VVBC Annual Report...

Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. By the grace of God we are all doing fine and the school work is going on well. 

On the 9th of February we shall be having a one day Leadership Workshop by Dennis Jones, President, Heritage Christian University. All of our students & faculty from VVBC are going to be attending this workshop. 

Annual Work Report (2011) 
Through our efforts in this year God blessed us with these results. It is certainly encouraging to look back to see how far we came, however when we look at the task of reaching millions of lost souls, which are in front of us, we remind ourselves of our responsibility. During 2011, we had the opportunity to meet with several preachers from rural parts that area. They are about 300 kms from the school. Part of the evangelism program we shall be visiting these villages to spread the good news through our campaign week programs. (Tract distribution, Bible Classes & Gospel meetings)

New congregations have been planted by the work of the school and the students  -  4

Baptisms have been conducted – 180

Christians have been restored  - 52

New villages we are currently working in where the goal is to plant a congregation in 2012 - 5

Bible studies conducted  – 823

Gospel meetings conducted in the villages  - 37

Denominational preachers, congregations and individuals converted  - 7

How many pieces of literature has been distributed – over 60,000 

Faculty in their ministry
We are blessed to have the teaching faculty who are also ministers of the gospel. As their efforts have been going on steadily that is giving great results of adding more souls to the Lord’s body.  

Short Classes
Currently I am teaching Denominational Doctrines. I have taught the Gospel of John in the last week. We are through with that. I am so happy that students have done a good job in writing the exams, and the assignments. The reading assignment really helped the students understand the text better. I remarked on the diligence of our students. 

Master Class
Brother Gary Fallis is teaching Christian Education and Church Growth. This is the last session for the Master Class students. They have to turn in the due work. They are agreed to turn in their work on the date set by them. With that we came to a conclusion that the graduation exercise will be in July on the set date. Hope fully we shall set the date soon. It is certainly a joy to think about the first Graduation exercise of the Master Class. We are thankful to God for this great blessing toward the Church in India. Right now there are 10 students. Hopefully all of them will complete the required work to be graduated. Our school is the first and only school to offer this Degree. We have a list of 12 students we shall be interested to be enrolled in the next Master class batch. 

About our Plans in the Year 2012 
As usual our chief focus would be Evangelism. In 2012 a new program to spread the good news in the city involves: holding a VBS at the school premises during our summer break. We can do a great job with this program. Briefly, stretching our arms of evangelistic activities in the city and rural areas to spread the good news.

Brotherly,

Samuel Raju & John Dean Muppidi
Visakha Valley Bible College
Skinner's Garden Bible School
Church of Christ
Andhra Pradesh,  INDIA

Cold In Ukraine, But The Work Grows...

Hello dear brothers and sisters.

We came to the end of the first month of the year 2012. Time is flowing by so fast, and we are missing it sometimes because of the hectic life. As James said it: you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes (Jm. 4:14).

Usually in January and in February, work of all offices here in Ukraine and in Russia is paralyzed due to extremely low temperature. But we are trying not to be influenced by the weather and keep on serving God. During this week the weather in Gorlovka has been steadily –20C (–4F) with high humidity. In different regions of our country the government closed schools for a while. 

After a two-week break, classes in our institute resumed on January 9. Right now the first-year students are studying 1-2 Samuel and a book of Isaiah. The second-year students are studying Romans, 1-2 Peter and Jude. Classes are organized in a way that students would dedicate more time studying the Old Testament during the first year and the New Testament during the second year. 

In the Central Church of Christ in Gorlovka (that meets at the building of the Institute), there are many good things and of course some problems that most congregations face. Every Tuesday and Thursday there are Bible classes, and there is a Sunday service. Right now we have less people attending church due to the low temperature, since elderly people are not able to come. Besides there are a few people who left the church; they have not come for quite a while, and now they don’t want to have anything to do with Christ and God’s family. We keep praying for them and ask you to keep in your prayers those who left God’s church. 

We have finally solved all the issues with the paperwork concerning the closure of the Language University which was the previous owner of the building that the Bible Institute owns now). Right now we are fully using the discounts and benefits for religious organizations. God has answered our prayers. 

Last week, Bogdan Chigvintsev (a first-year student) and I went to the church in Makeyevka, where I had an opportunity to preach and tell people about the Bible institute and its work. We keep on looking for students. In the middle of January, I was contacted by the leaders of two congregations that separated from the Baptist movement (each congregation has 30 people in average). They want to study in our Institute and even came to Gorlovka to have a personal meeting. We had a long discussion, and I explained them the Biblical teaching of the baptism, church service, musical instruments, etc. I made it clear for them that only Church of Christ members who believe in the sound doctrine can be admitted to our study program. The most interesting thing is that they were listening and asked time to think and consider everything. I don’t know how it all will work out with them; however, please keep praying with us for these people so that God’s true Word works in their hearts now. 

Next month we plan to organize the preachers’ meeting and several events for the church. We are looking forward to the arrival of the teachers from the US, Garth Hilton and Johnny Mack Young, and we pray for their safe travels.

Thank you for your spiritual and financial help. We appreciate your cooperation and the desire to help Ukraine to grow spiritually. Both students and church members send you their greetings.

Your brother in Christ,
Dennis

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

A New BV Extension In Kenya!

Kenya will be the host of the next Bear Valley Extension School. For the past 8 months discussions have been developing to get involved with the work in Kenya. Several graduates from the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, who are from Kenya, have been working in Western Kenya to plant the church and develop a base for students to train in the preaching and teaching of the gospel. How awesome to think we are working with a second generation school. The efforts of the ACSOP are being seen in another country as a school begins to continue the work started in Tanzania years ago.

All the necessary requirements have been put in place for the beginning of this new school. After a successful survey trip last year, Keith Kasarjian, along with Mike Reese, have been working diligently to work out the details for establishing a school with the Ahono Church of Christ in Luanda, Kenya. The overseeing stateside congregation for this work will be the Charlotte Avenue Church of Christ in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Mike Reese will serve as the coordinator of the work and the director of the school will be Charles Ogutu. Brandon Kerns, who has been instrumental in the development of a school in Western Kenya, will also serve as a liaison for the work.

This is the first of several locations we are looking at for the year ahead. There will be more information forth coming about the development of the work in Kenya, as well as, additional locations in their development.

We are living in exciting times, as many around the world see the need and are looking to prepare men to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we continue to grow and develop a greater understanding of how the work can be more effectively accomplished, we give thanks to our God for opening the doors by placing the right people in the right locations at the right time.

Thank you for being part of God’s purpose in the development of Extension Training. You are making a difference.

Now on to the reports...

Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/

African Catfish and 4-Inch Cockroaches:  Are you intrigued? Howell Ferguson recently sent an update on their work in Chimala. Read more from his report by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

A Good Look At Growth In Cameroon: The news from the Cameroon Bible Institute of Wotutu continues to show the increase God is giving within His kingdom.

Why They Come To School: The stories behind the students who attend the Chimala Bible Institute demonstrate the dedication to prepare themselves for the Lord’s service.

A Year In Review: Willie Gley shares a review from 2011 of the work in Togo with the Center For Biblical Studies.

The Message For East Africa: Francis Wechesa shares the message needed for East Africa, and perhaps for all of Africa and the world.

When Seconds Count: The report from Arusha, Tanzania shows the importance of a quick response when fire breaks out. As well, the news is exciting. 

Final Thoughts
This week, my wife and I are taking to the road again, making a few domestic stops to share the news of Extension Training with others. Over the next three weeks we will visit with several congregations and attend the Freed Hardeman Lectureship. It is always enjoyable to see so many people come together to hear lessons from God’s Word. The fellowship is awesome, the singing is incredible, and the opportunity to share the work with others is a blessing.

Thank you for the tremendous ways you are involved in making this work possible. Your prayers, generosity, encouragement, and involvement keep us strong in the faith and dedication necessary to see the work moves forward. I pray for you daily.

God bless
Bob

When Seconds Count...

Dear Loyal Co-Workers,

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  “Humble people don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.”

FRIDAY, we welcomed TED CHERRY and are thankful for his safe arrival. Mr. Cherry, who works with the Bear Valley Bible Institute’s Extension Program, has made several trips over in the past few years in order to teach at the ACSOP. For the next two weeks, he will be busy teaching Principles of Leadership and Old Testament Theology to the Master's students. Some students have arrived and others are still on their way. Our daughter, Abigail, will be a student in these classes in order to get credit towards her Bachelor's degree.

THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS…The ladies continued the review of Genesis (chapters 1-25) while the men studied the Gospel of John. Mr. Cherry preached an excellent sermon on John 3 concerning the conversion of Nicodemus. The church at Kisongo is definitely blessed and has greatly benefited from lessons taught by visiting teachers. A congregation grows strong feeding from God’s Word.

WHEN SECONDS COUNT…the Arusha Fire department is only days away! Okay, this is negative and sarcastic, but also funny. The manager of a restaurant and lodge was telling us of a fire that broke out there. Somehow fire shot up through the fireplace up to the roof and smoke filled the entire restaurant. He notified the security company and who in turn contacted the fire department. The manager was fortunate in that everyone followed protocol and he had the fire under control in 15 minutes. The customers were moved outside and the restaurant continued to serve them. However, 2 days later the fire department shows up with sirens blasting and bells ringing. At the gate the driver inquired about the fire, looked at his log sheet and say, “Oh, that was 2 days ago. We’re supposed to be somewhere else.” Hopefully, it didn’t take them 2 more days to find the current fire.

STICKS AND STONES…are a boy’s best friends. Our boys love carving and have made totem poles (miniature) and several other items. For Christmas gifts, Stuart gave several in the family a necklace with a carved figure on it. Lindsey was a little “surprised” that the carving she received was a casket. Stuart, David and Elijah love crushing rocks and found one that appears to have black onyx on the inside. We’re still trying to find information on it on the internet.

“CHARM” IS DECEITFUL AND “BEAUTY” IS VAIN...Elijah and David were climbing on the metal gate at the door and evidently Elijah thought he was going to be in trouble. As Trina walked out the door, he whispered to David, “Here comes momma!” Raising his voice (making sure Trina would hear) and looking right at her he exclaimed, “Isn’t she a beauty?!” Again, Scripture was right.

PRAYERS NEEDED. One of our faithful new converts, Adella, has moved to Arusha due to her husbands’ job. Please pray that she will continue to be faithful as she worships with the Arusha congregation. Please remember Rosemary (had typhoid, is pregnant and may have cancer). Also, please pray for our friend, Dennis Itson, who is receiving 20 medical treatments this month. He is a source of constant encouragement to us.

STUART COUNTED seventy-eight  people in worship this morning. Among those were Zeno, who recently lost his younger brother. It was announced today that another brother of his (who visited services a few months ago) has also died. How sad that they both died without Jesus. If a family moved to Tanzania and ONLY did Bible studies with the family members of the Kisongo congregation, they would have more than a full-time job. When people already know of someone who is a member, they will more readily agree to a Bible study and will consider more seriously what you have to say. Changing lives, changing futures, changing family trees…that’s what it’s all about. People need hope and direction.

A NEW PARABLE.  Due to the poor quality of products bought here, items such as faucets sometimes need replacing as much as twice a year due to the inside becoming “stripped.” One day, as we were discussing the eternality of heaven, Stuart quipped “Heaven is like the girls’ shower faucet knob…it just keeps turning and turning and NEVER ENDS.”

AGAIN…we end this week’s report like always…expressing our gratitude for your prayers and support.  We never tire of saying it so we hope you never tire of hearing it. It was a good idea but I think we should give up the hope of ever writing and sending the report on Saturdays. Some things that sound good or look good on paper just never “pan out.”  Ha/ha

MAY THE LORD bless your family in ways you never imagined because you stepped out of your “box” to serve Him in ways you never imagined. “Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

ASANTE SANA (“thank you very much”) for joining hands with us to teach the Tanzanian people so they may continue to teach long after we are gone. 

Working Together for Him,
The Jimmy Gee family

The Message For East Africa...

Dear Brethren,

We thank you very much with all you are doing to support the work here in Uganda. The faculty, the staff and Students of Uganda School of Evangelism are very thankful for all that you are doing to make this school continue. May the almighty God bless your sweat. We went to do evangelism in Kenya at the Ebuyangu church of Christ. The students went out Saturday and visited house to house around church location. Many people were restored and the members were very much edified through the lessons which were taught by our students on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning I taught the five churches who had come together and the church's responsibility to their preacher. Every one liked the message as it is very much needed in East Africa and may in all of Africa. 'Thank for all that you are doing for the Lord. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

A Year In Review...

On the 11th of December 2011, history was made when over 12,000 Christians arrived at the independence square in cars and church buses public transport from 184 congregations to climax the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Church of Christ in Ghana with a joint worship service.

Activities marking the celebrations included: Official launching, clean up exercises, blood donation and interview on a national TV station.

The sermon was delivered by Fred Asare, the managing director of Village of Hope an orphanage near Accra. The theme was “ Go ye into all the world and make disciples” (Re-energizing the church for the next 50 years, the challenges and opportunities), he used the occasion to encourage us to consider how well we have been able to respond to this commission during these 50 years, the challenges and the prospects. A similar event took place in Kumasi the same day we were meeting in Accra.

NORTHERN VOLTA BIBLE CAMP
End of year Bible Camp has become a tradition in the church in Ghana for several years now. Christians met in different parts of the country to encourage each other and have a good fellowship. The northern Volta Bible Camp was in Vakpo from the 23rd -25th December, 2011. The theme this year was “Leadership Development in the Local congregation”. There were over 20 congregations present. On 25th December, the bible camp was climaxed with a worship service and 600 met that morning.

CBS NEWS (Year in Review)
We have planted three 3 new congregations.

We have baptized thirty (30) to date. 

Five brethren were restored. 

Currently were are working in two places, one in Kpalime and the other near Kpadape with the view of planting a church there.

Ninety one contacts were made for Bible studies.

Three major gospel meetings conducted. 

In 2012, we plan as God enables us to start 4 new congregations around Kpalime. The students will use the church planting exercises as part of their practical assignment.

Five denominational preachers have been baptized since September 12 when the academic year started. All those baptized are students of CBS.

About 1,500 pieces of tracts were distributed.

World Radio Is Making Impact
On behalf of brethren in the Volta Region I thank World Radio for its sponsorship. The “bread of Life” is on Volta Star each Sunday morning from 5:30 – 6:00 am. The speaker is Sem Akumia a preacher at the Ho central Church of Christ.

Year in Review

  There were at least two phone calls each week mostly from Togo requesting prayer. 

  14 Baptisms realized in the year 

  8 home bible studies completed 

  2 were restored after listening to program 

  7 visitors are currently studying with the church. 

WORLD RADIO- KPALIME, Togo
As a result of the Radio Program in Kpalime, a family of five started visiting the Alikpodzi Church of Christ. The Hanyigba Church has also been a beneficiary of the radio program. Listeners are beginning see the difference between denominationalism and the Church in the Bible. A majority of the Students at CBS came as a result of the Radio program. Denominational preachers are visiting our office to make inquiries about the Church of Christ. Several invitations from the denominational churches have been extended to Cephas, the presenter, to come and teach them. The challenge we now face is how do we support these churches after they have given up denominationalism and have become Church of Christ. A group in Eyo, Kouma, Agou are all interested in having the Church in their towns. Five baptisms were realized during the year in review. Several calls come in each week. Some are enrolled in WBS and many home Bible studies are being conducted.

OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT TOGO MISSION EFFORT
Center for Biblical Studies
Dear Brother Gley,

Believing in your mission efforts in Togo, I/we propose as the Lord enables, to send $...............each month through 2012 to the support of this work. Enclosed you will find $....................

H. Willie Gley C/O Blanco Church of Christ
P. O. Box 866
Blanco, TX, 78606
Tel:830-8334884

Name:........................................................... Address:........................................................... City/State/Zip............................................... NOTE: Please make cheques payable to BLANCO CHURCH OF CHRIST and earmark for Gley/ Togo Mission

Contacts:  GHANA
H. Willie Gley
P.O. Box An 19611 Accra-North, Ghana Email:williegley@gmail.com Cell: 011-233-244-509169 USA

Blanco Church of Christ
P, O, Box 866
Blanco, TX, 78606
Tel: 830-833-4884

Why They Come To School...

I am constantly amazed and humbled when I hear our student’s stories about their reason for coming to the Chimala Bible institute. We have finished our second week of classes and brother Howell Ferguson gave a Friday presentation to the evangelism committee of how to better use the students on the weekend for training in using what they learn in school. We are going to be having weekend seminars at the area churches in which our students will be preaching and doing home Bible studies. This training will help students like Luka Chove. He says he came to school because there is no church in his home town and he came to school to get the knowledge of the Bible so he could start the church of Christ in his village of Lubaruku.  

Lyford, one of our second year Malawian students, tells of how he spent his break before returning to school. He preached in three congregations; Luzi, Thumbi and Bwengu. Because of his work, there were 12 baptisms and 15 restorations. He then shares that all of these congregations are sending their greetings and appreciation for the Chimala Bible Institute and Bear Valley for making his training possible. Samuel, a student in Tanzania, reports he held 12 classes with different people in their homes and preached 4 times. Israel has been preaching with a congregation at Uturo. Besides preaching, he reports that he has been teaching the children how to love God in the congregation. 

That is why they come to school. To use their talents and be taught the “unsearchable riches of the Gospel of Christ.” We are at full capacity at this time with 25 undergraduate students and 14 Masters students. We have 10 full time faculty members, who not only teach weekly, but spend the weekends going out and preaching with the students of CBI. The latest evangelism report tells of William, one of our students, who preached a “very powerful sermon on repentance” at Madibira while with two of our teachers, Joseph and Frank. Just a few minutes ago we received another report from Ezekiel, one of our instructors and a student in the Master’s program, that this weekend there have been two baptisms and a restoration at Sumbawanga. Brother Seth Ferguson will be leaving us tomorrow after a two week stay at the school. Seth preached in chapel, preached in area churches, taught Bible at the secondary school and lead singing at Friday’s chapel, teaching our students new songs to use in praise and worship. The students and teachers all enjoyed and were edified with his stay with us. We look forward to him returning later this year. So please pray for the work, the training, the Bible study, the effort that is going on with our students at CBI, because that is why they come.

Garry L. Hill
BVBID Extension Coordinator

A Good Look At Growth In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Great love from this end to you over there. I do hope this report will meet you and your family in good health and sound faith as usual. I am glad to share with you what made news on our campus and off campus in the course of the week.

The week went on well with all our studies. The students, staff and members of our congregation here in Wotutu are doing great in health and are growing daily in the Lord. Thanks very much for all your prayers and great concern to us and the work.

Brother Innocent baptized one of the prospects. Julius obeyed the gospel, as seen in the picture above. Please keep him in your prayers to grow daily for the glory of God. One soul, brother Emmanuel Okia, was restored.

This weekend was a busy one for some staff and all the students of CBIW. Due to the many demands for the gospel in different communities for us to come over and help, it is becoming more demanding in how to accomplish all this with our little resources and human resources. God gave us wisdom to meet up with three urgent demands this week. I divided the student body into two groups and sent one to the congregation we revived last week, sending one lecturer to another community and I went with the larger group to Lykoko village.

As I write this mail to you we all made it back to the campus safe and sound with great success.

I preached Saturday night in an open air in the market square of Lykoko village using a mobile microphone to speak out the word loud and clear on the topic BE PREPARED FOR THE JUDGEMENT DAY and light was everywhere, thanks to the presence of our powerful generator set. The population of the village without lights was drawn to come and see what was happening and they came and listened to the gospel and movie from WVBS.

Our student, brother Tobias Sakwe, spoke in the work during the day from house to house. So too all the students and some members of the Wotutu congregation that followed us. The school is making the members of Wotutu to become more evangelistic. Thanks to God that our school motto is very contagious now.

One of our students, brother Innocent Kogge, was doing the same and people stopped their work to listen to what they have never heard. They listened with keenness and the gospel penetrated in their lives and exposed errors from denominationalism.

Brother Ititi Benedict also baptized a soul in Lykoko village. The Lord added nine souls in total for our four days stay in the village. Keep the work there in your prayers. The Lord has done His part to add. The questions in my mind now involve who will nurture for them to grow to maturity. The field is really ripe but there are few laborers. Please keep praying for students to study well so they will be fit by December 20^th 2012 to graduate and go out to help conserve, nurture and win more souls for the Lord. The strong man’s house will be demolished when these soldiers will attack.

The worship hall for one congregation struggles that their place of worship is not much, but they want a full time preacher to come and help the church grow.

The students that were assigned to go and continue to plant and water the Mondoni congregation came back with good news. They restored 3 more souls this week and 6 souls were added into the body there. Keep this work in your prayers because we can see the Hand of God in it.

The staff we sent to Ndonono Balue village returned safe and the Lord restored one and one soul was added into the fold there. A total of 16 souls were added into three congregations that we were able to meet with the demands this week and 5 souls were restored. Glory be to God for loving us.

PLANS
1) We shall travel with a few students this weekend to the French community of Nkongsamba for a four day campaign to establish fully a congregation of the Lord. Please keep us and all our plans in your prayers for help from above.

2) Students will still continue the Mondoni mission to plant and water and also rob from the strong man’s house.

3) More invitations are coming to my office, but our hands are really short to meet up. We shall continue to do those that we can. We are eager to go because our school motto drives us, EVANGELISM IS OUR MISSION AND OUR MISSION IS EVANGELISM.

APPRECIATIONS
We thank God for you. We are glad we know someone like you in our ministry. Thanks very much for all you are doing, it is bearing fruits. God bless you and all that you.

Please do your best to share this report with those around and far from you. God bless and watch over you throughout this week as we meet again by His grace. We are always blessed to read your comments.

Elangwe and family,
By His grace Director CBIW

News Worth Reading...

By the time many of you read the report this week, I will be on a plane headed back to Denver. Ralph and Cindy Williams, and I were in Houston, Texas over the weekend. We were privileged to spend time with the Lake Houston congregation on Sunday and meet with the eldership of this wonderful group of Christians. The meeting with the elders involved discussions about the Extension program overall, but more specifically, the work this congregation supports in Visakhapatnam, India.

It is always encouraging to meet men who understand the vital nature of training men to preach the gospel and who take the responsibility of financially supporting a work very seriously. These men are those kind of shepherds. The meeting was encouraging, informative, and productive in discussing the needs of the work. Bear Valley is privileged to be involved in working side by side with men of such integrity and wisdom. 

The report this week brings news from several of the schools where the Bear Valley Bible Institute is assisting in the training of men to preach the gospel. The reports in Chimala and Arusha, Tanzania; Kathmandu, Nepal; Takoradi, Ghana; Siem Reap, Cambodia and Wotutu, Cameroon share exciting news about the growth and development of the overall program of Extension training.

Now on to the reports...

Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/

Howell and Mary Ferguson, along with several others have arrived at the Chimala Bible Institute in Chimala, Tanzania. Howell’s report about their arrival is found here.

Extension Reports 

God Continues To Give The Increase: As classes resume, and a new teacher is brought on board, the growth continues as students evangelize Cameroon.

Leadership Meeting Helps Cambodia: A recent meeting with the leadership at Siem Reap is helping unit the efforts of the church.

26,000 +/- Attend Services In Ghana: A new quarter begins at the West Coast School of Preaching. In December, two services were held worth reading about.

Details Of Day To Day Nepali Life: One of the instructors at the Nepal Center of Biblical Studies shares the day to day activities of Nepali life for an evangelist.

Go Tell It On The Mountain: In a very literal sense, you need to read the story behind this heading that recently took place in Chimala.

Their Thoughts Are Not Our Thoughts: This is one of the hardest lessons to learn as Americans serve in mission work. The Gees share a part of this experience in a recent event. 

Final Thoughts
You are all a blessing to me and for so many others around the world. Those who are recipients of your generosity, encouragement, prayer and loving support cannot express enough gratitude for all you have done to make this work possible. Thank you.

My prayer each day is for God’s abundant grace and blessing to continually provide your every need. It is the greatest honor and privilege to know you and share in this work with you. I hope you know the difference you are making in the Lord’s kingdom and the lost souls around the world. You are awesome!!

God bless
Bob

Leadership Meeting Helps Cambodia...

Greeting from Siem Reap Cambodia

Always my privilege and honor to tell you about the work that we are doing in Cambodia.

I would love to thank God always for letting me be a part of His work in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I thought I could go and visit you all sometime in February, but God still wants me to work in Cambodia, so I am looking for another chance to go and visit my brethren a long way from where I live, as a few days ago, I was denied on the 18th of this month by US embassy so I can't go. Any way, I have some news that I would love to share with you all as following.

We had a leadership meeting earlier of this month and the thing went very well. We had leaders from various congregations in Cambodia come to encourage and share with one another the work that was being done in each area. Through that meeting, it helped us to grow more in relationship with a bond in love and peace to one another. I am very thankful to those brethren who came up to join with us. Also I would love to appreciate to our brothers in Siem Reap such as, Phanat, Darat, Cheuy, Hout, Piset, Sokchea, Ravy, Vanra, that we all have a very good idea of helping the church to grow more for the year 2012 compared to other leaders. It's kind of challenging for the Lord's work in our country. 

Also this year, we have our brethren engage their family wedding to God's teaching. Keep your prayers for us that sooner or later we plan to have a family camp, so that we will encourage one another through the Bible teaching that we need to raise our children in God's word.

In the year 2011, I think that the number of members not grow much as it supposed to, but I see that our brethren grow in the faith, that helps grow more in numbers and spiritually. 

I want to thank God for those brethren who sacrificed their financial and love because of God's work in our country. May God bless them richly and strongly in Him.

Chann

God Continues To Give The Increase...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept greetings from the staff, students and members of the Wotutu congregation and many brethren here who can see your great work through the school and our ministry. They are sending their love to you.

We do hope your week was great and God was with you to see you through in all your endeavors. We pray God to continue His works in your life and that of your family members.

Sister Kudi Gladys obeyed the gospel after listening from us. She came to church with her two children. Keep her in your prayers to keep working for the Lord so that her large family will follow her footsteps one day and  also obey the gospel as we continue to plant and water the seed.

Our week in CBIW was great, as it went by without any major problems. The new lecturer is doing well. The students admired his approach and handling of the truth here. They love his encouragement to preach nor matter what. Brother Tabe Moses is happy to be part of our team and promised me in my office to give his best to prepare zealous and devoted soldiers of the cross. That was the way he described our students. Please keep him in your prayers.

Evangelism is our mission and we cannot do without that in a week. The program I shared with you few weeks ago has started rolling. This week we arranged to go to Mondoni Village which is about 10 miles from Wotutu to re-establish the Lord’s church there. The church of Christ in that community was established and stayed for some few months and died. It was after about four years now that we heard the Macedonian call from a sister there to come over and help us through the Buea congregation. We went there this weekend. As I write you now we have just return from there and it is successful, glory be to our God.

I went there with three students and the Lord used us to accomplish His purpose there.

Brother Namina Bernard shared the gospel in Mondoni Village from house to house.

Mondoni villagers were so receptive to the gospel. They gave us audience, listening to us and they asked lots of questions to cross check their denominational stand with what they were hearing.

Our goal is to continue to rob from the strong man’s house. God is fulfilling His promise in helping us to do so. Yesterday evening in Mondoni Village, sister Elizabeth Sama accepted Jesus and was baptized making the a total of two souls in Mondoni village and 7 restorations this morning. Thanks be to God that the church is on again in Mondoni. Keep this new work in your prayers for us to have means to send students every weekend to go and nurture the brethren.

The was a good number of us that worshipped today in that Mondoni village, as the pictures shows below. We have a brother’s parlor that we shall be using as our worship hall. Keep this work in your prayers. It is fruitful for the glory of the Lord.

In the Wotutu congregation, 105 worshipped with 4 first time visitors, who confess their readiness to continue to worship with the Lord’s church and to encourage their families to escape from the bondage of denominationalism. Our PA system keeps cutting across the communities as many will call us from different villages to appreciate the teaching and the light that the Church of Christ is ushering to the communities.

A brother was baptized yesterday during our weekly evangelism, but it resulted in to a severe problem between the students, the leaders of our congregation and the family. I was on mission to Mondoni, but I will be able to handle the situation as of tomorrow to expose to the family the truth of the scriptures concerning the urgency of a man’s salvation. Keep the situation in your prayers.

PLANS

1. We shall travel to Lykoko village this weekend for Campaign and Bible lectureship. Keep us in your prayers for the work and our travels.

2. Keep the Nkongsamba work in your prayers, as we are praying and preparing to go there on the 2^nd to the 5^th of February with some students for a 4 day campaign.

3. The Batoke, Idenau and Bakassi mission are still pending. The first congregation we established in Lebialem regions is facing serious problems now in leadership. They need our attention. The one who was leading as a young convert cannot control any longer. We are looking for means to encourage him to come to CBIW when the time comes so that one of our students will go there after his graduation this year and serve.

Every day the work load keeps increasing. It is good, but our hands are short to meet up, but by His grace we have the human resources, our students are ready, zealous and sacrificial to go where ever the gospel is calling.

APPEAL
Please come and be part of this soul winning team. If you think souls, then come and join us. Let us go and plant and water so that God will give us the ability to rob from the strong man’s house.

APPRECIATION
I pray to God daily for you, for your concern and prayers over this work. Thanks for your priceless support. God will enrich you and your family the more.

Do your best to share this with others. God bless you. You are a pillar in our ministry.

Elangwe and family by His grace
Director CBIW

26,000 +/- Attend Services In Ghana...

December 2011

Students.  One half of the quarter’s work was completed and the students left on December 17 to their respective congregations and towns for the end of year vacation. There they will be engaged in various local programs.

Teachers.  The teachers responded to several invitations to help and teach.  

December 4, Daniel was the main speaker at a lectureship held at Hotopo for some 8 churches in the area. Two lessons were presented on Worship and Not Forsaking the Assembly. More than 300 were in attendance.

December 10, Charles Arthur, Joshua Aidoo, and Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah presented lessons at a lectureship organized by the Nsuakyi congregation near Fosu in the Central Region.

December 11, Daniel attended the thanksgiving service of churches of Christ in Ghana held in Kumasi. From August of 2011, various events, seminars and lectureships were held to mark the 50th year of the church in Ghana. The climax was the thanksgiving service which was held in Kumasi and Accra simultaneously. At the Kumasi service it was announced that the Bomso church in Kumasi has awarded brother Samuel Obeng and Daniel a trip to the Holy Land in June 2012, in appreciation of their work in the church in Ghana over the years. There were about eleven thousand members in attendance in the Kumasi service and some fifteen thousand attended the Accra service.

December 19-24, the church at Egyam conducted a week-long open-air preaching. Joshua was among the preachers.

December 25, Arthur and Daniel honoured an invitation to teach and preach at the dedication service of the new church building at Egyam. Later that day, Joshua and Daniel conducted the induction service for Effiakuma church’s new preacher, Charles Mensah.

December 30, 2011 - January 1, 2012, Daniel went to Berekum and Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana to teach in a yearly church growth workshop in which he has been involved for the past five years. At the concluding worship at Wenchi, in which Daniel preached the sermon, 5 precious souls responded to the invitation and were baptized.

January 2, 2012, the Bomso, Kumasi church conducted their annual New Year School at which issues and matters of interest in the church in Ghana are discussed. Daniel was one of four men invited to sit on the discussion panel.

January 8, 2012, Daniel was the Guest Speaker at a send-off ceremony for Kojo Acquah Beenyi, the local preacher for the Chapel Hill church in Cape Coast, Central Region, who was leaving for Swedru after 10 years of work with the church.

Classes will be back in session at West Coast January 16, 2012, after the end of year vacation.  We have one half of the second quarter’s study to complete.  

We send to one and all our love and sincere best wishes.

Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah

Details Of Day To Day Nepali Life...

The report below is from Parsuram Sunchuri, who works as an evangelist in Nepal and teaches in the Extension school where we are privileged to share in the work of training men to preach. His report shares information about the village congregations where he recently visited.

The brothers and sisters in Christ in churches of Makwanpur and Chitwan were continuously asking me to visit them. My last visit to them was in March this year. Since I had not visited them from past eight months, I was also praying and planning to visit the churches there sooner. I have been traveling to that area from last eight years, study the Word of God, evangelism, and worship together with the members of the churches. Brother Uday Bahadur Praja is my usual travel companion whom I know from last ten years. He is one of the key persons who has helped to established many churches there. He is a faithful brother in Christ who has also groomed many men in the churches of Christ in this area. He regularly travels to the churches for Bible study.

December 3, 2011 Saturday, I left Kathmandu on a bus to Tandi, Chitwan at 7 AM and reached there at 12:30 PM. From there I took a local bus to Lothar Bazar and reached there around 2 PM. Uday was there waiting for me. After having lunch with him we traveled to north by foot along the bank of Lothar River to Silinge at 3 PM. Lothar is a small town named after the river that flows south from there and it’s a border line of Makwanpur district on the East and Chitwan district on the West. At 5:30 PM we reached Pangthali from where we had to go uphill to reach Silinge village. In company with four young boys from Silinge we started climbing the hill and reached Silinge Village at 6: 30 PM. Brothers and Sisters were waiting for us there. We had our meal at Jeet’s house and stayed overnight with his family.

December 4, 2011 Sunday, at 8 AM we went to the church building where we had our worship service at 9 AM. Uday led the service. Since I was requested by brothers to preach, my sermon was from Psalm 126. Our service was over by 11 AM and after that, brothers and sisters shared greetings with each other. There were 70+ people at the service and 50+ partook in the Lord Supper. This is one of the growing congregations here. All the members here are from Chepang ethnic group of Nepal, 1 minority group among the people of Nepal. All of them are in the four districts of Nepal. They are Gorkha, Dhading, Chitwan and Makwanpur. They are one of the socially, educationally, and economically underprivileged ethnic groups of Nepal. But they are very gentle, loving and hard working people. I always feel near to Christ whenever I visit the churches, brothers and sisters there.

After having lunch with Uday, we started walking towards Yesharang village across the Reuti Khola River, northwest of Silinge around 1 PM to have afternoon service there. There are eight members, who come to worship at Silinge Church. We reached there at 2:30 PM and started service from 3 PM. There were 38 people, mostly (over 25) nonbelievers whom we preached about Christ and His gospel. We hope and pray that the Lord will bring more people and establish His church there soon. Uday, Bel Bahadur and Rej Kumar (he lives in Yesharang village), are laboring to establish a congregation there. After the service I walked back with Uday, Bel Bahadur and his two younger sisters to Uday’s home at 5:30 PM. On the way we stopped at Uday’s elder brother’s house to visit and reached Uday’s home at 7: 30 PM. Uday is in his mid thirties, is married with two sons and two daughters between the ages of 2 and 10. I feel warm and comfortable staying at his home. His home is almost an hour walk from Church’s building toward west nearby Lothar River.

December 5, Monday at 7:30 AM Uday and I left his home for Khankhare to visit brothers and sister there at that morning. We reached Khankhare at 9 AM. We went to Jatna’s home and visited him, his family and few other brother and sisters in Christ. We prayed together and left Khankhare at 11 AM to Lothar Bazar with Jatna. The congregation there has 35 members and it is also a growing congregation, Uday started it almost eight years back. The congregation meets at Jatna’s house and they are constructing a church nearby building by the help of a US congregation. At 1:25 PM we reached Lothar and Jatna went back home. We took a local bus to Bakular to go to Bhalumara Church at Dahakhani VDC of Chitwan and reached there around 4:30. From there we took a three wheeler Tempo (which has seats for 12 people including driver). But we had a total of 22 adults and 2 children inside and on the roof as well. It took almost one and half hour to reach Mitthu Chowk (around 8 KM) north of Bakular, Tandi. Brother Lal Bahadur was waiting for us there. It was already 5:50 PM and we had to go through the jungle on bicycle. Around six we started our journey through the jungle and reached Lal’s home in Bhalumara Village at around 7:15 PM where brothers and sisters greeted us and we stayed at his home that night.

December 6, Tuesday - We had Bible study from 9 AM with the 14 brothers and sisters of Bhalumara Church till noon. Bhalumara congregation is also a 30+ members church, which started eight years back after the baptism of two members, Lal and his wife. They meet in a tin shed constructed by Lal and his family for the church. There is very good possibilities of church growth because it is a village with more than 100 houses. After Bible study we went to visit Brother Devilal’s family and prayed for his sick daughter. From there we left Bhalumara at 2 PM on Devilal’s motor bike to Club Chowk. From there we took tempo and reached Bakular, Tandi at around 4:30 PM. At Tandi Uday and I separated with each other at 5 PM. Uday went to Lothar Bazar to walk back home next morning from there. I traveled to Bharatpur to get a bus to Kathmandu on Wednesday morning. After reaching Bharatpur I came to know that there was a strike next day there. If I had known about it earlier, then would have stayed with brothers and sisters in Bhalumara one more day.

December 7, Wednesday I stayed at Bharatpur.

December 8, Thursday At 7 AM, I traveled back to Katmandu and reached my home at around 2.30 PM. It is always good to be back home, and be with your family.

Churches of Christ in Chitwan and Makwanpur districts are gradually growing. We need to help the churches there to grow more and mature in the future. So I would like to request with you to pray with me for the churches there and help us in our effort in Him. For 2012, I have the following prayer requests to you for your consideration and help.

1. Help to construct church building in Bhalumara, Chitwan. It is a 30+ member church and their tin shed is quite small for the crowd they get for Sunday service. Brother Lal Bahadur Praja is ready to donate his land for church building and they are praying for a 33’ X 15’ building of brick or concrete block wall and zinc sheet roofing. It will cost around Nepali Rupees 300,000 (US $ 3,600). This is a village of more than 100 houses, church will certainly grow in the future. So please kindly pray so that we can gather help for this.

2. We are in need of Bibles (New Testament) and Song books for the churches in this area as well as for the churches in other parts of Nepal.

3. I have almost 25 Bible study materials in different subjects and books of the Bible translated in Nepali. They are 25 to 100 pages, A4 size paper. They are very useful for our members and leaders of the churches. We can bind them and make study books. We need to print these, distribute in the churches and train our leaders to use these study materials, for their personal study as well as for delivering sermons in churches. Please help us to print these Bible Study materials one at a time and distribute among the churches.

4. I have dedicated myself to visit churches there regularly to encourage and train the church members as well for evangelism in the past which I will continue in year 2012 also. I don’t need any funds for my travel and personal expenses. But we need funds to gather brothers and sisters in a central place and conduct Bible classes and seminars. Please pray and help for this mission. This will certainly help to mature the members and improve leadership of the churches.

I hope and pray that you will kindly consider these prayer requests. I hope to receive your response on this. If you have any questions regarding my prayer request kindly contact me.

May God bless us richly with His wisdom and knowledge through our service to Him. In Christ,

Parsuram Sunchuri
Church Of Christ
57 Su-Marg, Subidhanagar Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977-1-2050163
Cell Phone: +977-9751009200 Email: psunchuri@yahoo.com
cofcktmnp@gmail.com

If you would like to view this report, complete with pictures, please click here.

Go Tell It On The Mountain...

We returned to Chimala for the start of the new school year. I traveled with Howell Ferguson as we prepared to interview the new students and get the school off to a good start. The first two days were for orientation. The faculty had prepared well and the opening chapel was filled with beautiful Swahili and English songs, fervent prayers and pious hopes as we began the New Year.  The interviews of the new students came after an address of student support and encouragement by Bill Stenson, the Chimala administrator. He reminded us of the importance of the work of the Bible Institute in the overall work of the mission. 

The backgrounds of the new students was inspiring and encouraging concerning the future of the church here in East Africa. Jon from Dar es Salaam has already been preaching for four years. He wanted to prepare himself further so “lots of people could be saved.” Kamsona was from Sumbawanga and heard of a church that taught the truth. After finding the church of Christ and being baptized he became determined to save people from false teachers. George has been a Christian for only a year. He was sent by the congregation at Tukuyo because they need a trained preacher to help.

Eric is only 20 years old but has been a Christian for four years. His reason for coming to the Chimala Bible Institute is to be able to preach to young people like himself. John Julius is from the capital of Tanzania, Dodoma. He saw the need to strengthen the congregation where he is attending and is determined to do something about it. Frankie who is a product of the Chimala School of Preaching is over the Bible correspondence courses for the mission, but Frankie wants to do more. He is now enrolled in the Bachelors program as a first year student. 

Micah gave the graduate address for the Swahili program at graduation this November. He is back also enrolled in the Bachelors program because he wants to do more. Nelson retired after teaching Primary school in Dodoma. He has seven children which he is still supporting in school. He also wants to do more. He has come to school so he can be involved in “church planting” in the capital city. At the Chimala secondary school, Shadrack is the teacher of Social studies, but he wants to do more, so now he is enrolled in the bachelor’s program at CBI.

We were encouraged this morning in chapel when Howell Ferguson encouraged the student body to “keep first things first,” based on Matthew 6:33. Tomorrow morning classes’ start and our fervent hope is that we continue to keep first things first in preparing the dedicated and sacrificing students to better prepare themselves to “do more” in spreading the borders of the kingdom.

The week of classes at the Chimala Bible Institute started off well. We had a few students come in late as problems arose in their lives. One student showed up today with a special history. Those of us who work on and love the Chimala Mission are aware of the “old mission” up on the mountain. This is where the original missionaries worked buying the buildings from the Germans who left it after WWI. After years of work it was abandoned. Today the buildings and original church is in ruins. There are a few Christians left at Kitekelo, a small village on the mountain side. One of the grandfathers of the original Christians on the mountain has been studying with his grandson for the last six months. His name is Aminadamu Nsemwa. This young man showed up today with a letter from the few church members left. It requested that we baptize the young man who, after studying with Joshua, our Dean of Students, was determined he was ready. The letter also requested that we enroll him in school so that he would one day return to the mountain and teach the gospel.

We then met with Aminadamu and with Joseph, the head of our Swahili program and Boaz, one of our instructors.  After conferring with them they invited the man to immediately be baptized into Christ…We all piled into the “ole” Land Cruiser and drove to the pond at the back of the mission. Boaz climbed into the murky water with Joseph using a stick to wipe the lily pads and other vegetation away. While this was going on Joshua was preaching to the young man and, satisfied he knew what he needed to do, he took his “good confession.” He gingerly climbed down the slippery bank and Boaz baptized him. As they both climbed out of the water Joshua continued teaching the new brother in Christ reminding him he was now a “new creature in Christ” Joseph then lead us all in a heartfelt pray and we went on our way rejoicing. Boaz has requested that this weekend he take his “piki piki” (motor cycle) up to the mountain and report and preach to the few scattered Christians, but not only are our teachers and evangelists “telling it on the mountain,” but also in the planes and cities. 

Peter is planning on using our students to evangelize in Mbeya. Joshua has been working in Ihanda where the church had died out. They now have baptized five new Christians and that small church has sent one of their own to school here to be able to come back and teach. Joseph, after the WBS “gospel chariot” went to Ntapisi this summer, has been working with that congregation. All of our teachers preached there and over 25 have been baptized. Again, one of their own has now come to school at CBI. 

Seth Ferguson is here from Tennessee and has already been involved in evangelism. He taught with Ezekiel at the secondary school the Bible class today and last night at the mission church to a packed house of over 200 young people, preached a powerful sermon on the “Hope of the Gospel.” Howell Ferguson, our BVBID co-coordinator is here teach and evangelizing. He will present a program tomorrow to the faculty of having outreach seminars. We are all excited about Howell’s leadership and encouragement.  So continue to remember the work in your prayers as we are telling the gospel story not only on the mountain, but everywhere.

Garry L. Hill
BVBID Extension Coordinator

Their Thoughts Are Not Our Thoughts...

Dear Loyal Co-Workers,

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.”

AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS…but I did. I spent most of Saturday in Arusha and only at 11 pm when my head hit the pillow did I think about the weekly report which was supposed to be written and sent on Saturday. WHEN AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN. The TZ2000 Mission Team director, Cy Stafford, his wife (Stephanie) and mother-in-law (affectionately called “Granny”) left this past week headed to the states to report on the progress in East Africa. Many who receive this report will be privileged to hear updates face-to-face regarding all the different aspects of the TZ2000 Mission work and how this one-time dream has become a reality.

LADIES BIBLE CLASS. Trina completed studies on Genesis 1-25. It is the plan to review (asking questions, etc) as we did today to “cement” the learning. The Ladies seemed to enjoy it and it was encouraging to hear their answers, showing the knowledge gained over the past year.

JIMMY...continues to teach the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings (chapter 17 today). His study with Ammon and his wife on Saturday went well. However, concerning baptism, Ammon said (in reference to Jimmy’s sermon last week about listening to God and not man) “Lutherans say there was not enough water in Israel long ago and therefore Christians did not use a lot of water. Sometimes they just sprinkled water on people’s heads and sometimes they even threw dust on them.” Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not what I say?”

AGNESS RETURNS. Many of you will remember a very sweet Christian lady who was converted several months ago (6 days before giving birth to her first child, Joshua). She was very faithful in her attendance, even going against the local tradition of staying home for the first 3 months after giving birth. However, a few months after becoming a Christian her husband, Burtwell, decided that she and Joshua needed to go live with a woman cousin (about 10 hours away). We have seen (and heard of) this practice on several different occasions and we are still somewhat baffled. When we asked Burtwell about it, he replied that “Agness didn’t have anything to do.” To which we replied with a laugh (although it was serious), “You’re telling us that a woman who has just had a baby has NOTHING to do?” Our TZ friend told us later that what he meant was, “There isn’t a job here that she can do.” So we suppose she was going to the cousins’ house to help her in some way and the cousin would “support” her there with food and possibly money for any medical care her baby would need. What we have seen is that sometimes when a baby arrives, the husband no longer wants the responsibility/stress/financial burden that comes with that precious little bundle so he ships the wife off to a relative. Finally, Agness has returned and has reunited with the church family in Kisongo. However, she has missed some services so we are hoping to encourage her more.

MARRIAGE SEMINAR IN MAY. Yes, you’ve heard us mention this several times and everyone at the church seems excited. In anticipation of it, it was requested that the married couples begin to sit together (only about 3 couples at present were doing so). It was announced that it would be “practice” for the upcoming seminar. Surprisingly, most couples seem happy to do so (at least the women seem to be) as if they needed a good reason, excuse or permission to do so. It was strange to Trina but the question was asked in the ladies class, “What about the single people or married women whose husbands do not attend? Won’t it make them feel bad?”

THEIR THOUGHTS ARE NOT OUR THOUGHTS. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Africa, this is one of them. Ha/ha Oh, people are people wherever you go…same feelings, same needs, etc. However, take for instance “taste” in furniture or décor. Trina decided (with Jimmy’s permission) to sell some of the present furniture and replace it with some dhow furniture made from boats used on the coast. This furniture is very sturdy and rustic and Trina can finally live out her dream of  “Little House on the Prairie…in Africa.” We bought a dhow coffee table and after several Tanzanians looked at it, they laughed and said, “If you set that out by the road, no one would take it” and “This is just firewood. We need to take an axe to it!” It was all hilariously funny concerning the differences in “taste.”

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE. Lindsey continues to teach Therasia. Their last study was “How We Got the Bible.” Therasia is no longer working in the shop in Arusha (she quit due to moral reasons) and we have decided to give her a job with us. It is a win-win situation because we can always use extra help in the house and the small salary would mean so much to her. She’s a diligent worker, kind, honest and willing to help.

ACSOP. Jimmy will be teaching a Greek Readings class for the Master's students this week. Then, on Friday evening we are expecting Ted Cherry (Navasota, TX) to arrive to teach two more weeks of Master's classes. Then, after those classes are finished, we will take in a new Swahili class and continue with the second year of studies for the English class, if God is willing. We presently have 22 new students lined up for the new intake. Our goal is 30. We are still in need of support for these students. If you can help with the needed $200 per month, in whole or in part, please send it to the Kensington Woods congregation (the address is on the first page of this report) marked “ACSOP - Student Support.”

FROM OUR HEARTS TO YOURS…Thank you for your desire to see this work prosper and grow. Thank you for all the prayers! It is amazing what can be accomplished when people work together. 

In Christ,
The Gee's

To view the Gee report, complete with pictures, please click here.

One Incredible Week...

This has been one incredible week. The news from around the world demonstrates one reason why Extension Training is vital to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The premise of training men in their own country / culture and their own language, so they might go out and teach their own people the gospel is bearing fruit worldwide.

The reports below will show the fruitful nature of this work even while these men are preparing themselves in classes. The exciting part of this week’s report is the fact this represents only one week. These reports keep coming every week. I love sharing the news and I hope it is just as encouraging to each of you as it is to me. Each week it thrills me to read the news from each of the schools we are privileged to work with in 14 locations. The development of new schools in 2012 will increase the possibilities even more.

I want to encourage each of you to find one person who has not heard about the weekly report and share the report with them this week. If they are interested in continuing to receive it, please forward their e-mail address to me and I will add them to the list and send it each week. The more who are able to read the news, the more we are able to have others praying, and we can raise awareness to the needs of the work.

Thank you for all you do to make this work possible. I hope you know the difference that is being made because of your willingness to help. I give thanks to God for each of you.

Now on to the reports...

Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/

Donnie Bates’ report for January share news and plans for the work in Central America. You can read his report here.

Extension Reports 

New Year Ahead And A Summary Of 2011 Worth Reading: This week’s report from Cameroon gives a view of the new quarter and a summary of 2011. This is good.

Meeting The Challenge In Cambodia: True to his resolution for 2012, Phanat Ouch is working to meet the challenge. It is encouraging and will have an impact on the work.

Graduation Is Coming: The Uganda School of Evangelism is preparing for their next graduation. These men continue to demonstrate the growth of the program.

Graduate Reports Show Fruitful Work: Cy Stafford shares reports from three graduates of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching and the work is growing.

Two For The Price Of One...Both Worth The Read: Due to internet difficulties, the Gee Report was not sent last week. This week you can read both and they are worth your time. 

Final Thoughts
How about the reports this week? The news continues to be exciting, the growth is incredible, and the year ahead holds promise of even greater progress. If you enjoy reading about this work as much as I do, then you understand why I love reporting each week.

It is so powerful to see God’s hand at work in the lives of our brothers and sisters around the world. Their dedication, along with your prayers and support, humble me. I am thankful to have a small part in working side by side with each of you.

I pray God will continue to bless us all in our service to Him in 2012.

God bless
Bob

New Year Ahead And A Summary Of 2011 Worth Reading...

Dearest in Christ,

Calvary greetings from your brothers and sisters of the Wotutu congregation and the staff and students of CBIW. We do hope this report will meet you well in all that you do. We pray God will bless you in all your endeavors.

We started our quarter well, with all the students on campus. We give thanks to God for bringing the students back on campus to continue in their last year of studies, as they will be graduating from the college, by His grace, on the 20^th of December 2012. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare men to go into the world, especially our country, to preach the gospel. God is using us in a way to do our best.

The first day in class, God has started working again in Wotutu, as many continue to listen to our radio program in the morning. In the picture above, Alice Ateba accepted Christ as she was baptized into Christ. One of our students, Ashu Evaristus, performed the baptism.

We have started receiving more applications from prospective students and the demand is high. More young men are gaining consciousness to get into the ministry of preaching. Please pray for Cameroon, because it is our conviction that through CBIW many things will change in Cameroon. 

Minister Abasiama, preacher with the Mile One church of Christ in Limbe, taught the students Wisdom Literature to start this new quarter. Keep him and the entire school in your prayers.

Some of the students and I attended a preacher’s forum at the church of Christ in Mudeka. During the forum there was problem about misinterpretation of Bible passages about marriage and divorce, as recorded in Matthew 19 and 1 Cor. 7, so I decided to call for a study seminar for one day on the CBIW campus in the month of March for preachers and leaders in congregations to come and let us reason together. They all agreed. Please keep the program in your prayers and share with us your view on the subject matter.

Brother Ngoe, another student, baptized Helen Marock into Christ this afternoon after worshipping with the church of Christ Wotutu for the first time, but she has been studying with us every Saturday in our evangelism and radio program. Keep all of them in your prayers for them to walk according to their calling.

Minister Bernard Mukom from Nigeria, who arrived last night, is a French preacher. I met with him in Nigeria and encouraged him to come back to Cameroon so that we shall invest ourselves towards the development of the church here in Cameroon. Right after church some brethren came to my house to greet him. Keep him in your prayers as he will travel back and get some of his things in Nigeria. He is a good tool in our vision for the French regions and started preparing our students to be fully bilingual as we live in a bilingual country so that the gospel will penetrate into all hearts.

We have raised our speakers up the zinc, so that the gospel of the saving message will go loud, clear and further than the way the waves use to go, so that more and more people in Wotutu and the villages close to Wotutu will get the message without any problem. This radio is working well. Many thanks to God for His providence. Our worship services are broadcast live and many lives are being touched. Keep our work in your fervent prayers. 

PLANS
1.  We have more and more invitations to expand the sphere of the gospel in our communities. On the 26th through the 29th we are invited to attend four days of house to house evangelism by the church of Christ in lykoko villag,e some 200 miles away from Wotutu.

2.  We are praying on a daily basis as we plan to go to the French community of Nkongsamba to fully establish a congregation. Our program shows that we shall be there on the 2^nd to 5^th February 2012. Please keep this program in your prayers for God to provide and make our movement smooth.

3.  We shall go to the Bakkasi Mondoni village this weekend to fully establish a congregation there. Batoke Ideanua Bali still cries for students to make trips there every weekend to help the church because it was a congregation which was characterized by women, and the lone brother there was an illiterate, so sisters come and sit and go back home without anything, because no one is there to preach to them.

4.  I have the mind to divide our students every weekend to meet up with this demand. I pray God to open the way and make this work fruitful. 

APPRECIATIONS
Thanks very much for all you are doing for the work here in Cameroon. It is bearing fruit both in the brotherhood and outside the brotherhood. We keep lifting up your names in our prayers to God for using you this way to provoke the growth of the gospel. God will never pass you by when He returns with His reward.

Do your best to share this work with others who will love to be part. 

God bless you and watch over you.

Elangwe and Family 
By His grace, Director CBIW 

Below is the summary report of the work for the past year.

Dearest in the Lord,

God bless you all as you read and share this work with others. It is great for me to share with you all that God helped us accomplish in our congregation and CBIW. The coming of CBIW in the Wotutu congregation is a wonderful blessing, not only to our congregation, but to the entire nation and in less than no time, the work will also spread to nearby countries who are still suffering from spiritual malnutrition like Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Tchad and Central African Republic. These are countries that we share the same boundaries with in Central Africa.

Many still consider Cameroon as West Africa, but we are not. We are in Central Africa, and this shows that there is a lot of work in this African sub region. The harvest is really ripe, but the laborers are few. We continue to pray daily for God to encourage as many as He can to come over to CBIW to be trained so that more workers will be sent to the field.

In 2011 the work was like this.

1.  We made a total of 10 weekend evangelism trips. It is really less because we hadn’t enough means to send our students on weekly basis.

2.  We made a total of 12 monthly evangelism trips to congregations on invitation for Bible lectureships, which was highly evangelistic.

3.  We made a total of 4 campaigns which come at the end of each quarter. 

STUDIES CONDUCTED
1.  MONTHLY: at least  5 studies from each students. We started with 22 students and the number dropped very close to the end of the year to 19 students as we continue now with 18.

2.  WEEKLY: at least 2-3 studies per student during our weekly evangelism trips.

3.  In 2011 we had a total of 226 souls baptized and added to many congregations all over Cameroon most especially in Wotutu congregation the seat of the school.

4.  In 2011 we had 170 souls restored to congregations around the country.

5.  Four congregations were established by our efforts in Cameroon.

6.  Seven congregations were revived. 

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
1.  Sick students with no medical fund in the school as of now.

2.  Many transportation problems delayed, and at times missed our trips, because of lack of permanent transportation.

3.  Because of no transportation of our own, no good follow up in new areas of our work, like to check on new converts and newly established congregation for nurturing. Some congregations were left in the hands of young converts who may not know better the ways of the Lord to teach others.

4.  Lack of Bibles for new converts. 

SOLUTION
By His grace, this is 2012, if many of these problems can be handled, the work will take another level. 

APPRECIATIONS
I give glory to God for all His grace that we enjoyed throughout the year and I equally thank you and your families and the family of the congregations where you worship with for all your great concern, prayers and support for the work here. The work is moving on well. Thanks many times for your love for the gospel. God will not pass you by when He comes for His reward. Thank you, again I say thank you. God bless you.

Elangwe and family, by His grace
Director CBIW

Meeting The Challenge In Cambodia...

In keeping with the tremendous challenge for the new year in Cambodia, Phanat is holding true to writing weekly. I missed getting his first report, so it is attached below, along with the report this week. Great stuff!

This week I've engaged in a conversation about Jesus Christ to 4 new people. My goal is to talk to 100 new people and, as of now, I am on a good pace. If I can talk to at least two new people a week, then I'll hit my goal. I ask that you keep me in your prayers. I hope that these conversations will lead to invites and Bible studies. I want to be an example in opening my mouth to talk about Jesus to my family and those around me and also develop this healthy habit of not being ashamed or timid when it comes to my faith.

The local basketball guys and I did a bike trail at Angkor Wat. One of the new guys I talked to about Jesus is name Chamroen. He rode in the back. Pray that we continue to build our relationship, but more importantly him beginning a relationship with Christ!

Week 1 January 2012

Greetings Loved ones,

For our first week into the new year, Chann had organized a local leadership meeting to come and discuss our experiences in our works in different parts of the country. We had teachers of bible schools, evangelists of local congregations, and children's home staff come and share about their work and how we can improve in serving our Lord. It was a very good meeting and I want to thank Chann for taking the initiative in getting everyone together so that we can lift each other up. This is a blessing to me in that we have local leaders stepping up to organize such events, revealing their spiritual growth and future autonomy. They are not dependent upon the missionaries from abroad to lead or organize such events and that's what I am so proud of.

We also had a wedding ceremony done at the church building for Sokchea (preacher for Leang Dai church of Christ) and Pisey (staff of Hannah's Hope Children's Home)! It was a wonderful wedding! It's really good to see Christian couples forming right before my eyes. This will help out the work and the country of Cambodia a great deal! We are expecting 3 more weddings to happen in the next 3 months! It's amazing how God is blessing the work and people here! What a way to start off the new year! Our God is a tremendous God indeed!

Phanat

Two For The Price Of One...Both Worth The Read

WEEKLY QUOTE:  “When you are the right kind of person, doing the right thing, help and encouragement come from all directions.”

We apologize that we were unable to send the report last week. Our internet has been very unreliable and that was the case on Sunday.  Also, Jimmy was in Nairobi for a few days and couldn’t send it from there. Below is last week’s report. 

BIBLE STUDIES: 
After several studies with Abigail, fifteen-year-old Grace desired to be baptized. However, she felt it necessary (and in this culture it is) to ask her fathers’ permission. After several days, Ahimidiwe (preacher at Kisongo) called the father who said that Grace wasn’t old enough to make that kind of decision and he would not allow it. However, he agreed to a study with Ahimidiwe. Sadly, Grace’s conversion depends on her father’s.

Jimmy’s study (almost a year long) with Lembris and Rosemary has come to an end since they will soon be attending Kisongo Bible School. One of the most active and faithful ladies (Janet Deo) set up a study for Jimmy with Ammon (mid 20’s) and his wife. They have 2 small children and live in a mud hut (with 2 or 3 rooms). Ammon asked, “How do you prove what you are saying is true? There are many religious groups claiming to be right.” After the second study yesterday (Jan. 14), Ammon and his wife attended services today. Please pray for this family as they learn more about God's word.

Yesterday, Trina was privileged to study with Lucy, a beautiful lady aged 30. She is the cousin of my translator, Paulina, and works at the mosquito net factory (6-7 days a week). Lucy was raised by Roman Catholic parents and was baptized as a teenager. Lucy says she is searching for the Truth and said that the Catholic religion did not always agree with the Bible. In the past, Paulina had asked her to study on several occasions but Lucy was not interested. We were very happy to hear that Lucy had requested this study. 

Lindsey was not able to study with Theresia because she was in Arusha working. Because her fatherless family could not come up with 6 months of rent money in advance (normal procedure here) they were forced to move to a mud hut. 

DEMON POSSESSION:
After arriving at Paulina’s house to study with Lucy, Paulina told Trina about a problem her neighbor was having. It seems that her neighbor’s daughter, Rita, was suffering from “demon possession,” according to her family. Friday, after a group from their Lutheran church came over to pray, Rita began crying uncontrollably and was not responding to her own name but saying, “we are many…” She was begging for prayers from others and saying she had no energy. Later, the Lutheran church came over again to pray for her but to no avail. 

Paulina was very perplexed about it, saying that this girl (a recent high school graduate) was a very normal and upstanding person and had never acted this way. My only suggestions were that maybe someone had slipped some kind of drug into her drink, she was just having a mental breakdown or just needing attention. The neighbors interrupted our study a few times asking if we could help. After finishing the study, we agreed to take her to the hospital in town but later they said that a friend was already on their way. When the neighbors first asked if there was anything Trina could do, all she could think of were the words of the little servant girl on the movie “Gone with the Wind:”  “But Miss Scarlet, I don’t know nothin’ about birthin’ no babies…” except  it was “casting out demons.” That was out of my league. :)

AN ENGAGEMENT PARTY! Any visitor who has come to TZ will recognize the names Kambarage and Agnes. Agnes’ father was taught by Andrew Connelly many years ago. Saturday, we were invited to celebrate the engagement of their daughter, Naomi (a third generation Christian…such a rare thing in TZ) to a young medical student who is also a Christian (and his father is a Christian). 

Due to the large amount of time that it takes to write and send this report, we will try to write and send it on Saturdays. After 3 hours of Bible study and worship on Sunday, lunch, then an hour to write it, choosing pictures and then another hour spent sending it, there is not much time to rest and refresh ourselves. 

Friday, we received one of the biggest rains/thunderstorms we have ever witnessed in TZ. Thunderstorms are rare (including this one, we remember 4 in these 7 years we’ve been here). The lightening was awful and it poured down rain in “sheets” for the longest time and all the mud ran down our driveway. This morning in some places the mud was so thick, it looked like swirls of chocolate…looking good enough to eat.

Thank you for your continued love and support! A special “Hello” is extended toward the youth group at West Side Church in Yorktown, Indiana! Thanks for the beautiful picture. 

Today’s News: 
TIME TO CELEBRATE! Abbas and his wife became Christians last year. Their interest in the church began when the church at Kisongo showed so much love and concern when their son (Rubin) committed suicide a few years ago. Today Abbas invited eight non-Christians to the church services and to the celebration at his house afterwards (to celebrate the circumcision of his teen-age son, Samson…a Maasi tradition). Jimmy preached an EXCELLENT sermon concerning the inspiration of the Bible and how we need to follow it and not man. Abbas’s son, Samson, decided to be baptized! So this family had two events to celebrate. If you will remember from another report, Abbas said he hoped to convert his whole family. One down….many to go. 

SPEAKING OF DEMON POSSESSION:
Rita, above, was supposedly cured sometime this week by the Lutheran church after more prayer.  But we’re thinking that this “demon possession” thing may be a contagious virus. Yesterday Elijah woke up before everyone did in order to go to the bathroom. After taking off his soaked Pull-Up, he proceeded to beat it against the walls until a million little pellets of silicon (parents know what I’m talking about) covered the floor like a layer of snow.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND INTEREST IN THE TZ 2000 MISSION WORK! 

Serving Him Together, 
The Jimmy Gee family

Graduate Reports Show Fruitful Work...

Greetings Fellow Workers,

We pray your new year has been blessed with a great start. God is truly blessing your efforts here in Tanzania. I received word that one soul obeyed the Good News at Kioga. Joseph obeyed the Gospel at Arusha today and another restored. Yes, we are blessed by a God Who is able when we are willing. Below are three brief reports from three of our graduates: 

“...I will have to check with other ACSOP graduates to know what they have done but on my side we have 4 new congregations in 2011, Nyahururu, Masat, Sengera and Marega. God bless you and the work. Charles Ogutu

I thank God because the church of MANYIRE is growing well Spiritual, and in number, right now we have 45, but not all of them attend the worship. Last year (2011) we have 19 baptized and we thank God for that, also 2 of those who had fallen away, they have repented and came back to the church. Jackson Andrea”

“...I have been working very much to see that the Gospel is spread and indeed it is. We have preached and converted many people but yesterday was another day that the Lord made for us. Compared to that of converting a pentecostal denomination at Kahiza, where by we did baptize 13 people in one day. Up to now I am still very much happy for these souls. Rymon Mwero”

Stephanie, granny and I leave Tanzania this Wednesday, arriving in the States on Thursday (if the Lord wills). Our calendar is just about full, but there are still a couple of openings if you or someone you know, would like to hear a report on God’s Missions Efforts in East Africa. If so, you can reach me after the 19th at 601-310-6170.

We already have two groups/campaigns planned for 2012. One at the end of May and the other the third week of June. If you are interested in joining us this year and would like to join one of these teams, drop me a note and we will put you in touch with the team leaders.

We close this Short Report with a thank you, a thank you to all who have sacrificed on our personal behalf, making it possible for us to be here in TZ doing God’s will. We look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks. And yes, we are very excited about seeing our seven month old grand daughter, Hadleigh for the first time. May our God bless you all richly in the year to come.

In Him, Cy, Stephanie & Granny