"We are not slaves to the flesh, says the Bible..."

Dear Christian Friend,

"We are not slaves to the flesh," says the Bible. "Ye are not servants of sin. Ye are free, bought with a price."

That passage is in my mind because it is carnival time, Tiempo de Carni'al. You American gringos don't know much about either the carnival or Lent. In Latin and other Catholic countries it is important.

Lent is the time for suffering, self denial and penance, the forty days before the crucifixion. The carnival is the time just before Lent begins, in which everyone can let himself go, indulge in the lusts and orgies of his baser nature. "Let himself go; get it all out of his system."

The other religions of the world have ceremonies, rites, feasts and abstinences of every conceivable kind, very religious, but only Bible Christianity has a Saviour with power to free carnal man from the slavery of those lusts. We are bought with a very high price, the precious blood of Jesus. Amen!

The parades of the Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the Mummers in Philadelphia may go by different names but the baseline is the same. They are dancing in the streets with immoral, suggestive or openly pornographic characteristics designed to work everyone up to a high passion and then a night of orgies and indulgence.

Where there have been strong evangelistic revivals, there follows Catholic reform. So here in Guatemala there are no longer immoral displays in the streets. Whatever sinning is still indulged in, is carried on privately behind closed doors, and many of the Catholics preach against it, and hold serious services in reverence to their Saviour. One notes in history that there has been Catholic reform in most countries where there was first a Reformation break followed by Protestant revivals. Nowadays the term Protestant means little since it includes even the dead modernist, God-is-dead churches, but in former days Protestant usually meant Bible salvation with a willingness to suffer all kinds of persecution. Today we use the term evangelical, fundamental, or Bible Christian.

While some countries then are having Bible revivals both inside and outside the Catholic Church, in the US the immorality is growing ever more bold and more unrestrained. Pornographic stores never allowed before are wide open and wide spread. Times Square, generally regarded as the heart of the center to be visited by every tourist, has become the center for sex perversion. Is that the heart of New York City now?

We rejoice in being able to report of the great changes in Guatemala through the merciful work of the Lord here, and your faithful prayers for us through the years. We thank God for the Catholics who testify to a renewal, those who call themselves Christians more than just Catholics. They explain the difference between penitence and repentance. Where before they had repeatedly done some penance for sins they repeatedly committed and knew they were going to continue repeating, now they tell of the power of Christ to make a change in the wicked heart of man and give victory over sin after sincere repentance.

There are many here, both Evangelical and Charismatic Catholics who are praying for the United States. They feel a love for it and a debt of gratitude, for in other years it was a great example of Christian Democracy and morality, and then after that, the religious source of Bible truths and their salvation. Now they see the growing immorality, increase in drugs, free love, and crime and are joining with you praying Christians for a powerful revival that will check the sinful downward trends.

We all thank God for the good evangelistic meetings and campaigns still doing their work in the hearts and lives of people there. We keep thanking God for the many, many wonderful Christians all over the US who are dedicated to the Lord, who have sacrificed to send the Gospel to other peoples in other countries.

May God answer your prayers and our prayers joined with yours that God answer all our prayers, tears, and sacrifices by checking the downward immoral fall of the United States.

To you who wrote, interested in the children's work, we can report it continues without diminishing. The donations have continued about as great as before. To our projects of such as milk and shoes, we added helping children who wished to go to school, with some necessities, cooks, etc. Here the school year opens in January.

Thank you for your interest and prayers in me personally. I am feeling fairly well and strong, really victorious over the way the merciful, loving Lord has given grace and ability to adjust to my blindness so that I can be as happy as over and also accomplish just as much of the mission work as ever. May the Lord repay you for your loving prayers and interest, answering all your own prayers for you and yours.

Sincerely,

Orland Wolfram

P.S. I showed in a former paper the similarity of God warning the British Empire at the time of the tragedy of its proud Titanic steamer just prior to World War I, and the US losing its shuttle on its special recent flight. One is also reminded that Germany lost its much publicized dirigible airship on its maiden trip just prior to the outbreak of World War II, which ended in the Third Reich falling in fires, bombing, death and defeat. Is this a coincidence, or is God warning the US in a dramatic way just at this time? I am not able to research out the exact dates, but I should be interested to know just how many months elapsed between the Titanic catastrophe and the outbreak of World War I, and also the time between the Hindenburg catastrophe and World War II.