Greetings from Cape Town

Dear Team,

Greetings from Cape Town! We are delighted to be back ‘home’ in Africa once again and eager to get on with the ministry God has opened for us here.

At the end of last month it was my privilege to speak at a Reformation Conference observed here each year. Somehow, in America, we seem to have forgotten about the Reformation and the dramatic benefits it brought to Western civilization. Instead we observe Halloween, which is a celebration of witches, death and other evils. It’s amazing how quickly a nation can forget its roots. Harriett has written an essay on this.

Dr. Adrian Ban is on the threshold of discovering a new direction for his ministry in Romania. These are wonderful days of leaning on the Lord and waiting patiently for His clear direction for the next step. Your prayers for Adi and Ema and their fine boys will be very much appreciated during these days of transition. More details later.

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of Anthony Duncan’s ill-fated trip to Angola. He was our good friend and his story inspired my first published book, Angola, By The Back Door. We still have a modest supply and I’ve asked Kristi to send a complimentary copy to everyone who sends a gift (of any size) to ITMI this month for whatever project or missionary. It’s our way of saying “thanks” for being a vital part of our Team!

Several of you have asked us about Darfur in Sudan. The media is making a big thing of it. US Secretary of State Colin Powell used the word genocide. Certainly the situation is bad and we do not wish to make light of anyone’s suffering, but lets keep things in perspective. The war, waged by Arab banditry on horseback, has killed 50,000 people and driven 1.4 million from their homes. Compare that with almost 3 million killed in Congo’s war and 2 million Christians killed by Muslims in South Sudan.

Darfur is the western-most region of Sudan. It is approximately 700 miles from north to south and 300 miles wide. The population is predominantly Muslim and black. These Muslims do not wish to live under Sharia law (who in their right mind would?), but their Arab masters in Khartoum want to impose it upon them. Now enter the UN.

The Oil for Food scandal in Iraq has brought to light the utter corruption of the UN and now we discover that France, Germany, Russia and China were in bed with Saddam, and on the take as well. No wonder they did not endorse the Iraq war.

Darfur is a distraction to give the UN an excuse to extend its life a little longer to provide humanitarian aid that was unnecessary to begin with – aid which American taxpayers will underwrite. The UN’s concern is limited to Islamic victims. Where was their anxiety for the Christian victims in South Sudan, Rwanda and Burundi? Remember folks, the UN profits from peoples suffering, why would they want to ameliorate it?

Please remember me in prayer later this month as I have opportunity to preach the Word in Malawi. I’ve never been to that country, but I’ll tell you about it later.

Yours in His grip,





Bill Bathman