The letter Paul wrote to the Thessalonians was both touching and educative. He mentioned that brothers and sisters at Thessalonica loved each other in their daily lives. It was crucial for them to have this affinity for, being only a few chosen brethren and sisters, people had to learn the Christian type of life from them. In verse 3 of 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul mentioned that their love had increased greatly, and thus work went on easily with their one love. Despite this love, they had troubles one way or another. The ruling authorities of the time abhorred the gospel and the power of God was needed. Persecution and troubles prevailed but the brothers and sisters at Thessalonica persevered (v 4).

It is God who shall pay back trouble to those who gave, and still give, troubles to His children, the believers. These troubles will be relieved when the Son of Man comes. Paul went on teaching them to keep on praying. Some of them had questions as to when the Son of Man was coming. Paul taught them to keep praying tirelessly for his coming, even though the day is unknown. Jesus gave us signs to remind us when he will come. People who do not listen to the truth, perish. We can be saved by listening to the truth. What then is the truth? There is life in Jesus Christ: Jesus is the truth (Romans 5:17; 1 John 5:12; John 3:16, 14:6).

Finally, Paul finished his letter by giving thanks and praise to the brothers and sisters of Thessalonica, who listened to his gospel and spread it throughout the surrounding area. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 encourages them to stand firm in support of the good news they had received. We look forward to receiving eternal encouragement and good hope from Jesus Christ our Lord and God the Father.

Why Did Elisha Ask for Two Parts of Elijah’s Spirit?
Bro. John Kasanda (Kazembe, Zambia)

Just before Elijah finished his assignment as a prophet in Israel, the younger prophet, Elisha, requested from him, “Please that two parts of your spirit may come to me” (2 Kings 2:9). Spiritually speaking, Elisha was surely claiming a double portion, such as that given to a firstborn son (Deut. 21:17). A brief consideration of the account will make this clear and will help us to draw lessons from what happened.

In harmony with God’s direction, the prophet Elijah had anointd Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:19-21). For some six years Elisha served as Elijah’s faithful cup-bearer and was determined to do this to the end. Even on Elijah’s last day as prophet in Israel Elisha stuck to his mentor. Although Elijah urged Elisha to stop following him, the young prophet stated three times, “I will not leave you” (2 Kings 2:2,4,6; also 2 Kings 3:11), indeed, Elisha viewed the older prophet as his spiritual father (2 Kings 2:12).

However, Elisha was not the only spiritual son of Elijah. Elijah and Elisha associated with a group of men known as “the sons of the prophets” (2 Kings 2:3). The account in 2nd Kings indicates that these “sons” felt a close bond with their spiritual father, Elijah (2 Kings 3:5,7,15-17). Yet, as anointed successor, Elisha was the foremost among Elijah’s spiritual “sons”, he was like the firstborn.

In ancient Israel, a literal firstborn son received two parts of his father’s inheritance, whereas the other sons each received one part, hence Elisha asked for two parts of Elijah’s spiritual inheritance.

Why did Elisha make this request at that particular time? Because he was about to take on a weighty task – that of succeeding Elijah as prophet in Israel. Elisha realised that, in order to fulfill the responsibilities related to this daunting assignment, he needed spiritual power far beyond his own capabilities, power that only God could provide. He needed to be fearless as Elijah had been (2 Kings 1:3,4,15-16). Thus he asked for two parts of Elijah’s spirit, a spirit of courage and of being “absolutely jealous for God”. (1 Kings 19:10). How did Elijah respond?

Elijah knew that Elisha had asked for something that was not his, but only God’s, to give, so Elijah replied, “You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me when taken from you it will happen to you that way” (2 Kings 2:10) and, indeed, God allowed Elisha to see Elijah ascend in a whirlwind. Elisha’s request was granted – God provided him with the spirit he needed to take on his new task and to face coming trials.

At times, we may feel overwhelmed and inadequate in the face of a new assignment, or may be losing some of our courage to continue our Kingdom preaching work, as we face increasing indifference or opposition in our area, yet if we ask, beg, God for His support, He will give us the courage and strength we need to cope with challenges and changing circumstances (Luke 11:13; 2 Cor. 4:7; Phil. 4:13).

Biblical Recommendations to Consider
Bro Atabong Martin (Muyuka, Cameroon)

What place does God occupy in our lives? Ecc 12:13 says, “Fear the true God and keep his commandment, for this is the whole obligation of man.”
We have to ask ourselves: Does my life show that? Do I see things that way? Does obedience to God’s commandments determine how I care for responsibilities at home, at work, or at school? Or do other interests or the pressures of life determine whether I set aside time for God?
What connection with God do we have? “Trust in God with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight” (Pro 3:5,6). It is the Lord your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service (Matt 4:10).
We must ask ourselves: Is that the way we feel about God? Do our everyday activities, as well as the way we deal with crises, demonstrate such trust and devotion?
How important to us is reading and studying the Bible? This means everlasting life, the taking in of knowledge of the only true God and of the one whom he sent forth, Jesus Christ (John 17:3).
We should ask ourselves: Does the place that we give to reading God’s word and thinking deeply on it show that we really believe?
How important to us is attendance at our meetings? “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works: not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together… and all the more as you behold the day drawing near” (Heb 10:24,25). “I rejoiced when they were saying to me: To the house of Jehovah let us go” (Psalm 122:1).
We have to ask ourselves: Does the pattern of our lives show appreciation of the direction found in God’s word? During the past month, did we skip any Christian meetings because we let something crowd them out?
Do we have some zealous share in talking to others about God and His coming kingdom? “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness … and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14). “Go therefore and make disciples of peoples of all the nations, … teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19,20). “Sing to the Lord and bless his name. From day to day tell the good news of salvation by him” (Psalm 96:2).
We have to ask ourselves: Do these activities really have the place in our lives they deserve? Does our share in them reflect conviction on our part as to the seriousness of the times in which we live?

Left, Bro Akimin Romans, Sis Ntemngwah Atabong and Kungang Azem after their baptisms at Muyuka Ecclesia. Right Sis Grace Tanyi rceiving Sis Ntemngwah from the waters of baptism.

Bro Atabong Martin. recording brother of Muyuka Ecclesia rejoicing with three new babes in Christ, with Bro Alain Leka from Kumba Ecclesia.

The Champion’s Reward
Bro Sylvester Tembo (Mzuzu,Malawi)

The book of Revelation has several verses which reveal what will happen to the one who overcomes in this life. Now for someone to overcome, there must be something he has to fight.

In 1 John 5:4 we read: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”. Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, at the end of his ministry had the following to say: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

From these words then, we see that the believer’s life of faith is in opposition to the world. This means that if someone befriends the world, he automatically declares himself to be an enemy of God. Having established this, a believer is in a war of ‘no compromise with the world’. Jesus makes some promises in Rev 3:5: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels”.
In this verse alone there are three promises:

1. To be clothed in white raiment
2. Name not to be blotted out of the book of life
3. Confession of his name before God and His angels.

There are still more promises of rewards in Rev 2:11,26: “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”; “He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations”. Let us give the overcomer another name. ‘The Champion of Faith’. All the rewards listed above are awaiting him. Let us be one of these ‘Champions’

Last month, we featured the plight of Bro. Abedi and his family in a refugee camp in Benin, West Africa. We are pleased to report that, thanks to the faithful efforts of the household of faith, along with God's blessing, our brother is now in a far safer situation.

My Brother Abedi
Bro. Clive Solomon (USA, ex-Guyana)
Introduction
I came to know of Abedi and his circumstances through Bro Duncan Heaster as we were discussing the plight of a brother in Pakistan who was being persecuted because of his association with Christianity. We were looking for a

country that would accept him as a refugee from religious persecution when the name of Guyana came up. However the circumstances of the brother changed and we were about to shelve the thought when Bro Duncan informed me of another brother in a United Nations Refugee Camp in Benin who might be better off in Guyana if he could be admitted to that country, since he and his family were in truly desperate straits, but no Western country would admit them. Bro Duncan gave me the e-mail address of the brother and that of a Siser in France who is in regular contact with the brother.

Making Contact I contacted the sister in France for some background information on Abedi and to see if any of this was really feasible. I was soon moved by her tremendous care, concern and solicitude for this brother and his family. Her unselfish love and devotion over the months that followed truly exemplified what it is to be a member of the household of faith, and that we are indeed our brother's keeper. Bro Abedi hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Because of political persecution he fled that country and has been a ward of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for a number of years. Initially he was in a refugee camp in Tanzania, which is where he came into contact with Christadelphians and learned about our faith. The UNHCR then moved some Congolese refugees, including Abedi, his wife and their five children, to Benin, a small French-speaking country in West Africa, in the hope that, as French speakers, they would be able to adapt easily and become self-supporting. In fact, however, Benin is a small, very close and inter-related society, where these newcomers were resented and Brother Abedi and others were violently attacked. He tried to improve his circumstances by fleeing to Ghana where the brotherhood gave him help to settle, but he and his family were soon deported back to Benin. It was there I that I asked him if instead of trying to go to Canada, which until then had seemed the only other possibility, he would be predisposed to go to Guyana. He replied: “Bro Clive, given our circumstances and condition here in Benin, I would gladly go anywhere to alleviate the suffering of my family." I did mention at that time that this might be an exercise in futility and that nothing was certain, but if it is the will of our Heavenly Father to be gracious unto us we will prevail.

Plan of Action The strategy we employed was for Abedi to see if he could obtain travel documents from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and at the same time I would go to explore from my end in New York the requirements for obtaining visas to travel to Guyana. Sister Sonia, in France, was prepared to assist Bro Abedi in the application process, thanks to her experience with visa-seekers of various types. It is very difficult to enter Guyana legally, but once inside the country conditions can be very favourable. The problem was to convince the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue visas to this family. Being a former Police Officer in Guyana I was quite familiar with the process, but this certainly would have been a most unusual application.

The process begins UNHCR began processing the application and in a matter of a few weeks I received an e-mail from Abedi who could not contain his excitement. “We have received our travel documents!” he exclaimed. Meanwhile my investigation from New York revealed that applications for visas to Guyana must be done in triplicate and forwarded to the Consulate with the required fees. I sent the visa applications to Abedi for him to complete and to return them along with the travel documents for the entire family that he had by this time received.

Logistics While we were occupied with the travel documents and the visa application dear Sis Sonia was working on the logistics. She had determined that if everything went according to plan we would have to devise a suitable route for the family to travel to Guyana. This was the most difficult and time-consuming part of the entire process, since almost none of the industrialized countries were willing to issue transit visas.

The Brethren in Guyana Sis Lorraine Mitchell of Guyana and my wife Daphne are more than sisters in Christ to each other, they are friends and confidants who truly enjoy being in each other’s company; for me, I call her my ‘Buddy’. She was the first person to whom I broached the subject of this family travelling to Guyana and she loved the idea. In fact, while Lorraine was in the UK earlier on, she and Sonia had been introduced to each other by telephone, by Sis Jo Cottrell, French Sunday-School teacher to Abedi’s children, Lorraine encouraged me to contact Bro Ted and Sis Delores Sleeper and put the idea to them. This I knew had to be done but I was wondering if it was not a little too early to widely inform brethren of the plan, not being certain that the process would ever get off the ground. I opted on the side of caution and followed the advice of my ‘Buddy’ and informed Brother Ted of the plans for this family. True to his word Bro Ted and his lovely wife Sis Delores travelled to Guyana, galvanised the brethren, and set a plan in motion that involved a house for the family to stay and funds set aside for the purchase of furniture and their upkeep for a year. I was so impressed with Bro Ted’s enthusiasm. We had the prayers of of the many brethren and sisters who by this time were aware of our efforts to help this family.

A visit to the Guyana Embassy Having received the completed application from Bro Abedi, along with the travel documents for the entire family, I made my way to Manhattan, New York to file these applications. The costs for filing these documents were very expensive, I even had to pay for the postage of the documents to Guyana via DHL, but this was tolerable because I had a very good discussion with the Consul General about the Hope of Israel. He was so taken with the Scriptures that he advised me regarding the application that was before him. This I thought was none other than the hand of God in this matter and further strengthened my resolve. I left him a copy of Bible Basics that I had in my possession and said a silent prayer as I exited the building.

Application submitted That was the text of the e-mail that I forwarded to Abedi, Sonia, Lori, Ted and Duncan who had us on his prayer list for some time. Abedi was the happiest person on earth. It was during this time that I received the most loving e-mail from Abedi that his wife, and my new sister in Christ, had accepted the Truth and was baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ. I guess if he never left Benin, that alone was most consoling to him.

The Big Wait Meanwhile Sis Sonia was having her hands full in working out the travel route. Benin to Guyana via London was out, the British Immigration was not issuing transit visas, neither was United States and Canada. We tried Benin to Guyana via French Guyana and Suriname but soon ran into difficulties. We finally settled for Benin to Paris, Paris to St. Maarten in the Caribbean, St. Maarten to Antigua, overnight in Antigua, and the following morning we would leave for Guyana via Barbados. Abedi was to obtain the necessary visas for Paris and St. Maarten in Benin with the assistance of Sister Sonia. I would contact the Antigua and Barbuda Embassy regarding the in-transit restrictions on travel.

The hand of Providence Well, the allotted time for the visas from Guyana had passed and all calls to the Embassy were met with concern from the person who helped me to process the initial application, he promised as soon as any information was available he would inform me. My contact in the Guyana Police Force informed me that they had processed the request and returned the application with favourable comments to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Meanwhile Sis Lorraine Mitchell, who knows a former brother in Christ whose brother is in the Ministry of Home Affairs, began making some telephone calls to contact this brother, who as it turned out was not in Guyana, but on assignment in New York.

A Dinner conversation My contact at the Guyana Embassy was having dinner with an official from Guyana and he was expressing concern about our application to this individual. The gist of this conversation was that a group calling themselves Christadelphians had made an application on behalf of some of their brethren in Benin, Africa, to travel to Guyana and until now the Ministry had been dragging their feet with the applications. The visitor replied, "I AM A CHRISTADELPHIAN AND THEY ARE GOOD PEOPLE." As providence would have it the same person that Sister Lorraine was trying to phone in Guyana was a guest in the home of my contact from the Embassy in New York. The guest promised to look into the matter on his return to Guyana. True to his word, he called Sister Lorraine who was only too joyful to hear from him. He asked her about these people before she had a chance to tell him and it was affirmed by our sister, the end result, without divulging too many details, was a call I received from my contact at the Embassy in New York. “Mr. Solomon,” he said, “please bring in the passports of the family from Africa, I was directed to issue the visas without delay,” and then he added, “boy you have contacts in high places” I guess he was thinking of the Ministry, but I added, “VERY, VERY HIGH SIR!” The following day I went to the Embassy and the travel documents were about to be stamped, when one of the officials asked what kind of passports they were. I totally confused him with my answer that they were issued by the United Nations to citizens who are protected by them. The look on his face told me that he was confused. My contact joined the conversation and said, “the Ministry had directed that these visas were to be issued without delay; forget your concerns or curiosity and get on with it”. With the travel documents stamped I thanked my contact and left the building. As I was walking to the subway to take the train out of Manhattan I remembered a hymn that we used to sing every time we commenced CYC: “He who would valiant be gainst all disaster, let him in constancy follow the Master. There's no discouragement shall make him once relent his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.”

Breaking the News The whole team were ecstatic, I remember Sis Lori being so happy that she made a phone call to express her happiness. Bro Abedi and Sis Sonia were elated with joy; for the first time we were beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Bro Ted was overjoyed at the news and immediately asked me to start looking into funding. I remember someone saying to me that this should have been the first thing I should have looked into, but I thought otherwise at that time. All the travel documents were returned to Abedi and a travel date of October 16th was set for this family to leave the desperate situation in the refugee camp.

Preparations to Leave A member of the team forwarded funds to Abedi to purchase clothes for the entire family that would be suitable for international travel and to have what was left to use in the event of any unforeseen problems that might arise. Sis Sonia meanwhile was also working the phones in contact with the Dutch Embassy in Benin where they were making difficulties for Abedi because he was a refugee. When they discovered that Sister Sonia was a relentless person and that others overseas were concerned about the welfare of this family, they quickly relented and the passports were stamped for transfer in St Maarten.

Funding The funding came from two sources the KAMF and WCF. On behalf of Bro Abedi and the entire team we are eternally grateful to Bro Don Styles and the directors of WCF, especially Bro Norm; these brethren took us at our word and set about the task of funding this project. Again brethren our profound gratitude. All funds were centralized with Bro Charlie Brinkerhoff until such time that payment was to be made to the travel agent.

The journey begins
After almost 13 months of planning, well over 700 emails ec,etc.,Bro Abedi and his family at last left Benin for Paris. On that same day I left New York for Antigua to lay the groundwork for the arrival of the family. On his arrival in Paris, Sis Sonia tried to contact me in New York with the information, but I had already left for Antigua. Bro Duncan eventually got me in Antigua with the news.

Oh! LIAT Airline, where are you? Bro Abedi and family arrived in St. Maarten at 1:35 p.m. on 15 October 2005 and were to leave on a connecting flight to Antigua at 4 p.m. What we did not know was that LIAT Air had changed their online software before they had a chance to work out the kinks, as a result they had some of the family on two different flights. I realised this when I was in New York and left immediately for Antigua to resolve the situation before Abedi arrived in St Maarten. In Antigua I contacted LIAT and they finally had all of the family on one flight, but the family had to spend almost nine hours in St. Maarten before arriving in Antigua about 10 p.m. We had some minor immigration problems and some of Abedi’s luggage had not arrived. We were spent the night with Sis Iris Shawt.

Oh LIAT! Not again…Next day we headed to the airport early enough to see if our luggage had arrived. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. for Guyana via Barbados. I was issued my boarding pass, they were claiming Abedi and the family were late and as a result they would have to go as standby. When it was realized that I was with Abedi they became very concerned. I asked to see the manager who was very gracious as he apologised for the situation we were in, he gave us vouchers for lunch and promised to put us on BWIA on a 5 o’clock flight. Well 5 o’clock came and went and the manager was very dejected as he informed us that LIAT could not produce tickets for us since their system was not up and running, and BWIA was charging them $1000 per person. To make life easy for him I said we would wait until the following day. He was so relieved that he put us up at one of the best hotels on the island courtesy of LIAT.

Dinner at The Royal Antigua We had a wonderful dinner, after which that we retired exhausted to our rooms with Abedi concerned about his suitcase with books that had not arrived. Sister Iris came to visit us to bring some articles that the girls had forgotten; I know that the roads from her home can be treacherous at night but was comforted that she came with her brother and his wife. The following morning we headed for the airport and this time we had no problems and soon left Antigua for Guyana via Barbados.

Oh Beautiful Guyana! We touched down at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, the plan being for us to congregate on the tarmac until everyone in the group came off the aircraft. Since there were only about 30 passengers we spent very little time at immigration. I had collected all the passports and went to the Immigration Officer, who processed my documents first and asked me how long I would be staying in Guyana. I replied two weeks at the most. He then looked at the remainder of the documents, examined the visas and began stamping them, not as per the requested time in the visas which was six months, but based upon the information I gave which was two weeks, we were so happy at the time that we did not realize this until two days later. As we left Immigration and looked for our suitcases we were still missing one containing Abedi’s books. We were assured by LIAT in Antigua that it was going to be on the flight but it was not, yet that was the least of our concerns as we were embraced by Sister Lori and Brother Jerold (JJ) who had come to meet us. The conversation lasted for 26 miles as we headed to the city. We left for Mocha after taking Sis Lori to her house. We were to sleep the night in Mocha as guests of the Josephs. Bro Eric and Sis Alice Joseph are getting on in years and the brunt of the preparation was left to Sister Ana Lou and her lovely daughter.
A dinner fit for kings After we had a showered and washed we were treated to a dinner fit for kings, and later reviewed the activities planned for

Arrival at last! Left, Sis Loraine Mitchell; Right, Bre Clive Solomon and Jenold Joseph with the Abedi family.

the following day, but we were all tired and soon retired for the nigh. The next day we expected to leave for Berbice but the CYC from three ecclesias had planned a welcome evening for the family at Eccles Hall which precluded our travel, but it was well worth the stay. The meeting commenced though the area had a power failure, so we had to read by candlelight, sang with joy and feeling and had a great time in fellowship with brethren and Youth Circlers. Brother Abedi sang with Diane and Rose, two of his daughters, and then he spoke on behalf of his family expressing his profound gratitude for all the brotherhood had done. It was a joyous time that ended too soon.

Home at last By mid-morning the following day we took our leave of Mocha and headed for our final destination at Kilcoy Corentyne, Berbice after some 6 or 7 hours of travel. We were greeted by Brother Jimmy Hart and his family, as they were in charge of the preparations to welcome the family. It was a lovely home with lots of land for farming and poultry rearing. Bro Jimmy and family had prepared dinner and after giving thanks we left nothing to waste. Bro Abedi and family are well pleased with the home and the surroundings and vow to make the best of the situation by the grace of God. Yes! there is still a lot to be done, and even as I am writing, I have received information that the children have been registered in school.
Outlook for the future Application was made to the Ministry of Home Affairs for an extension of stay, which was to be issued. Some help is being given by the CBM till they have settled down. If any kind brother or sister is willing to assist this family please contact Brother Solomon at solreginal@aol.com.

Bro Abedi and family now in Guyana [Abedi looks rather different from the cut and beaten brother in the earlier pictures].

Envy
Bro Samuel Mariita (Kibera, Kenya)

Isaac became rich in a foreign land. He had possessions of flocks, herds and manservants. Because of these riches, the Philistines envied him (Gen 26:13,14). King Abimelech also joined hands with his citizens and chased Isaac away (Gen 26:15-16).
People don’t see you well when you are successful in life. If you have good children, a good husband or a good and beautiful wife, people envy you. Envy is the primary cause of witchcraft in Africa. Joseph was sold by his brothers into Egypt through envy (Gen 37:10,11; Acts 7:9). Abel was killed
by Cain because of envy.- “The
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (Genesis 4:4,5).

Rachel envied her sister because she had children but she had not born children to Jacob (Genesis 30:1). So envy comes in when success emerges. But to us, as the servants of the Lord, let us keep ourselves pure in heart. The Kingdom of the Lord is for the righteous, not for envious people.

Photo rt; Brother Samuel Mariita

No one with Greater Love Than This
Bro Leonard M Lar (Ndhiwa, Kenya)

There was a boy who loved to see the passenger train passing near his home. Every day he went near the rail line waving hands to greet the engine driver and the passengers. One day the boy found a bad thing. Oh! The foes of the world have broken the rail bridge. The train is nearly due and it will plunge into the river and all will die! He has no chance to run to town to get help. What can he do to stop the train? The train is very near, the rails are rattling. No this, no that, the boy himself stood in the middle of the rails waving his hands forcefully to stop the train. However, he knew that the
train could not stop in the emergency.
The engine driver was alarmed and tightened the brake but the train crushed the boy, his friend. When all disembarked from the train, oh! They saw the great danger of the broken bridge. They noticed that the brave boy had saved their lives.“There is no one with greater love than this,” Jesus said, “for a person to give his life because of his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus, Son of God, gave his life in order to save us from
eternal death.

Bro Leorand Lar and his friend Alfred

Latvia Visit Report
Bro David Webb (Walton, UK)

This visit was from Nov. 15-25th, 2005, and was centred on Riga, the capital city. Bro. Martin Rozestraten, from Holland, and three from England, Bro. Marcus and Sis. Gwladys Heaster and myself attending.

Latvia gained independence from the USSR in 1991 and very recently joined the European Union. Population is approximately 2.5 million and about one-million live in or around Riga. Riga has excellent roads and some motorways and is being continuously developed. However, there is still much poverty, with many families living in one or two small rooms in seemingly endless dilapidated blocks of flats. (They seemed endless when Marcus and I delivered leaflets and, because they all look the same, at one point we found ourselves going round and round in circles, almost delivering to the same block twice! “Haven’t you been here before?”!)

Bro. Martin and Bro. Duncan (of Riga) visited three Sisters – Alexandra (an old lady who survived two years hidden in the forests during the German occupation), Aija, who is unwell and Lilia, who has no fixed address and was living in a shelter. Lilia was able to join us later at the Bible School. Further visits to members of the Riga ecclesia followed on Thursday.

On Friday we went to the very modern centre of Riga where we delivered leaflets at the busy shopping centre and the railway station. Later, we helped pack the car with provisions for the Bible School held at Lielupe, a suburb of Riga. All those able to attend stayed in an old ‘Soviet era’ hotel where we were permitted to do our own catering organised by Sis Cindy. About 30 attended, including two or three friends not baptised.

The Bible School began on Friday afternoon, with Bro. Martin giving two excellent studies, one on “Every member of the body is important” (e.g. 1 Cor. 12:21 – “and the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you…”) and the second on The Prayer of Hezekiah.

On Saturday, I gave an illustrated address on ‘Justification’, with special emphasis on explaining the atonement achieved by our Lord Jesus. Bro. Martin spoke on the conversion of Paul and I gave an exposition of Dan. ch. 4.

The happiest event was the baptism of IRINA (sister in the flesh to Sis. Tanja) who had been in contact with the truth for about two years.

On Sunday at the breaking of bread our new Sister was given the right-hand of fellowship by Bro. Duncan and I was privileged to give the exhortation. Sunday afternoon was sad, as we had to say ‘Goodbye’ as, one by one, brethren and sisters took their journeys home. However, after clearing up we were able to travel some 80km to visit two Sisters, Anita and Sulamite her daughter. They showed us a weaving loom acquired following the death of a relative. To supplement their tragically low income in the struggle to survive they are making scarves to sell, especially to brethren and sisters.

Scenes from the Latvian Bible School

Photo: Bro Duncan, Sis Sarmite, Bro Marcus, Sis Gwladys

Sunday night I said farewell to Bro. Martin as he had to leave very early on Monday morning to fly back to Holland. He speaks excellent English and such was our rapport that I felt I had found a new friend in the faith – one full of the truth and very sensitive to the needs of others.

On Monday, the 21st. Marcus and I delivered leaflets advertising a free meeting to be held on Tuesday evening, the 22nd.

To me, Tuesday, the 22nd, was a highlight. Bro. Duncan drove us over 300km to visit Sis. Sarmite (pronounced ‘Sharmeeta’) in isolation. She lives with her husband in a house in the forest about three miles from the nearest houses. Their water comes from a well near the house! Baptised a year ago, Sis. Sarmite is an ex-‘Jehovah’s Witness’. I could see she was totally in love with the truth and she has tried to tell the true gospel to all her acquaintances, but they will not listen – as yet! Living where they do, many think the forest is inhabited by ‘demons’ and ‘tree-spirits’, such is their superstition! (superstition, incidentally, on which thrives the false beliefs of orthodoxy and JWs.).

Let us realise that God is calling people to Himself, not just in cities, but sometimes in remote villages and lonely houses, far, far away from the mad bustle of city life. Maybe in such places, closer to nature, people have more time to think about God and to ask the vital question, ‘What IS life REALLY all about?’.

Tuesday evening we went to a local hotel where over 50 people of all ages came to our free meeting to improve their English and to learn about the

Friends, at the Speaking English Course, based on Mark’s Gospel

truth from the Gospel according to Mark. Let us pray that the Lord will bless this work as it proceeds and call yet others to the glorious hope of life in Christ.

I thank God for being so encouraged spiritually and for meeting so many lovely brethren and sisters in Latvia. Let us all pray for the blessing of our Heavenly Father on the work in this country, to support the ecclesia in Riga and those in isolation and to spread His Word to His eternal glory.

The Manna
Sis L Mandap (Hong Kong)

Manna is translated in English as bread, literally meaning a food for the stomach. But when it is used as a symbol it means the word of God, a food for a spiritual mind. During the time of Moses (Ex 16:19,20), He gave an instruction to the people of Israel not to leave any manna until the morning. Yet they disobeyed His order - the following day it had bred worms and stank.

We may presume that during those days, when modern technology did not exist, bread could not be stored or left till the next day. Hebrews 4:2 gives us a good example for comparing the manna with the gospel: it was preached yet did not profit, not being mixed with faith.

As with some churches around us, it is easier to be in a crowd than sticking with a few who study the doctrines and get a deeper knowledge of the Bible. But to those who are conformable to the mind of God, they know what Isaiah says: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:9).

Divisions in the Church (1 Cor1:10-14,21)
Bro James Mwanda Kambobe (Mansa, Cameroon)

Paul thanked God for the good things he saw in Corinth, but then he had to tell them that some things were wrong. There were divisions in the church and some of them were following one man and some another. This was the result of pride in human wisdom.

Paul heard that there were four divisions in the Church, each group boasting about a human leader. Some said they were followers of Paul, so he explained that this was wrong. Paul wanted the Corinthians to agree to allow no divisions among them, and to be perfectly united in their thinking. Paul appealed to them to all think the same things. They were proud and Paul reminded them of the Lord Jesus Christ who took a low place (Phil 2:2-8).

Paul heard from people in the family of Chloe that the Corinthians were quarrelling. We do not know who Chloe was, but the members of her family were not afraid to openly tell the truth about the assembly at Corinth. Paul could plainly say who had told him. This is important, we should not say anything bad about others unless it is true, and be willing to let them know who said it.

Their quarrels produced divisions. The Church became four groups, each of which took a special name. Some said they belonged to Paul, some to Apollos, some to Cephas. It was very bad to follow these human leaders, but the other group was worse still. They took the name of Christ for themselves, as if the other Christians did not really belong to Him! Paul was a great teacher, Apollos was a great speaker, Peter was at first the leading apostle, but it was wrong to divide the assembly in this way.

Paul asked them three questions, all had the same answer: No. Christ is not divided and no group of Christians should say that they are the only ones who belong to Christ. Christ died for us, all of us, not just for Paul or any other man. The Lord commanded us to baptise believers in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5). The believers in Corinth were baptised, but certainly not in the name of Paul (Acts 8:8).

More about the division in Corinth. Paul began in 1:10 to speak about the divisions in Corinth. The believers thought it was a mark of their wisdom to choose human leaders and take the name of an apostle as a name of part of the church. Paul has explained that human wisdom has no place in the church. Now in chapter 3 he continues by saying that the believers were not mature, that Paul and Apollos were simply servants of God, His people, that everyone is building on the foundation and is responsible to the Lord as to how he acts in the church.

Man
Bro George Nwanzeah (Munyuka, Cameroon)

Man is a product of creation (Gen 2:7), formed by God in His own image and likeness (Gen 1:27) to be fruitful and multiply, and to replenish the earth, and to subdue it and to have dominion over all that God had created.

MAN BEFORE THE FALL Before transgression, man’s position was that of being “very good”, just eating and obeying God, and though created naked, was not ashamed (Gen 2: 25). However, man’s attempt to seek wisdom (Ecc 7:29) resulted in his fall (Gen 3). Man had a choice. Sadly, man made a bad choice and had to suffer the consequences - cause and effect. Here today we are in the same situation of either accepting Christ for our salvation or rejecting him for our doom.

MAN AS THE AUTHOR OF SIN Having sinned, man became liable to suffering: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Here we see why we all must suffer. But let our suffering bring us closer to God. In spite of the advances made in science and technology for an easy life, man remains spiritually in sheer ignorance and confusion. “Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek out, yet he shall not find it” (Ecc 8:17).

MAN’S DEATH “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2:17). Sadly, man disobeyed God and ate of the tree. As a consequence the death sentence was passed, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen 3: 19).

VANITY OF MAN As the quest for materialism remains unabated, man remains in total ignorance and confusion. Ignorance of what shall become of his wealth after him confuses man as he sees life as a race for survival. In this regard, man seeks flashy cars, huge bank accounts and sophisticated villas: “Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased: for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him” (Psalm 49:16,17). Also, “vanity of vanities; all is vanity” (Ecc 1:2). Life without God is vanity, our riches should be to the glory of God

MAN’S REDEMPTION Man’s redemption is conditional on the acceptance of the knowledge of the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus. We must have faith and let it be manifest in us. Faith should go with works. “For our conversation is in heaven: from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Phil 3:20,21).

MAN’S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY Man was created by God to be obedient and in that obedience man’s true well-being was to be found. Sadly enough, man disobeyed and excluded himself form the presence of God. Man’s sole duty is to “Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”. Why? “For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Ecc 12:13,14). We have a choice to make: either to be counted worthy at the judgement seat, or to be rejected when the Master returns.

Caring For Our Sisters
We have in many ways neglected to care for the needs of our Sisters. In Africa a woman dies every minute from pregnancy-related problems and among our community there have been fatalities in childbirth, other complications and sufferings which might have been preventable, or controlled in their early stages by providing medical knowledge and, where possible, medical attention. Whilst we may not at the present time be able to afford for paid medical attention, we would like to make a humble start at trying to at least do something. Our front cover picture shows ten Sisters from five Ecclesias on a three day residential seminar in Malawi sponsored by CAT. where we helped arrange for a qualified nurse to go through many matters relating to the care and health of our sisters’ bodies. We decided on having a small group of ten sisters so that they could all participate in discussions, problem-solving exercises and demonstrations. One aim was to create a relaxed atmosphere and give them a complete break from their normal lives to allow them to concentrate upon the seminar and at the same time widen the bonds of fellowship and enable them to confidentially discuss and hopefully resolve individual questions and problems. The text book used was, “Where Women Have No Doctor” and they were all very pleased for the beneficial knowledge and experience they received, which justifies arranging further seminar’s on these lines. Owing to costs, initially at least, the number of seminars must be very limited, but we would like to help make the book more readily available in the Mission field to those Sisters that can understand English. Incidentally we are pursuing the possibility of working with others to make it available in local languages. MH.

‘Where Women Have No Doctor’-
a health guide for women.
All over the world women rise to their daily work, care for their families and participate in community life. Too often, women must face these challenges whilst struggling against illness – lacking even basic information about their health. ‘Where Women Have No Doctor’ combines self-help medical information with an understanding of the ways in which poverty, discrimination and cultural beliefs limit women’s health and access to care. Developed with community-based groups and medical experts from more than thirty countries, this book can help anyone understand, treat and prevent many of the health problems that affect women.

Clearly written with over 1000 drawings, ‘Where Women Have No Doctor’ is an essential resource for any woman who wants to improve her health. It is also invaluable for health workers who want more information about the problems that affect only women, or that affect women differently from men. It helps women identify the obstacles to good health in their communities and shares ideas on how to overcome them.

Topics include: *how to solve health problems, *ways to stay healthy, *understanding the reproductive parts of women’s bodies, *sexual health, *HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, *pregnancy, birth and breast feeding, *mental health, *health concerns of women with disabilities, girls, older women and refugees, *the politics of women’s health, *rape and other violence against women, *the use of medicines in women’s health. There is obviously going to be a limit on the number of books we can send as this 584 page book (including postage), is expensive, costing £15 each. This means initially it has to be limited to Ecclesial Libraries and those in isolation who can understand English. The number of copies that can be sent out will largely depend upon the copies that are sponsored financially by others. We have been blessed in that the Horley Ecclesia have paid for the purchase of the first hundred books - and we thank them for this - which gives us a good start, but many more will be needed to satisfy demand, so any help will be most gratefully received.

SPONSORS NEEDED for
‘Where Women Have No Doctor’
Those in the Mission areas wishing to have a free copy of ‘WHERE WOMEN HAVE NO DOCTOR’ can request it from CAT, writing clearly their full name, address and the Ecclesia to which they belong. Those wishing to help by sponsoring copies can do so by making their donations payable to Christadelphian Advancemet Trust, 49 The Woodfields, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 OHJ, England. The cost of the book, inclusive of postage is £15 (Aust$36; Canada $30; New Zealand $38; US $26, We have no problems with changing cheques from these countries.
If you would like to know to whom we send the copy/copies you sponsor please put ‘yes’ in this box [ ]

Post to Christadelphian Advancement Trust, 49 The Woodfields, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 OHJ, England.

I wish to sponsor copy/copies of ‘Where Women have No Doctor’ a cost of £15 each (or equivalent) and enclose £/$ to cover the cost.

Name………………………………………………………………………………

Address……………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………….

‘Growing a Balanced Diet’

The material already distributed to produce a balanced, healthy diet has helped many and it is gratifying to have had so many letters indicating that the advice has been helpful and already produced results. Not only is there a need to grow a variety of crops in order to provide the nutrients for healthy living, but these can also enrich the soil and provide food, even in adverse weather conditions.

From time to time, Africa suffers from drought, so we have emphasized the growing of some drought-resistant crops. These need good cultivation, using quality seeds and a rotation of crops in order to not impoverish the ground.

There is a wide selection of suitable literature in Africa, often free to those living in Africa, but relatively expensive to those in non-African countries. We particularly recommend the series of books by the Swedish Cooperative Centre, these are self-study manuals for drought mitigation in rural communities, available from the Swedish Cooperative Centres at: 70 Livingstone Avenue, No 1 Verona Gardens, Harare, Zimbabwe; SCC, P.O.Box 32012, 93 Kudu Road, Lusaka, Zambia; SCC, P.O.Box 45767, Bairobi, Kenya.
The titles are:

Principles of Planning Vegetable Production
Traditional Vegetable Crop Production
Root Crop Production
Production of some exotic Vegetable Crops
Seed Production and Vegetable Processing
Conservation Farming

Whilst more expensive, there is a series of small books for small-scale sustainable agriculture in the tropics by the Agromisa Organisation, P.O.Box 41, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.

There is also a wide range of information and advice to be had from local Agricultural Advisers to help those with a little land to produce food for themselves and even to sell, but it does require effort to achieve results.

The increasing needs of the poor, and general world conditions, economic circumstances and changing weather patterns, mean there is an increasing possibility that the available food supply in Africa could be very much reduced and consequently there is greater need where possible for people to learn how to become self-sufficient.

In cases where you are unable to get the required information CAT will do its best to let you have, for example, any of the above six booklets from the Swedish Cooperative Centre.

What About Witnessing
Bro George Ndiege (Songhor, Kenya)

The majority of Christians never win a soul to Christ. In fact, they never even try, and worse still, many never let their neighbours, friends and fellow students or employees know that they are Christians. One questions if a church member who never witnesses in any way really is a Christian. You cannot just be like a parasite on Christianity, only receiving and never giving yourself. Jesus said: “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?” (Matt 5:13). A Christian who never confesses his faith to his fellows is like the salt without taste, and Jesus went on, “It is henceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot”.

Many people are willing to testify for Christ where people don’t know them, but never do it to their neighbours and friends. Yet it is not the strangers whom you could witness to best, but to those who know you and can see the change in your life and thereby understand that the gospel works. You can lie to strangers about your changed life and they don’t know the difference, but you cannot lie to those with whom you live, work and have fellowship. So everyone of us can witness. You don’t need to be someone special, to have an unusual gift or miraculous power, in order to witness for Jesus our Satiour. The most valuable testimony to the gospel is WHEN PEOPLE SEE THE CHANGE that has taken place in our lives. You may remember the incident of Jesus casting out demons from a man who had been living among tombs (Mark 5:1-20). The healed man wanted to follow Jesus who refused him, telling him to go home to his friends and tell them how great things the Lord has done for him. The grateful man obeyed. His testimony had power because all his friends saw the great change in his life. So the testimony of the word is not enough; the unsaved want to know whether Christianity works in our businesses, homes, schools - things that are our everyday life. A true Christian doesn’t become a witness because he is one.

We do not need to witness in our own strength. Jesus promised the apostles, “And you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We have to start in Jerusalem – that is our home -.and go on even to the ends of the earth.
Obedience and Faith
Bro Elvin Muntemba (Kitwe, Zambia)

Saul was enthroned as king of Israel at the age of thirty and he ruled Israel over a period of forty years. King Saul was a person with a problem of obedience. On one occasion he failed to wait for just over a week. Instead of waiting for the rightful person, the prophet Samuel, Saul performed hastily the religious duties which should have been done by Samuel. On another occasion he was told by God through the prophet Samuel to destroy the Amalekites but again he disobeyed. Instead he spared the Amalekites’ king, Agag. He also spared the best of the Amalekites’ livestock. If he had only obeyed he could have passed on his throne to his descendants. Instead he was, alas, rejected as the king of Israel (1 Sam 13:8-14; 15:1-23).

Our Lord is not delighted in what good things we do, what offerings and sacrifices we make. He wants us to obey and heed His precepts. We are not to be like Saul who followed his own wisdom. We ought to be obedient to God through Jesus Christ and leave all in God’s hands (1 Sam 15:22; Mark 12:33).
We must take the first step to respond in faith and obedience to the gospel. As Christadelphians we all share in the very sure hope of living for eternity on earth with the Lord (Psalm 37:9-11).

God Is Love and God Never Gives Up
Bro Dzingai Sumburera (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe)

In Genesis we read that, God created man in His image and He said of His creation that it was very good. Man was given the power to subdue and live in the Garden of Eden. Adam who was in charge of everything, sinned against God. It was shameful because Adam was told that he mustn’t eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of Eden.

God knew that man had sinned when Adam and Eve hid themselves (Gen 3:9). But God had pity on them and did not destroy them. He showed His love when He provided clothes for Adam and Eve. God also showed great love to Adam and Eve after Cain killed Abel by granting them another son (Gen:25).

The earth was filled with people, through Adam, again showing the love of God Adam. The people were sinful in the sight of God. So God was very sad and sorrowful and thought to destroy people off the face of the earth. God showed his love again through Noah, saving him from the flood (Gen 9).
After the great flood, God told Noah to give birth to many people to subdue the earth. This showed that God does not give up but shows forgiveness. Also God gave Noah a covenant to show his great love.

On the face of the earth, the people multiplied more and more but became wicked. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24) but saved Lot and his two daughters from the city, this also showed His great love.

When the Israelites had come out of Egypt, they were to trust in God. God tested their faith in the desert of Sin, when they had no water to drink. The Israelite’s forgot the love of God in bringing them out of Egypt and grumbled at Moses and God saying: “Why have you taken us out of Egypt to let us die in this desert?” God did not give up on his people and he provided them with water to drink (Ex 17:3) again showed great love.

Mount Sinai and talked with God and was given the Law. Moses spent many days there (40 days and 40 nights). The Israelites thought that Moses was dead. They made their own God, a golden calf who they followed. God was very sad at this and told Moses that He would destroy the whole of Israel and make a great nation from Moses. But Moses cried and prayed to God to forgive the people. If God did not have love, he would not have listened to Moses.

Even after the bad report following the exploration (Ex 14:36,37), God merely punished those who offended. On the other hand, when Korah gave bad thoughts to the Israelites, he was destroyed with those who followed him (16:20). But God showed his love by saving the other Israelites.

Above, Garneton ecclesia at Kitwe in Zambia. Below, the Sunday School at Garneton, with teachers Sis Gethreen, Bro Lyson Mubanga and Bro Alex Mytale.

Sis. Gethreen Mubanga and her mother,
Sis. Seneka Mubanga of Garneton at work

Discipline of the Tongue
Bro Mondest Gwademba (Tirika, Kenya)

Every religious system of philosophy or code includes advice on curbing the tongue – what is described in the Christian Bible as “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison”. Here is some guidance for governing this obstreperous troublemaker:
• Avoid lying: only speak words which are truthful and sincere
• Avoid exaggeration: speak with simplicity and truth
• Avoid deception: do not deceive by word, look or gesture
• Avoid evil speaking: practice good will
• Do not listen to, act upon, or repeat an evil story; He who speaks evil of another, cannot find the way of peace
• Avoid idle conversation: learn how to be silent. Do not let the tongue rule: do not talk about the private affairs of others
• Avoid accusation, recrimination, condemnation and raillery: practise forgiveness. Do not condemn those who are not walking on the righteous path, but protect them with compassion
• Avoid frivolous jesting and irreverent speech. Be modest in your works. Gravity and reverence are marks of purity and wisdom
• Avoid fault-finding: practise self-control. Avoid unprofitable arguments. Do not enter into wordy strife even with one who strongly opposes you: let the other have the last word.
• Do not dispute about the truth, but remember that living the truth cleanses our heart. Acquire goodness and practise virtue
• Some might even begin by adopting a vow of silence for one day a week, or for one hour every day.

Pakistani Brethren Visit India

Thanks for your prayers for our visit to India to have fellowship with Indian Christadelphians. We have been to Hyderabad Daccan, Vashkapatnam and New Delhi. The Brothers and Sister from Hyderabad ecclesia were our main hosts and they arranged Bible Truth Camp for nine people from Pakistan.

The group reached New Delhi early in the morning where Brother Anil Sharma, Brother Lucky, and Brother Babu received us at the station and took us to another station where the train was going to Hyderabad. It was a super fast train that took 27 hours to get there.

During the journey we had a nice time and shared the word of God
with each other. We reached Hyderbad next day at 12:05 pm where Brother Ravi and Brother Sandeep received us and they took us to the Mission house. We were welcomed by the Brothers and Sisters there along with Bro Shawn from Canada who was getting married to a sister from Hyderabad. After lunch we were taken to Shunum Home where we had Bible Truth Camp, there were about 50 there. We had a prayer and the children sang and welcomed all those from Pakistan.

The next morning we had Truth Camp and Brother Tim Galbraith facilitated the people to know The TRUTH from the Bible. He had sessions on Bible Truth about God and Jesus; Tabernacle study and personal lessons from its structure.
August 13, 2005, we had sessions on: Man, Death and Resurrection; Bible Truth about God ‘s Promises and the Kingdom; Bible Truth about Sin and Suffering and Tabernacle study.

On Sunday we all went to Hyderabad city where we had the Breaking of Bread meeting with Hyderabad ecclesia. The Meeting hall was full with Brothers and Sisters from different areas. Brother Mathew from Moinabad Home for Children shared the word of God with Brothers and Sisters. The message was translated into different languages including URDU Pakistani language. After that all Brothers and Sisters were invited to Shunum home to share lunch and Brother Ash spoke about the Lord’s work in Pakistan and answered many questions. Bro Tim prayed for Pakistan brethren.

Next day we wenr to the Shunum home where children are studying and they prepared a wonderful program for us. The Pakistan delegation was invited by the Principal of the school to witness the program there. Delphia a young girl from Shonum prepared some wonderful items for us. Bre. Tim and Ash spoke and thanked the school for inviting us.

We went to Moinabad Home for Children where Bro Matthew and his wife and children were waiting for us. There we had a presentation of the home, how the idea was evolved, and working now. After lunch a young man from Hindu background shared how he was inspired and decided to be baptized. He shared his understanding about the Christadelphian doctrines and we also discussed with him and asked some questions to know how much he knew and then he shared why he wants to be a member of the Christadelphian community. It took more than an hour to share with him the word of God and Bro Tim Galbraith baptized him.

A Muslim convert Brother Naeem-u-din, stayed with us and took us around, he was a great help as he was Urdu speaking. So the delegates found no difficulty. We did not feel we were in a foreign country; we felt like we were in Pakistan, said one delegate.

We were able to stay with Brothers and Sisters at Gujwaka and Vashkapatnam. Brother Geddian took us to visit other ecclesias. It was nice to see the children when they were having fun and learning the word of God. Girls who were helping them seemed very active and full of spirit. I got the opportunity to speak to these children and told them how Pakistani children are also learning about the word of God, for instance that Jesus Christ will come to this earth and will build the Kingdom of His Father; when somebody dies he/she is not going to heaven or ‘hell’ but become dust and when Jesus comes he will raise those who are responsible and have been baptized and striven to serve the Lord, and will be the part of the Kingdom that Jesus will build on this earth.

Bro Jacob from Gujwaka ecclesia and I shared the word of God with many people. Brothers and Sisters like interaction very much. I told them that we are divided by man’s geography, but there will be a time when we shall be together in the Lord’s Kingdom.

It was such a nice fellowship, meeting Brothers and Sisters in India. We exchanged our stories with each other and how we all are growing in Truth and helping others to learn and to be baptized. We are thankful to all the Brothers and Sisters in India who helped us financially, for our stay, food, transportation and most of all for our getting together to feel the oneness in the Lord. Please pray for the All Pakistan Christadelphian Church that it grows.
Bro. Ash

Above: Bible Seminar Swaziland;
Below: Swaziland Sunday School

Bro and Sisr Fanuel Sithole and Family

Here in Swaziland I live within an atmosphere of total heathenism. Swaziland is an animistic state as opposed to a Christian one. Those who call themselves Christians believe in magical powers of the Head of State as well as magical powers of their Pastors or Reverends. This type of false faith is obtainable from Catholics down to the Protestant of insignificant description. I have seen a need for adding extra material on the Bible Course for the benefit of Bible students around here, to rid them of all forms of superstitions. It is equally true that the Bible Course here in Swaziland needs to be half correspondence and half face-to-face tuition. There are over 300 students on the Bible Course. False worship here frustrates the spread of the Truth because the majority of students seem to follow our Course for commercial reasons instead of joining the Truth through baptism, hence the need for face-to-face fuition.
Bro. Fanuel Sithole

Denial of One’s Salvation
Bro Brown Silvane (Songea, Tanzania)

I am thankful to have gone through a book entitled, “How Sure Are The Foundations?” The book is written by Bro Colin Badger. The writer appeals to the Roman Catholics on their claim and belief in foundations, which are clearly opposed to the scriptures.
Among many of the RC’s doctrinal foundations that our Brother has narrated are: the authority to baptize, child or infant baptism, immortality of man’s soul after death, advocacy of the Holy Spirit, the Pope’s infallibility, authoritative teaching, exhortation through the gift of the Holy Spirit, etc.

Brothers and sisters, many of us once believed such things, and it is not a surprise if the said foundations are still stuck in our brains. If they are then, of course, they jeopardize our faith in Christ. And because of our indigenous cultures and poor standards, most of us have not been able to abstain from bad things we inherited, but wrong teaching will lead us astray from the TRUTH and deny us salvation.
One among the many beliefs third world community members practice and take for granted is the offering of sacrifices to idols in commemoration of the deceased. Most of the remembered dead bodies are parents and grandparents who are thought to hear and answer prayers after the offering of sacrifices. This is a false dogma. With thorough knowledge many of us take part in feasting on whatever has been slaughtered and offered as sacrifice on the pretext that one is not concerned with the separations. That is very wrong and un-Christian.

If we fellowship those who hate God, He counts us as hating Him. If we fellowship with the darkness of apostasy, we share the same relationship with God as they (pagans) do.

Note that our Lord Jesus Christ ordered the healed Jewish leper to report to the priests (Matt 8:4; read also the law to the Jews, Lev 14:2-9). The covenant we are obliged to observe every Sunday and on whatever day is recorded in Matthew 26:26-28. After the resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ, said to his disciples ”All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…Teach them.to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:18-20). He talks of the AUTHORITY of a new covenant for us to abide by, and to remember that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us for the cleansing of our sins. I appeal to you brethren and sisters who practice this type of traditional blood sacrifice to abstain from it. Stick to the TRUTH.

Forgiveness
Bro Joseph Oppong (Shama Junction, Ghana)

If you are offended, it is important to face the emotions that the offence has left in its wake. Feelings are not sin, and acknowledging the reality of them is not wrong. God already knows exactly how we feel; in acknowledging such feelings we bring them to the surface in preparation for letting go of them. Burying our feelings and denying their reality will cause us to by-pass true forgiveness and even magnify the pain brought on by the offence.

Bringing our emotions into the light of God’s grace makes it easier to look at them clearly and to see where they are leading us, as well as what they are telling us. Once we have acknowledged to God and to ourselves what we feel, the next questions are:

• Will we you choose to forgive despite how we feel?
• Will we wait until we feel like forgiving?
• Are we being sincere with your feelings?
• Are you really willing to allow God to work with our feelings: revamping, removing and restoring it?
• Will we continue wallowing in the pain and the misery of our bitterness to our own destruction (may the Lord forbid)?

When true forgiveness is at work in our lives, the outward extension of it to the offender is practically possible. Without true, wholehearted forgiveness, any impression created in that direction is counterfeit at best, and deceit and hypocrisy at worst. Many times forgiveness does not lead to reconciliation, because the offender has not repented and cannot ask forgiveness. On the other hand, when the offender does ask for forgiveness, it must be given. Jesus said, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says ‘I repent’, forgive him” (Matthew 18:22). “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but unto seventy times seven” (Luke 6:36,37). “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven”. (Matthew 6:14,15). “For if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”. Paul says: “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” (Colossians 3:13). In practice, this would certainly not be easy to do, but it is what Jesus has admonished us to do, and enables us to do, if we truly trust and have faith in him.

By freely forgiving again and again, we model the limitless forgiveness that God extends to us. Forgiveness is a gift that we offer to those who have offended us. We give out the gift; what the recipient does with it is up to him or her. A true gift is offered without any expectation in terms of remittance or compensation. The book of Proverbs as well as the gospel of Matthew reminds us that doing good to our enemies invariably brings the Lord’s blessings.

When we find that we still have memories of the past, we tend to question and wonder whether we have truly forgiven. But forgiving is not the same as forgetting: they are not the same virtue. However, God has promised in His Word that He will remember our sins no more, but He has not equipped us with the power to make that same statement. We can choose not to call to mind our hurts, not to dwell on the past or to be obsessed about what has been done to us. As humans, however, we may not have total control of our memories even though we may be able to let a memory fade away by not dwelling on it.
While Jesus was crucified on the cross he said: “’Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’. And they parted his raiment and cast lots” (Luke 23:34). Likewise Stephen, when stoned, said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge’. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59,60).

Both the Lord Jesus Christ and Stephen, when at the point of death, prayed to God to forgive the sins of the people. It has happened that brethren and sisters sin against other brethren and sisters, and yet they do not pray for forgiveness of their sins. They only show hatred, jealousy and fault-finding.

Joseph’s brethren carried out evil against him, and many years later: “And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said ‘Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil we did unto him’. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying ‘so shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin: for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father’. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said ‘Behold we be thy servants’. And Joseph said unto them, ‘Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me: but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones’. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them” Genesis 50:15-21). Joseph forgave his brethren, as Jesus forgave his brethren. God also forgives us, so we ought to forgive each other and talk kindly and not to speak evil against a brother or sister, for Jesus’ sake.

The more we rehearse a memory, the harder it is to let go of it and its accompanying emotions. Letting go of hurtful memories and feelings requires a daily renewal of the decision to forgive. Even if the forgiveness has actually taken place, memories of the circumstances surrounding an offence in the past may resurface momentarily in our mind. It should end right there and no longer find its way down into our heart as a consuming fire. At this point the offended has been able to completely release the offender and no longer hold anything against him.

May the Lord God greatly guide us all as we have taken that narrow and slippery road to that glorious Kingdom of the Lord. May the Almighty heavenly Father pour out His abundant showers of blessings upon us all.

Just Some Reminders
Sis Ester Worrell (Canada)

The Blessing of Life: We did not work for it. We cannot give it to ourselves and we cannot of ourselves retain it. It is a gift. Then consider the air we breathe to retain this life. We do not work for this vital commodity and we cannot provide it either. God has made this freely available to us. Let us think that if He had entrusted the governments of this world to dispense this, how would the unemployed and disadvantaged manage? Those with jobs would have been taxed to death, literally. Yes, the cost of ‘living’ would have been beyond us. Again we look at the food that sustains this life. The scriptures point us to its source – “For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may provide seed to the sower and bread to the e ater” (Isa 55: 10). The source of our food is therefore directly from heaven, and not, as commonly thought, from man’s skills and technology derived from the energy he obtains from this very food.

The same chapter at verse. 2, brings to our attention the futility of our efforts at survival, when this is diverted from the vital issue of this life, and continuing in vs. 3 urges us to consider the source itself – our Creator - to concentrate our efforts on the way pointed out by Him, in order to fully live and enjoy the gift of life, directly from Him. Taking time every day to track our main thoughts and our drive in our lives would reveal to us if we are on the direct path of life itself, or if we are lost somewhere on the sidelines leading to nowhere.Let us start each day by thanking God for His gift of life, asking Him to help us to perceive His care and direction in this, and for the wisdom and strength to follow Him throughout the day.

Christianity is a Religion of Peace which needs a Peaceful Manner of Dissemination
Bre Aigbosare & Frank Efeiretin (Urhonigbe, Nigeria)

The Bible tells us that before Jesus Christ was finally arrested and crucified, he sent his disciples to continue to preach the good news of God to the world, to every nook and cranny: “Go to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The Kingdom of God is near’” (Matthew 10:6-7). Jesus gave his disciples this instruction to preach because he wanted them to continue from where he stopped, so that at the end no one could say, “I did not hear the message”.

Paul says, “Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the words of Christ” (Romans 10:17). This means that if the good news is not preached to people, they will not hear, they will not have faith. Paul also asks, “How can men preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:15). Here Paul is trying to make us know that, before anyone can become a preacher, Jesus is the one who strengthens or ordains him to do so.

Preaching the gospel peaceably like Jesus did. Further Paul says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15). In Isaiah, we see a similar statement: ”How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of those who bring good news; who proclaim peace …” (Isaiah 52:7). These portions of the Bible no doubt are telling us that those who are chosen to preach the glad tidings should do so in a peaceful manner.

We have heard of some cases when conflicts occurred between some religious preachers and the people they preached to. We have also heard of some preachers of some other religions trying to force people to believe or accept their beliefs willy-nilly. A case in point is that which happened in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, between Muslims and Christians some time ago, which claimed the lives of many intolerant believers on both sides. This happened because the two parties involved were destitute of religious tolerance which abounded in the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 2:23).

Another case in point is that of a Christadelphian martyr, Bro Faris of Kandahar, Afghanistan, who was beheaded by his father-in-law for being a Christian convert instead of a Muslim. This case was reported on the front page of the ‘Gospel News’, in the issue of March/April, 2004.

Paul says, “But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Paul is telling us here that God always makes us succeed in our preaching or evangelical work if we use the sweet and friendly method of Jesus in preaching the words of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are told that we are ambassadors for Christ. Being worthy ambassadors for Christ, having been called to God’s vineyard as labourers through our baptisms by immersion, we should therefore preach the gospel peaceably as Christ did, by avoiding rancour or hurting our hearers’ feelings in the course of our preaching.

Paul in 2 Timothy admonishes us not to quarrel with anybody in the course of our preaching the good news of God: “And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel, instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him must be gently instructed” (2 Timothy 2:24, 25). We are told by Peter of the great tolerance our Lord Jesus had: “When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats” (1 Peter 2:23).

In Isaiah we are advised not to cry or make a noise in the streets, as some other religious preachers do in the name of preaching. We are all aware that during the preaching of Christ and his disciples, they were never heard shouting in the streets, condemning other religions as many preachers do offensively these days. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets ,,,” (Isaiah 42:1, 2).

As Christians, we may have times of storm and unrest. This may be caused by the cooling of your relationship with Jesus. He wants us to be hot in our relationship with him. In speaking to the church of the Laodiceans in the book of Revelation, he said: “I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spue (spit) thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15, 16).If this condition makes Jesus sick, it is no wonder that a man feels as though he is in a storm when this condition exists. It may be that Jesus is allowing a time of testing. He brings circumstances into our lives to show us our direct dependence on him for everything. He may have caused the storm on the sea. Why does jesus allow such times of testing to come on those he loves? He knows that even as Christians, we have a tendency toward sin and selfishness. Even at our best, we cannot live a righteous life in our own strength.

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah said in a prayer: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). We can surely see from this scripture that we must receive our guidance and strength from God. The apostle James says: “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8). Jesus has done so much for us by showing us how to live a life pleasing to God. He died on the cross giving his life as an offering to God for our sins. He has done all he can without forcing us against our will. So, when he comes to our life with tests, don’t do as the disciples did, Cry out in fear, thinking he has come to harm us. Be sure we are in the right relationship with him when the waves of testing come so we can grow in our faith to a closer walk with him. For the disciples, the storm in their hearts was more frightening than the storm on the sea. As Christians we should not let outward conditions affect the peace in our hearts. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee” (Isa 26:3). Another reason Jesus allows testing times to come is to teach us faith, so we can help other Christians in their testing times. The Bible says that God “Comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Cor 1:41).

When testing comes, the Bible has many promises of God’s care. God allowed difficult times in David’s life. Sometimes when David sinned, God worked in his life to bring him to see where he stood with him. Often it seems David allowed his troubles to ‘get him down’. He wrote in the book of Psalms of his struggle: “Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). “How long with thou forget me, O Lord? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” Psalm 22:1).

But then David speaks of the greatness of God being with him and delivering him: “In my distress, I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple and my cry did enter his ears” (1 Samuel 22:7). At another place, David writes: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous”. Now read Psalm 23 to find more of the care God provides.

Remember, Jesus said: “Be of good cheer”. This means “Be cheerful”. Are our troubles too much for us to handle? If they are, we can be sure Jesus can help. He said: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light” (Matthew 11:18-30).When troubles come, “Be of good cheer”. They need not lead to despair. Jesus is more real to us even than our troubles. Remember, he walks on the waves to deliver us. They will pass but he will stay with us. But we are so often absorbed with our own affairs, trying our best to steer straight, anxiously watching the events around us, and allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed.

We may be so taken up with the things around us that we have no time to look across life’s waters to see who is coming through the storm to help us. We must keep our eyes and total attention on the only one who can help us. God said to people who turned from Him: “In returning and rest ye shall be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). Are we always aware of Jesus’ presence with us? Is he really your best friend? A favourite hymn of many is:

“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to hear,
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”.

If your troubles are great, call on Jesus. He will answer and help you. You may want to go to a Christian friend and have him help. He may have had victory over similar experiences in his life. Tell him your problem and then pray together, claiming Jesus’ promises. Jesus said: “Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27). The lesson was left for us all. Whatever our weaknesses, whatever the sins we commit, we could not have a more understanding God, and a more fervent Saviour and mediator. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The paralysed man, forgiven his sins, was able to jump for joy. The realisation of the marvel of forgiveness we received should cause us to end each day happy in the knowledge that we have been so privileged (Matt 14:23).

Consider the Lord when he was a solitary figure, in a lonely place, under a full moon, conversing with God. Alone one can experience a greater frankness and earnestness. It may be that prayer is more effectual when the mind is not encumbered or distracted. “Be of good cheer”. How can we respond to it unless we read and live the word every day? How can God listen to us if we seldom bow in prayer? How can He answer if there is no plea from us? God is more than aware of all that we do. So if there is a solid faith now, with no wavering on the way to Zion, if we live our lives to the glory of God and the praise of His dear Son, he will come back for us. As we come to the emblems of the Lord’s sacrifice, we will think of that surge of joy for us all, as we are welcomed with the words: ‘Be of good cheer; the Kingdom is yours’.

Compare These With The Present Day
Bro Benard Wabene W’Ikola (Lugufu, Kenya)

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh” Matt 24:37-44.