West Africa Mission Happenings March-April 2012 Newsletter

Greetings to all of our brethren in the USA and all the world. With your help, the truth of the gospel is being spread far and wide throughout West Africa. We are continuing to train preachers and leaders to edify our Lord’s church as we also look at new locations where we can make a difference. During this reporting period, all the extension staff at Bear Valley met in Denver to discuss how we can expand and improve our program so that more can benefit from our labors throughout the world. I had the opportunity to travel far and wide in the U.S. and meet with many who are involved with these efforts. I took this opportunity in the States to meet with overseeing elderships, sponsoring congregations, financial contributors, and other support organizations that provide written material and other material that can be used in our training programs and evangelistic efforts. I traveled many miles both here in this country and overseas, and much was accomplished. In this report, I will outline some of these efforts.

Liberia
I had the opportunity recently to meet with our brethren in Liberia to discuss how we can help them to build up our Lord’s church in their country. The first congregation was planted in Monrovia Liberia in June of 1966. Today we find 121 congregations in the entire country with 27 of these congregations in the capital city of Monrovia. There are four congregations in the country which currently have elders, and one of the elders is the director of the Liberia Bible College. This school has had a significant influence on the number and strength of the congregations throughout the country. The Liberia Bible College was established in 1986 and soon thereafter the school was shut down because of a Civil War that erupted in the country in 1989. The school was reopened in 1993, and operated until 1995 when it was shut down again because of the intensity of the war. It was in operation again from 1998 until 2008 when government and financial pressure resulted in the program being shut down once again. They have been struggling to resume the full time residential program since that time. Liberia Bible College wants to train preachers!! Liberia needs preachers and teachers to give their people hope!

Some of the most poverty stricken human beings on this planet live in West Africa. Wars, famines, corruption, and disease have resulted in countries where much of the population is struggling to survive. After years of civil war and government mismanagement that destroyed their economy, Liberia may be considered one of the poorest among these developing nations. The world (UN) has stepped in to keep peace and help Liberia rebuild their infrastructure. Even though most of the population is unemployed and living well below the poverty line, you can see a ray of hope as promises are made by their government and their situation is improving. The people of Liberia NEED hope! They need to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to obtain true hope, and we can help them hear those words of Life!

A Tribute
We have accomplished much towards edifying the Christians throughout West Africa. With your help, many preachers, and leaders have been trained, and many have heard and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of us working together to fulfill the Great Commission have the potential to make a huge impact on the strength of our Lord’s church in this part of the world. In this section, I would like to recognize a few of those who are working together with us in this effort. This list is not meant to be all inclusive. Many others are also contributing to this mission in West Africa! May God bless all those who sacrifice to accomplish His Will.

Congregations and Individuals
None of this would be possible without the sacrificial contributions made by all of you who are a part of this work. Your love for those far away and your desire to see them hear and obey the gospel is the foundation for our efforts in West Africa. We thank all of those congregations and individuals who are overseeing, sponsoring, or financially supporting the schools and preachers throughout West Africa.

Bear Valley Bible Institute
Bear Valley Bible Institute provided the educational foundation that I needed to work in West Africa. They have developed a training program that can be used anywhere in the world, and have built up a staff that supports the work. We pay tribute to Bear Valley church of Christ and all those working with them throughout the world.

World Bible School (WBS)
World Bible School has been instrumental in the growth of the church throughout West Africa. I do not know of any other tool that has had a greater impact on the work in this part of the world. We thank all of those teachers, missionaries, and supporters who have sacrificed time and money to share the gospel with others through WBS.

World Video Bible School (WVBS)
World Video Bible School is continuing to provide and develop teaching and evangelistic videos that have been very beneficial to the work throughout the world. We thank all those involved in this work for the wide range of videos that they produce to enhance our efforts in West Africa.

Tracts, Books, and Bibles
There are many organizations and individuals who have been helping with written material to train leaders and evangelize West Africa. Mission Printing in Arlington Texas, and Truth for Today in Searcy Arkansas have been sending ship container loads of tracts, books, and other materials to West Africa. Others like Gospel Tracts International and Ed Mosby in Arkansas are providing evangelistic materials for our preachers. Barry Baggot with French World Outreach is providing materials for the French speaking countries where I work. Many others are helping provide written materials needed for evangelism and teaching. We thank God for all the Christians who are helping in this area. May God bless each of them with the resources that they need!

Financial Support
We want to thank all of the supporters for their contributions to this exciting work in West Africa. Without you, this effort would not be possible.

Contributions by check need to be made payable to: Mountain Home church of Christ
For: West Africa Mission

Mailed to:
Mountain Home church of Christ 380 North College Street Mountain Home, AR 72653

Any questions can be directed to the church office at 870-425-4330.

Or you can contact Steven at:
Email: samtnhome@yahoo.com

USA Phone: 971-270-8535
Please email Steven if you would like to receive this newsletter by email.

Thanks So Much, With Christian Love

Steven Ashcraft

To see Steven's full report with pictures about the work in West Africa, click here.