Greetings in the precious Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I know I’ve said this before, but with the passing of another month I am reminded of how difficult it is to comprehend how quickly time passes.
Recent Activity
In our last report I failed to mention that I had attended our annual extensions staff meeting at the beginning of February. This year we met in Jackson, TN, which is more centrally located for our extension staff, than is Denver. This year’s meeting was especially uplifting because of the announcement of several new schools in the program. This year two schools will be added to our number. One school, the Southern Institute of Biblical Studies, located in Nsawam, Ghana, has already begun classes. Another school, the International School of Theology, located in Haiti, will begin classes in August. In this school, Bear Valley will be partnering with Freed-Hardeman University. We also learned of two other schools which will be added next year. One of these is in Fiji; the other is not yet ready to be identified, but is progressing toward being ready in 2015. There are still other possibilities on the horizon. Please keep these new schools and possibilities for growth in your prayers!
In March I was blessed to be able to once again attend the Annual Lectureship of ITL in Guatemala. This was their 5th. Bob Turner and I traveled to Guatemala City on March 13 and returned on March 17. It was, once again, a tremendous weekend of great preaching, but made more so this year with the addition of four new souls, baptized on Sunday morning at the conclusion of the lectureship. This year, two former ITL students were among the speakers. I could not be more happy and proud of former students.
Specific Needs
As I stated in the last report, we are still operating at a deficit of about $1,175/month compared to a couple of years ago. So far, that has not created a great hardship, since we are able to cover basic living expenses, minus any “extras” (e.g. insurance), and I am not having to travel as much this year. We continue to ask for your prayers and any additional contacts you may have where we may present this great work to possible contributors.
Thank you for your interest in and support of this work. It is our prayer that God bless each of you and that you know of our love and appreciation for you!
Donnie Bates