VVBC Activities Show Growth...

Dear Brethren,

Greetings from Visakha Valley Bible College to you in the 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.

We were thrilled to hear that the Elders at Strickland Church of Christ have come forward to oversee the Visakha Valley Bible School. We have known these brethren from a long time, in fact me and my father have visited this congregation several times. This congregation has been involved in supporting the Skinner’s Garden work under the oversight of the Elders of West Corinth Church of Christ from a long time. They helped us buy bicycles, lanterns, sewing machines, Bibles and other evangelistic needs. Their part in evangelizing the world is commendable.

It was my pleasure visiting with them in the summer 2010 when I was given an opportunity to give a work report. I took advantage of that and mentioned about our new school Visakha Valley Bible College and our association with Bear Valley. I didn’t have much to talk to them about any more than the presentation, but the later developments encouraged them to come forward to oversee the Bible School work. We appreciate Jerry & Paula for their part in encouraging the elders to take up this new responsibility. In deed we feel like it’s God’s providence. We pray that our relationships will be built up stronger for the betterment of the Lord’s work in India especially in the northeastern region of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

We are encouraged so much with the growth rate of the students, as it is well aware a few numbers of the students always stay little behind despite their hard work. However most of the students are up to date in completing their assignments and tests. 

Preachers’ Fellowship Meeting: 
We are very happy with the evangelistic efforts by our students. We have a student named Uday, who always wanted to attend the short classes, invited us for the preachers’ Fellowship meeting at their place. He wanted us to teach on the subject ‘The Work of the Church.’ He wanted the local congregation to understand about their responsibility towards the fellow Christians and taking the gospel to the lost community in their village. We had most of our graduates attend this Preachers’ Fellowship meeting. We praised God when 3 of those graduates who spoke on the subject encouraged the local congregation to seriously think about charity and evangelism.

Paul Raju’s health condition: Paul Raju, one of our old students had appendicitis pain and had to go through the surgery. By the grace of God everything went well, and he is recovering. He is working in the Viskhapatnam city only. He is one of those who registered for the new Master’s Class which shall be starting July 2012, if that is Lord’s will. 

Special Bible Class on the Book of Revelation: 
DVS Prakash, one of our graduates of the previous batch, is a zealous preacher. He never wanted to take a back seat if a situation comes where he has to deal with that. Denominational groups have been teaching about the premillennialism by misusing text from the Book of Revelation. So, he never wanted to delay approaching the school for help. Brother Vamsee Bushanam, who teaches the Book of Revelation in the school, came forward to help this graduate and the congregation. The local congregation decided to hold a 1 day Special Bible Class on the book of Revelation every month. By the grace of God the congregation is learning the true word as it is written while the speaker is rightly dividing the word of God.   

Applications for the Masters Class:
We are blessed to have another term of Master Classes starting in July this year. We are anxiously looking forward for the start of new batch. We have a list of 16 students who shall be attending enrolling for the Master Class. 

Short Class: 
Brother Chuck Ramseur will be visiting with us for the next week. During his visit he shall be teaching the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ with the undergraduate students. We are excited about Chuck coming to Visakha for the second time which really helps us to work together for the betterment of the School. He is very mindful of the school in Visakha. We pray that his visit would be a blessing to all of us. 

Brother Irven Skinner’s Visit: 
Brother Irven Skinner has been a missionary to India since 1999. During his recent visit he arrived at Visakhapatnam Airport and wanted to spend a couple of days teaching the students at Visakha Valley Bible College. He really loves teaching the Bible. This time he encouraged the Indian preachers to live their lives like a light. One of the lessons he taught was, “ brethren, do not grow weary of doing good,” 2 Thess 3:13, encouraging the preachers to always abound in the Lord to do good things. Our students enjoyed class. Irven Skinner also taught for 3 hrs on the next day during the local congregations meeting we held on Saturday at VVBC facility. We had a great time sharing the Lord’s word. As a result, 3 came forward to be baptized. We rejoiced with those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Brother Irven said, regarding the Bible School work, he would like to come next time and spend more time with the students. 

Thank you note: 
We are thankful to the brethren at Strickland Church of Christ for choosing to be the overseeing church for the Bible School, to guide us spiritually for the betterment of the Church in India. We continue to strive for our common goal and purpose, which is evangelizing the lost millions. We appreciate all of your prayers for us and your financial support. Kindly write us back if you want to know more about the Bible School work. We appreciate brother Bob Turner, Ralph Williams and Jerry Bates for their encouragement in running the school successfully.

Thanking you in Christian love, 

Sameul Raju & John Dean Muppidi
Visakha Valley Bible College
Church of Christ
Andhra Pradesh,  INDIA

Great Trip To Asunción, Paraguay...

After leaving Guatemala on Tuesday, Donnie Bates and I traveled to Asunción, Paraguay. Our purpose in this trip to South America was to visit with the missionary team and men of the Sacramento Avenue congregation about the possibilities of working together to train men to preach the gospel.

Paraguay is a country of about seven million people with only two congregations of the Lord’s church. Both of these congregations are meeting in Asunción. There is an obvious need for men to preach the gospel throughout this country. In addition, this capital city has a very strategic geographical location with the countries of Bolivia and Argentina, which could lend to possible students in the future. 

The missionary team consists of four couples, Troy and Andrea Spradlin, Josh and Cara Blackmer, Perry and Alba Hardin, and Brittnae Dye who is married to Ale Yegros. The team has done an exceptional job of working with the Sacramento Avenue Church of Christ in developing leadership and allowing these leaders to make the necessary decisions for the work.

Our meeting with the men of the congregation, mission’s team, and some of the prospective students, went very well. Donnie and I wanted to emphasize the responsibilities and expectations of establishing a school in Paraguay. We wanted to stress the importance this being Sacramento Avenue’s school. The role of sponsoring / supporting congregations and the Bear Valley Bible Institute is simply to partner with this congregation in their desire to prepare men to fulfill the Great Commission in preaching the gospel.

After considering the positive and negative sides to the responsibilities of a preacher training program in Asunción, we also considered the opportunities such a program would bring to the country. We also addressed several questions regarding housing for the students, future enrollment, teachers, support, and administrative responsibilities.

We were very encouraged by the leadership of the congregation. These men will be discussing further a decision for the establishment of a school for training preachers. If they favorably decide to have a school, then we will take the necessary steps to set everything in place and get the first class of students enrolled. Lord willing, if everything develops accordingly, the mission team would like to see classes begin around March of 2013, allowing time to complete the plans.

We are excited to see the leadership maturity and the serious approach to assuming the responsibilities in taking ownership to such a great and needed work. We will be reporting more as we have further details. Please be praying for the brethren in Asunción as they consider how to expand their efforts for the kingdom in Paraguay.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Read Donnie Bates’ report about his recent trip to Central and South America by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Congregations Grow And Division Prevented: The church in Cameroon continues to grow and the work of Elangwe to prevent division in one congregation.

Graduation And God Gives The Increase: Another class completest their studies in Uganda. Also, the church grows as souls are added to the kingdom.

The Christians’ Birthright: Messages from national preachers can touch the heart in many ways. This is the case in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Final Thoughts
Plans for the work continue to grow as we are privileged to work with so many wonderful people around the world. God has blessed us richly. God’s people are so wonderful and our united efforts for the kingdom are seeing fruit.

Thank you for your generosity in helping with the endeavor of training men to preach the gospel. It is exciting to see students being taught in their own language, within their own country, going out to preach the gospel to their own people. I know you share the joy that comes from God giving the increase to the work. 

May all glory and honor be given to our great and awesome God!!

God bless
Bob

The Christians' Birthright...

Dear Co-Laborers,

Quote of the Week: “Many people have gone a lot farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” (Mary Kay Ash) 

Keith and Molly Karsarjian are due to arrive tonight and Gary Fallis is scheduled for arrival on Wednesday. Keith will be teaching Biblical Leadership and Gary will be teaching Denominational Doctrines and Islam. Both will be teaching the second-year students. The Andrew Connelly School of Preaching students are indeed privileged to be the recipients of the instruction of so many visiting teachers. Also, the resident instructors benefit since the visitor’s teaching reduces their workload and gives them some time to prepare for the next quarter. Speaking of the ACSOP, it is getting a nice facelift with a new coat of paint and other repairs.

Ahimidiwe preached a wonderful sermon on “The Christians’ Birthright” to about 125 people. In fact, we ran out of chairs and some chairs held two children. The ladies continued reviewing Genesis 1- 25. Today, chapters 15 and 16 were our focus. One of the “Life Lessons” discussed involved Sarai asking Abram to do something culturally acceptable but wrong with God. A discussion ensued concerning unbiblical divorce and remarriage and homosexuality. Abigail taught the children on the subject of “Nehemiah, the Leader.” Both Lindsey and Abigail have completed their classes and have learned a lot! We are so thankful to have them back at home during the day…they were sorely missed!

The Kisongo congregation is continuing with their newly established two-year Bible school for the “person in the pew” that meets 4 evenings a week for two hours each evening. The congregation is also trying to finish the construction of the children and ladies’ classrooms …hopefully before the campaigns this summer.  We’re anticipating lots of visitors and a very busy and productive summer. 

Anita Hochdorf continues to study with Lucy (who is getting training to work with our son, Matthew, who has CP). Abigail is going to visit Grace (16 year old) and will conduct a Bible study with Rehema (Teresia’s older sister) today, Lord willing. 

Last Sunday, after sending the report, we received news that brother Paul Ndwani had passed away. Paul had been with the TZ 2000 Mission for several years serving as the director of the Arusha Bible School and an evangelist at the Arusha congregation. Please pray for the wife and four children he leaves behind.

Babies here are handed around or taken by other women more often than in a congregation in the states. Some of this is good when mothers need a break or when they have just held their baby for a long time while walking. However, this morning after services, a young mother handed our five-year-old daughter, Naomi, her 5 month-old son without me noticing. Naomi was standing and began to follow the mother to give her baby back but tripped and fell.  Both were okay but hopefully, this mother will be more careful concerning to whom she hands her baby.

"Fungus-amung-us." Eight members of our family now have ringworm, either on our head, face, arms or legs. Hopefully, the medicine will take effect in a couple of weeks. Jimmy went to the doctor this week and was told he possibly had typhoid. But, since he did not run a fever, that was ruled out. All in all I think we will survive!

"Walk a mile in my shoes." Well, actually, you might not get too far in these. Africa is rough on shoes. Future visitors, take note.

May the Lord bless you richly for your continued support of the TZ 2000 Mission Work!  

In Christ,
The Gees

Graduation And God Gives The Increase...

I am sorry to have not sent this report for some weeks. We have been having problems and some Sundays we visited where there were was no internet. Our graduation went well. Students are all now back in their villages. 

John Macho, who has been working with Genguluho Church of Christ, stayed with them for two weeks. During these weeks three people have been baptized. Five people were to be baptized but due to the long distance to the water only three were baptized. They had requested me to take them with my  Toyota Surf, but it is still not working. This vehicle has become so old that it cannot  run one week without going to the garage. In the state it is in, if I sell it I can only get $1400 dollars. A reconditioned one today would cost $11,000 dollars. 

Other news from our graduates comes from brother Daniel Oloo. After graduation, he was home for one week and now he is helping with some churches in central Kenya in a place called Nyahururu. He is holding seminars with those churches and last week one person was baptized. 

On Wednesday Margaret and I went to Arusha, Tanzania to attend brother Paul Ndwani's burial. He left his wife and children who still were depending on him. Let us pray for them. 

Today we worshiped at the Nandwa church of Christ and we learned about "Hope". We are very happy that the Lord has answered our prayers here in Nandwa. There was a brother whose marriage was almost breaking, but today we were informed that things are going on well. 

The churches from Congo are reporting that they are growing. They only need some people to go and visit them. I have been caught up with some problems these two weeks after the graduation. I plan to go to Congo on April 2nd, 2012. We will be interviewing our prospects on April 12th, 2012. Hope to read from you. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

Congregations Grow And Division Prevented...

Dearest in Christ,

I bring greetings to you from my family, and the members of the Wotutu congregation. I do hope this report meets you all in good health and a sound faith.

As I mail this report to you, I am just making my way back to Wotutu after two days mission work in one of congregations we established last year which was having serious problems.

Andongateh Cliffort obeyed the gospel after studying with us in the Wotutu congregation for a while. Keep him in your prayers. He lives in mile four very close to Wotutu.

All the students of CBIW are doing well as I have received calls from them that their campaign went on successfully. They will all return to school on Friday, March 30th before 6 pm to prepare themselves  for the next quarter that commence on April 2nd 2012.

The gospel is for all. I went inside the forest after leaving miles away where the motor bike stopped me. I am moving to Atongeh village where in Atongeh we established our very first congregation when we started CBIW last year march. There was a serious problem there and no one to handle because there is no preacher there. By His grace peace is restored and division, that was already taking place, is okay now. Keep this young congregation in your prayers.

There is a young congregation that tried to erect a worship place, but it is not easy with them financially. Keep them in your prayers now that I have rekindled their focus for God again.

In the village, I move from house to house sharing the gospel. The people are so receptive. I am in the chief’s palace sharing the gospel with members of the royal family who are still mourning their dead father after 8 months.

The Lord opened the heart of sister Charlotte in Atongeh village. She stood beside the river to make a confession to follow Jesus and Jesus alone. Some members of the congregation stood by her to be witnesses to her baptism.

Charlotte was buried in water for the forgiveness of her sin and she will live in newness of life. Please remember her great zeal and keep her in your prayers so that through her many will come to know the truth in her family. She got baptized this morning before our worship time.

The Atongeh congregation had many backslide before the problems that erupted in the church about marriage and leadership. I am convinced that by His grace everything will come back to normal. I pray that a student will go there after graduation to handle the affairs of the church and provoke more growth. Keep them in your prayers. I saw zeal but they need a leader to guide their ways.

Plans
1) The Batoke mission is still pending. Please keep it in your prayers that as we resume we shall have the ability to go and establish the Lord’s church there.

2) My plans to travel to Africans Claiming Africa for Christ conference in Zambia is still on. Please pray and see how you can be of help to me financially.

Appreciation
We lift up our hearts to God for His great care over us and the work we are doing. We thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers, deep concern and support in this work. God will not pass you by when He comes to reward His servants.

Do your best to share this report with others whom the Lord may want to use to accomplish something in His kingdom. God bless you. Next week, by His grace, we shall share with you CBIW students campaign news.

Elangwe and Family
By His grace director CBIW

Third Annual ITL Lectureship...

Let me share with you news from the past week. I will begin at the end and work backwards. Donnie Bates and I were able to attend the third annual ITL Lectureship in Guatemala. We arrived Thursday for the ITL Presidential Banquet, held before the lectureship. Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benitez have done an outstanding job of working with the church in Guatemala and establishing a school to prepare leaders within the churches of Central America.

The Alpha class of ITL graduated last year at this time. A team from these graduates established a congregation in San Cristobal and they have already seen growth in the work within the first year. 

This year we were able to meet the new students of the Beta class. The picture to the left shows Byron Benitez pinning the traditional fish hook on the collar of one of the students in the Beta class, given after the students finish their first year. We also met the students enrolled in the Saturday program. The Saturday program operates each Saturday to provide 24 classes over three years with instruction and training to help strengthen Christians within the local congregations in Guatemala City.

The focus of the past weekend involved the ITL Lectureship. The theme of the lectureship was Escudriñando Bien Los Escrituras - “Searching the Scriptures Well.” Speakers from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Texas, Oklahoma and Denver shared messages to help strengthen our understanding of God’s word, the need to dig deeper into God’s word, and ways to help us accomplish this task.

Approximately 500 people attended Sunday morning worship. Words cannot describe the powerful nature of the lectureship. The lessons were well presented and Sunday saw 9 individuals respond to the invitation. The singing was awesome. The fellowship was incredible. The results of the work being done, immeasurable. The work these two men have established is making a great difference throughout Central America. 

It is a privilege to share a small part in the work of ITL in Guatemala. We look forward to seeing God’s blessings on the work in His kingdom throughout Central America.

Last week also included our annual staff meeting. The Extension staff attend a meeting in March each year where we discuss the various issues and challenges facing the overall program. We also look at and discuss new ideas to help improve the work. As well, this year we were able to use Skype to visit with David Laton, who serves as a deacon over missions, about ways we can improve outreach to individuals and congregations in sharing the work.

We began our meeting by looking at both the positive and negative areas within some of the schools. We were encouraged with some of the strong points each school possesses. Looking at some of the negative areas only serves to help us grow. Here we are able to discuss what we can do to improve and overcome the challenges and build stronger potential for greater work in the future.

We also took time to examine how we can improve the overall structure of communication within the program. As this program continues to grow, developing better and stronger lines of communication will be vital to the success of the work. 

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/

Extension Reports 

Students Take A Vocational Class In Cameroon: Providing for one’s family and eventually helping the church be self-sustaining was the basis for a recent vocational class.

Couples Get Married In Cambodia: Two wonderful couples who are connected to the school in Siem Reap, Cambodia recently married. 

Students Strengthen Churches In Tamale: During a break from school, as students return home, they are strengthening their home congregations.

Two Students Become Christians: Two students have renounced denominationalism in Togo and others from the congregations where they worked have obeyed the gospel.

School Is Back In Session: Classes are in session and preparation for the rainy season is being made in Takoradi.

A Day In Life On The Mission Field: You never know what you will see and how it affects the work you do on the mission field. Read more from the Gee report from Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
The past week was full and the great news is I have more to share next week. Donnie Bates, Ralph Williams and I will be on our way to Paraguay, South America on Tuesday. There will be news to share about the possibility of a school in Paraguay next week. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. I look forward to sharing all the news next week.

Thank you for all you do to make the work possible. You are a blessing and I pray for you each day.

God bless
Bob

Couples Get Married In Cambodia...

Greetings for Siem Reap! These past few weeks have been wonderful and busy in that we have had two marriages of Christian brothers and sisters! The first week of March, we attended Vanra's wedding to his long time sweetheart in her hometown in Takeo Province which is about 7 hrs away from Siem Reap. Then the week after that, I performed the wedding of brother Choeuy and sister Borey at the church building! It was beautiful to see those two coming together finally. 

The church here is continuing to grow and marrying within the faith! We are also expecting Sopal, the local preacher for Svay Rieng, to marry one of the second year students, Kosal, in the month of May! Savai, one of the staff at IBISR, will be engaged in a few weeks! 

This is all wonderful news for us and we hope that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue to grow spiritually and in number! For them to want to marry other Christians to strengthen their faith is a sign of spiritual growth. They understand the importance of finding a suitable help meet and God will truly bless them. We are developing core Christian families that can grow and pass on what they've learned from the Word of God to their children and their children's children. We are breaking the Buddhist cycle of passing traditions of men to the next generation. It is refreshing to have had a hand in cultivating a Christian culture among the Buddhist society. Please keep the work here in your prayers and may God receive all the glory!

Phanat

To see Phanat post with pictures, click here.

A Day In Life On The Mission Field...

Dear Supporters, Family, and Friends, 

God continues to bless us with rain and in other ways. Thank you for your prayers! Today at the Kisongo congregation, Sean Hochdorf taught the Men’s Bible Class, Jimmy preached on the subject of “Giving,” Abigail taught the Children’s Class and Trina led the Ladies in reviewing Genesis 13 and 14 (continuing the review of Genesis 1-25). It is always the aim to seek the “Life Lessons” that can be learned from each chapter.

Lindsey continues to study with new Christian, Teresia (sorry, we have been misspelling as Theresia) last Tuesday on Gen. 3. Teresia continues to be faithful in her attendance (and it seems the Pentecostal church has given up trying to win her back). Esther made us happy with her attendance again today. After services, Lindsey spoke with two visitors (young adults) named Joyce and Salome, originally from Mbeya in southern TZ but have been here since January). Non-Christians, Lucy and Rehema, continue to attend both Bible study and worship. We are very happy that Anita Hochdorf has agreed to study with Lucy and did so yesterday. ACSOP students will be learning English this next quarter and Sean will instruct in Philippians and Philemon. The Hochdorf’s are trying their best to get settled but are meeting challenges. They finally were able to secure a house to rent this week.

While waiting in our van for a tire to be repaired (we’ve had 3 flat tires in one week), we watched a little one-year-old girl playing. About 3 feet away from her, a lady, whom we assumed was the child’s mother, sat on a bench talking on her phone. Three feet away from the child in another direction was a man cooking french fries in a pan over hot coals. The little child was leaning on a bucket of freshly peeled potatoes and, one by one, was tossing them onto the dirty ground. This went on for about 5 minutes without the mother or the man noticing her (and she was right by them).  But we kept watching in case she decided to leave the bucket of potatoes to investigate the pan of boiling oil and stumble onto it. As a mother, Trina sees danger all around in Tanzania (open wells, open fires, young children wandering around far from any adults, putting broken pieces of glass into their mouths, walking right beside busy highways, riding as passengers on motorcycles, chasing cars, going barefoot all around a trash dump area, adults crossing a busy road without holding the hand of a toddler, etc). It doesn’t seem to bother many people here until something terrible happens. In our book, an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Penny Cabler is coming at the end of May, making this her 8th trip to Tanzania. Along with many others, Penny has contributed to the growth and maturity of the Tanzanian church. It has taken many dedicated people, working together, to achieve the level of success being enjoyed today in the Tanzania. Penny is well-suited to conduct personal Bible studies and does so systematically and very thoroughly (we heard part of her study once while standing outside a mud hut). As normal, it will be easy to find people who want to study God’s Word.

Along with Penny, we are anticipating the arrival of many others from now until late September.  Please pray for their safe travels and good health as they plan to put forth time, energy and expense to teach God’s Word, introducing the Tanzanians to an everlasting Hope. We thank you for your constant prayers, concern and joy in being involved in a growing and prosperous work. To God be the Glory! 

In Christian Love, 
Jimmy, Trina, Lindsey, Abigail, Heather, Candace, Stuart, David, Naomi, Elijah and Matthew

School Is Back In Session...

School was back in session for the third quarter on Monday, March 12, 2012. The calendar we are running for the quarter and the classes and teachers are listed below. As we get closer to the rainy season, which may begin next month, we are getting some repairs done and structures put in place to prevent leaking and the rains getting into the classrooms, office and library.  Fester Lee, our technician, and Jerome Torh, a senior student, are doing the repairs.

Third Quarter (March 12 – June 8, 2012) Calendar:

Students Report  March 9

Classes  March 12-April 6  

Research/Mid-Term Exams  April 9-12

Classes (Final Exams Inclusive)  April 16-May 11

Short Courses (West Coast)  May 14- 25

Master’s Program (Bear Valley)  May 28-June 8

Week of Evangelism (Students)  June 4-8 

Courses and Teachers

Juniors Class
OT 2:  (Study of the History: Joshua – Esther) : Instructor -- Matthew Ackah

Life of Christ 2: (Teachings: Sermon on the Mount, Parables, Judgment): Instructor -- Joshua Aidoo

OT 3a: (Study of Wisdom Literature: Job): Instructor – Charles Arthur

Cost of Discipleship: Instructor – Daniel Asiamah 

Short Courses
1 Corinthians – Matthew Ackah

Prison Epistles – Charles Mensah

Seniors Class
OT 4: (Study of the Major Prophets: Isaiah – Daniel): Instructor – Charles Arthur

Life of Christ 4: (The Final Days: Passover through Resurrection): Instructor – Joshua Aidoo

Foundations of Missions (Study of Missions in the NT): Instructor – Daniel Asiamah 

Preacher’s work: Instructor -- Charles Arthur 

Short Courses
Biblical Interpretation 2: (In-depth study of Hermeneutics) - Matthew Ackah

Hebrews - Charles Mensah

Commodities prices keep rising and the atmosphere is heating up as we head towards our national election in December this year.  Brethren, pray for us.

Daniel K Ampadu-Asiamah
Takoradi, Ghana

Two Students Become Christians...

CBS continues to chop more successes. Recently two denominational students at the school couldn’t help it any longer but submit themselves for baptism. It has been the mission of CBS to use the school as a tool for evangelism, and that is exactly what we are doing. Teachers teach with this mission in mind. Our goal was to baptize all the denominational students who enrolled in the school by the close of the first year, but as it stands now, we may achieve our goal before then. We thank God for blessing our efforts.

PENTECOST CHURCH CONVERTS TO CHURCH OF CHRIST

Hodanu Kwami enrolled at CBS as a member from the Pentecost Church. Kwami recently accepted Christ through baptism thus renouncing denominationalism. Kwami led CBS to his congregation to conduct a special class for his members. Four members were also baptized and now 20 others are contemplating baptism. Let us continue to pray for this new congregation.

Willie Gley

Students Take A Vocational Class In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. It is a good, bright day and we had a wonderful worship in Wotutu with two, first time visitors. I worshiped in Tole congregation to assess one of our students on campaign in that village. I do pray this mail will meet you in good health and a sound mind. We are doing great here in Wotutu, except for the fact that some brethren are not okay in health. We know God is able.

Brother Gage Coldwater taught class during his vocational training. It was a great class to help our students be self-sustaining when they will graduate from school. Keep this program in your prayers. We also have gardening and other things that will help us have meat on our table and also to raise income. We thank you brother Gage. God bless you as you share your wisdom to many others on your way.

Last week in CBIW was a busy one as our students and the visiting lecturers from the USA were rounding up studies for them to take off for campaign. It was a hectic week with much learning from class and outside work to keep the line straight to avoid any doctrinal problems in the future from congregations as our visiting lecturers visited to encourage.

Brother Gage taught the students and some interested Christians from the Wotutu congregation outside on the field practically. He also hired some experts from a non-governmental organization who are specializing in snail farming to come and help teach us so as to create diversity. It is a great development.

We had our rabbits in their cages as we have started. Please keep our efforts in your prayers so that we shall share pictures of our developments by His grace in the future.

We were laughing and smiling, making jokes as we happily constructed our snail pens. It is a good thing because it is rich in health and also to improve our family income. God bless you all who contributed to the realization of this work.

After a busy week for vocational training, all CBIW students were set after the send forth ceremony for our visiting brothers who came to contribute their own quarter in the training of men to preach in Cameroon. Campaign this time for our students took a different face, as all our married students went to their campaign villages with their wives. Our focus is to start getting their wives to be more mission conscious as they prepare to get into full time ministry after graduation. Many congregations in Cameroon called my office to applaud the gestures, even though it is expensive, but it serves a great deal for the work we are out for.

Brother Nicholas Etongwe was to travel with his wife Barbara who is five pregnant. Please keep these students in your prayers that God use them to accomplish His purpose.

Cameroon is known as Africa miniature. All of Africa is in Cameroon. After a hard week of work and services, I took our visiting lecturers to admire nature like lava flow and the beautiful shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

Friday, the 16^th of March, was our mid-week prayer meeting days. We also attached the program to a fellowship meal and send forth ceremony to brother Martin Johnson and brother Gage Coldwater who sacrificed their time and money to come over and to help us accomplish a lot. They visited 5 different congregations and helped many that they saw were using Lord Supper wine containing a low percentage of alcohol. Their visits increased the soundness of the gospel in Cameroon. As I mail you, brother Gage is very close to returning to the USA, in the air now, while brother Martin stopped in Paris, France to worship in a congregation and then continue home. They left Cameroon, by His grace safe and sound. We give glory to our King for care.

VISIONS
1) I am still praying and planning to attend the Africans Claiming Africa for Christ conference  in Zambia. Please find a place in your heart to help me attend this conference financially. ($ 2000)

2) We appeal for the young congregation we established in Lebialem village that appealed for me to come over to help solve a problem there that is still pending. I was busy with the lecturers that came and the means is not there now. Keep this young congregation without a preacher in your prayers.

3) We shall move to Batoke village to establish a new congregation when the students come back.

APPRECIATIONS
We give thanks to God for all His wonderful things towards us. We thank Him for helping us go through the quarter without any major problems.

Thank you for all you are doing to help this work continue. You are clay in God’s hands and He is using you well for His glory.

Continue to pray for this work here. Think about it.

Join my entire family in appreciation to God for watching over the life of my son Welisane Raymondchris Elangwe, who was two years last Tuesday 13^th March. Keep him in your prayers that he will grow up to defend the truth and to help many know God.

Do your best to share this with others, God is able.

Elangwe and family,
By His grace Director CBIW

Students Strengthen Churches In Tamale...

Tamale is experiencing the harmattan season with a daily temperature between 39 degrees Celsius and 42 degrees Celsius.

The Institute’s premise is always quiet because students are on recess. The last examination paper was written on the 24^th February, 2012 after which students packed for home for their quarterly break. They are to resume on the 19^th March, 2012.

Before leaving for the quarterly break, students prepared for their examination each one hoping to win the award for the overall best student. The award is being keenly contested for by most of the students. The idea of awarding academic excellence has served a real purpose of motivating students to learn. We therefore thank those who brought about this very important idea.

Reports reaching Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies indicate that students now on holidays are reviving brethren who have falling away. Management is happy about their effort and has sent messages of commendation to these students. 

Two of the past students, Stephen Abugbilla and John Avoka, who are presently preaching near Bawku in the Upper East Region of Ghana, are planning to organize a Seminar for the spiritual growth of the congregations in and around Bawku and have invited instructors of Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies to assist. It is hoped that by this achievement that envisaged development of the Church would be on course.

The Board wishes to call the attention of all to pray for the success of the work here in the Northern part of Ghana. In July, 2012, two devoted American Preachers would be in Tamale to assist with the preaching of the gospel and it is our prayer also that the Almighty Lord should be with them, provide all their needs, protect them bless them for a successful stay in Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies- Ghana.

Baah Joseph Okyere

New Sister In Christ...

Let me begin with the best news of all. Sunday I was privileged to baptize my sister into Christ. We have been studying for several months, looking at a number of areas regarding God’s word and our relationship to God through His word. It was an incredible feeling to have the opportunity to immerse her into Christ and know the hope she has because of the cleansing power found in the blood of Jesus.

Monday begins the first of two days where the staff of the Extension program comes together to discuss matters relating to the various schools. Our goal is to continue taking a few steps each time we meet to improve the overall working of the program. We will be discussing several areas over the next few days which I know will provide growth in the work. I am always encouraged by the opportunity to gain insight from the depth of wisdom these men, who have served the Lord in various capacities for many years, bring to the work.

As well, this week includes a trip to Guatemala to participate in the annual ITL lectureship. I will share more about the lectureship in next week’s report. The lectureship is one facet of the work being done by Byron Benitez and Hawatthia Jones with the Latin-America Theological Institute. Bear Valley is privileged to assist in their efforts of training men to preach the gospel in Central America.

Following the trip to Guatemala; Donnie Bates, Ralph Williams and myself will be traveling to Asuncion, Paraguay. We will meet with various staff members who make up the team of missionaries working in this area. As well, we will meet with the local leadership of the congregation in Asuncion to discuss their desire to be involved in training men to preach the gospel in South America. I look forward to reporting more about the development of this possibility in future reports.

As you will read this week, the work continues to be a blessing. I love reading about the development of the work as men prepare themselves to fulfill God’s plan for the salvation of the world. I hope you enjoy reading them this week.

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/

Jerry and Paula Bates recently returned from a trip to India to participate in several activities within the work of India and the Extension Program. Click here to see the complete report.

Chad Wagner’s report is attached below. Chad and his family are making final preparations for moving to Chimala this summer. Read more here.

Josh Austin’s monthly report about the Extension work in Cameroon and his activities with the Bear Valley congregation is located here. 

Extension Reports 

Short Course Teachers In Cameroon: Two teachers from the USA recently began short course classes with the CBIW. The impact has been encouraging.

Opportunities To Be Gained Or Lost: Work in the mission field presents many opportunities and sometimes those opportunities are lost. The work in Arusha faces the same. 

Final Thoughts
I always enjoy closing with a word of thanks. Saying thank you does not seem near enough to express the depth of gratitude I have for all you do to make this work possible. I know your desire is to see the kingdom of our God expand through training men to preach the gospel. God has and continues to bless our efforts as we serve him around the world.

I pray you will always know how much you are appreciated. Make a great day!

God bless
Bob

Austin Report...

Dearest brethren, 

Last month we wrote you with about 2 feet of snow on the ground, today I am writing to you with 68 degree weather (expecting snow in two days though).  We continue to be blessed in so many ways.

Cameroon Bible Institute of Wotutu (CBIW) has completed its long courses of the first quarter.  Over the next two weeks they will be taking their two short courses taught by Marty Johnson from Utah and Gage Coldwater from Texas.  Marty is teaching 2 Corinthians and Gage is teaching Vocational Skills.  I am so thankful for their hard work and sacrifice in preparing for this trip.  

CBIW continues to reach out and evangelize every weekend to surrounding communities; sometimes several hours away.  They had 27 souls immersed into Christ this past month just in one new town.  We are excited to see their progress.  Because of the impact the school is having on the church in this region of Cameroon, there are a lot of interested young men wanting to come to the school for training.  There are also a lot of churches begging for these men to come to their towns once they graduate. 

I was back in school this month.  Bear Valley has a class called Ministry Technology, which was not offered when I was in school.  An anonymous donor generously gave me an electronic Bible software called LOGOS, which is not cheap.  This is an extremely valuable tool when studying the Bible.  However, to effectively use the software, you need training.  I received a little over 20 hours of instruction, which has already helped my everyday studies, but I think I still need another 100 hours of instruction.  

The weekly preaching at the Retirement home continues right along, as well as the Wednesday Bible study.  We continue to have a consistent number of about 12 souls.  

I was also presented with three other Bible study opportunities with a friend of ours from the congregation.  He is inviting all his family members and some of them have allowed us to study.  

One night we really enjoyed having two couples over for dinner and games along with their kids.  We also hosted a teen devotional and a student-wives devotional.  We ending up having about 60 people in our house for the teen devotional; it was the largest turn out they had ever had for a teen devo.  It was a little crowded, but the singing was awesome.  I was asked to share a few words of encouragement.

Some other highlights include preaching on the RESURRECTION one Sunday, and teaching in the book of Psalms for two Sundays for the Bear Valley church.  Those were some great studies.  

My parents also visited with us for a week this month.  My dad took his second “Blitz Week” courses in the Master’s Program.  We really enjoyed our time together.  My mom continues to be healthy and we are so happy she could make the trip.  

Last month we shared some good news about our support, unfortunately we lost $200 this past month.  We are planning a support trip to Tennessee the first part of April.  Please keep those efforts in prayer.

The children continue to grow.  Amazing!  We have been really blessed with good health and sharp minds.  They are growing in their knowledge and service.  Aaliyah participates in “God’s Precious Daughters.”  Every Sunday they get together and are receiving extra training and service opportunities.  We have started taking the kids to the YMCA at least 3x a week for some PE, mostly basketball.  It has been fun.  

We are so very thankful for your support and prayers.  We are thankful for our God who has designed the body to help each other accomplish His will.  May He be glorified in all we do together. 

In His service, 
Austin Family

TAKE A MOMENT SOME TIME TO VISIT THE BVBID WEBSITE AND READ MORE ABOUT TRAINING PREACHERS THROUGH EXTENSION SCHOOLS:/extension-news/tag/cameroon

You will also be able to read all of the past reports from Cameroon and other extension schools.

Opportunities To Be Gained Or Lost...

Dear Co-Laborers:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” --- (commonly attributed to) Quaker Stephen Grellet

OPPORTUNITIES: Another week has quickly passed and with it possible lost opportunities. Wherever you live, there are many ways to be involved in God’s work and our hope is that you will. Life in Tanzania, East Africa is filled with so many opportunities that it will literally overwhelm you. Today, several visitors worshipped with us, including Esther, who “just lived in the neighborhood and wanted to attend.” Another visitor, Monica, is the sister of a weak member named Helena (who wasn’t there today).  Lucy, Paulina’s cousin with whom Trina has studied, was also there for both Bible class and worship. Due to our schedule being busier than usual (both Lindsey and Abigail are taking ACSOP classes), we haven’t been able to complete the study with Lucy. Rehema, sister of new convert Teresia, has also been attending regularly and requested a study. A Christian of several years and employee of ACSOP, Faustina, has agreed to teach Rehema. Paulina (Trina’s translator) and Trina discussed which ladies (listed below) are capable of conducting a study and she will work on arranging with Lucy.  Please pray that these ladies will take on this responsibility of teaching others the “first principles.”

UNITY: Loveness, wife of Mrutu, taught the Ladies class on this important subject using scriptures such as 1 Cor. 12:14-26 and Eph. 4. Loveness, truly a lovely person with a sweet, humble spirit, has been a Christian for several years and is now capable of teaching.  Trina’s translator, Paulina, is also a good teacher (she taught last week) and is a diligent Bible student. Another lady in class has the knowledge but lacks the confidence or desire to teach. Two other ladies, Janet Deo and Rosemary Lembris, have the confidence but lack the knowledge! So, these two ladies have enrolled in the Kisongo Bible School (four nights a week). Janet says she is really enjoying it and, we’re sure, soaking up the knowledge like a sponge.  Saturday is the only day of the week that she is not learning (worship and bible class on Sundays and Thursdays, Kisongo Bible School M,T,W,F). It is the same with Rosemary, her husband, Lembris and three others. Jimmy has completed the series on the Gospel of John in Sunday morning Bible class.  He is now having question and answer sessions in Bible class. An ACSOP student, Faustin, preached to a packed auditorium in worship. Our younger children had to be held in laps as there was no extra seating.

BOYS AND BUGS are such a natural combination so, at Stuart’s request, we hosted a special day for boys (ages 6-12) to study them. Using the computer and projector, Jimmy taught on the working / living relationship, defenses and communication of bugs, showing how this knowledge refutes the theory of evolution. Information from the Apologetics Press website (http://apologeticspress.org/DiscoveryTopics.aspx) was very useful. The boys watched short videos showing a Bombardier Beetle defending itself by shooting a hot chemical spray at enemies and viewed ants “milking” aphids. Afterwards, the boys played dodge ball, ran through an obstacle course, played Tug-of-War and had a wet-sponge battle. This event was, as normal, a family effort and, to give “credit where credit is due:” Lindsey baked banana bread, Abigail made the lemonade and took pictures, Heather and David set up the obstacle course, Candace and Stuart helped out tremendously doing several things while Elijah, Naomi and Matthew helped by being cooperative and sweet. Right before playing Tug-of-War, a poisonous centipede “made an appearance” but, due to the quick action of the kids, died quickly due to stoning and stomping.

TECHNOLOGY: As any of you who have visited here know, Tanzanian “technology” isn’t always up-to-par as in the good ‘ole U.S.A. For some reason, our internet at home has been on and off for several weeks now. If you have written an email and we have not responded, now you know the reason. The internet might be on for 5 minutes, then off again. So bear with us, and rest assured we are not ignoring you.

THANK YOU…for helping us with this great work. While it is challenging and frustrating at times (mainly dealing with government issues or having to go to three different stores to buy cooking gas), it is very rewarding and fulfilling. Our sincere appreciation is extended to you for your continued prayers and support. 

Serving Together for Him, 
Jimmy, Trina and Family

Short Course Teachers In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept greetings from all over here. We are always pleased to let you know what made news here in Wotutu Cameroon. We praise God for you and your family. We are convinced that you are doing great in all that you do. We are just fine except for few of our Christians who are sick and some students. Some of their wives or relatives were sick in the course of this week and they went to their villages to check on the situation, like brother Ashu Evaristus who just left campus now from an emergency call about the sickness of his wife.

Minister Martin Johnson from the USA arranged his table last Monday with ties which he gave to all the students as lovely gift from his lovely wife sister Julie. The students were very happy for such a gift that makes them decent in the pulpit and from house to house as they scatter the seed of the gospel. Thank you sister Julie. May God bless you for such wonderful love shown to us.

We praise God for all His blessings toward us here as we were really busy with the short courses. Brother Martin was busy in class teaching 2 Corinthians while brother Gage and I kept moving to set all things for the vocational training that will start tomorrow. They are reporting well in health just for the fact that the climate is too hot for them now, but all is well because God still sits on the throne.

Brother Gage Coldwater taught Bible class in the Tole congregation. Their visit has been characterized with visits to nearby congregations. It is good to discover  the work here in Cameroon.

Brother Martin supervised his class final on the book of 2 Corinthians. It was really great as the students understood the in-depth studies of the book.

The students were smiling as they enjoyed food made with corn and beans. It is pathetic to me because a blind sister left the Tole congregation just to come and feed the students of CBIW. I was worried about that but she said, God is blessing me, so let me share that blessing with the students who have sacrificed their time to study the word of God.

Today we visited one of our youngest congregations in Mondoni. Brother Martin taught on the topic, “Who Is A True Disciple?”

We enjoyed great fellowship with one another, especially those who share the same vision and dreams to train men to preach the serving message. We moved around in Mondoni village to visit some Christians in their home before worship. Brother Gage and brother Martin were able to be a part of these visits.

At the end of our worship today in the village, with an attendance of 56, we stood for a family picture. This congregation was established one month and two weeks ago today. Keep this young congregation in your prayers for them to keep growing in all angles of life.

Visions
1) The quarter will end this Friday and the students will go to 18 different congregations for a campaign. Some will be in virgin lands to see the possibilities of establishing a congregation.

2) My plans to attend the African Claiming Africa for Christ conference in Zambia in August 2012, is still fresh. I count on your support to attend this conference. You can check on the conference program on www.aca-zambia.org

Appreciation
We give thanks to God for all His blessings toward us. We thank you for your prayers and support toward the successes that are happening. God bless you and keep you in all that you do. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Adding Souls To The Kingdom...

What a great and awesome God we serve! Considering the development of the present schools in the Extension Program, as well as, the potential establishment of future schools, this work gets more exciting by the day. We are seeing requests for additional schools on almost a weekly basis. Some of these requests are not legitimate possibilities, but some hold great promise.

What really makes these possibilities exciting is not adding more schools to the list, but seeing souls added to the kingdom as a result of the work being done within the schools. As you read through the various reports below I believe you will see what I mean. God’s word is being proclaimed, the Lord’s people are being edified, and souls are being won, saved from eternal condemnation. These facts explain why this work is so exciting.

We are also just a little over a week away from on of the most important meetings of the year. Each year in March, all the staff of the Extension program come together to meet for two days in discussion about the various areas of the work. We will be examining what is working well and what is not working well. We will also discuss ways we can improve the overall program of training men to preach in their respective countries. I look forward to sharing more about the result of our time together in the weeks ahead.

I continue to ask you to be praying for the work. Please pray for the men who will be traveling to Denver for this meeting. Pray for the discussion and decisions of this meeting. Also, continue to pray for the work of the program, as we work to fulfill the Great Commission. We know God will bless our efforts in the future just as He has in the past. Our prayer is that all we do will bring glory to Him.

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 Ferguson, who is working at the Chimala Bible Institute sent his latest report on the work. To read the report and see a picture of the class, click here.

The Hochdorf family recently returned to Arusha, Tanzania to help in the TZ2000 work. Along with many other responsibilities, Sean and Anita will work in the area of evangelistic outreach and Sean will be teaching at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Click here to read more about their arrival and adjustment.

Extension Reports 

Mondoni Village Is Growing In Cameroon: Over the past month 27 souls were added to the congregation at Mondoni Village. The work in Cameroon is growing.

Green Mambas And Muddy Roads: While the rainfall is good in Chimala, there are challenges to some of the deadliest snakes in Tanzania.

Spreading The Gospel In Ukraine: The local work of preachers and the students at BVBIU take the gospel throughout the Ukraine.

New Sister In Siem Reap: Through a contact on the basketball court, Phanat was able to reach out and see one of the young ladies in Siem Reap become a Christian. 

Battambang Is Growing In Cambodia: The efforts of Chann Lork and one of the students at IBISR are making strides at helping grow a church in Battambang, Cambodia.

A New Bible School Begins In Kisongo: Through the grow and development of the local leadership in Arusha, Tanzania, a new Bible school is beginning in the Kisongo congregation. 

Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking time to read through the report each week. I pray you get as much encouragement out of the work as I do. The development of this work depends on you, the sacrifices you have and continue to make in support of this work. Please know it is not unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you!

God bless
Bob

A New Bible School Begins In Kisongo...

Quote of the Week: "It's the pack that gets the job done, not the lone wolf." – Mike O'Neil

COMMUNICATION. Last week, Jimmy thought Trina was writing the report and Trina thought he was. We are sorry about that MISCOMMUNICATION.

PRECIPITATION. “Elijah…prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit,” James 5:17-18. Wow…somebody or many “somebodies” have been praying because the once brown, dry and dusty Kisongo area is now green and very, very wet. This means the "short rains" have started. For the past two weeks, rain has fallen many days and almost every night. In fact, you could say we had a “deluge” today! We are loving the fresh air and trying not to complain about the mud. Our thanks to God and to you for your prayers. In one of the recent thunderstorms, an ACSOP student’s wife was emptying a large barrel of water into buckets. Lightening struck killing a dog only six meters away from her and apparently killed a goat also (found dead in a pen the next morning).

HUMILIATION. While at the fruit stand, we witnessed something brand-“spanking” new: A bus driver getting spanked with a policeman’s billy club! Ouch! A Tanzanian lady explained that the driver had let someone off at the wrong place. These mini-vans (called dala-dalas) are the major reason for extreme FRUSTRATION in traffic because they pick up and drop off riders at any and every point in traffic, swerve in front of others, side-swipe people, you name it.

ANTICIPATION. On March 25, Keith Kasarjian and his daughter, Molly, from Prattville, AL are scheduled to arrive. Keith is the Assistant Director of Extensions for the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, CO. He will be teaching Biblical Leadership for the second-year students. Molly is planning to volunteer in the Tanzanian Christian Clinic at Monduli. Then, a few days later, Gary Fallis will arrive to teach Denominational Doctrines and Islam to the same class the next week. Also, our friends, Forrest and Teresa Rachels (the okra farmers!) have committed to working here in June. Yea!

EDUCATION. Tomorrow begins the first day for the first class of the Kisongo Bible School. This two-year school was planned, organized and is being carried out totally by the Tanzanians (except that they will invite Americans to teach when needed). Jimmy begins teaching “A Survey of the Bible” tomorrow evening. The Tanzanians are certainly “stepping up to the plate” in leadership and vision. The man responsible for most of the effort is ACSOP graduate (both the Undergraduate and Graduate programs) Ahimidiwe Kimaro, who serves as the preacher at Kisongo, Dean of Students for the ACSOP and Office Manager/Printer. And, who is responsible for his training and education?  Kensington Woods Church of Christ (Hattiesburg, MS) who made a 20-year commitment to train Africans to teach Africans. Who brought his vision and dream to the attention of the KW elders? Cy Stafford. And upon whose work did Cy Stafford build? Andrew Connally, who began evangelizing East Africa long ago in the 1960's. And who is responsible for keeping this work alive and prospering? YOU ARE. Many, many people have been involved in the TZ 2000 Mission work including, but not limited to, supporters (whether individuals or congregations), visiting teachers, visiting American preachers and personal evangelists, missionaries, African evangelists and Tanzanian ACSOP staff (housekeepers, cooks, office workers, guards, etc) “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” (I Cor. 3:6)

PARTICIPATION. Our children, especially the older ones, love to be actively involved in the many good opportunities that exist here. (And it is the privilege of parents to brag!) Lindsey has taken it upon herself to make vegetable soup every Saturday after cleaning out the refrigerator. Using all the “fresh” leftovers plus a few other ingredients, she makes a delicious soup to deliver to members of the church. Yesterday, she also baked two loaves of homemade bread to give away (although we persuaded her to leave us half of a loaf). Heather and Candace recently volunteered to help clean house and hand-wash clothes for a church member (who, due to her young child’s condition, has very little time to do her work).

DESTINATION. Sean, Anita, and Maddie Hochdorf (along with Sean’s parents, Norm and Alice) arrived safely and have begun to do the “million and one things” that it takes to get settled so they may begin their work. We are happy to have them and know, as previously, they will use their talents to contribute to the growth of the Lord’s church in Tanzania.

LIMITATION. There are only 24 hours in a day and we feel guilty that we cannot do more Bible studies and have difficulty completing the ones begun. We believe in honest reporting and request your prayers that Lindsey, Abigail or Trina can get to the 3 people who have agreed to/requested a Bible study. Tanzanian ladies (Personal Evangelism Class graduates) have been asked to conduct some Bible studies but often fail to do so (may be a lack of confidence, or, perhaps like me, also struggle with “time issues.”)

CELEBRATION. Stuart will turn 10 years old tomorrow and his party was yesterday! He requested a “surprise” party!

APPRECIATION. A Tanzanian was praying this morning and a phrase was translated as “bunches of gratitudes.” While not proper English grammar (and much of our writing may not reflect it either), we will close expressing the same sentiment. Please accept our “bunches of gratitudes” to you and everything you do to help bring glory to God through this work.

OPERATION. A dear friend, John Rice, is having bypass surgery on Monday. We would appreciate your prayers on his behalf. He and several others have come over the past several years and ran Tanzania Christian Camp. We want John to do well in this surgery so that he can return again in December of this year!

Serving Together, 

Jimmy, Trina, Lindsey, Abigail, Heather, Candace, Stuart, David,
Naomi, Elijah and Matthew

Battambang Is Growing In Cambodia...

Dear all brethren,

Thank you for your concerning about me and dropping me a message.

The work at Battambang is doing okay, as last week the people stopped practicing their habits in worship and turned to do what the Bible said about worship.

I also expressed to them about what they did to be saved. They told me right as the Bible said one must be baptized to be save.

They really want to do right and we keep going there, especially on the weekend to try and teach them more and Lord's willing when one of our students finishes at school he may stay there and work full time to help the people in that area. Keep praying for this work and our work as well, as we don't know how long that our church 's fund is going to last, because what we spent is more than what we got from contribution.

We also may need some funds for the mission of our students as now I am teaching our second year students on the mission course.

It would help them better if we take them to the mission field and see the needs of the people at the villages rather than just teaching them in the school without taking them to teach and preach to the other areas.  

In His service

Chann

New Sister In Siem Reap...

Hallelujah Praise God for our newest sister in Christ, Saranya! After meeting her husband on the basketball courts and inviting them to church, then her enrolling into IBISR on her own has been nothing short of God's hand being involved in all of this! Glory to God for bringing souls who are seeking Him to join with other souls who are doing the same! I am excited for her because not only did she obey the gospel in putting on Christ in baptism but she has been coming to study God's Word everyday full time! It is no wonder that she responded so quickly. The students and my wife also had a role in teaching and being good Christian examples! Please continue to pray for the work of Christ here and for our new sister in Christ, Saranya!

Phanat

To see the report with a picture of Saranya’s baptism, visit Phanat’s blog by clicking here.