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Love and greetings to all.

Wow, another 2 months have passed. Time is fleeting and may it continue to fly by as we await the return of our Lord. The last 2 months have seen us spend a lot more time in Hyderabad than has been the case over the past 12 months. It has allowed us to focus on family priorities, such as schooling, and also gave us an opportunity to help organise a Bible Week at Vijayawada.

A Further Weekend Trip to Vishakhaptnam

During late August we again travelled to Vishakhapatnam. This was a follow up to a previous trip and we intended to meet up with Bro Bailey to discuss some requests for baptisms that he had passed onto the Mission Office in Hyderabad. Unfortunately many of these requests could not be dealt with as the contacts were “out of station” or sick. However one of the contacts was available and after a confession of his faith Mahesh was baptised. He is a young man, in his 20’s, married with children. He is a labourer earning wages from occasional work. The message of the gospel appealed and now he is our Brother! Please remember him in your prayers.

Vijayawada Bible Week

Last week, 22 – 27 September, more than 350 ecclesial members and their family members from coastal Andhra Pradesh met for a week of fellowship at the annual Bible Week at Vijayawada. The overall theme of the week was “…they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength…”. The talks were based on, “The eight signs of John” (Bro Mike Page, UK), “Job” (Bro Justin Bevan, UK) & “Nehemiah” (myself).

The camp was held at a school were people were accommodated in class rooms and where the beds were simple mats on the floor. Many chose to sleep outside in the relatively cooler air.

It was a wonderful week, meeting many Brothers and Sisters that we hadn’t seen for 12 months, building new relationships with Brothers and Sisters that we had never met. Unfortunately, for many, this is the only time they meet other Christadelphians outside of their local ecclesial areas. For many, it is the only time in a year where they can listen to a Brother who has been in the Truth for more than 10 years. This is a real treat and privilege for those who can attend and we cannot underestimate the benefit that they receive from this. Again, if you are able to come and spend time with our younger ecclesias and build relationships with them you will find it an extremely rewarding experience.

We think it was the first Bible Week in Andhra Pradesh that Bro Tim and Sis Sarah Galbraith were unable to attend. Bro Tim Galbraith was in Australia speaking at a Bible School and Sister Sarah stayed in Hyderabad to meet Christadelphians arriving into India. For many of our members attending the Bible Week this was a little odd and took some time for them to adjust to.

With much love in Christ
Malcolm & Suhasini Scott

The main meeting room at the Vijayawada Bible Week
with an abundance of eager Brothers and Sisters

Brethren leading the hymn singing before a study

Children performing during the Sunday School
presentation evening