Daniel Centre

Balazs will now release Roxana on Thursday at the end of her 45-day trial period, the other staff members agreeing that she does not have the right chemistry for the position.  Sergiu, the night warden, has been very distressed about his mother who has mental issues, went missing at the weekend, and was found 150 miles away at a railway station by the police.

The sale of their Cluj depot has not completed and Balazs has still to finish his report for Christian Aid on his work with the Ukrainians in Romania.

He and his wife Agnes spent 4 days with Blythswood CEO Jeremy Ross and his wife Fiona visiting the Cornerstone Project in Navi Mumbai in India which provides afterschool care for the children of prostitutes. They also visited a fledgling church there in the slums.

Balazs will visit Serbia next week with Jeremy, Finlay and Alan Lawson who are all trustees for Blythswood’s work in that country.  Balazs would like Blythswood to sponsor the Theological Faculty there which prepares young Roma Pentecostals for ministry to their own people. 

 Talita Kum

Adi is in good form and does not want to give up teaching the TK1 children himself, so they are currently well-staffed.  The Blythswood shops are also doing well in Jimboliya in support of the Talita Kum projects.  Adi is apparently well-skilled at handling the inspectors who periodically visit charity shops and look for reasons to fine them.

We’re thankful that Fraser is much better and now has a way forward to correct an almighty mess a college made trying to upload catalogue data to a new library system. His laptop is still just about hanging together. Pray that he and the other NetAct leaders can replace it very soon as his computer is threatening to die at any moment.

Thank God for the enthusiasm and desire to learn and change that Dawn encounters during the prison Bible studies. Pray for the men as they encourage others to come and meet Jesus and as they face up to the difficult changes they must make in their own lives and attitudes.

Ashley is making enquiries in the next area regarding the community/gang restoration course. Pray his message and our offer will be well received, that opposing forces will be negated and that God will lead us to a receptive place. Pray against the darkness and violence seeping through many aspects of life in many community areas.

Pray for the men hanging around the streets who are sort of interested but weren’t brave enough to sign up to face themselves and change.

Ruth hit her head on a marble counter on Friday and has been suffering from concussion ever since.  Thank God she’s in a place where medical care is readily available and has friends who are helping take care of her.

Steadfast Global, 29^th March 2024

Uganda:

A Christian evangelist was abducted from his home in the village of Nakitiku on 8 March and later killed by Islamic extremists infuriated by his street preaching ministry. Kiisa Masolo’s (45) body was found the following day with a note written in Arabic stating, “We had warned you not to convert our Muslim brothers and sisters to Christianity, but you failed to heed to our warning. This has finally cost your life.”  

India:

Police have failed to act following a report of an attack against a Christian family in Chhattisgarh state. On 6 February Ayatu Ram Podiyami was accosted by a group of Hindus who demanded that he return to Hinduism. After he refused a 250 strong mob gathered at his home causing him to flee into the jungle. Six days later the mob returned and after he again refused to renounce his faith, he and two other family members were beaten.

Iran:

Middle East Concern have requested prayer for Iranian-Armenian pastor Anooshavan Avedian (61) who is serving a ten-year prison sentence in Evin Prison, Tehran.  Pastor Avedian commenced his sentence on 18 September 2023. The case against him stems from a raid on a private Christian gathering during August 2020.

Daniel Centre

Balazs has doubts that Roxana, who has been taken on in place of Louisa as a carer for the young men, really fits the bill and will probably release her at the end of her 45-day trial period.  He requests prayer for this decision.

They still await a completion certificate to complete the sale of their Cluj depot as the project manager had lost the necessary papers that he had to submit.

Balazs has finished his 6-monthly reporting for Christian Aid, but it has become increasingly demanding for him and for his Ukrainian partners.

2 of the lads, Ionuz and another, have now been expelled from the Daniel Centre for drug use.  Another of the lads, Julian, who works with Ionuz at the fire department of a local store, reports that Ionuz is giving the Daniel Centre a bad reputation there by his continuing drug use.

Balazs, the new Blythswood CEO Jeremy Ross and their wives fly out via Munich on April 7th to visit Cornerstone in Mumbai, India for 4 days.  Also with Jeremy, he hopes to visit Serbia and perhaps the 2 Roma churches in Bulgaria in late April.

Talita Kum

Adi had become fairly stressed by having to do his share of teaching at Talita Kum in Jimboliya.  He has now found a part-time teacher, however, who has helped to lighten his load.  He is still running remedial work for half a dozen older girls in Talita Kum 3 though no building work is envisaged for that programme yet.  Several of the TK3 girls have now found part-time jobs.

Thank God for the men in Maximum and Medium A who are using their time to study the Bible and deepen their relationship with God. One man in Medium A lamented the wrong teaching and motives apparent in some Christian teachers and preachers who hold sessions in the prison. They look on the men just as prisoners, not realising that a lot of them spend time studying, praying, and learning and can recognise dodgy teaching when it’s in front of them.

Thank God that despite 40C heat, two committed and appreciative men came to the first Restoration group on Monday. We’ve offered those who signed up, but didn’t make it, a chance to catch up by running an extra first session, but they didn’t appear.  The two men who came have both got jobs (a good thing) that occupy them in the afternoons. We’ve had to close the first group and instead we’re giving the women a chance. There is such a need for change in the community and perhaps the women will be the key.

Fraser had a tough week fighting off the infection from his tooth abscess and has had the tooth removed. Pray for our stamina.

One of Fraser’s correspondents is completely untrained and inadequate and keeps asking for Fraser’s help, pays no attention to his solutions, and then asks the same questions repeatedly. Pray that Fraser would be able to set boundaries while still being patient with the person.

At church on Sunday, a member of the congregation from Mbekweni (a township adjoining Wellington) asked for prayer because middle aged men come systematically from Cape Town to kidnap and rape women and girls from the township.

For an unknown reason our water supply was cut off, but it came back on very quickly.

Steadfast Global, 15th March 2024

Algeria:

An appeal hearing has been set for 26 March in the case of Pastor Youssef Ourahmane who was sentenced to one year in prison and fined the equivalent of £580 on 27 November 2023, after being convicted of organising an unauthorised religious assembly and conducting worship in an unauthorised building.  

 Pakistan:  

An accusation of blasphemy led to the arrest on 6 March of 18-year-old Christian student, Ashbeel Ghauri in Attock city, Punjab. Ashbeel, who is a devoted Christian, was accused by a former Muslim classmate of disrespecting Islam and Islamic teaching during a WhatsApp discussion two months ago. Prior to his arrest, Ashbeel told his parents that some Muslims in his class had been pressuring him to convert to Islam.

 China:

Last week we had the good news of the release of Pastor John Cao after completing his seven-year prison sentence. Following his release, Pasto Cao spoke of his time in prison in an inspirational statement transcribed by China Aid. His story is prefaced by this remarkable testimony of God’s love and grace:

 “I have been separated from you all for seven years, but these seven years have been filled with joy, filled with God’s grace, and everyday God’s special presence has been with me. Truly, even though I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for we know that the Lord Jesus is with us, and brothers and sisters are with me too!”

Fraser’s Kenyan visa application has been approved and he travels next week.  He has identified a server problem and put a temporary work-around in place. He needs to balance the competing claims on his time and clear his in-tray before his trip to Kenya.

May the men in the Maximum Bible study learn about dealing with conflict and put it into practice as necessary.

The first ocarina lesson at Drakenstein Maximum was very well received. Ten men were delighted with their new instruments and Dawn’s not seen as many smiles from men and even passing warders in Maximum before.  In a place of so much darkness, fear, cruelty, selfishness, misery, and despair, thank God for this opportunity for light, joy, sharing, and creativity.

Bad acoustics, accents and quiet voices can make it hard to know what men are saying in Maximum and Medium A as Dawn tries to respond appropriately to them.

Wiekus in Maximum was being tormented by a man in his room.  He now praises the Lord and thanks everyone for their prayers – things have changed in ways he couldn’t have imagined. The man has become more considerate. He even asked Wiekus’ opinion on a film to be shown on the room television. He then admitted that he’d enjoyed the Christian film. Now Wiekus has no desire to move cells, instead seeing fresh opportunities for relationships and witness to unbelievers in the room he’s in.

The Gang Restorative Justice orientation/finding out meeting is on Monday next week. The first day proper will be Thursday.  May lives be changed – God is preparing the way, pray Dawn and Ashley won’t let him down.

Steadfast Global, 23rd February 2024

Vietnam:

A Vietnamese Christian was given a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence on 26 January after being convicted of ‘secession and incitement’ for holding prayer meetings in his house. According to local media reports, Nay Y Blang (48) who is a member of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, was denied access to legal representation during the hearing.  

China:

The trial of ten Christians accused of illegal business operations in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia finally concluded on 8 January. The charges stem from the resale, at a loss, of Bibles purchased from the Three-Self Church. One of the accused, Wang Honglan, spoke in court and while admitting giving away Bibles, she denied that she had committed a crime. The prosecutor is seeking a sentence of at least 5 years for Honglan and others.

Pakistan:

Christian man, Fanson Shahid (56) has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of blasphemy on 26 January. Mr. Shahid, who is from Lahore, was arrested in March 2022 after he was accused of making derogatory remarks about the prophet of Islam on social media. His family are seeking help to lodge an appeal against the sentence.

Uganda:

The parents of four young children were murdered on 2 February in an attack believed to have been motivated by their recent conversion from Islam to Christianity. According to neighbours, Twaha Namwoyo (38) and his wife Nadiimu Katooko (27), were killed outside their home in the village of Bulalaka by a group of people who were heard talking in both Arabic and the local language.

Daniel Centre

Balazs had just returned on Sunday from his trip to Kenya with James Campbell on his final visit there, so had not yet caught up on Daniel Centre news though Dani reported no major issues during his 10-day absence. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury is due to visit their partners in the Ukraine, Serve Now and Light of Reformation, in coming months as titular head of Christian Aid.

They are due to sign the contract for the sale of their Cluj depot tomorrow, 24th January, at the lower end of the price they were asking.

James Campbell had accompanied Balazs for good visits to Sargy and Pamoja school and orphanage projects in Kenya as part of his farewell months as CEO of Blythswood.  The two schools have now been granted provisional accreditation to open intermediate years 7, 8 and 9.  Sargy was rated top of 40 schools on the island of Rusinga.

Balazs then continued, on his own, to visit the Worldwide Outreach Christian radio station in Burundi that Blythswood supports, and which supplies coverage to Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania as well as having a Health Centre in Burundi, mainly for HIV sufferers.

Talita Kum

Being just back from Africa, Balazs had not yet had an update from Adi in Jimboliya.