One week ends and another begins. Last week was an incredible week as Donnie Bates and I had the privilege of traveling to Paraguay to see the opening of the Asunción Bible Academy. The missionary team of Josh and Cara Blackmer, Troy and Andrea Spradlin, Perry and Alba Hardin, and Ale and Brittney Yegros have worked with the leadership of the Sacramento Avenue congregation in putting together everything needed for the beginning of the school.
They have been working for the past year to make sure every area was in place to ensure the success of this work. The staff will consist of leaders from the congregation and the missionary team who will fulfill the responsibilities of teaching, directing and coordinating the work. The teachers will consist of Ike Yegros, Josh Blackmer, Jorge Vera, Pedro Vera, Perry Hardin (teacher / coordinator), and Troy Spradlin (teacher / director).
An added beauty of this school is that the two congregations in Asunción are
working together to see this program succeed. The preacher for the Centro congregation, Jorge Vera, will also serve as a teacher in the program. The Centro congregation visited Sunday afternoon to participate in the opening celebration of the school. Families of the students also came to share in the activities of the day, which made this celebration even more special.
There will be five students in this first class: Enrique Albera, William Arzamendia, Karen Gimenez, Ramón Paredes, and Paolo Rosholl. These students have patiently waited over the past year in anticipation of beginning classes in the Bible Academy and it has now come to fruition. If you would like to look at more pictures with some details of the events last week in Paraguay, you can visit Donnie’s Facebook page for the Asunción Bible Academy by clicking here.
As well, the week ahead also holds great events as Donnie and I will be traveling to Guatemala to participate in the 2nd graduation of ITL and their annual lectureship. I look forward to sharing in the celebration of this event with the leadership of the Linda Vista congregation, staff and students of ITL. The news next week will be exciting.
Now on to the other reports...
Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/
Howell Ferguson’s latest report is below: Click here to read Howell’s report.
Wes Autrey’s report about his recent trip to Cambodia can be seen by clicking here.
Extension Reports
Students Campaign In 20 Locations In Cameroon: After their first quarter of studies, students in Cameroon are reaching out in 20 different locations with the gospel.
Growth In Cambodia As 5 Obey The Gospel: The past few months have seen fruit born to the work of the church and school in Cambodia.
Health And Raising Prices Create Difficulties At WCSOP: There have been a number of challenges with health issues in Takoradi, complicated by rising prices for fuel.
Along Chimala Trails: Chad Wagner’s report explores a bit of history in looking at events and people from the past who have worked on the mission.
Final Thoughts
As time continues to bring opportunities for growth in the Extension Program, we are always mindful of the reasons for the success that has been experienced. We thank our God for His abundant kindness and mercy toward our efforts, as we strive to glorify Him. We thank you for being a tool in His hands to provide for the needs of the Bible Institute in training men to preach the gospel around the world. We thank all the men, and their families, who work diligently in each location to ensure students are being trained.
As we work together, the efforts strengthen our bond of fellowship and move us closer to a glorious reward.
God bless
Bob