Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

News From Our Mission FieldsLarnaca, CyprusApril 2, 1971Dear Friends,In these busy days we may all sympathize with the8th grade student who submitted this very original versionof Psalm 103 on a recent test: "Who redeems all thydistractions." Yes, in these days of so many distractionswe are thankful our God is over all and can and does setright our forgetfulness and many mistakes.Frequently when it comes time to go to bed wewonder where the day has gone, as one necessary jobcomes riding in on the back of another and yet thereseems so little tangible to show in the way of souls broughtinto His kingdom.One of the things I have found very helpful andprofitable for my own spiritual life is the adult SabbathSchool in Larnaca. The average attendance is about eightrepresenting four different nationalities, but thankfully allone in Christ. Until Mr. Thomas Edgar left he taught theclass. Since then different ones of us have led in turn. It isrefreshing to sit and be taught since as a rule we, as Bibleteachers, are continually giving out.One of those who takes his turn teaching is Mr.Savva. Another joy we have had this winter is getting toknow Mr. and Mrs. Nick Savva well. They began comingto church last year when Mr. Savva was asked to translateRev. Paul Wilson's sermons into Greek. Now they arestudying for church membership. Mr. Savva has a goodjob in the English base of Dekalia, about twelve milesaway. He is a Greek Cypriot but has studied in England.Mrs. Savva is from England but has lived in Cyprus mostof the time since they were married about nineteen yearsago. They have three daughters; the younger two attendour Academy. The family attend church, and SabbathSchool faithfully and the parents never miss a Thursdaynight prayer meeting. All of us especially appreciate his bilingualability and often ask his opinion on a certain verseor word in Sabbath School. He translates the Sabbathmorning sermon each week which I should think entailsseveral hours of preparation each week, as he writes it allout.Rev. T. M. Hutcheson fills quite a few of his hourseach week training different ones, including Mr. and Mrs.Savva for church membership. I do not know just howmany expect to join our church when communion is held•nearly May but I think five will be prepared from Nicosiaa "d Larnaca. How thankful we are to God that at last asmall crack is appearing in the adamant that hasPrevented Greek people from desiring to join our church.MAY \ 1971As you know we are living in Larnaca this year andKen is filling in for Mr. Thomas Edgar as principal of theAcademy here. We were sorry to leave the apartment thathad been our home for ten years in Nicosia (Wilsons arenow living in it) but are coming to like living in a housemore and more. I'm especially enjoying having a plot ofground large enough to raise flowers, which grow all yeararound here. I find it good relaxation too.I haven't found the stores in Larnaca as good asthose in Nicosia and we still do quite a little of our groceryshopping there when called there on business. That isnatural, however, for Nicosia is four or five times as largeas Larnaca and is the capital. Also, I'm sure if I'd live herelonger I'd find where to buy more of the things I need.This winter one of the freshmen came to me andasked to meet to discuss problems. She brought anothergirl and we began discussing the plan of salvation, etc., butafter she had overcome her shyness she said she hadaccepted Christ and then still later, since Christmas, shesaid, "Do you know why I'm not a Christian?" I tried tokeep my mouth from dropping open for I'd been praisingGod that she now was. She went on, "Because I'm from acommunist family." As you have doubtless heard there is agreat deal of communism in Cyprus and Theckla's familyseems to be one of that persuasion. So lately in our weeklymeeting we've been trying to point out how communismdenies Christ and what the result is for believers in Russia,etc. It has been very revealing to me to hear herarguments (no doubt supplemented by her family betweenmeetings) to the tracts, etc. I've given her to read. Lastweek she had been reading excerpts I'd copied from thebook, "Tortured for Christ" by Wurmbrand. I felt it reallyspoke to her heart. I hope you have read it, too. So far shestill doesn't admit that she is a Christian (although she is anominal Greek Orthodox) and she needs your prayers.Since this is a boys' school, in the main, we findmuch greater emphasis on sports than in Nicosia. Severalof the boys I teach in the 8th and 9th grades have admittedto me that they got better grades before they got so interestedin football (soccer.) In December our school hada day of sports with the English school and we won themost points for the different games. In March we had asecond day and were beaten, but not too badly. Then lastSaturday we had what they call the Shield Sports. Thiscompetition was started in 1914 and has continued eachyear ever since. We lost by a score of b4-5>2. The shieldsports includes running, jumping, relays, discus throwingand the shot put. Tomorrow our school goes to Nicosia fora similar day of sports but this time Melkonian Institute,an Armenian school, will join in the competition. Nicosia