Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Greetings from the Island of Malta in Jesus' name. My name is George Ebejer. I am the one who is responsible for the church of Christ in Malta. Malta is 98% Roman Catholic. My wife and I have been Christians for 25 years. (You can refer to The Christian Chronicle/September 1984, under the heading of Malta: twelve members struggle, and the Gospel Advocate, August 1, 1985, p. 457 under the heading, Good I Have Seen the Bible Do, by Hugo McCord for more information about me).
I am sending this e-mail to ask, if you please, for your help. We need financial help to print tracts in Maltese and to spread God's Word in Malta. The church of Christ here has only 13 members and we are the only congregation here in Malta. it is very difficult and very hard to convert people to Christianity. Catholicism is very powerful here and people are afraid to change.
The church in Malta was planted by American missionaries about 26 years ago. When I became a Christian, a few months after, the American missionaries were asked by the Maltese authorities to leave Malta without giving them any reason. I went to talk to some people and they advised us that the best thing to do was for them to leave Malta and then come back after a week or so. This was what they did but when they came back they were held at the airport and not even were allowed to talk to us. they were sent back on the next flight.
The two of them, together with their families, were put on a black list and it was impossible for them to enter Malta again. After trying for many times and for a long time, I made another appointment with the Commissioner of police to try to make him change his mind about them and erase their names from that lists telling him that they were not criminals but gospel preachers. Then, on the 10th April, 1995, I received a letter from the commissioner telling me that they can visit Malta only for 15 days. Every time that they came, they were kept at the airport for hours to be checked. Then, after writing again to the commissioner of police, I made another appointment with him, and after I talked with him, I received a letter from him on the 10th April, 1995, telling me to tell them that they can visit Malta any time they wish. (If you wish to see the letters sent to me I can e-mail them to you). The names of the missionaries are: Eugene Van Noord who is a preacher at the Church of Christ at Cameron. They send to me $300 every month to help me with the printing of tracts. But $300 are not enough. Things cost a lot and though $300 help they are not enough to print tracts and to buy cartridges for the printers and photocopy machine and paper to print on. I am sure that you know well how much these cost. Their address is this: Gary & Susan Fuchs, 1502 N. Davis, Box 81 Cameron, Texas 76520. Gary Fuchs is the treasurer. The other missionary was Elmer Bell Jr. He went to work in Russia and I do not know were he is living right now.
From Oklahoma, brother Hugo McCord visited us three times. (See the book entitleled "The enchanted Kight -- The Life Story of Hugo McCord," by Earl I West, on page 148, where he mentions the church in Malta). Hugo was of great encouragement to me and if you can contact him he will tell you about our need. His address is this: 11625 SW Vacuna, Ct. Portland, OR 9721 (503) 244-7885.
As a Christian, I had to face a lot of persecution from the Catholic Church. I was a teacher (I retired last May). Some years ago, after talking with a Catholic priest about certain subjects of the Bible at the school were I used to teach, and he could not answer me, he made one of the parents of my students to make a written report to the Director of Education saying that I was teaching their son a different doctrine from that of the Catholic church. I received a letter from the department were I was asked to answer to a disciplinary board called Public Service Commission. This board is the highest authority in Malta. When the chairman of the board asked the parents of my student why they made the report, they told him that the priest made them do it. The priest, when he was asked to enter tried to do all he can to make me lose my job as a teacher. I was given a reprimand and told not to talk about religion anymore.
Another time, after I took a two year course at the University of Malta to receive a diploma in Guidance and Counseling and I finished the course successfully, I was appointed to be the Guidance teacher of the school were I used to teach. The spiritual director of the school, who was a Catholic monk, when he got to know that I was a Christian and not a Catholic, made a report to the Education Department and I received a letter telling me that I cannot continue with my duties as a Guidance teacher. I lost a lot of money and I was transferred to another school.
My wife, Carmen, after she became a Christian, her parents told her not to visit them any more and not to say that she is their daughter anymore. she was very close to her parents and you can imagine what that meant to her. They even took off her name from their will. Both of them died after some years and she was not on their will.
My son, William, had a girl friend who was going steady with her with the intention to get married. As soon as her parents got to know that he was not a Catholic, they did not let her meet with him and they had to stop meeting together.
Once we rented a large garage to use it as the church building. I put two small signs on the large door, one in English, Church of Christ, and another in Maltese, Knisja ta' Kristu. When my wife and I went on Sunday morning to prepare for the worship service we found out that someone had removed the signs and intead he or they painted a large sign all over the door which read, Church of Satan. We had to remove it with kerosine.
These are some of the persecutions that we have face here. We need all the help that we can get from brethren like you. We have no other brethren like you here. We have no one to go to. If you can help us, please do. If you cannot and you know some other congregations that can, please tell them about our need. I wish that some of you can visit us some day and see for yourselves our needs.

My home address is this:
George Ebejer,
24, Sqaq it-Torri,
Cospicua,
MALTA, CSP 03.
Tel. 21898270.

In the directory of the churches of Christ on the internet you can find the church in Malta, too.

I thank you in advance, please remember us in your prayers and may God bless you all in His many ways.

Your brother in Christ,

George Ebejer.