Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – September 14th 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

All the Daniel Centre lads are hanging it at work and they will possibly re-open their transit apartment to ease Cipri into independent living and move Julian there with him as Julian has been having his own problems in the Centre.  Damien, who had to leave a year ago because of issues with his dog, is now begging to return.

Louisa has begun to struggle over the lack of progress in the young men, her expectations of her colleagues and the honeymoon period now being over.  She has been considering resigning but  Balazs hopes that time with their team psychologist will help Louisa get through this rough patch.

The older Ukrainian lady in the Centre apartment had to be hospitalised and operated on as she was losing blood.  Her two daughters in the Ukraine and a third daughter and her sister in Romania sadly show no interest in her.

Balazs has been slowed down in wrapping up his report on how the first phase of Christian Aid money was used in the Ukraine because the four partners in the Ukraine have been slow and problematic in the way they have reported to him.

Talita Kum

Adi is still seriously considering having to relocate the TK1 children to the TK2 building because of the anticipated costs when the heating and lighting of the buildings have to be ramped up at the beginning of October.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – August 31st 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Christians challenge Indian anti-conversion law

Barnabas Fund, 22 August 2022 (excerpts)

2 Indian Christian organisations have launched a formal challenge against the anti-conversion law in Karnataka.

The court issued notice to the state government on 22 July, requiring a response within four weeks.

The petition argues that the anti-conversion law infringes on a person’s right to convert from one religion to another for any reason they choose.

Furthermore, the ordinance places the burden of proof on the accused – the person alleged to have caused another to convert – rather than on the prosecution.

Finally, it argues the anti-conversion law is not compatible with India’s constitution, which enshrines freedom of religion.

The government of Karnataka issued the anti-conversion ordinance in May 2022.  An ordinance is effectively a temporary law that lasts for six months.

It states that a person wishing to convert from one religion to another must inform the district magistrate two months in advance.  The magistrate will then investigate the reasons behind the conversion.  Failing to inform the magistrate can result in up to 3 years’ imprisonment for the one wishing to convert, and up to 5 years for the one helping them.

A permanent anti-conversion law may subsequently be passed at the next session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, though the date of the next session has yet to be announced.

10 other Indian states have anti-conversion laws that prohibit conversions through force, fraud or allurement.  Extremists often interpret any evangelism as unlawful.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – August 31st 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser may well get a lift to attend the NetACT AGM in Pretoria in late September, without having to persuade airport authorities to allow him to fly on a visa waiver. 

Though his laptop needed a complete re-install of Windows for Stellenbosch University IT department, it only took him a day to do this and be back up and running again.

He hopes to launch a new simplified version of the library resources portal at the AGM and needs to get the last technical issues sorted by then.  He has also been asked to do more data cleaning for the new Volmoed Retreat Centre library catalogue.  Pray he can schedule his time appropriately.

Dawn has completed the follow up of the March Allandale Restorative Justice programme.  The Paardeberg and Obiqua men have engaged with the process and have already started changing their behaviour and attitudes. 

Dawn has met two Drakenstein Medium A parolees at Hylma’s church in Cape Town.  Thank God both men are eager to continue in God’s way.  Pray that they’ll find jobs.

She now has a fluey bug, maybe picked up at Drakenstein where several inmates have had it. Pray for a swift and complete recovery and patience in the meantime.

The students say the Explore course run by the George Whitfield College in Muizenberg – such a good foundation – really helps them understand the Bible and Christian faith.  Pray those taking the exam will do themselves justice as they’ve worked hard on the material.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – August 31st 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

Danutz has now found work, so all the Daniel Centre lads are employed. 

The Renovation of the Depot is still being delayed by lack of people on the work force.  Many workers still leave Romania to seek their fortunes in Western Europe.

Only one older Ukrainian lady is left in the Daniel Centre apartment and she speaks only Ukrainian.

Balazs now begins his intense fortnight of wrapping up his report on how the first phase of Christian Aid money was used in the Ukraine.  Most of the internally displaced people (IDPs) have been housed in schools over the summer months.  Now that these schools are re-opening for the new academic year, all of these IDPs will become homeless and the challenge is now on how to best channel the Christian Aid money to help them.

Talita Kum

Expecting 77 children for their after-school activities when schools open again on September 5th, Adi is seriously considering having to relocate the TK1 children to the TK2 building because of the anticipated cost increases in heating and lighting the buildings.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – August 17th 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Mozambique Islamists behead 2 Christians

Barnabas Fund, 5 August 2022

Islamist militants beheaded two Christian men during an attack on a minibus in northern Mozambique.

The attack took place on 30 July in Macomia district, Cabo Delgado.

The killings were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) of Mozambique, known locally as al-Shabaab.

A statement bi IS-Mozambique declared, “By the grace of God Almighty, the soldiers of the Caliphate … killed two Christians, beheading them, and shooting them with weapons.”

Islamists gained effective control of an area of Cabo Delgado in 2017.  The province has since been termed “the Land of Fear” owing to brutal violence meted out against both Christians and moderate Muslims.

Mozambican and Southern African Development Community forces had started to drive the Islamists back in late 2021.  However, the Islamist insurgency now appears to be spreading.

In June 2021, IS-Mozambique claimed responsibility for the “beheading of several Christians” in Cabo Delgado.

Another was beheaded during a raid on a Christian village in the neighbouring province of Nampula.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – August 17th 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser has got the library catalogue for NETS Namibia working properly.  His re-organising of Hugenote College’s online learning system is now complete and library catalogues for Mukhanyo Theological College and Volmoed Retreat Centre in South Africa are progressing.  He has also been asked to preach at our Wellington church on two consecutive Sundays.

The Paardeberg and Obiqua Restorative Justice prisoners have just completed their final follow up sessions with Dawn.  Please pray for the man who has to decide whether to destroy his arsenal of weapons when he is released. 

The family of a man in the Medium A Bible study has agreed to visit him after 9 years.  He is nervous about the questions they will ask but he wants to tell the truth. 

A man in Maximum, though a believer in Jesus, is plagued by suicidal thoughts, probably no coincidence as 20 years ago he was into the occult and Ouija boards, with cracks the enemy can exploit, yet he never abandons his children.  A believing cellmate encourages him and points him back to promises in the Bible. 

Pray for the Hope Prison Ministry leaders and God’s vision for the future, for Ruth as she applies for grants to fund her two-year church apprenticeship and for James as he continues to look for a job. 

Please pray we would receive our new visas soon.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – August 17th 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

All of the Daniel Centre young men now have jobs except Danutz who is physically handicapped.  The three young men in prison are inside for 1 year and 9 months but could get 25% off for good behaviour.  Soreen, who has been relocated to another prison at his own request, is still in regular touch with the Daniel Centre and would like to come back there on his release. 

The second phase of Christian Aid money for Ukraine, starting in early September, is to be channelled through Balazs for Blythswood.  Balazs then has an intense fortnight of wrapping up his report on how the first phase of the money was used.  Most of the new money will be distributed to internally displaced people as cash rather than as goods.

Talita Kum

Adi is preparing for the schools going back in at the beginning of September and expecting 77 children for their after-school activities.  They will be keeping 4 girls who now have reached the end of TK2.  About 90% of the children they look after are from the Roma or gypsy community.

Barnabas, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Barnabas Update – August 3rd 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Religious freedom rolled back in Sudan

The prosecution of 4 Christian converts from Islam under an apostasy law abolished 2 years ago confirms concerns about the Sudanese government returning to Islamism.

The 4 young men now face the death penalty in line with Islamic law.  The apostasy law was abolished in 2020 by the reforming government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. 

Sudan gained independence from joint British and Egyptian rule in 1956.  In 1983, Colonel Jaafar Nimeiri, imposed full sharia law, declaring Sudan to be an Islamic state.    

Under Omar al-Bashir (1989 – 2019) sharia was enforced, and the Christian minority suffered fierce persecution.  Conversion from Islam to another religion was made officially punishable by death.

Sudan is one of the few countries where the death penalty for apostasy is carried out.  In 1985 an Islamic theologian, convicted of apostasy after a 2-hour trial for urging a more liberal interpretation of sharia, was hanged 10 days later.  In 1994, two tribal Christian converts from Islam were crucified.

Reforms by the transitional government in April 2019 raised hopes that Sudan was moving towards a “new era”.

After calls by Islamist groups, however, the new government was removed in a fresh coup in October 2021.

Now it seems that the reforms that had improved the lives of Muslim-background believers are being rolled back.

Jacksons, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Jacksons Update – August 3rd 2022 (excerpts)

by Robert MacNaughton

Fraser had a very productive meeting at the Volmoed Retreat Centre on their new library system.  Things are going well for his re-formatting of the NETS (Namibia) library data to make it transferable from their old to a new system.

The elderly parents of a man doing Restorative Justice follow up sessions at Paardeberg have received a phone call saying their son would be killed in prison if they didn’t pay money.  Pray that the culprits would be found.

It would make things easier if Dawn had a South Africa ID number.   With our volunteer rather than worker visas, there appears to be no possibility of getting one.

Ten years ago, on August 2nd, 2012, we left the UK to go to Nigeria and start a life serving God overseas.  There have been plenty of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, fun and danger and a lot of hard work, but throughout it all God has been faithful.  

When anyone asks, “How long will you stay overseas?” our reply is always, “Until God moves us on.”

Thank God for the way he’s watched over James and Ruth through a somewhat unconventional childhood.   James is praying for a job.   Ruth has been accepted onto the 2-year apprenticeship at the Tron church, Glasgow.

Blythswood, Mission Partners of Castle Street, Missions

Blythswood Update – July 20th 2022

by Robert MacNaughton

Daniel Centre

Robi is not keen to stay long with the supermarket.  Soreen, the most positive of the prison 3, asked to be relocated to another prison to be away from Alex’s negativity.  He is in touch with the Daniel Centre and would like to come back there on his release. 

An older Ukrainian lady and another younger lady and daughter have moved into the Daniel Centre apartment but the older is making life difficult for the younger one.

The first phase of Christian Aid money to three mainly Baptist NGOs in the Carpathia, Odessa and Ternopil areas of the Ukraine is set to finish at the end of August.  The second phase then begins and £1 million of Christian Aid money will be channelled through Balazs for Blythswood over the following 12 months.  The process is becoming less hectic but there is still a lot of pressure on Balazs.  They are adding a new freelance consultant in London with a lot of experience in these areas.

Talita Kum

Adi is preparing for the children’s summer camps but has had a visit from someone responsible for the use of EU funds in Romania who has told him that no funding will be available for TK3 and TK4.  So this project has been terminated by the mutual agreement of Blythswood and the EU funders so that the relationship remains good for possible future funding.