Baltic Bible weekend, April 2007
With joy we report another very succesful Bible weekend held in Latvia. Bro. Philip Worsnop from New Zealand gave 6 one hour studies on Solomon, and there was a good attendance of about 50 brothers, sisters and students of Bible Basics. We're delighted to report the baptism of five people, who have all been in contact with us for some time: KRISTAPS, ANDREJ, STANISLAVA, VALENTINA and BRONISLAVA. This time we had the talks in three languages.
Photo: Phil giving his talks in English, Duncan translating to Russian, and brother Raimonds translating from Russian to Latvian
Our attendees become more studious every time- nearly everyone takes notes, and several commented that they will look up all Bible references again when they return home. Bibles are increasingly well marked, and we rejoice at the great growth of the Truth in this land.
Photo: Sister Stanislava at the breaking of bread after her baptism
These Bible weekends are a vital lifeline for so many elderly and isolated folk who have nothing else in life apart from the Truth and the Hope of resurrection at the Lord's return. We really do need your help to enable them to go on. We'd like to write about our sister Austra, for whom these gatherings mean just about everything. She's 84 years old, with very poor sight and hearing. Her neighbour reads her the details from the invitation, as she can't see to read very much now. She is very grateful that she spotted the newspaper advert for Bible Basics and studied the doctrines of the Gospel whilst she still had the sight to read. She walks some way to the bus stop from her isolated home, gets a bus to Riga, somehow gets from the bus station to the railway station, gets the train to the Bible School, and asks people to guide her to the Bible School venue. This time a stranger ended up taking her in his car from the railway station to the venue as he felt so sorry for her.
She's 84, her son is dead, and she has absolutely no relatives and nobody much to help her. For years she has lived on what she can grow on her land, but that's now hard for her.
Here she is showing Bro. Phil her beehives:
- and thankfully pointing out the shed where she stored the Winter firewood assistance
She sleeps on a sofa, on her son's old coat, using a chair as a table from which she eats. Although she can't read it now because of poor eyesight, she keeps her beloved Bible at her bedside, carefully preserved throughout the long years of Communist darkness in this land:
One legacy of the Communist system has been the breakdown of family life and relationships- the state used to care for people from cradle to grave, but now that's not the case, and people like Sister Austra are left totally alone.
She grows flowers, and here she is presenting some early tulips to Sis. Miriam Worsnop:
The loneliness of such lives is hard to describe. Recently Sister Austra with her own hands buried an old neighbour, because nobody else could bother. The hope of Christ's return means everything to her, it really does.
It's hard to know how to concretely assist here- the thought of leaving her land is terrible for her, and yet she does need assistance, and she can't really live on her tiny pension, so without being able to grow her own food, life is really hard- and things like clothing and medical needs are all extras which it's hard for people like her to meet. It's a wonderful, matchless thing, to have been able to impart to this dear old lady the hope of life eternal. She is totally realistic about everything as she shows you round her place- "Well I'm not going to bother painting that again, not only can I not see to do it right, but I won't be here much longer, you see I've got to die, sleep, wait for Jesus to return, then be resurrected, then the judgment, and then the Kingdom, and I will be back here again"- she says, so matter-of-factly.
Austra is only one of many in similar situations throughout the former USSR- please pray for our efforts to try to help them all, and please support materially as you're able.
With love from your brothers and sisters of CCM