November, 2024
Dear Friends,
We are coming near the time of Christ’s return as we see the events unfolding in the world around us. Some would say that events are always unfolding and we cannot know when Christ’s coming is near. The one concrete evidence according to the scripture above is that now Jerusalem is no longer trodden down of the Gentiles as the Jews have been ruling over Jerusalem since 1948. That is something new that has not happened for over 2,000 years. Let us be ready for his soon return.
BRAZIL
We were able to send out the Spring edition of The Fundamentalist in September. It still is sent out in a digital format to email addresses, and hard copies by the post office with 3,000 sent all over Brazil. For the first time we had trouble sending money down to the printer. They are now requiring a live ID to wire funds, and it was not easy to do that, but finally we got it done.
This time our journal has the 10th and final installment of Dr. LeRoy’s pamphlet on our Protestant Heritage and providentially, the 10th and final installment of our long article on the Received Text and Bible translations. We ran also a front page article, pictured here, entitled “Fanatics or Defenders of the Truth”, written by Scotsman John Kennedy of the 19th century. It could have been written yesterday as it talks of how defenders of the truth are often seen as fanatics. Lord willing, we will discuss the other articles of this issue in our next prayer letter in January.
CAMEROON
In August, Edou Emmanuel, the vice moderator of EPCO (The Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Cameroon) with which we worked in Cameroon, was visiting in the US. We arranged to meet at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC and we had a nice visit. On the left is a picture of him, his wife, Ira and me, on the street of a recreated Nazareth in the museum. On the back page, we have also enclosed a picture of actual sling stones from the siege of Lachish in the time of Hezekiah that are in the museum. They are the size of baseballs.
While we were together, Edou asked me about books for Cameroon. I ended up sending him two boxes of books while he was still in the US, which he was able to take back in his baggage. We have had problems getting books to safely arrive in Cameroon by the post office without getting detoured or stolen.
USA
We are continuing our circuit preaching at Marcus Hook, Kingsville, and Collingswood, and also continuing to have a gospel tract ministry as we go door-to-door in Marcus Hook and Kingsville. We were able to get a better car for the circuit as our daughter was selling her old car.
Ken was elected moderator of Faith Presbytery this year, and so he preached at their fall meeting in Collingswood. We also attended the American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC) meeting near Pittsburgh in October.
Our son Luke and his wife Moira had their second child, born in Tampa just before the hurricanes. She is named after both of us: Kensley Iracema Olson. Praise the Lord that they, along with Mark and his family, made it through the hurricanes with no real problem. Our granddaughter, Leah, is doing well although she continues her treatments for cancer. So please continue to keep her in prayer.
Thanks again for all your prayers and support.
In His service,
Ken and Ira Olson