Dear Youth,

“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge” (l Corinthians 1:3–5).

In my last letter to you I announced the Far Eastern Youth Congress to be held in South Korea, May 4–9, 1999. Many of you, I gather, could not attend for various reasons. Those who attended were richly blessed. The manifestation of the Lord’s presence was clearly evident in the response to the appeal to live for Christ. It was indeed a convention to be remembered for a long time. The theme “Walk With God as Enoch Walked With God,” gave inspiration and assurance that we can all have the same experience. The subjects such as “Righteousness by Faith,” “Conversion,” “The Experience of Transformation in the Image of Christ,” “My Peace I Give Unto You,” “Overcoming Self,” and many others brought warm responses to the hearts of many young people. Workshops were indeed of great benefit, since the opportunity was given all to actively participate. The South Korean youth leader told me, “From now on this is the way we will conduct our youth meetings.”

Another wonderful benefit that we all enjoyed was the almost nonstop praising and singing to the Lord. If you wish to hear very wonderful singing then you must hear our young people in South Korea.

I personally thank the Lord for the great blessings I received. Brother A. Balbach also came and shared with me in the presentations. Brethren N. Brittain from Australia and N. Chang from Japan came toward the end. Their contributions were of great benefit to all. We also had three young people from Japan who, according to their words, had “a most wonderful experience.” The young people in Korea are planning to have “more of such meetings.” You may be hearing from them.

And, now, regarding the last World Youth Convention before the next G.C. Session later this year: In my last letter I asked you to send me suggestions as to where you think we should have this meeting. Not many replied, but most that did, responded that Hungary was the place they favored. Some said Italy. In the past, quite a number asked for Italy. However, there is difficulty in obtaining visas, especially for those from Eastern Europe. That is why I personally believe Hungary is the best, since it is accessible to all. Another important factor is that the Hungarian brethren have already sent us an invitation to hold a youth convention there. They do have good facilities for the meetings, and they have promised to find good accommodations.

In view of this, I now INVITE all of you, or as many as possible, to come to Mogyorod. Most of you know where Mogyorod is. The dates for this youth convention will be August 16-25, 1999.

The year 2000 is fast approaching, and this will be the last World Youth Convention before the new millennium begins. We do not know what the future will bring. We do know, however, that the final events are very rapidly taking place. The signs are telling us that the Lord is coming very soon. We need to be prepared for the great work before us. The Lord is calling us to be His coworkers in carrying the everlasting gospel to all the world. Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled in our time. Do you believe this? We need to arise and shine to reflect the image of Christ in our lives.

I have just returned from Japan where I was very impressed with our brethren’s zeal for the Lord. They have made a rather bold plan to distribute one million pieces of literature this year, and there are only thirty of them. How many members are in your Field or Union? If you have four times this number, then you can distribute four million leaflets per year. Think of this, how quickly the world would hear the message if we all would “arise and shine” (Isaiah 60:1).

This letter is an invitation to you to come to this Congress to hear and study how each of us can be missionaries for the Lord. We will also dedicate at least one day to spreading the good news in Hungary.

Some of you have been to Mogyorod. Here is the telephone number so you can contact the brethren there if needed: +36-36-36-7506. This is the number of William Toth, our young people’s leader in Hungary. He is a very fine brother—not only a brother in Christ, but also a valued friend of mine. He loves working for the Lord, and he wants to see as many as possible come to the Congress. You can also contact me at the above address, or call me by phone.

Those of you who can pay the cost per day, it is US$14. This is all inclusive—food and accommodation. Those who cannot pay, we still ask you to come. Do not stay away because of financial reasons. Your costs will be subsidized. You may pay as much as you can. All are welcome to come!

The theme for the Congress will be: IT IS THE TIME, based on Psalm 119:126. Some of the topics will be:

• Prophecy Speaks for the Last Days

• Can Practicing Sinners Enter Heaven?

• Will You Receive the Seal of the Living God?

• Tell the Good News

• Christ’s Righteousness

• Are You Being Cleansed in the Blood of the Lamb?

• He Can Keep You From Sinning

• Walking With God — What Does It Mean?

• Arise and Shine (Christ’s Character Reflected in Us)

If you have any other themes you would like discussed, please let me know as soon as possible, and we will include it in the program.

I personally look forward to seeing many of you in Mogyorod, and I trust that the Lord will bless you.

You brother and friend in Christ,

Brian Jaksic