Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons – February 15th 2023 – Update

by Robert MacNaughton

Ashley is a former drug dealer and gangster who used to be a great recruiter for evil but is now a recruiter for Christ.  He works with Dawn in the prison ministry and also reaches out to those who live in his neighbourhood who still are chained to drugs and crime.  He makes a sustained impact on those to whom others would have difficulty getting through.  Please pray for his renewed relationship with his daughter and for his physical needs as he has no income apart from a small government allowance.  Pray that he would trust in God to supply what he needs and keep him speaking the truth to the lost and ex-inmates.

The postponing of Restorative Justice dates has already started.  Please pray that we will manage to run some RJs in the Boland area this year.

Fraser is setting up an action plan to assist Mukhanyo Theological College in South Africa to organise a new library catalogue.   The college is not part of NetACT but has multiple campuses and local learning centres across South Africa.  Anything that leads to better theological education helps increase understanding of the gospel in individuals and congregations.

Fraser has been working on some changes to the NetACT portal, to make things run more efficiently.  The changes should make it easier to keep the information in the portal current.  Pray that this would lead to more colleges throughout Africa using it in 2023.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood – January 11th 2023 Update

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

Balazs and the Chief Executive Officers of Christian Aid and the UK Disaster Emergency Committee will visit the relief efforts in Odessa in the Eastern Ukraine for one night – visiting from Chisinau in Moldova with increased insurance because of the war.

Julien and Cipri’s departure has been further delayed until January 29th by plumbing problems in the apartment.  Damian’s rental delivery scooter and the bigger one requires a driving licence which he doesn’t have, so he is currently driving illegally. 

Two of the residents have had to leave because of drug use, including Danny who had been doing well at his studies but had put them on hold to earn money in a delivery service.

Government funding has increased fourfold for the Daniel Centre for 2023 and they expect to have 7 lads resident, including Robi who has asked to return.

Balazs has tentative plans in his new role to visit Kenya, Serbia, Burundi and possibly Mumbai with Blythswood Chief Executive James Campbell who is due to retire this year.

Talita Kum

Government funding has been doubled for Talita Kum for 2023 which should help with heating costs.  There have been no new developments on purchasing a portion of the empty ground behind TK2 for a sports field for the children.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Fund – No updates so far for January

by Robert MacNaughton

Iraqi Christians were victims of IS war crimes

Barnabas Fund, 8 December 2022 (excerpts)

Iraqi Christians were victims of war crimes committed by Islamic State after the jihadists seized around a third of the country in 2014, investigators reported on 1 December.

The United Nations team said evidence collected in Iraq supports preliminary findings that Islamic State seized Christian-owned properties, looted and destroyed churches and subjected believers to sexual violence, forced conversions and enslavement.

The team has identified leading IS members who seized control in August 2014 of three predominantly Christian towns in the Nineveh plains.

Islamic State was officially declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year reign of terror.

An estimated 75% of Iraq’s Christians (around 1.5 million in 1990) have left the country in the last 30 years because of anti-Christian hostility and violence.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – December 21st 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

Balazs will have the Chief Executive Officers of Christian Aid and the UK Disaster Emergency Committee going with him to visit the relief efforts in Odessa in the Eastern Ukraine at the end of January – Balazs’ first visit to that part of the Ukraine.

Julien and Cipri have delayed their departure to share an apartment until January 2nd.  Damian’s attitude has now improved and he is working 12 hours a day on his delivery scooter. 

The present group of Daniel Centre residents are much more positive about celebrating Christmas than many of the former residents and are looking forward to a Christmas dinner in the Centre as well as one in the home of Balazs and Agnes.  Danny will come to the Centre exceptionally on Christmas Day to take the lads to church.

Talita Kum

Adi still hopes to move all the TK1 students to TK2 from January to save on heating costs.  They are still seriously considering purchasing a sizeable portion of the empty ground behind TK2 that would serve as a sports field for the children.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – December 21st (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Iraqi Christians were victims of IS war crimes

Barnabas Fund, 8 December 2022 (excerpts)

Iraqi Christians were victims of war crimes committed by Islamic State after the jihadists seized around a third of the country in 2014, investigators reported on 1 December.

The United Nations team said evidence collected in Iraq supports preliminary findings that Islamic State seized Christian-owned properties, looted and destroyed churches and subjected believers to sexual violence, forced conversions and enslavement.

The team has identified leading IS members who seized control in August 2014 of three predominantly Christian towns in the Nineveh plains.

It has also started collecting evidence on crimes committed against the Christian community in Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul.

The 26-page report also updated the team’s investigations into attacks on the Yazidi community and other minority communities.

Islamic State was officially declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year reign of terror.

In February 2022, factories, shops and parcels of land seized from Christians and Sabeans were restored and given back to their rightful owners.

An estimated 75% of Iraq’s Christians (around 1.5 million in 1990) have left the country in the last 30 years because of anti-Christian hostility and violence.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons – December Update 2 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Two men in Maximum had asked Dawn for one-to-one chats.  Michael, at 57, deeply feels the mistakes of his past.  He has a desire to know Jesus more closely but lacks reassurance.  Pray he’ll understand the hurt his actions caused his children and how that affects their attitudes now.  He’s been a smoker for decades and longs to be able to give up as a testimony to others.

Pray for Howard to be able to control his tongue and learn to deal with conflict in a Jesus-way.  He has a sentence of 65 years but thanks God he’s in prison as that’s where he met Jesus.  Pray his wife Shannon will come to know the Lord and his two young daughters will be protected.

Pray for all incarcerated men over December and most of January as there will be little outside spiritual input.  This is a time when darkness thrives in the prisons.

Dawn was able to host a small but profitable end of year gathering for the Boland Hope Prison Ministry team. 

She flew to the UK on Monday.  Thank God that her train journeys are falling in between strike days. 

Fraser is enjoying his time in the UK and being able to reconnect with people.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – December 6th 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

In his new Blythswood capacity, Balazs has been visiting the Divine Grace University in Moldova, a Blythswood partner there, and also to meet up with Ukrainian partners since the Christian Aid security advisor has told him not to visit Ukraine directly for the time being.  The University also functions as a mission school and training college for nurses and social workers with many students from the Stans of the former USSR.

Julien and Cipri prepare to leave the Centre later this month to share an apartment.  Damian has been back in the Centre for a week but his attitude has not improved and he may be expelled again. 

Blythswood has received a further “winterisation” £450,000 from Christian Aid which has to be spent before the end of February for generators, fuel, wood-burning stoves etc.  The communities themselves have to decide how to use the money under the SCLR initiative (Survivor Community-Led Response).

Talita Kum

Adi has paid the final bill to the Romanian body of EU funding for cancelling the TK3 and TK4 project for the time being but was able to do it without having to pay a fine, thus leaving open the relaunching of the project at a future date.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – November 30th 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Approval granted to 125 churches in Egypt

Barnabas, November 22, 2022

The government of Egypt licensed 125 churches and church-affiliated buildings on 14 November.

It is the 24th batch of approvals made since the government committee overseeing the licensing process started work in 2017.

The decision brings the number of churches granted licences to 2,526 out of the 3,730 that applied for registration after a Law for Building and Restoring Churches abolished Ottoman-era restrictions on church buildings in 2016.

At the committee’s previous meeting in April, members approved 239 churches, their largest batch.

To obtain a licence, churches must prove land ownership and comply with structural and safety regulations, including the provision of fire extinguishers.

Before the committee started work it was extremely difficult for churches to obtain a licence and many congregations had no option but to worship illegally in unlicensed buildings.

In 2018 the government permitted Christians to worship in unregistered buildings pending the completion of the licensing process.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – November 30th 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

At Drakenstein Maximum Bible study Walter, a long term resident and regular Bible study attendee, objected to another man sitting beside him, got up and sat by himself at the back.  Dawn reminded him that, as a follower of Jesus, you are to forgive anyone who offends you.   Walter returned to his seat.  Later in the class he apologised to the other man.  That took – strength and humility. 

Ebrahim in Maximum says he’s innocent and it often leaves him very depressed.  His wife believes and supports him.

Teswill in Medium A is quietly evangelising, particularly with Smee, a senior general in the 26 prison gang.  The Holy Spirit seems to be moving in Smee’s life.  Pray for wisdom for Teswill as he relates to Smee.

At the year-end events in Maximum and Medium A, many men came to individually thank Dawn and Hylma for being there all year.  They delegated a man to give public thanks and a letter including thanks to our husbands for their support, assuring them we’d be looked after if there was any trouble.  Another man, very talented in art, gave each of us an original work of his.  At Maximum, Dawn played 3 carols with men of the guitar group and the rest of the men singing along.  It was quite something.

A prison officer wanted to talk to Dawn one to one for counselling.  They have a very difficult job with great strains on their family lives.  Thank God she is there to listen, maybe another great opportunity.  She returns to Maximum next week for one-to-ones with 3 men and hopefully a proper chat with the officer.

Fraser is still trying to get the latest NetACT journal issue published before he leaves for the UK.  He travels to the UK on Thursday.  He is in the Dingwall area from 5th-21st December.  He flies home with Dawn on January 18th.