Her mother and grandmother are also showing interest and attending the meetings. A young man named Marco has attended twice. A man named Antonio has attended a number of times and brought his wife and daughter to one meeting. Another couple with two teenagers attended once.

A young couple, who are contacts of one of the believers, Ivan and Fernanda, have both professed to be saved this month. A 16-year-old named Jonathan, who is the son of one of the believers here, got saved at home at the beginning of the month.

Bible class

Humberto and Camila, a father and daughter, professed to be saved as well. Manuel, the husband of one of the believers who was baptized in November, also got saved.

The believers here have been faithfully supporting the meetings and we are very thankful to the Lord for His blessing in salvation during this time.

The group that came in Dec to help with the distribution

Prayer is greatly valued and appreciated: for the believers, the children’s work, safety from violence and guidance for the work as we face this new year.

C. 2013 (Ven) TIMOTHY & AMY TURKINGTON 29/1/24

Sunday 10th BRAZIL

Josh 15-16

Lagoa Dourada

We would value prayer for a young girl, Janaína who has asked for baptism. We are studying with her about the privileges and responsibilities of being in assembly fellowship. Her father is very against the Gospel and does everything he can to upset her. It was heartbreaking to hear her say “I have difficulty in seeing God as a Father. God is good and my father never did anything good for me, never gave me any affection.” Her mother is in fellowship and life isn’t easy for them.

Gradually the number of children in children’s meetings is increasing and it is good to see them learning portions of Scripture, the books of the Bible and Bible stories.

The radio program continues. It is now seven years since this effort began. We pray the seed sown in this manner may bear fruit in the salvation of souls.

C. 1998 (Brazil) MARCO & JANICE GEBARA 1/2/24

Monday 11th

MALAWI Pop. 19 Mil. Writing from N Ireland

2023 was a year of tremendous gospel opportunity. Goodson and Harold drove throughout the country distributing thousands of gospel calendars and texts. Relief efforts after the cyclone gave us the chance to share Christ with hundreds of people. Dozens of schools asked us to come with the word of God. These are just a few of the many open doors for the gospel. The harvest is truly plentiful, but the labourers are few. Please pray for the Lord to raise up others!

Community Outreach

I am enjoying living in the community. Just doing everyday life with the people results in many opportunities to share the gospel. Things like the Friday ladies’ Bible study, the triannual Bible distribution program and Thursday play days have been great for getting to know people in the surrounding villages.

Cyclone Freddy

In the middle of March 2023, Southern Malawi was unexpectedly slammed by Cyclone Freddy. Excessive amounts of rain led to widespread flooding and landslides. Thousands of homes in the villages collapsed, as the mud mortar and bricks dissolved in the downpour. Hundreds of crops were destroyed as the maize fell and began to rot. It is estimated that over 1,000 people died and half a million were displaced.

Thanks to the generosity of believers around the world, we were able to visit some of the displacement camps and distribute flour, soap and beans on a regular basis. Each visit afforded an opportunity for Goodson or Harold to preach the gospel. We were also able to help rebuild over a dozen houses, using criteria from the local chiefs. (You can see above the before and after of one such house. I’m thankful that reaching out to this family resulted in their kids coming regularly to the Saturday Bible class)

The country is still struggling with the aftermath of the cyclone, hunger being the most visible effect. Please pray for wisdom to know how to respond to the ongoing, immense need.

Home rebuilt after Cyclone Freddy

Cyclone Freddy damage

The Local Assembly

We praise the Lord for the establishment of the assembly at Saidi in June. Several others were baptized in November and added to the assembly. Every week a good number come to hear the gospel, many of whom are first-time visitors. Please pray for the continued growth of the new believers. Please pray for Goodson who is responsible for teaching, preaching and shepherding this little group.

Children’s Outreach

On Saturday afternoon we hold two Bible classes for children at the site. Goodson teaches the older kids, and I take the younger ones. The group has been steadily growing - at times exceeding 300 kids. While this is a tremendous opportunity to reach many homes with the gospel, it also presents logistical challenges. Please pray for wisdom in knowing how to best manage the group.

The translation of the Bibletime curriculum continues. We have been piloting the first years’ worth of material with the kids who come on Saturday. Overall, we’ve found that the books are motivating for the children and do help to reinforce the lesson. There was great jubilation and rejoicing when we finished the first set of books, and the students were allowed to take them home.

God willing, Revival Movement will print and ship a large quantity this year. The goal is to use it in conjunction with the schoolwork we do and also distribute it to already existing groups that need solid, gospel-based material. In the meantime, we will be working on finishing the translation and revision of the next years’ worth of material.

Child-Headed Homes

Thank you for making it possible to supply over 25 child-headed homes (orphans old enough to live independently) with monthly care packages. It has been rewarding to see some take an interest in the gospel. This year I focused on helping the older ones towards supporting themselves. Please pray for the salvation and practical needs of these teenagers.

School Outreach

Due to schools being used as camps for those displaced during the cyclone, this work was on hold for much of the year. However, Harold and I did manage to visit a few schools. We hope to give more time to this in 2024, with the goal of preparing for the implementation of Bible clubs using the Bibletime curriculum.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the Lord to continue to save souls through the literature, preaching and personal witness.

• Please pray for the spiritual, physical and emotional preservation of the workers on the ground.

• Please pray for wisdom and unity as we seek the Lord’s guidance for 2024. There are so many opportunities, but the labourers are few!

ANNA VALLANCE 23/1/24

Tuesday 12th

DEM. REP. OF CONGO Katoka

Since our first trip to DRC in March 2016, the Lord has laid on our hearts a desire to improve the quality of bible teaching received by students being educated in Garenganze schools.

In 2021 we discovered that the helpful booklets created and distributed by Bible Education Services (BES) were available in Lubumbashi and so we set about sourcing enough to introduce them to the schools in Katoka.

Three years later and we are delighted to report that we have been able to provide the booklets to 5 schools now, reaching hundreds of pupils - and this is just the beginning!

As we have mentioned before, it is our hope that we will soon have sufficient supplies to be able to send the booklets into every Garenganze primary school in the province, reaching thousands of pupils per year.

While the planning and organising of this next phase continues, please pray for Des, who we employ to teach the lessons in three of the schools in and around Katoka. Des is very enthusiastic about his work with the children and diligently marks each lesson, recording the children’s scores in a custommade template which lets him track how the children are doing. This also allows him to see if there are stories or concepts which he needs to re-visit with them and helps us to organise some rewards at the commencement of the new academic year to try to help the children stay motivated in their learning.

On the right is a picture of Des marking the BES Lessons and a picture of our ‘stock’ at Katoka, colour coded in plastic tubs, ready for use as the pupils finish the booklets they are currently working on. C.

Des marking the BES Lessons

Our ‘stock’ at Katoka

Wednesday 13th SCOTLAND Perth

We had an encouraging time over Christmas with thousands of calendars, magazines and invites distributed and many people hearing the Gospel at an outdoor service at the Gospel Hall, and services in community halls in the villages of Bridge of Earn and Scone.

In Scone we had around 80 local people in attendance at the Christmas service and since we recommenced our regular Sunday evening outreach there in the new year, we’ve had a few new people along. Last year we completed studies in Mark’s Gospel, the notes for which have now been published in a small book (please contact me if you’d like any copies). Alongside the Sunday evening studies we hope to find some other ways of reaching out into the community in Scone in the coming months.

The soup kitchens on Mondays and Wednesdays continue to give opportunity to preach to 30-40 people a week. Recently the Monday evening soup kitchen has become quite multi-national, with people from a wide variety of countries attending, mainly from Eastern Europe. We also have a large number of asylum seekers in Perth and prior to Christmas we provided them with 110 gift bags. After discussions with the local Council, it seems there is an open door for us to visit the hotels where they are staying to run activities / Bible studies, so I plan to look into that opportunity further in the next few weeks.

In late January we held a “Scottish Evening” in the Hall, at which the Gospel was preached. Over 30 people came along, with some visiting the Hall for the first time.

We will soon have two large advertising boards up inside McDiarmid Park (St Johnstone FC’s stadium), as well as one at their all-weather pitch. We had an advert in one of their matchday programmes recently too. Our weekly football-based outreach to young men should restart again in March and our monthly Community Lunches and regular online evangelism continue as well.

Thursday 14th

AUSTRALIA

Woolloongabba, Queensland

Since his retirement from secular employment, Peter and his wife Deborah have been involved in using a variety of evangelical opportunities on board cruise ships, with the focus mainly on staff.

MIRACLE ON THE HIGH SEAS

We boarded our ship for Singapore to do our little work for the Lord and already the captain had a message in our cabin that for the Gospel meetings, we were going to have the large conference room; I quickly went down to inspect it! I noticed a Chinese crew member called Leenah was dusting the room and I told her of the Gospel meeting at 11.00pm on Sunday night. She replied emphatically, “No, China has no religion”, to which I responded, “You can still come, I will keep you a seat next to me”. Lord’s Day night the crew came in and the last one was Leenah. This was Leenah’s first time at sea. She had never seen a Bible or had any knowledge of anything spiritual. The message that night was, “Whosoever believeth in Him”. When I sat down next to her at end of the meeting, I asked her if she followed the message. Her answer was, “I do not know anything, but I believe”. I said, “Leenah, did we not hear the words of the Lord Jesus tonight, ‘Whosoever believeth’, not whosoever knoweth.” I had a Bible marked with many relevant portions and through Guest Relations, I invited her down to accept the Bible. Many Chinese assistants in Guest Relations were upset with her newfound joy in the Saviour and when Leenah arrived, they had a Security Officer trailing her. I again acknowledge the Lord’s goodness that at that moment the captain came around the corner and shook my hand and asked me how the meetings were going and I was able to say that I was giving a Bible to a new crew member who had accepted the Lord, and he congratulated her. The security officer disappeared saying, “Only a Bible”. I could have responded, “It is like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces” (Jeremiah 23:29).

On giving the Bible to Leenah, I showed her the marked portions and Genesis 1:1 and then the New Testament. Poor Leenah, who was working 84 hours a week asked, “Do I have to read it all?” I asked Leenah, “What did the Lord Jesus say, ‘whosoever believeth’, not whosoever readeth”.

Many months later, my wife Deborah and I decided to go to the Pacific Islands knowing that Leenah was off contract, but other crew may know of her progress. We sailed away

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and some days later sitting in a lounge another Chinese girl was dusting. I asked her did she know of Leenah and she said, “Leenah is my best friend, I speak to her every day in China,” I then mentioned my name and she said, “Leenah’s life changed that night, previously always sad but now so much joy”, what a commendation from her friend who does not know the Lord. We are praying that she may be the next one to come to know Him. However, she had one last piece of information. She confirmed that when Leenah returns to the ship, she will be working as Staff in the Guest Services department, the very group who were so opposed to Leenah’s salvation. We know a God who doeth wonders and to Him be all the glory.

On another voyage the captain was so supportive of the Christian Crew, that when they built a new training room, he said to them you can have the former one as the Christian Crew Lounge. They took me down to it and they had John 3:16 written up in red electrical tape. We had our meetings in their new room. I told them people had donated scriptural books to me and I will provide a little library in their Lounge. With a car boot full of Christian books and a large Strongs Concordance, I drove to the dock in Hamilton, Queensland where the ship was berthed, and two brethren came out to my car to take in the books for the library. When the boot opened the older brother lifted up the Strongs Concordance and said with tears in his eyes, “Since I got saved, I have wanted one of these but could never afford a Strongs. Now I have one!”.

“We praise Him for all that is past, and trust Him for all that’s to come”.

PETER & DEBORAH NICHOLSON 18/2/24

Friday 15th

BRAZIL Pirassununga

Elen and I arrived in N. Ireland five days ago, and hope to stay till April, God willing. It’s seven years since we were over, so it’s nice to see family and brethren again.

We value your prayers for the nine assemblies in the region of Pirassununga, and also for regular gospel meetings in three other localities close at hand. These towns are between 20 and 140 kilometres from Pirassununga. Few people show any interest, and it is not easy to find open doors.

Please pray also for:

• The literature work

• The various small, isolated assemblies scattered over the interior of Brazil who have little contact with other believers, and

• The short daily Meditations sent through WhatsApp since March of 2020 to almost 600 believers.

Thank you for your prayers.

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Saturday 16th

SRI LANKA Writing from Scotland

(Notes on recent trip to Sri Lanka, accompanied by Leonard Currie)

Friday 2nd February. Ministry meeting in the evening at a home north of Colombo. Approximately 100 present. One message with Sinhala interpretation and the other with Tamil.

Saturday 3rd Feb. Morning. Two Children’s Meetings at Dematagoda (a poorer area of Colombo). Almost 90 children present for first meeting, aged up to 12. A little restless but a nice interest. Almost 70 present at second meeting, 12 and over. Good attention. The fact that the messages have to be interpreted into both the Sinhala and Tamil languages makes things a little more awkward. The building that is being used is now too small and larger premises are being sought.

Afternoon. Children’s Meeting at Bethesda Gospel Hall. Around 150 children present. Good attention.

Late Afternoon. Youth Gospel Meeting. Around 80 young people present, many of whom are unsaved.

Lord’s Day 4th Feb. Breaking of Bread in Colombo. Ministry to the three language groups. Bethesda was full for the Gospel meeting; maybe 340 in all with around 200 of these being unbelievers, two busloads coming from Dematagoda. A good hearing despite the numbers, the heat and the children/babies!

Monday 5th. The whole day was spent travelling to the northern tip of the island, the Jaffna Peninsula.

Tuesday 6th. Morning. Gospel Meeting in a school room in the Jaffna area. Around 60 present, the majority unsaved. A second Gospel meeting in another venue, this time under a tarpaulin. 60/70 present, again, the majority of them unsaved.

Afternoon. Gospel Meeting under a makeshift shelter, but really an openair meeting with some listening at a distance. A very large number of

Meeting on the Jaffna Peninsula

Meeting on the Jaffna Peninsula

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children present, so there was a children’s message followed by a Gospel message. Final meeting of the day was for ministry, although unsaved people and children present again.

Wednesday 7th. Morning. Today’s activities organised by another assembly in the Jaffna area. Two Gospel Meetings in rural areas of the peninsula. Dozens of unsaved at the first, and around 50 at the second. In both meetings there was a majority of women as the men were busy in the fields.

Afternoon. Gospel at another venue. Once more, perhaps 50 unsaved people present. Final meeting of the day for ministry with both assemblies represented and many mosquitoes!

Thursday 8th. Morning. Gospel Meeting at a coconut farm at Palai with around 50 present, workers and family, most of them unsaved.

Afternoon. Gospel Meeting arranged by the assembly at Mullaitivu. Difficult to estimate numbers, but there were dozens present and there are only mid-twenties of believers in fellowship. We witnessed three young sisters being baptized in a fairly boisterous Indian Ocean.

Friday 9th. Travelled back to Colombo via Kuliyapitiya where we had a Gospel Meeting on a coconut farm with many of the workers present among the 100 or so at the meeting. One brother had got 10 unsaved relatives to attend. Above average numbers of unsaved men at this meeting.

Saturday 10th. Morning. As with last Saturday, the two children’s meetings at Dematagoda, with similar numbers of children at both gatherings.

Afternoon. Children’s meeting at Bethesda. Around 160 children attended.

Late Afternoon. Youth Gospel Meeting. Over 70 young people with many not saved.

Lord’s Day 11th. Mini conference after the Breaking of Bread. Four ministry messages with Bethesda crammed, including visitors from Buderiliya, Kurunegala, and Yatiyanthota.

Meeting at Palai Coconut Farm

Gospel at Colombo

Gospel. Still a full hall for the Gospel with some hearing the Word for the first time. Two teenage lads were baptized.

Left for the airport late in the evening. A very encouraging trip. Please continue to pray for the believers and the work of the Lord in Sri Lanka.

Sunday 17th

CANADA

Nova Scotia

Another year has passed and again we can say with the hymn writer … “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”

Our conference at Clementsvale had to be moved to a new location due to the previous facility being closed down. While there were adjustments to be made, we felt when it was all over that there was much to praise God for … good practical ministry which was focused on helping the young in Christ, was also a challenge to us who are older too. The Gospel was clearly preached both nights, the tent was very accommodating for the meetings and the Lord gave us beautiful weather both days. So, every need was fully met and many of the Lord’s dear people helped in so many ways to ease the workload. To God be the Glory!

Last September two young sisters obeyed the Lord in baptism, which was an encouragement to us all. Still there is much need to pray. Brother Tim Burton and his wife and family were with us last weekend and there were a few more who came out to the Gospel meeting that night. Another young man who has attended a couple of times over the last few months was listening online and had some questions at School for the two girls who were recently baptized. As a result, our mid-week meeting was changed to a Gospel meeting, and he came. He seems interested but is counting the cost! Please pray that he will make the wise choice and trust Christ for salvation.

Also pray for relatives and friends of Tim Berry, who was called Home recently at 58 years old. He was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukaemia last September and chemotherapy didn’t work for him. He and his wife and family have lived in Ontario for quite a few years, but he was raised in Clementsvale. When he was saved out of the world 36 years ago, he shone brightly before his friends and many cousins, and was a cheer to his parents and all the believers here. We trust that it will speak loudly to many who were brought up going to meetings but no longer come. Also, for comfort for his wife and family circle. He will be greatly missed.

Our neighbours continue to be a burden on our hearts that they would be saved, and their lives revolutionized in this community.

Also, pray for blessing on the Gospel Calendars that were mailed out. God’s Word is like the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, and we have many hard rocks to break … but God is able!!

Judg 9-10

It was a privilege to be in the USA for meetings during the months of July to September.  It was a blessing to be able to erect the gospel tent there and preach nightly in various locations of a region in Iowa.  The Lord by His Spirit moved, and souls were gloriously won to Christ.  Since we have left those shores, we have heard that a number of baptisms have taken place, along with reception into the fellowship of God’s Assembly.  One young man who was 18 years old was very concerned, yet he could not seem to grasp the simplicity of salvation.  In November I received a joyful text message from him stating, “Good morning Clive, just texting to let you know that I have peace with our Lord”.  He went on to explain that it was the words of this hymn that gripped his soul: “It’s not thy tears of repentance or prayers, but the blood that atones for the soul”.  He went on to tell us that, “that’s when I stopped searching for a feeling and realised God is satisfied with the blood and there is nothing more”!  What a moment of rejoicing in heaven, what rejoicing for us on earth too!  The labours are worth it for eternity.

Returning from the States, we had a short time at home before heading to Adelaide for the annual conference in Strathalbyn.  The time was to profit, and the subject of the weekend was “The Promises of God”.  What a blessed people we are to have exceeding great and precious promises from a God who cannot lie! (2 Peter 1:4; Titus 1:2).  Truly, the voice of God was heard through His Word.

Following the trip to Adelaide, it was off to New Zealand for meetings.  We had the blessing of meeting with the believers in the assembly in Tauwhare (pronounced “Towfuddy”) wonderful to be back among the Saints there who are mostly Māori.  Their faith is simple, and they love the Word of God preached.  We had with us Brother Ross Vanstone from Canada, who gave an excellent word, which was well received.  We attended the annual conference in Hamilton where the subject of the Bible reading

Tract

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was 1 Peter ch1.  Over the last 7 years the Lord has graciously allowed us to cover the book of James which has been a blessing to the Assembly, so now it’s an equal blessing to move into Peter’s writings.  How necessary they are for us today.

Returning from NZ and moving into November, a trip to Uganda that had been pencilled in for some months became a reality.  It was good to finally get there and meet believers in a number of different locations.   The time was busy with all day speaking engagements.  Believers sit for hours in primitive conditions and with little, basic food to listen to the Word of God.  The conference in the Assembly in Mbale was 6 days, 8AM to 5PM each day and I was the only speaker.  They asked me to take up the subject of “Apostles Doctrine” so that’s what we did.  With the help of God, we spent our time going through the book of the Acts, and into the epistles as needed.  Pentecostalism is rife over there and many that “are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”.  This has sown great confusion into the minds of many believers, so we concentrated on fundamental truth which we pray will have a lasting effect by the Holy Spirit. While in Uganda Bro Stephen Baker from the UK who preaches weekly on the radio interviewed me in relation to the gospel.

Returning from Uganda, it was time for the Christmas and New Year Period to begin.  We had the blessing of hosting visitors over a 3-week period including a family of believers from the Netherlands, Bryan, Dawn and Kerrie

Brothers in Assembly

Stewart from South Australia, the Samuel family from Melbourne as well as a number of others from the area on Christmas day and New Years eve.  It was special to enjoy a time of precious Christian fellowship, eating, singing, and enjoying the Scriptures, together in a common bond!  What a blessing to be in the family of God.

Once the visitors left, Rachael, me and the 3 youngest took a quick trip to Melbourne to be engaged in visitation.  We spent time with a couple that we hope to marry in March, involving several marriage counselling sessions.  We returned yesterday and are back into the work here at home.

Presently Josiah is in Mexico on a Seed Sowers campaign, labouring in an area where there is no known assembly.  The nearest being in the city of Guadalajara, where Paul & Barb Thiessen and Ricky & Erika Sawatzky live and labour.  He is there for 4 weeks, with a week in Iowa on the way home to visit believers there.  The new school year is upon us and on Monday, God willing, we swing back into action with all the children.  Nathanael has now finished school and is starting a diploma of Emergency Health Care with a view to progress into paramedicine.  As always, we value and need your prayers for us as a family that Christ be formed in us and by this, we know we will be preserved.

Tuesday 19th

TURKEY

We continue to publish Biblical resources in order to strengthen the Christians living in Turkey. My Turkish colleague and I felt it would be good to have a small book published which would explain the real meaning of Christmas. With so many secondary trappings around a western Christmas it is not surprising that a Muslim person looking on would not know what Christmas means for believers in the Lord Jesus. We asked a local Turkish believer who is a gifted writer to consider writing this. We wondered how many we should produce and decided to stretch our faith and print 2,000 copies. We were amazed and delighted that almost all the books had gone before Christmas. Many of the fellowships requested amounts of 50, 100 and even more, to use at their Christmas events. We now plan, God willing, to prepare a small book which explains the real meaning of Easter. Your prayers would be much appreciated for the production and distribution of this book.

DM

Map of Turkey

C. 2005 CLIVE & RACHAEL BARBER 22/1/24 Judg 14-17

ANGOLA

The past three months in Angola has been a series of challenges as we’ve had break downs of generators, vehicles, water supply and a massive lightning strike. Electricity supply, water and working vehicles are things that are essential to just live, let alone try and achieve anything. We are continually grateful for Horano’s skills in diagnosing mechanical problems and then having the patience to sort the issue. We just need to keep up the supply of parts that are needed.

Thinking ahead and anticipating what spares are needed is the key to keeping things working along with regular maintenance.

I remember when in my younger years I thought missionary work was just preaching and teaching! How wrong I was.

We are pleased to report that a new venture has been really profitable. One day a month, every month a day of bible teaching for elders and key men from 17 village assemblies within a 3-4 hour journey from us. It has proved to be very popular and now 22 assemblies are represented. In fact, the room we use is now too small, which is a nice problem to have. We have covered topics such as The Cross and Me, The Cross and the Gospel, Justification, The Responsibilities of local church fellowship, Baptism, Elders and their work, Humility, The Lords Supper and at the end of each day they take home printed notes on the teaching covered. We have a time of hymn singing, we buy all the food and then the sisters of the assembly provide a big meal for them, and their motorbikes all get topped up with a litre of petrol to help them get home. It’s enjoyed by everyone, and we trust it does encourage and strengthen these men to teach others what they glean.

Bible hour lessons with yr 5&6 pupils

Filipe & Zacarias from Camundambala assembly

The assembly at Camundambala is currently going through a tough time and we would value your prayers for the elders that they may have wisdom in dealing with an accusation of witchcraft made by a brother in the assembly against a fellow brother in the assembly. This sad case has come about by the death of his two-year-old son, his father, who has been a faithful worker for us for many years and has already lost two other sons from illnesses, has not been able to cope with this loss and has resorted to the traditional belief that death is caused by witchcraft. To compound the issue, he is wanting to go to the diviner, who using his ‘powers’ will consult the spirits who in turn will reveal to him who is responsible. The Bible is clear that such practises are an abomination to the Lord, and it can’t be ignored. The other tragedy is that a testimony built up over 30 years is now in tatters due to his not accepting that the Lord is sovereign and has allowed this death to take place. Please pray with us and for us that wisdom may be given to the elders and that repentance and restoration take place.

We are thankful that a container got through customs without too much hassle just before Christmas bringing much needed supplies, but principally a new engine that we have been needing for one of the Land Rovers. We are hoping that another will be sent shortly, we are desperately in need of Portuguese bibles, we just don’t seem to have enough, 4000 bibles sound like a lot but in a matter of 5-6 months we will have none left. We are still waiting for a delivery of Chokwe bibles and hymnbooks to arrive, all of which have been supplied by the Angolan Literature Fund. We have also been able to restart the Emmaus work in Luena, the provincial city of Moxico and we are hoping that the new brother that has taken over will grow into the work and it will become a major point for the distribution of literature.

Elders teaching day

Thursday 21st

GRENADA

We have been serving the Lord for the past 35 years. I am from the island of St Lucia and was called by the Lord to serve in Carriacou, Grenada in the year 2000. My wife, Jennifer, was serving the Lord at the local Christian radio station on the island of Carriacou prior to making our acquaintance with each other. We were married in December of that same year, and we are still serving the Lord at the assembly where I became an elder.

Throughout the years, we have been tested and tried but our Lord remained faithful to us. He has promised to never leave or forsake us. Unfortunately, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic many believers have been neglecting the midweek nightly prayer meetings, ministry of the word and gospel meetings. In addition, Sunday School meetings for the children were cancelled as a result of the restrictive measures brought on by the pandemic. Therefore, during 2023 we heeded the call of God to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel’ by embarking on weekly open-air meetings in several of the villages here on the island.

As we commenced the New Year, our main goals were to revive our assembly meetings, Sunday School sessions, open-air meetings and other plans to carry God’s message to the people of the island.

Our family has been tested health wise, but God has been guiding our every decision throughout the years. My wife and daughter recently came from the Grenada mainland via boat where my daughter was fitted with a brace to help prevent her back from further damage due to scoliosis.

Prayer Points

• Pray that the Lord will burden believers who have neglected some of the assembly gatherings, especially mid-week.

• Pray that I will be able to restart the Sunday afternoon village Sunday School.

• We have been praying that the Lord provides assistance with transportation, especially now that my daughter will have to travel on the public bus with the brace.

• Pray for the salvation of souls as we embark on open-air meetings.

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Friday 22nd MOLDOVA Zirnesti

We thank the Lord for a very busy and blessed time over the Christmas period. On the 1st of December our Christmas Gospel Outreach Festival started outside the Bethesda Centre. After a busy month of preparation in November, when we setup the marquees, display, food points and activities, it was great to finally get underway and have visitors coming to the festival. From the beginning it was evident that things were going to be busy, with four times as many visitors coming through on the first night compared to the previous year. The festival ran from the 1st till 23rd of December and was open from 4.00 pm to 8 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. During this period just over 13,000 people came through the gates. There was three Gospel ‘touchpoints’ where the Gospel was presented, and children had to visit each of those in order to get their stamps so they could get a gift as they left. There were also two Gospel presentations on stage each evening and a very busy Gospel

tent. Revival Movement in Northern Ireland had previously printed 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Romanian Gospels of John so we were able to make sure that along with other literature, every visitor received a Gospel of John. We were delighted to have a great team of volunteers helping from many countries including Australia, England, Northern Ireland and Ireland. It was also encouraging to see many Moldovans volunteering to help. The festival is very much a ‘seed sowing’ event due to the number of people who

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attend. Yet we were very thankful for many one to one or family conversations too. These were held in our Sydney Café, and we thank the Lord for many fruitful conversations about the Bible and the message of the Gospel. A number of police who were working at the Festival (we had at least five on site each night it was open) took much interest. One officer who was new to the area said that when he came, he noticed people that he often saw in the pubs or other places there with their families. He commented how different their conversation was while on the site – compared to what he was used to. He went away saying he would look more into the Bible and its message. Please pray for him!

Immediately after the Festival and when Christmas Day was over, we started calendar distribution in Cahul (the nearest town to Zirnesti) and in many other towns and villages. Again, we were impressed by the openness of people to take Christian literature. This year a Gospel of John was given along with every calendar distributed. It was great to see many from the Zirnesti Christian Assembly (both young and old) being involved in the calendar distribution. We also had two workdays where the assembly came together and helped prepare the gift bags that we give to fire fighters, police and ambulance officers. In total almost 2,000 bags were prepared. Each contained: a coffee mug printed with a Bible verse and ‘Thank you for your service’, a Gospel of John, a CPR mask, a Gospel tract, some coasters, a firefighters Gospel calendar, a pen, and a box of chocolates. Once we finished packing these, we started visiting fire, police and ambulance stations to distribute them. Pray that the written Word in these gift bags will bring much fruit and impact many lives.

A closing highlight of 2023 was the Police Dinner that we held at the CMIAID Base. Again, we were so happy to see young folks from the Zirnesti Christian Assembly and the Assembly in Rosu being involved in helping serve at the Dinner. We had invited the Chief of Police and about 70 police officers for a meal. We prepared a New Year dinner and were able to give them gifts for their children. Before the meal Sergey from Russia was able to share a Gospel message.

The doors remain wide open for the Gospel in Moldova. Pray that they will remain so! Pray for all the police who came to the dinner and heard the good news of the Gospel. Pray for about 150 schoolteachers who will be coming to a similar dinner which will be held in January 2024. More information is available on our website www.cmiaid.org.

Saturday 23rd

COLOMBIA

‘So he sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, saying to them: Go up from here to the Negev, and go up to the mountain, and observe the land as it is, and the people that inhabit it, whether they are strong or weak, whether few or numerous...’

Numbers 13:17-19.

Cali Valle del Cauca

We were entrusted to the work of the Lord in Colombia by the assemblies of the state of Aragua - Venezuela in 2013. We were traveling to Colombia, but due to the documents of my children and my wife we had to leave the country every three months; It was in 2015 that we were able to establish ourselves in Cali. This city is the third largest in the country and has 2.2 million inhabitants. In our house we begin with gospel preaching, Bible class and a devotional meeting on Sunday mornings. During the week we preached the gospel, and on the weekend, we invited the attendees to the Sunday devotional, but for the most part there were only my wife, the children and me at the devotionals.

Early one Sunday we received a call from a dear sister, asking the time of the meeting,

expressing her desire to be at the devotional. She had believed in the Lord among the denominations, but she was struck by the order she saw in the meetings we held. Since that day she has been a faithful attendee at all the assembly meetings.

As the days went by, the Lord saved some, others who were already believers were attracted by the biblical order... one of them stated that “he had not heard an exposition of the sacred scriptures.” Some brothers who arrived from Venezuela also joined the small group, so the Lord impressed our hearts with the need to see an assembly established. On 17 October 2021, by the Grace of the Lord, we had the joy of breaking bread for the first time, thus forming a local assembly here in Cali.

Colombia is very large in area, with very few workers called to serve here. Currently the small assembly in Cali maintains three Bible classes and a small effort in preaching the gospel in a place called Santa Ana, Cauca. We greatly feel the need for prayer that the Lord would send workers to His Harvest in this great country, to help us see more assemblies established, and to persevere and prosper those that already exist.

Sunday 24th

SRI LANKA Writing from N Ireland

Following the series of gospel meetings that were held in Matugama during my visit in December 2023, there were two souls that were saved. One of them, a gentleman by the name of Indika, was saved during the last of my gospel meetings. Indika is a 40-year-old local government official. He works in the town council office and had been invited by a relative to the meetings. His heart was pricked while listening to the gospel on the first few days, and on the last night he decided to repent of his sin and put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. A lady by the name of Kusumawathi was also saved at these gospel meetings. She chose to keep this good news in her heart and revealed it to the assembly a week after the meetings were completed. Please remember these two new converts in your prayers.

I also spoke at several gospel meetings in various villages in eastern Sri Lanka during my visit. Please pray for these rural, isolated and often hostile locations.

After I left Sri Lanka, rains arrived in the east, a tremendous volume of water fell and there was widespread flooding. The gospel hall in Valaichchenai, where I spoke at a special Children’s

Gospel Outreach meeting in December, was also flooded. This was the first time that flood waters had entered this hall since it was built 18 years ago. Several of the villages where assemblies are located including Muttuchchenai, Vaddavan and Alamkulam have also been flooded. A large number of believers who are farmers have had their crops destroyed in the flooding. Currently the main road to the east coast is closed to all vehicular traffic due to the floods. Trains services to the east have also been stopped due the flood waters submerging the train tracks.

Please remember the believers in Eastern Sri Lanka in your prayers.

Psalms 57:1 ‘Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee:yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.’

Monday 25th

LEBANON

Tyre

I hope this will be a year that is marked by peace and that we learn to depend more on God in whatever circumstances we face. The last time I wrote an update in October, schools in South Lebanon had been closed for a week due to tension on the border related to the devastating situation further south. A few days after that, schools reopened apart from those in the villages right on the border. We are thankful that they have remained open till now as the routines of school have such importance for the mental health of both teachers and students.

Over 82,000 people are displaced in Lebanon as a result of the war in the South. Many families from the villages are living in classrooms of government schools in Tyre. Some

1 Sam 9-12

of our students and teachers are from the Christian villages along the border that have been exposed to a lot of bombing in the past months. Some have lost their homes or had them damaged. Most people relocated from those villages, apart from those who stayed behind to protect their property. Some were able to move to Tyre and stay with family, others had to relocate to Beirut or further depending on where they had extended family. These Christian background families make an important contribution to our school as their presence helps defend the ethos and message of the school when the majority of our students do not share this background. Many of these families are struggling financially due to the economic crisis and the added burden of war.

Once it became clear that the situation was not going to quickly pass by, it became important for me to have a base in Beirut as well as Tyre. I am very thankful that God opened up the way for me to rent an apartment in the area of Beirut where I lived before going to Tyre. It has been a real blessing to be able to go up at weekends and take a break from the situation of war in the south. Thankfully, my back has continued to heal also so I’m able to drive up and down.

These are strange times. It seems that both sides prefer a diplomatic solution so please do pray that this will become a reality. Living with the threat of war is a big pressure for people and we pray that it will end peacefully. In their need, we also pray that people will turn to the one true God.

LEST (Lebanese Evangelical School Tyre)

I have been blessed with a good team of staff in my department this year. Morning assemblies and staff prayers have been going well and I value prayer for them as each brings unique opportunities and challenges. School provides many opportunities to share in the lives of staff and students. Please continue to pray for the principal and the administration team as they have to make difficult decisions in these days regarding the safety of students coming to school.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for peace for Lebanon and the region. Pray especially for children as they grow up in an atmosphere of fear and war.

• Pray that believers in South Lebanon will shine as examples of faith in hard situations and that this might draw others to find out more

• Pray for safety and protection as the battle is real both spiritually and physically.

• Pray for guidance to know when to be home in Tyre or if necessary to go to Beirut

ANDREA SMITH 17/1/24

Tuesday 26th

ZAMBIA

We were back in Northern Ireland and Texas in Autumn 2023.  It was wonderful to be home, and of course a little unsettling, as we miss family and friends.  Since returning to Zambia in November we have been busy catching up with responsibilities, reconnecting with people and resuming our normal schedule.

Joanne got back into homeschool with Eloise and I got back into a good routine with some aircraft maintenance. I also enjoy doing other maintenance; there are plenty of opportunities with mission vehicles needing attention and repairs where replacement parts can be machined.

Recently a group of young people from the Bible Class in Lusaka, along with some older believers, came out to our village for outreach. We distributed Gospel calendars around the compounds and houses. We had hoped to have an open-air time as well, but rainy season is unpredictable and heavy rain changed that plan.  The group is enthusiastic to come out again; do please pray for the Gospel shared through conversations and in printed form.

As I write, we have just returned from a visit to Chitokoloki.  Joanne did an eye clinic with help from some hospital staff, while I spent some time helping in the workshop.  It was encouraging for us to be with friends there and also have an opportunity to preach the Gospel. Pray for the many people who come into contact with the Word of God through the work at the hospital.

At the moment there is a Cholera Outbreak in Zambia.  As a result, the reopening of schools is postponed for a few weeks.  There are lots of children in our village at a loose end, so we are planning some extra meetings with our Backyard Sunday School group.

Looking ahead to a new year, we ask that you pray with us for wisdom and guidance for all our decisions.  We value your prayers for the country of Zambia and for us as we seek to serve the Lord here.

Wednesday 27th

VENEZUELA /AUSTRALIA Writing from Australia

We can look back over 2023 with a deeper appreciation of the goodness and grace of our God, as we remember all the way He has led us. The year started with a visit to Sydney for the Lidcombe conference, and with other visits to the local assemblies here in the Brisbane area.

The Lord also opened the way for us to make a 3 month visit to Venezuela from February through to May, as we had not been able to return since the covid pandemic. Due to this extended period out of the country, we lost our residential visas, but we wanted to return to sort out everything in our home there and visit all the areas we had worked in since our arrival in 1995. Rixio & Leidys are living in our house, and David & Katheleen are living in the apartment at the hall, and are both helping in the work, for which we give thanks to the Lord. It was a big job for Daph to sort through everything and decide who to give it to. She gave her sewing machine and lots of material to sisters who will continue making clothing for children. I also gave all my tools to brethren who would be able to use them to make a living. It was a very emotional time as we visited and farewelled the believers in several assemblies, unsure as to when we will be able to return for a similar 3-month visit, which we are allowed once a year.

It was also a pleasure to be able to attend the Easter conference in Valencia, where a record number of 2,300 were present on Friday and Saturday. The Lord’s provision to be able hold such an event is real evidence of His care for the needs of His people, even

Gospel Hall El Vigía

Daph sorting childrens clothing

in the most trying and difficult circumstances. Although most things are now available, the prices are beyond the reach of the average person. Fuel is still in very short supply, making travelling very difficult. We are pleased to be able to continue helping the needy saints by sending funds for the purchase of food parcels and medicines, for which the believers are very grateful.

On our return to Australia at the beginning of June, we were able to spend a week in Toronto and a week in Vancouver. The Spanish conference in Welland was arranged to be held on the weekend we were there, so it was a delight to help in the teaching, and to meet some Venezuelan friends, especially Sidney & Ruth Turkington.

Two weeks after our arrival in Australia we headed to north Queensland to help my brother Stephen in the Bible/text stand at the country shows. This trip was brought to a halt when I had a heart attack near Mackay 1,000kms from home. I needed two angiograms to place three stents in two blocked arteries, so we decided it best to make a slow trip home with our caravan, after two weeks of rest in Mackay. We praise the Lord for his perfect timing, as it may have been a different outcome had this happened while in Venezuela. Thankfully, I have had a good recovery so far, having made one trip to the south to visit a few smaller assemblies during the month of October. We have a trip to Sydney and Melbourne planned for March/April, with the purpose of traveling north again in June/July in the Lord’s will and with his enabling.

Your fellowship in prayer with us in the work of the Lord is greatly appreciated, as we labour together for the furtherance of the Gospel and edifying of the Lord’s people.

Easter Conference Valencia

Thursday 28th

DEM. REP. OF CONGO Lubumbashi

In December, Lazare, a Restawhile worker was finally released from prison with a nonguilty verdict after being there for over 4 months. He is doing well and is working hard, which is great, especially as another worker is on sick leave, with mental illness. The only visitors at Restawhile at the moment though, are a family that was traumatised by being victims of a bandit attack and asked to stay here for a while as the husband often has to travel with his work.

On the 4th of January, the Lubumbashi Sunday Schools had their special day for thanksgiving for the Lord’s goodness in 2023. It poured with rain, and they had arranged for the meeting to be under tarpaulins, but these fell down with the weight of the rain during the night before, leaving the ground a huge muddy mess. Despite the rain, nearly 1,000 children attended … in their best clothes! The leaders did a remarkable job in getting children organised and into classrooms of the school attached to the assembly and others into the hall used by the assembly. Sunday School teachers who weren’t expecting to do any leading or teaching, rallied to the occasion and took the different groups. In the end a good time was had by all. It was certainly a blessing for me to hear quite young children speaking clearly into the microphone and saying what they wanted to thank God for from 2023.

The following day was also a blessing but in a very different way as I attended the funeral service of a young man aged 19 who had been a Sunday School teacher. The hall was packed with young and old and there were many tributes, which must have been some comfort and encouragement to his parents. The Gospel was clearly preached; thanksgiving was made for Ananias’s life…..and many tears were shed.

Recently, I was invited to an assembly where 50 young people were ‘graduating’ from Sunday School. It was very encouraging as several of them recited Scripture and explained the meaning of words like repentance, forgiveness, and salvation to the congregation. My job was to help present the certificates. The only down-side was that, together with the Breaking of Bread meeting, it lasted 5 hours!

Recently, Tumbwe, the Luapula School Director set off to take salary money to Kansalamba School. To get there (50km distance), he had to go through 8 military checkpoints. There has been an influx of military because of the recent elections and general insecurity with Mai-Mai militiamen in the area. As these soldiers are paid so poorly and not given food rations, they feel justified in taking it off local people. Tumbwe had to pay 10,000 francs at each barrier both on the way there and the way back (total nearly £50!). He informed me proudly that he hid the school money in his underwear and although he was searched, they didn’t find it! By the time he got to the school though, he had to borrow money so that he could get back through the military barriers to get home!

Josh and Keri Kaye returned from the UK a couple of weeks ago and it is good to have their company and help once again while they wait for the rains to stop and the road to Katoka to improve.

Friday 29th

ARGENTINA Parana

During 2023 we once again saw the hand of God guiding His work. As an assembly we decided to focus on local growth and to train for church planting. We began the year with 35 in fellowship and we ended the year baptizing 15 in Zona Norte (Paraná) and 4 in Antonio Tomas (a small town 70 km from Paraná). In looking to the Lord for expansion, we focused systematically on the values of God, namely loving God, loving one’s neighbour and loving the gospel. Discussions were held with mini groups, then we went out to evangelize house to house, followed by discipling and baptising the new believers. We ended the year with a missionary conference.

The wonderful thing is that we are planting a new assembly in Antonio Tomás. Antonio Tomás is a small town of about 30 houses scattered in a rural area. Miriam, a sister from Zárate (Buenos Aires) moved to that area during the pandemic. In 2022 we visited her about four times and in 2023 we wanted to add her to one of the mini groups. For this we decided to visit her sporadically. However, after the first meeting at her house we understood that God was opening a door for us, since there were 10 of us present, most non-Christians. We preached the gospel, and some professed their faith in Christ, and this motivated us to visit weekly. We started with just two of us (Heber and Fiona) and progressively the numbers grew. On December 28th, four new believers gave their public testimony of faith by going through the waters of baptism, in a family’s plastic swimming pool in a recently saved believer’s garden. The work in Antonio Tomás not only included house-to-house evangelism, we also worked with the children of the rural school, giving a snack, games, songs and a weekly bible lesson.

Antonio Tomás is a rural, closed region with a strong Catholic background. However, both the Council and the School gave us the use of their facilities to carry out evangelistic tasks! Pray that this new work will be protected from the attack of the evil one and that this “enthusiastic” nucleus of believers can go to neighbouring places and reach many more.

Bautismos Antonio Tomás

Saturday 30th

VENEZUELA Los Altos

After a busy month of December, we welcomed the new year in Valencia as we wanted to be with the family. An uncle and fellow servant of the Lord, Dr. Bernardo Chirinos, was scheduled to undergo major surgery due to stomach cancer. This was eventually postponed owing to the advanced stage of the disease and the medical team decided to start with chemotherapy and reschedule surgery. We value your prayers on behalf of Mr. Chirinos and his family, he is much respected and loved among the Lord’s people. Returning east, we visited Mr. Fausto Barroso (75), another of the Lord’s servants here in Venezuela, who was very ill. Our dear brother was called Home after serving faithfully and selflessly for nearly 40 years, leaving a strong footprint in the history of the work in Venezuela.

Once back home, we visited Piñantal, including the Los Altos Registry authorities, as four couples wished to be married. In this remote, rural area, few have upright moral lives, but the Lord has been working and those who have professed to be saved have felt the desire to legalise their relationships and ask for baptism. After Piñantal, we accompanied the Zurita brethren in Gospel meetings, where our sister Luisa Mendoza (65), was called Home after many years of sickness. On Friday night after the meeting, one of her daughters, Carmen, came up to say she had received the Lord as her personal Saviour. We are overjoyed, and it has been a comfort to the family and believers there.

Due to a prior commitment, we left the meetings in Zurita to start gospel meetings in San Pedrito, which is about a 50-minute drive from our home along terrible roads. We take our pickup with brethren to help as the assembly there is very small. One night, two brethren from our assembly in Los Altos arrived on horseback to accompany and help us, along with an unsaved cousin. Along with some brethren from Los Altos, we have been visiting house by house, giving out literature and texts and inviting the locals to the meetings in the hall. The Lord has moved some and there is good attendance. A few are listening attentively to the Gospel being preached. We pray the Lord will reach their hearts and that they may confess faith, for the glory of the Lord.

CYPRUS Logos School of English Education, Limassol

The school continues to be a blessing to students and parents. We have had increased numbers this school year, even as people still continue to be displaced by wars and economic problems. It is a joy to meet young people from so many backgrounds and situations and present them with the Gospel. Some come from tragic circumstances, and it is encouraging to see them settle in the school and respond to the gospel.

Also, our students have demonstrated their

Ross family at Luthers Door

Logos school with kindergarten playground

wonderful talents in a variety of different areas. Our school is gaining much attention on the island for its good results. Recently we attended an art competition in Nicosia for all the islands primary students. The Minister of Education for Cyprus gave a speech there, and Logos Primary School won 4 top awards in the different sections. One of the winning students was from Ukraine and was taught by Sara. During refreshments, Jennifer managed to get into conversation with the minister who was impressed to find out we teach first and second language Greek in our curriculum. Jennifer brought Logos School to her attention and invited her to visit at any time!

We also won top awards at a Cambridge award ceremony for examinations sat in June. We were very encouraged when one of our Russian students won Cambridge examination board World Award in English Language at AS level. Jennifer had taught this boy from 9th Grade. The ceremony was in Nicosia.

It’s great that these occasions also took place on our 50th anniversary.

Joseph is continuing his studies and he’s in his 3rd year of Mechanical Engineering in Nicosia and has one more year to go.

Rachel continues in the school admissions and has great relationships with the parents. Sara is teaching grade 5 and gets so many opportunities to share the Gospel with these young lives.

The Middle East conflict is not far away from us, and we have been experiencing heightened security around public places. We have seen an increase in people fleeing the conflict zone and have welcomed more students coming to Logos. These times are very uncertain, and we look to the Lord for guidance and protection. Once again, we would like to thank you for your continued prayers.

JOHN & JENNIFER ROSS 15/1/24

Top in the world for AS English Language. Jennifer Ross with her top student German Malakov

C=Date of Commendation

Published by:

42 Beansburn, Kilmarnock KA3 1RL

Tel. 01563 521098 E.Mail: lwtrust@lwtrust.co.uk

www.lordsworktrust-kilmarnock.co.uk

Charity No. SC008740

Alistair Buchan (Aberdeen)

David Grant (Kilmarnock)

Andrew Grieve (Belfast)

Kevin Oh (London)

Stephen Trimble (Ballykeel)

Raymond McNair (Glengormley)

Alastair Sinclair (Crosshouse)

Gordon Stewart (Wallingford)

Secretary: Leonard Currie (Kinross)

Total gifts received during January 2024.

Total: £1,463,218.00