Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, June 06th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Talita Kum

Over 1000 Romanian children have been provided with a place to learn, with nutritious food and with showering facilities at Talita Kum since it opened in 2001.

Like many of the children, Ramona was a shy girl, living with her grandmother on a low income and had no-one at home to help and encourage her in her studies. 

At Talita Kum, she discovered a gift for writing.  She produced the script for our musical show Esther and went on to take the lead role!  

She was able to finish secondary school, successfully passing her exams.  Since the clothes industry is big business in Romania, her training in leather and textiles will help her find work locally. 

Daniel Centre

Blythswood have five shops in Romania which help to generate income for the Talita Kum and Daniel House projects.  Castle Street also contributes each month to these projects from our Mission Fund. 

Teams from Culloden, Inverness Royal and Millburn Academies head to Romania this month to help run camps for young people there. 

Pray that the Scottish students will be inspired towards a lifelong commitment to serving others for Jesus’ sake through their summer experience.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Jacksons – May Update 2

Fraser is thankful that Hugenote College, rather than Stellenbosch University, has formally agreed to host the server for the NetACT portal.

Dawn has been made welcome to help with a homework club run by another church which has at least thirty children attending each day. 

Thank God that we’re getting a day of rain most weeks now.

Thank God that no one was hurt on May 12th when our house was broken into – laptops, credit cards and Dawn’s driving licence were stolen.  Please pray for their speedy recovery.

Fraser discovered that two memory sticks with all his backed-up work were also stolen.  Nearly all his work from the last 6 months has gone.  Pray that he will find better ways to redo the work he’s lost.

Dawn had previously arranged to attend a Restorative Justice course, and will now do so with her own personal experience of the effects of crime upon victims!

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Vigilance required by Christian minorities

 Barnabas Fund, 10 May 2018

The United States recently announced that its embassy in Israel moves from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as from Monday 14 May 2018.

There has been widespread criticism of this move, especially from Muslims. It should be noted that Ramadan starts this year on 16 May, which often sees heightened tensions and violence against non-Muslim minorities.

Previous triggers have generated significant Islamist violence against others around the world, especially against Christians and Christian buildings. Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have often paid the price.

 Rushdie’s publication of The Satanic Verses novel, and the case of the satirical cartoons in Denmark come to mind.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, May 16th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Blythswood – May Update 2  

Talita Kum

With your support, a 12-year-old girl is working hard to make up for years of missed primary education.  When she was six, Andreea’s family moved to Italy and none of their children was ever enrolled in school there.

 By the time they returned to Romania, Andreea was severely disadvantaged.  She didn’t know how to read or write and was left very shy and withdrawn in the company of other children.

Talita Kum, where she receives a cooked meal and has access to hot showers and clean clothes, is now helping Andreea make up for lost time.  Since joining Talita Kum last summer, she has not missed a single day at school.

Daniel Centre

Following the death of his father, Adrian wanted to be able to take care of his mother and brother who has special needs, but poverty forced him to give up education.

With little education, getting or keeping a job is a real challenge but, again thanks to people like you, he is now taking a different path.

He is learning life-skills at the Daniel Centre and has discovered a talent for cooking.  As his confidence has grown, he has found a job at a bakery.  Adrian’s dream – to be a football coach – is now looking more achievable.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update, May 4th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser has travelled to Zimbabwe.  There seems to be a law in Zimbabwe outlawing unlicensed journalism which extends to photographs. Fraser doesn’t want to fall foul of this law and end up in a Zimbabwean jail, but he’s been asked to take photos. Pray for wisdom.

Pray that he’ll be able to make an accurate assessment of the situation and needs, resulting in benefits to Murray College, NetACT and theological education in Africa. Most importantly, that God will be glorified.

We moved into House Louise on Hugenote College’s Samuel Campus last Wednesday and it feels as if we’ve truly arrived at last.

The homework club still has no participants, which re-emphasises the importance of personal contacts. Another homework club, run by a different church, started about a year ago for pupils of all ages.  Perhaps God’s plan is for us to get together.  Pray for clarity and contacts.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update, May 4th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Conditional release of Hadi Asgari from prison

Barnabas Fund, 19 April 2018

After a harrowing 19-month detention, Hadi Asgari, a Christian convert from Islam, was released after posting bail on 11 April.

Hadi was arrested in August 2016 when security officials interrupted a gathering of Christian families. He and pastor Victor Tamrazare are appealing ten-year sentences for “acting against national security”.

Fellow Christian convert Amin Afshari was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on the same charges.

Hearings are now expected to take place in late April or early May.

Local sources confirm that Amin and Hadi remain firm in their faith despite facing ongoing pressure to convert back to Islam.

Adult male converts from Islam are punishable by death according to sharia law in one of the countries of the world where the Islamic death sentence for apostasy is officially available, although it has not been used since 1990. 

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, May 4th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Talita Kum

Give thanks for more than 1000 children who have been given a place to learn since Talita Kum first opened in 2001.

Please remember in prayer James Campbell, the CEO of Blythswood, as he will be in Romania from now until May 29th.

Daniel Centre

Give thanks for more than 120 young men who have been helped to rebuild their lives at the Daniel Centre since it first opened in 2000.

Pray for the continuing impact that such young men will have in their communities and in the future church life of Romania.

Also remember Blythswood’s five shops in Romania which help to generate the income required for the Daniel Centre and Talita Kum projects.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update, April 18th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Talita Kum

Talita Kum is Blythswood’s after-school programme in western Romania, first opened in 2001.

“Izaura came from one of the poorest Roma families in Jimbolia, facing every disadvantage in her education. Both parents were illiterate and, seeing little value in education, were late in enrolling their children in school.

Her father was abusive, violent towards his children and his neighbours, and spent some time in jail.

In spite of everything, Izaura did well at school. And this she attributes to the help she received at Talita Kum.

Adrian Popa’s ambition has been to improve the life chances of the poorest children in his home town of Jimbolia.  He observes that the rate of early school leaving fell from 45% in 2009 to just 1.5% in 2017. 

“The TK programme means better people.  The youngsters who go through the programme really add value to their community.”

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update, April 18th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

Deteriorating health of Iranian Christian prisoner

Barnabas Fund, 12 April 2018

Naser Goltapeh, a Christian convert from Islam imprisoned in Iran, “might lose all of his teeth if he does not receive immediate medical attention”.

Naser was kept in solitary confinement for two months, while undergoing a gruelling interrogation. After sentencing, he was sent to the notorious Evin prison to serve a ten-year sentence on 20 January 2018.

In July 2017, he was during a secret police raid on a church meeting and convicted of assembling in an “illegal gathering” that “threatens the security of Iran”.

Similar accusations are often made against Christians active in ministry in Iran, especially in churches of converts.  An appeals court upheld his 10-year term on 12 November 2017, making the sentence final.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update, April 18th 2018

by Robert MacNaughton

The NetACT portal looks fairly certain to be hosted here at Hugenote College, giving Fraser more freedom to organise it, but less technical support to call on.  Thank God that the server room will be on the same campus as our new house.

The NetACT partner colleges have now been asked what they would like to include on their course reading lists.  The partners gather for the NetACT AGM in July. 

The Study Centre in Cape Town seem likely to give Fraser permission to use their system and web-design for the NetACT portal.  This would save NetACT having to employ a professional company to do the technical build.

 Pray for the homework club which starts on Thursday.

 Pray for justice and mercy to make amends for the centuries of exploitation and inequality in South Africa.

 The imam in Nigeria who came to believe in Jesus through InReach has died after a short illness.  He remained firm to the end in his new knowledge of God.  Pray that many who knew him will be curious as to why he left Islam and will themselves come to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.