About Alfred E. Bouter
"Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1)
I was born in Rotterdam, towards the end of the second World-War. Through God’s grace, I was brought up in a Christian family, in a village near Rotterdam, the oldest of seven boys and two girls. My parents left the church where they had grown up, after they had received assurance of salvation. Despite pressure of their relatives, they identified with the Lord through water baptism and started to remember Him upon His request. They had great love for the Lord and for His people (i.e. all true Christians) as well as for His earthly people, the Jews, because “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). They taught me to love the Lord and His Word, His people (both earthly and heavenly), as well as God’s truth about the local assembly and the Church as united with Christ in heaven, while at the same time showing love for people around and reaching out with the gospel. I was saved when I was nine and had the assurance of salvation at 13, but only at the age of 17, I made a real commitment to follow Christ as His disciple. After having completed high-school, I was trained in business administration and various languages. Besides lessons learned in military service, I also learned many practical things in the family business and spiritual lessons in the local assembly, children’s work and through personal and regional Bible studies. I always had wished to learn the languages of the Bible, Hebrew and Greek, but since my father wanted me in his business it took a few years before I was able to take some courses in those languages ... and they still fascinate me. At 19, I met my wife-to-be in Switzerland and we got married when we were almost 24. The Lord gave us six children who, through God’s grace, became believers at a young age, five of who are married; now we are praying also for our twelve grandchildren.
After a call in 1981 to serve the Lord in French Canada, we arrived in Nova Scotia in April 1983. In July of that year, we were able to settle in Hawkesbury, Ontario, to be involved in the Lord’s work in there and beyond. I also got involved in the distribution of Bibles and New Testaments among the Jewish community and together with Gideon Levytam, and brother Van Stormbroek --who has passed away since-- we started “The Holy Scriptures and Israel Bible Society of Canada.” I have done secretarial work for this charitable organisation and its website
http://www.theholyscriptures.org/ including the correspondence and handling requests for courses and biblical literature, which we receive on a regular basis from various places and countries, mostly through the Internet. Gideon Levytam, our president, has weekly radio broadcasts of which the messages can be accessed from this website. Also, several Bible correspondence courses have been translated and adapted into French and English. Over the years, many who followed those lessons have professed salvation, especially the contacts with Haiti and Nigeria (only the Lord knows how many were saved). On a personal note, I survived a tragic car-accident, in which a dear friend and brother in the Lord was killed. Also, in the past years, Edith and I have had difficult times, as she had breast cancer, and went to be with the Lord on May 6, 2020.
The mostly French Bible correspondence courses are mainly with students from Haiti, with almost 4,000 students who are still there or who have come from that area. Because of the tremendous earthquake in January 2010, the contacts in Haiti have been greatly reduced. Many students have completed our eleven courses and some new requests still come in. After the earthquake, a few brothers visited several of these contacts and stay in touch through phone or email. Over the years we have had many students in Canada and the US, in several French speaking countries, and in other parts of the world. Several sisters have faithfully helped with this work but much has been delegated to others. My main desire has been, and still is, to be involved in the teaching of the Bible, in speaking and in writing (see website library). Besides participation in Bible conferences, I was able to complete several series of, a few continue at present, besides home Bible studies and young people meetings, with the Lord’s help and encouragement … until He comes….
Your brother in Christ,
Alfred
Alfred Bouter
E-mail: alfredbouter@hotmail.com
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“... They received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so”
(Acts 17:11).
