Blythswood News
Number 80 December 2022
WE TRUST IN HIM
So much has happened in three short years – the pandemic, the lockdowns, the war in Ukraine and the rise in cost of living which is affecting us all. Amidst all this change, it’s good to be reminded that Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and we can trust in him.
Be encouraged as you read here about the lives which are being changed by the work of Blythswood Care. In Bulgaria, Nasko and Silvia have learned to read (more). In Zimbabwe, Tariro has gained sewing skills which enable her to support her family (more). In Ukraine, Larissa’s war-damaged windows have been repaired to keep the winter out (more).
Be especially encouraged as you read about lives transformed by the gospel. In Serbia, Katerina is learning to sing a new song (more). Here in the UK Pedro’s life was changed forever through contact with the Invergordon Seafarers (more). In Cameroon, Christian books help Alfred bring Bible teaching to growing churches (more).
Pray with us that more precious lives will be changed for good through the work of Blythswood’s projects and partners around the world, helping people in need and introducing them to the life-saving message of Jesus. And remember, whatever happens, the gospel is for you, too.
James Campbell
Chief Executive
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)
WE TRUST IN HIM
So much has happened in three short years – the pandemic, the lockdowns, the war in Ukraine and the rise in cost of living which is affecting us all. Amidst all this change, it’s good to be reminded that Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and we can trust in him.
Be encouraged as you read here about the lives which are being changed by the work of Blythswood Care. In Bulgaria, Nasko and Silvia have learned to read (more). In Zimbabwe, Tariro has gained sewing skills which enable her to support her family (more). In Ukraine, Larissa’s war-damaged windows have been repaired to keep the winter out (more).
Be especially encouraged as you read about lives transformed by the gospel. In Serbia, Katerina is learning to sing a new song (more). Here in the UK Pedro’s life was changed forever through contact with the Invergordon Seafarers (more). In Cameroon, Christian books help Alfred bring Bible teaching to growing churches (more).
Pray with us that more precious lives will be changed for good through the work of Blythswood’s projects and partners around the world, helping people in need and introducing them to the life-saving message of Jesus. And remember, whatever happens, the gospel is for you, too.
James Campbell
Chief Executive
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD Himself, is the Rock eternal.” (Isaiah 26:3-4)
Literacy programme helped 230 children catch up after COVID lockdowns
Nasko is a clever nine-year-old, full of energy and eager to learn. But when the schools in Bulgaria were closed by the COVID pandemic he was severely disadvantaged. Classes went online but Nasko had no internet at home, and no phone, laptop or tablet. A year ago, Blythswood sponsored a project by Bulgarian
Sewing skills enable Tariro to support siblings at school
Eight months of training in a sewing skills programme supported by Blythswood Care have equipped a young woman in Zimbabwe to earn a wage and support her younger sibling through school. Tariro was still in primary school when her father died of tuberculosis. Soon she found herself helping her mother doing domestic work and even working in
God opened your hearts
A mother who cares for a son with cerebral palsy is able to face the winter with glass in her windows once again – all thanks to the gifts of Blythswood supporters which paid to repair the damage done to her home by the Russian bombardment of Irpin, Ukraine. Larissa was reduced to cooking for her family outside over an open fire in March.
Former atheist shares his faith at sea
It’s not unusual for the same vessels to call at Invergordon several times during the cruise ship season. One crew member seemed especially pleased to receive an English bible at the Seafarers’ Centre in Invergordon Parish Church but it wasn’t until a subsequent visit that he explained why. Pedro* had been an atheist before he
Christian books bring blessing to growing churches in Cameroon
Alfred Chofong has been pastor of a growing church in Ndu in the North West Region of Cameroon. He is one of many Christian workers in Africa and Asia to benefit from grants of Christian books from Blythswood Care. Some books are second-hand, some are unsold stock from our charity shops and some are bought
Working through childhood trauma at Talita Kum
When Vlad joined Blythswood’s after-school programme a year ago he demanded a lot of attention. The 11-year-old and his mother had just moved to Jimbolia from another village in western Romania and he was suffering unresolved emotional distress from learning that his father had died. “His parents separated when Vlad was very
Christian summer camp for the social media generation
Who are you following? Young people in Serbia are as enthralled by social media as their counterparts elsewhere. So it was an obvious theme for the Christian summer camps for young people, run by Blythswood Serbia.“ They all want to follow and be followed on social networks,” says David Armus who organised the camps. “At camp we had a full
‘Your generosity let me go to school’
Cheryl is in her second year of study for a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Looking at her now it’s hard to believe that not so many years ago she was sitting in the dust by the roadside in Rusinga Island, Kenya, and envying children dressed in uniforms on their way to school. Her parents depended on casual work on other
Helping families on the breadline in rural Romania
Rural poverty continues to be a harsh reality for people in Romania, even for those like Agi who manage to maintain a brave face. Her husband is incapacitated by Parkinson’s disease and her son suffers from schizophrenia, making her a full-time carer who must also balance the family budget of 500 euros per month. It’s not a lot for three adults.
Maxim is glad that someone takes an interest in his life
Maxim is 13 and lives with his brother who is 20. Their mother abandoned them several years ago when she went to another village to live with a new partner. Their father they never knew. Left to their own devices they shelter in a tumbledown house in their home village, well off the beaten track among the fields and woods of central Moldova.
Daniel Centre a place of safety for survivor of modern-day slavery
After just one month at Blythswood’s Daniel Centre, on the outskirts of Cluj, Romania, Catalin is well on his way to reaching his first target – feeling safe. “When he arrived, he was very scared,” says social worker Lujza Fechita. “He couldn’t even speak for himself. His sister was speaking for him.” Catalin’s fearful frame of mind resulted from his experience of modern-day slavery
Aanya wants a better future for her girls
When Aanya* was 12 years old and had lost both parents, an uncle sold her into the sex trade in Mumbai for 10,000 rupees. Twenty two years later she is still there and her number one priority is to make sure that none of her three daughters ends up in the same profession. For this reason she has sent the eldest, who is now 14, back to her own home village.
Emergency food aid for flood-hit families
Shamu barely scraped a living for his family by growing maize on land he rented from other people. When June’s catastrophic floods reached his village in Pakistan’s Sindh province, even this precarious livelihood was swept away. With the whole village’s cultivated crops destroyed and livestock killed, Shamu and his family were sheltering by a canal when relief workers from Pakistan Sunday School Ministry (PSSM)
Immediate help and further advice for elderly couple at foodbank
Jim and Isobel* were referred to Highland Foodbank by the Community Care Team when recent increases in the cost of food and fuel left them struggling to get by on their basic pensions. “We gave them the immediate help with food which they needed,” says Lorna Dempster who manages Blythswood’s Highland Foodbank. “We were also able to them in the direction of Highland
New well changes lives of village women
Two hundred families in a village in Andhra Pradesh have access to clean water on their doorstep thanks to a new bore-well sponsored by Blythswood Care and organised by India Bible Literature. Women from Ayyaluru used to have to walk a mile to the nearest municipal supply and return with their brightly coloured water jars balanced on their heads. But the water they carried home was only accessible for a short time
Breathing deeper meaning into music
Katarina Marinković has been participating in the singing school which has been running this year at UMMUS, the cultural centre for artistic and moral development run by Blythswood in Kragujevac, Serbia. “Weekly tuition from the teacher, Magdalena, has helped me to master breathing exercises which really make a big difference
New beginning in Romania for mother with two young children
When the factory in which Isabella worked closed down, two months after the Russian invasion, it wasn’t a surprise. But it did confront her with a difficult choice. With two young children to support, and divorced from their father, she need the income to survive. A notice on social media about a refugee centre in Sibiu, Romania, gave her the opportunity to remove her family to
Traumatic journey for family fleeing to Moldova
The decision to flee from home in time of war is always traumatic, but especially so when one of the family suffers from disability. With their 11-year-old daughter Polina in a wheelchair, it was only at the last minute that Sasha and Nastia decided to evacuate their family from Kherson. By that time Russian soldiers were already in the city. They bundled their children into the car and set off for the Moldovan border, but were stopped by
Some stay, some move on: helping Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria
Oksana, a law professor from Odessa, is teaching a kindergarten class for Ukrainian refugee children in Bulgaria, having left her home city for her own safety. She and her son escaped along with Alina and her daughter when Blythswood’s partners from Bulgaria delivered a minibus-load of humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian border, and were able to offer the women and
It’s about people: Alan takes on UK projects and Shoe Box Appeal
Twenty nine years ago, at Christmas, Alan Swanson wrote a cheque on behalf of his church, for £1,500 to pay for medicines for an orphanage in Serbia. He didn’t realise it then but it was the start of a new direction in his life which was to take him all over Eastern Europe. “That led me to visit Serbia with Oak Hall in 1994,”
Banffshire team show commitment to Shoe Box Appeal
Blythswood’s support group in Buckie was set up by Eric Smith and a group of friends in 1994. When Eric passed away in 2009, George Flett stepped forward to make sure that the group continued. “I had been impressed by Eric’s commitment,” George says. “By then I was semi-retired and I had the time to do it.”
Your time can be a blessing to someone in need
When a friend at church told her that a charity in Ballyclare was looking for someone to work in their office, Michelle Gault wouldn’t have guessed that it was the start of a life-changing commitment. But 21 years later, the County Antrim grandmother still makes time to volunteer for Blythswood Care, and especially when the Shoe Box Appeal is under way.
Meet Blythswood’s Trustees
Left to right: Jeremy Ross, David Laing, Carole Gordon, Lorimer Gray, Pamela Lyall, Richard McCallumMeet Blythswood’s TrusteesJeremy Ross is minister of Dunfermline Free Church and previously worked for Blythswood in Glasgow and Evanton. His late father, Rev Jackie...