Wagner Mission Report - June 17, 2012

Wagner Update

June 17, 2012

Greetings in the Name of the Lord.  I pray that the LORD will bless you and keep you at all times. "Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." Jude 2

After a very exhausting two days of flying from Dallas/Fort Worth to London to Dar es Salaam, we arrived at the airport.  We had already paid and received resident permits for Tanzania, but the head immigration officer at the airport refused to allow us entry without visitor permits.  Even though we had already paid the $850 for our resident permits, we were forced to pay an additional $700 for a useless visitor permit.  That was a VERY unexpected $700 we had to pay that was intended for other uses.

Bill and Cyndi Stinson met us at the airport and took us to the place we would stay the night.  Bill, Cyndi, Anna (my oldest daughter) and myself then went to the service at one of the churches of Christ in Dar.  It was Anna's first experience of an African worship service which she found very interesting.  

After meeting back up with the rest of the family, we stayed in Dar es Salaam for the day.  We ate at the Waterfront restaurant (which sits right on the Indian Ocean) and Bill took us to some other places that I would need to be aware of as administrator.  We went to a shopping center where we purchased a few items. We didn't sleep that much but awoke early the next day and was ready to go when Bill and Cyndi came to the room.  We quickly loaded the bus and was on our way before 5 AM.  We drove almost 13 hours from Dar es Salaam to the Chimala Mission.  Along the way, we saw zebra, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, baboons, etc. It was quite an experience for the kids.  

We arrived at the Chimala Mission later that night and was shown to our new home.  We will be staying in the Mays House which as 5 bedrooms and 2 baths.  We will be getting the house painted next week inside and out so we are still living out of our suit cases currently until we get everything more settled.

The next day, Bill and Cyndi took us on a tour of the Chimala Mission.  It is a big place!!  The amount of activity on the mission and the people are really hard to grasp at this point (and a bit overwhelming, too!).  

This week, there is a large group of 17 people on a medical mission trip.  Janice Bingham brought several nursing students from Harding University.  Also, three doctors accompanied the Harding group: Dr. Frank Black, Dr. Stephen Snell, and Dr. Kent Brantly.  They also brought the families as well which has been a treat.  We also met Cherly Bode who has been here for about six weeks and will leave on Monday.  She is a nurse looking to do medical mission work and she wants to come back here to Chimala to work later this year or early next year.  The total medical mission group has done a marvelous job at the hospital.  Rena was able to witness her first Africa C-section and natural birth (all with 2 hours of each other).  

I have preached at the Chimala Mission church on Wednesday evening and also today (Sunday) AM and PM service.  I have also been involved with a meeting with the evangelism committee which is developing a plan to evangelize all of south-western Tanzania and to develop the existing congregations.  As I am taking over for Bill Stinson as the mission administrator, I have a steep learning curve to learn as much as I can in the next three weeks from Bill before he leaves to go home. It is a big job!

The family is doing well and adjusting as well as can be expected.  I will have more information next Sunday on the work and the family.  Please continue to pray for our safety, health, and endurance as we begin our work with the Chimala Mission.

Chad and Rena

Wagner Mission Report - March 2012

Time Is Filled With Swift Transition
As the above lyrics to one of our songs indicate, our lives are always changing. Our bodies are changing, our relationships are changing, everything in our life is always in flux. Our families lives are beginning the major transition process. We have begun packing up our house to prepare for the move. We have three categories for all of our stuff: Ship it, Store it, Trash it. We are going to ship the essential goods that we will need over there. Things like clothing, books, shoes, furniture, etc. will all be shipped on a container which will leave in mid-April.  It should arrive about mid-June -- just after we arrive. We are also looking for various donations of books and home-school material to ship over. As we begin this arduous process, I ask you to pray for us that we may be able to do all that needs to be done in the next month.

Bear Valley Staff meeting
Chad will be heading to Denver next week for the annual staff meeting. We will discuss many important topics for the extension school program. If you are not familiar with the extension school concept, give Chad a call and he'll be glad to discuss it with you!

Support Level
Through the LORD's blessings, we have most of our one-time funds raised. We are working on airfare now which will be about $1,200/person (about $8,000 total). We will not purchase our plane tickets until we raise the minimum monthly support needed for our missionary work there. While we have some monthly support raised, we are in need of $2,500/month to meet our personal and work funds.  Just about every Christian and congregation can afford an additional $25/month. We have several promises, but we need good Christians to step up to the plate. We are in need of your help to be able to fulfill the Great Commission in Chimala.

Chad Wagner

Wagner Mission Report - February 2012

"We're not interested."

   Fundraising for mission work is a rough and tumble activity.  My

   fundraising activities include making invited and univited visits to

   congregations, sending letters to congregations, and making phone calls

   to congregations.  I've left many phone messages at different

   congregations, talked with several secretaries, etc.  I reached one

   congregation in Missouri and the secretary answered the phone.  I

   introduced myself and told her about our mission effort.  I then asked

   to speak to a minister or if I could leave a message for the missions

   deacon/committee.  As soon as I finished saying that, she said, "We're

   not interested."  She then hung up the phone.

   If you've ever done missionary fundraising, you know that it's hard

   work.  When the secretary hung up the phone, I became upset.  Am I a

   telemarketer?  I am calling and asking for money, but I'm not trying to

   push vacuum cleaners.  I'm trying to raise needed funds so that we can

   do our part of fulfilling the Great Comission (Matthew 28:18-20).

   I would encourage you, if you ever answer the phone call at church from

   a missionary, listen to what they have to say.

   Wagner Family Update

   I have started my final class at Harding School of Theology and will

   graduate in May 2012 with an Master's of Divinity.  I have worked long

   and hard on this degree and I will be glad to put it behind me.  The

   kids have started back to school following the Christmas break and we

   are finally getting back in a routine.

   As you may know, we will be home-schooling our children while we are in

   Africa.  Since this is a new experence for us, we invite any feedback

   you might have as well as suggestions to curriculum, ideas, etc.  Just

   drop us an email at wagner.chada@gmail.com.

Speaking Schedule

   I have several speaking engagements upcoming to either preach the

   Gospel or to make a TZ presentation.  I’d love to come and talk with

   you and/or your congregation about the amazing work the Wagner family

   will soon be involved in.

     * February 12: Marmaduke, AR

     * March 4: Fifth and Pine, Rector, AR

   Support Level

   Through the LORD's blessings, we have most of our one-time funds

   raised.  We are working on airfare now which will be about

   $1,200/person (about $8,000 total).  We have had 2 generators donated

   to the mission work which is a great blessing.

   We will not purchase our plane tickets until we raise the minimum

   monthly support needed for our missionary work there.  While we have

   some monthly support raised, we are in need of $2,500/month to meet our

   personal and work funds.  Just about every Christian and congregation

   can afford an additional $25/month.  We are in need of your help to be

   able to fulfill the Great Commission in Chimala.

Wagner Mission Report - November 2011

Wagner Ministry Report

November 2011

wagnertz.webs.com

Tanzania Fundraising

Many things have changed in the Wagner family!  No, we do not have any more children, but our focus has changed quite a bit.  In July 2011, I resigned from the Gainesville church of Christ where I have served the last nine years as the minister to focus solely upon fundraising for Tanzania.  Lord willing, we plan to move to Tanzania in June 2011.  I will be taking over as the administrator of the Chimala Mission work, which was started back in the 1950’s by Andrew Connelly and others. 

As with fundraising, most of my time is spent now making copies, stuffing envelopes, making phone calls to set up presentations, and, of course, much time in prayer!  My wife and I have no doubt that the Lord Wills for us to be in Chimala and will equip us for the journey ahead.  In the mean time, He is teaching us.  In James 1:2-4, we see that the trials of this life produce endurance of faith.  Sometimes, it may seem much easier to simply send out resumes for another preaching job, but we do not want to fall short of the task that has been given to us.  I know the Lord will find a way for me.

We have had some support to come in and also many promises of support.  If you would like to assist us in this great work, let us know.  We’ll be glad to come and speak with you about this opportunity.

Upcoming Speaking Schedule

I have several speaking engagements upcoming to either preach the Gospel or to make a TZ presentation.  I’d love to come and talk with you and/or your congregation about the amazing work the Wagner family will soon be involved in.

• November 6 AM: Amagon church of Christ
• November 13 PM: Gainesville church of Christ (Sword Searchers/Bible Bowl)
• November 20 PM: Holden Avenue church of Christ (Newport, AR)     
• November 27 AM/PM: Crossroads church of Christ (Bradford, AR)

Wagner Mission Report - August 2011

WAGNER MISSION REPORT

August 2011

            On August 3^rd, I left Memphis, TN and traveled to Nigeria, West Africa.  I flew from Memphis, to Atlanta, and then to Lagos where I spent the night.  The next day, I flew from Lagos to Enugu and then drove on to Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.  Abakaliki is the capital city of Ebonyi State and also the location of the Comprehensive School of Management and Technology – School of Biblical Studies. 

On Saturday, August 6, I participated in the 2^nd graduating class of preachers from CSMT-SBS.  There were seven preachers who had studied for two years to complete their degree at CSMT.  They were awarded Bachelor degrees through Bear Valley Bible Institute, Denver, CO, as CSMT-SBS is an extension school of BVBID.   I spoke at the graduation to encourage the 200-300 people in attendance.  I also presented some gifts from Dorris Taylor (USA) for the top two students in this year’s graduating class.  Training men to preach the Gospel is a very important aspect of fulfilling the Great Commission.  It is good for Americans to go and do mission work.  It is a great work for native preachers are trained to take the Gospel to their own people.  The record shows that preacher training schools (like Bear Valley’s extension program) is a great and effective way to teach the lost all through the world.  I am truly humbled and excited to be a part of this Godly work.

Following the graduation service on Saturday, we traveled to the Afikpo church of Christ in Afikpo, Ebonyi State for worship on the Lord’s Day, August 7^th.  The church is meeting in a school house.  The congregation that day was about 170 people in attendance and they have overrun the building in which they are in.  The located preacher at Afikpo taught a fantastic and engaging Bible class on ‘the spirit of the bed.’  I preached during the worship service and we had two respond for baptism.  After the baptisms, we visited the site of the church building that they are constructing on their own (picture to the right). 

On Monday, August 8^th – 11^th, I taught two master’s level classes to 5 students.  The first class was ‘New Testament Theology.’  The second class was the ‘Preacher and his Work.’  These two classes will finish up 3 of the masters students class requirements for graduation in December 2011.  The other two are about half-way through their program.

During the trip, I also made several trips to see various works.  I visited the Ihe church of Christ building that they are building with only a little assistance from American brethren (picture to the left).  I also visited the Gariki church of Christ building located in Enugu.  This congregation is a great congregation which is attempting to finish their building themselves with their own labor and contributions.  They need assistance, however, with the fence that goes around the property.  Thieves from the area are bringing people to the church building and robbing them and beating them there.  The police have told the church that they need to build a security fence around the property ($8,000).  If you can help with that, it would be greatly appreciated (picture to the right).  The walls that you see were completed by the members, but they do not have the necessary funds for the fence.

I was also able to purchase 600 Bibles through the generosity of brethren in Bradford, AR.  Although they are a smaller congregation, they contributed $2,000 to purchase Bibles are we were able to do that!  Those Bibles will be used and distributed to several preachers in Ebonyi and Enugu states and beyond!

There is a need for a good American congregation and/or individual to get involved in this work.  Lord Willing, my family and I will be moving to Tanzania in 2012 to work at the Chimala Mission.  If you are interested in a presentation, would like to discuss the work in Nigeria, or would like to get involved in this great work, please let me know!  I’m sure that the Lord will raise someone up for this work – and it may be you!