Youth Camps Succeed In Nepal...

Respected brothers and sisters in Christ,

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the grace of God, love and peace always be with all of you. It is a good time to write about some school activities from Nepal Center for Biblical Study to well known brothers and sisters in Christ who love Nepal and Nepali Christians. I do hope that you will accept my few words. 

Guest teachers:
We are blessed by the almighty God in His kingdom at Nepal. October was a busy and encouraging month for our school. Brother Jerry Bates, editor of Voice of Truth International, visited our school for five days. He taught us from the Gospel of John. His wife Paula Bates encouraged our sisters in Christ for two days. Soon after their departure, brother Mike Brooks from the Highland Park Church of Christ taught from the book of Hebrew for four days. Selected preachers were invited from the Himalayan area. Classes were a benefit for all. We all are blessed to have guest teachers from United States. We are thankful for their time and labor. 

Holiday and Christian Youth camp:
Our five weeks of holiday began on October 13, 2012. One week later we had the Christian Youth Fellowship program for four days. We had classes from Monday through Thursday. Our youth participants were from Kathmandu, East Nepal, Makwanpur, Rasuwa, Dhading and Tanahu. Brother Jerry, Deepak, Parsuram, Stan, Surya, Dev, Bharat, and Suka were the teachers. We studied from the Gospel of Mark. Our theme from that book was “we are servant of Christ." Morning and evening devotions were conducted by invited youth brothers. There was a discussion class after the evening devotion. We had game hours every day after lunch. We had special program on the last day of our camp. We arranged a picnic out of the school building. We went to Godavari, Botanical garden. We had Bible class and baptism program. Twelve souls were baptized in the Lord on that day. Youth camp of this year was an encouragement to all. We would like to continue in coming year. 

Vacation trip:
I made my vacation trip to visit our graduated students and our present student’s at their home congregations. 

November 2nd of 2012 - I traveled from the school toward Lal Bandhi village of Saralaihi District where we have present students Ramesh Majhi and Ranjeet Majhi. The wife of Ranjeet Majhi was baptized in our youth camp. Now we have three souls in that new place. The Lord's Church will begin from these souls. Brother Bharat Rayamajhi, one of our graduated students from East Nepal, joined us for Bible study in that place. We did short devotions every evening.

November 3rd of 2012 - We conducted a Bible study with the help of Ramesh and Ranjeet Majhi. Most participants in that meeting were non-Christians. We had a good opportunity to share the gospel with the lost. People are positive toward Christianity. There are also some obstacles from their social culture and other religious backgrounds. Please kindly remember them in your regular prayers. 

November 4th of 2012 - We did morning worship service at the home of Brother Ramesh Majhi. We dismissed from Lalbandhi after lunch. Bharat Rayamajhi went to his home town and I traveled back toward Manahari village of Makwanpur district which is almost 4 hours bus travel. Brother Suka Bahadur, Jeet and our present student, Ezekiel, were waiting for me at Manahari Bus Park. Then we all walked toward brother Ezekiel's home through banks of Manahari River. We did evening worship service at his house. 

November 5th of 2012 - We woke up early the next morning and began to walk toward Maishirang congregation where our graduate student, Dev Kumar Chepang, is working. We reached there at 9 a.m. They were having a quarterly Bible study with their surrounding congregations. They were studying the book of Philippians at my visit. I had opportunity to share lessons from that book. There were four hours of Bible study in that congregation. Two souls were baptized on that day. We encouraged several houses after baptism program. 

November 6th of 2012 - We began our walking journey from Dev's house toward Silinge where Jeet, Suka, Uday and other Christian brothers are closely working together for the Lord. Five hours were taken for us to reach brother Suka's house. We traveled by local bus and crossed the Lother River fifteen times. We reached Suka's house at 2 p.m. and took rest on that day. 

November 7th of 2012 - After having breakfast and morning devotion with Suka's family, we moved toward Silinge congregation and Jeet's home. We reached it at 1 p.m. We did an evening Bible study with the young people. 

November 8th of 2012 - We had three hours of Bible study on the Plan Of Salvation. People were excited to learn and have discussion on the Biblical topics. After lunch there was a baptism program. So, we moved toward Khankharee village which is located at river side. It is 45 minutes walking distance from Silinge. We had a one hour Bible study at Khankharee Church building. Then, seven souls were added in to the Lord on that day. Please kindly remember all of those new souls in your family prayers. We stayed at the home of Preacher Jatna Lal Praja. We did a night devotion with their local members. It was a busy day for us. We are happy to be a part of Dev, Jeet and Suka's congregations. We are proud of their work. They are closely working together for the glory of God in His kingdom. 

November 9th of 2012 - We left Silinge and Khankharee then traveled toward Chandra Parkas' home. Dev traveled back toward his home. Brother Chandra Parkas was waiting for me at the bus station. Brother Ramesh Majhi joined with me at Narayanghad. We all went together to his house. We traveled one hour by local van and walked one hour by hill side. We did a short devotion and rested that night. 

November 10th of 2012 - We had three hours of Bible study at Tanahu. 

November 11th of 2012 - We returned back to Kathmandu and did worship service at the school building.

New class:  Our new classes will begin from 19th of November, 2012. 

Purpose of the visit:
To have Bible study, to save lost souls, encourage and mature the members.
To encourage and strengthen our graduated and present student's home congregations.
Recruiting new students for next years classes.
To find out their problems and Church needs.
To build fellowship with congregation and school.

Needs of the Church:
Song books
Bibles
Church building construction 

Thank you for your kind prayers and help toward Nepal Center for Biblical study.

Servant of Christ

Gajendra Deshar
Nepal Center for Biblical Study
Kathmandu, Nepal
P.O.Box. 25999

Being One In Christ...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. Your brothers and sisters are happy to send their deep love over to you. We pray and hope this report meets you in good health and sound faith as usual. We praise God for all His great care over us as we travel to do His work.

The Lord added one soul out of Wotutu congregation through this weekend’s evangelism in Limbe, new town congregation. Keep sister Larisa in your prayers to grow in the faith and make known the name of Jesus to many on her way.

The week was a great one for both the CBIW family and the Wotutu congregation. The climate continues to disturb a little bit as some members are still sick. Thanks for your prayers which is helping us in many ways. It is always like this in this period of the year. As we move towards the dry season many will be sick until after that time. 

The theme for our chapel, which is used most of time in our congregation was, Being One In Christ. This was aimed at reinforcing unity among brethren, forgetting we are one, and for all to know that, as we are not a denomination. There are no ethnic or geographical barriers as we are now in Christ.

As I write this mail, all of us that went out to 4 locations for weekend evangelism returned safe and sound. The Lord accomplished His work in those locations. We thank you and all that you are doing to make these trips possible weekly.

Brother Tobias was involved in house to house evangelism. He is frequently involved in weekend evangelism because he is doing lots of follow up with some prospects during his last weekend evangelism. It is working well and we praise God for His work.

CBIW students were encouraged by a kind gesture from their sisters in Mondoni congregation, a growing congregation that we established in February this year. They came surprisingly to CBIW campus one evening with food flasks. They brought fufu and vegetables for all the students. It was great to welcome them and also see their appreciation for the work of the students in their life as they continue to grow. Keep this young congregation in your prayers for them to continue to think of doing good for the glory of God.

I traveled for weekend evangelism with some student in Kombe to Ebonji church of Christ where I was invited to preach and give the benediction of a wedding ceremony between brother Daniel and sister Ruth. Today, by His grace, they are husband and wife in Christ. It was a colorful event as I told them with appreciations their desire to obey God’s command in marriage for one man to one woman. The above 50 man population benefitted from God’s original principles of marriage which many today, because of satanic influences, are changing to fit their selfish and unholy ambitions.

Brother Daniel and his wife stood with us after the ceremony for a picture. I told them in Africa marriage is a journey of no return. They will endure hardship which is part of the ingredients that they must receive and they should accept it as part of the game in the school. Conclusively I told them to always rejoice (Phil. 4:4).

The Wotutu congregation continues to make preparations toward the forthcoming graduation ceremony. We are expecting above 700 people on our premises on the 19-20th of December. Many are calling and telling us that they will come before that date to come and help in one way or the other to put things in place. CBIW has done something in the entire Cameroon for this very short space of it existence. Thank you for standing with us. Wotutu congregation is benefitting from CBIW as we continue to preach on our local radio every morning and to visit our members. As of today the total worshippers in Wotutu was 118 with 5 first time visitors, we are in an urgent need for benches. Please, if you can help us, then we shall really appreciate it.  

Plans
1) Our first graduation and second matriculation of 25 students will be on the 19-20^th of December 2012 by His grace. We count on your prayers and support.

2) We are still to make the trip to Botoke for the establishments of a new congregation which will be the first in the whole of west coast region

3) CBIW students start their long courses exams tomorrow Monday the 19th on Church History, Christian Ethics, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and the book of Revelation. We added Church Music and Introduction to Greek. 

4) We shall welcome short courses instructors from the USA soon and that will be the last courses before the graduation. Keep all our visions in your prayers.

Appreciations
Many thanks to God for His great care and blessings over us. We thank God for using you to accomplish and what He will continue to accomplish here in Cameroon. Thank you for availing yourself for Him to use you the way He is using you over His work here.

Share this report with others and may God continue to bless you and the work you do. The entire USA is in our prayers. May God take control over the affairs of that nation. We wait to read from you. Stay safe and remain bless.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Thankful For Dedicated Staff...

I have noticed several people expressing their gratitude for specific areas each day during the month of November. We have been blessed with much for which to be thankful and we need to express our gratitude daily. As I continue this month to focus on several areas within the Extension Program, for which I am thankful, this week’s report focuses on the dedicated staff in each location.

I am thankful for the staff of each extension school where Bear Valley is privileged to share in the work of training men to preach. The real nuts and bolts of the entire program hinges on their efforts. I am thankful for their dedication, hard work, soundness, and love for the Lord, His church, and the lost who need Jesus.

These men work tirelessly in maintaining a program of work that requires them to serve as administrators, teachers, cooks, disciplinarians, students, and taxi drivers. They are willing to do whatever it takes to see the success of the gospel going into all the world. They give of their time, talent, energy and financial resources to make sure the students who have been entrusted to their care receive everything they need to succeed.

I am blessed to know these faithful Christian men, privileged to share in this work with them, and honored to tell others about their dedication. When you are praying today, please remember the men who provide the heart and soul of training faithful men to teach others. The fruit of their labor continues to excite me with the opportunities God is providing for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

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/

Gary Fallis’ report can be read by clicking here.

Josh Austin’s is latest report can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

20 Souls Added To Young Congregation: After a weekend campaign to Kombe village in Cameroon, God gave the increase as 20 souls were added to the kingdom.

Hindi Booklets Are Reaching Masses In India: Thousands of booklets about the gospel are being printed in the Hindi language and distributed near Chandigarh.

Students Evangelizing Eastern Uganda Villages: The students are busy near Busia, Uganda in traveling to villages with the message of the gospel.

KSOP Students Complete First Quarter Of Studies: The news from Kenya is exciting as students complete the first quarter in their 2 years course of studies.

Weekend Evangelism Produces Fruit In Liberia: As students continue to study the Word, the weekends are filled with reaching out to others with the gospel.

Obeying The Gospel In Paraguay: The news from Asunción is exciting as the body of Christ grows from those obeying the gospel.

Graduation At The ACSOP Draws Near: Staff and students at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching are preparing for the next graduation.

Water Shortage Creates Challenges In Tanzania: Due to weather conditions in and around Arusha, government officials are limiting the amount of water for families. 

Final Thoughts
As we near the end of the year, I know budget plans are being made for the upcoming year. I also know that our economy has caused many individuals and congregations to reconsider what they are able to do in support of the Lord’s work domestically and internationally. I want to thank all of you for including the Bear Valley program in Denver, as well as, the tremendous generosity you have shown throughout 2012 for the Extension work. I pray God will bless you richly for your generosity and your plans for the work in the year ahead.

Thank you for your dedication to the work of training men to preach the gospel.

God bless
Bob

Flourishing In The Work Of The Lord...

Dearest brethren, 

It is quite pleasant outside here in Southeastern Arizona. We are doing well and thank God for all His continued blessings.  

The congregation here in Morenci continues to bless us in so many ways. We are encouraged as we get to know everyone better. It has also been wonderful to be close to my parents. The kids have sure enjoyed their time with grandma and grandpa. They especially love driving the golf cart and feeding the animals (ducks, goats, dogs and cats).  

The first weekend had Divine and my mom driving up to Kayenta, AZ to speak at a Ladies Day Retreat. It sounds like they had a wonderful weekend with all the sisters. They said the lessons and fellowship were a true blessing.  

Divine and I went to California for four days to attend a leadership conference. It was good information and good for the two of us to spend some quality time together. We are grateful for all the help and hospitality of our brother Bill Salazar and his wife Jill.  

We were blessed to go over to Phoenix a day early to do some research on the Pima Reservation. As we make plans for our move in June 2013 we want to have as much information as possible. We mainly wanted to see the communities on the reservation, the school systems and possible places to worship. We also wanted to look at some close neighborhoods that we might want to live in.

We spoke to the community development coordinator to see what it takes to start a new congregation on their land. They seem to be fine with us coming there, it is just a challenge to find a place to worship. They said several denominations share a Presbyterian building. We will continue to be in touch with them and some others that work on the reservation to find a place to worship. As we get to know the community better, we will be exploring opportunities of service.

As soon as we got back from California, my dad and I drove to Denver for the Master’s Blitz Week. I took the Biblical counseling class taught by brother Jerry Martin. It was an excellent class. I was only able to audit about half of the Advanced Hermeneutics class taught by brother Denny Petrillo. It was also a great class to be in. While in Denver, I had to haul a final trailer load of things back to Arizona. After a long trip we finally made it home safe and sound.

The school in Cameroon continues to flourish under difficult circumstances. They had a fruitful campaign after their third quarter of classes and are now back in their final quarter before they graduate. James Coker is scheduled to teach the first week in December and then I will follow by teaching Marriage and Family. I will also be staying to witness the first graduating class from the Cameroon Bible Institute of Wotutu (CBIW).

The plan is for me to continue in the coordinator role until the end of December 2012. Starting January 1st, 2013 brother David Ballard will take on the coordinator role for CBIW).  I will then devote more of my focus on preparing for the church plant in Phoenix.  

We are so thankful for all of your support and encouragement in our new efforts to plant a congregation in the Phoenix area with a focus on the Native American people. We are thankful for all the prayers and advice and help that each of you give in your own way. Thank you! 

In His service, 
Austin Family

Water Shortage Creates Challenges In Tanzania...

Dear Co-Workers:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us." I John 5:14

Welcome to November! Yes, in just a few short weeks, the year of 2012 will be history. Our family is fine and we hope you are too. On October 31, the kids invited some friends over, dressed up in costumes and went to the co-missionaries houses (Staffords and Hochdorfs) to present them some cookies (but also got candy in return).

Last week, the government announced there would not be any more water for 3 days so whatever was in the storage sim tanks had to last. We ended up buying a truck load of water for about $80 to tide us over (no pun intended...water..."tide" us over). People pay one year in advance for government water but there is no guarantee you will have it everyday.

The electricity has been off quite a bit for the past few days. But, we are glad that we have had three really good rains. We're not sure what is going on again but, local gas stations in Kisongo have been out of diesel for the past three days...so our van (which is extremely low on gas) has been parked. Maybe there will be gas tomorrow before church or we will be crowded into Jimmy's car. So...no water, no electricity, no diesel!

Allie Reed (visitor from Oklahoma) has been busy going to Bible studies and working some with the children at Arusha. Unfortunately, she has been having a tooth problem and will probably end up with a root canal. Fortunately, we have a great dentist here experienced in doing painless (?) root canals!

Our ACSOP student spotlight is on Peter Ang'atta Were, age 59. Very tall and thin, Peter is married with 5 children (three are his late brothers' children he is raising...very common in Africa). He was formerly of the New Apostolic Church in Uganda. Peter's favorite class was "God's Eternal Kingdom" taught by Wayne Burger in 2007. Scheduled to graduate with his Master's degree this month, Peter is already a great asset to the church.

Our family was asked to bake a birthday cake and come to the party for 1-year-old "Pray God," son of Rehema. Outside twenty-six neighborhood children were singing "Happy Birthday" when we arrived! Counting the adults, thirty-four people crammed into the mud hut living room (10 x 12) ...also remember there was a normal size couch, arm chair, straight chair and small coffee table taking up space in this room. It was a very sweet time and everyone made us feel very welcome. Little Pray God did not know what to think about everyone singing and being in his house!

The TZ 2000 Mission Work began in 1998 under the oversight of Kensington Woods in Hattiesburg, MS. If you are interested in receiving their bi-monthly newsletters (to learn even more about everything going on) please contact Mary Kay Stickroth at mkstickroth@att.net. Also, the TZ 2000 General Fund is in the red for the last month of the year. The goal is to raise $25,000 in the next 30 days. If you can see your way clear to help with this, it would be greatly appreciated (This is different from our own personal needs that we have written about in recent weeks). If you or your congregation can help, please send your contribution to Kensington Woods. The address is on the first page of this report.

In Christ, The Gees

Graduation At The ACSOP Draws Near...

Greetings Fellow Workers,

We greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God continues to answer your many prayers on behalf of His mission work here in East Africa. We are thrilled as to the upcoming Andrew Connally School of Preaching graduation. We will graduate nine with Master’s degree, six with Bachelor's degree and two with Associate degree. In keeping with God’s will; “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2.2), God is spreading and giving the increase in some mighty ways. Here are three short comments from two of our graduates and one student who will graduate on the 24th of this month:

“I did send two students to go and help lead bible classes and worship services at the young revived church Nyamasare 80Km away for three consecutive Sundays and the result was marvelous, three baptisms on their third visit and also helping them stop errors of women leading singing and making denominational testimonies during worship. We pray this school will be capable as it train men to also send them out occasionally to the congregations around western Kenya to evangelize and fight liberalism which is prevalent here as in other areas. Tomorrow, Nov 11^th, 6 students from KSOP will be leading bible classes and worship services at three different congregations, Butere church, Kaila church and Umuri church....We were very much privileged in the past weeks to have Bob Turner of BVBID and Cy Stafford of ACSOP Arusha visit us at the school. It was inspiring, for the new students to hear Turner speak on Leadership and be with Cy who has played great role in molding us through his vision. In His Service, Charles Ogutu”

“Hello brother, two have become new creatures in Christ today. His servant, Yusuph Mdaki”

“I started my journey from school and reached Katesh where I was met with an audience ready to hear the Word of God. The next day, Sunday, one soul decided to obey God’s Word and is now our new brother in Christ. His name is Imanuel Darema, married with children who are near the Kingdom. My expectation is that there will now be a new congregation. Our hope is that the ten widows and orphans (who many are HIV positive) will come to know the Lord and His Church. Your brother in Christ, Paul Muhendi”

Yes, the power of God’s Word is having its intended affect in the lives of many here in East Africa. This is made possible largely due to your prayers and support and we thank you, we thank you with all our being. 

Time draws near! We have purchased our airline tickets (in faith) and if the Lord wills, we will arrive in the States on December 2nd. We have been blessed with a donation of $3,000 that will cover most of the $5,000 needed in order to come report on God’s mission work, raise the needed funds that this work might continue and yes, see our nine grand children (and their parents). Yes, we are excited about the good being done, coming to see our dear friends and loved ones, yet we leave with troubled hearts. There is much to do and so little time! 

My brother and my sisters in Christ, we need your help. We need to raise $20,000 in the next 20 days that God’s work might not be hindered. We are so very thankful for the $5,000 already donated. Please pray, purpose and provide the need that souls will not go wanting!

In Him, Cy, Stephanie, Granny & Allie

Obeying The Gospel In Paraguay...

Recent congregational developments and activities: 

• The Special Committee for the Bible School has been working really hard on the many aspects of organization. They have developed a strong Bible curriculum, worked out a flow-chart for the personnel and staffing, and are continuing to develop the internal rules and regulations. 
• Our Annual Men’s Retreat was held on October 13 at the home of Vicente Martinez. We use this opportunity to review and measure where we are in the goals that we have previously made and to set new goals for the next year. It was a great day with many positive and exciting developments. It is thrilling to see the congregation taking on more responsibility and growing in the process. Please pray that the church will continue to grow and develop through the locals efforts! 

Recent conversions / identifications / restorations:

• Baptized! - Fabiola Gimenez. She is the sister of Silvina Gimenez that was baptized just a short while ago. She and her husband, Rodrigo, have been attending the couples Bible study group and have had several questions about baptism. She decided to put on Christ in baptism through her studies and we rejoice
  with the angels in her decision! 
• Baptized! - Jazmin Gimenez. She is the youngest of the three Gimenez sisters. She followed in the footsteps of Silvina and Fabiola, except she identified more with the youth group and became involved with them. Through various studies she, too, arrived at the decision that she needed to “obey that form of doctrine” (Roman 6:17) and be baptized. Now all three sisters are rejoicing in their salvation. This is especially apparent in the smile Jazmin produced when she rose into newness of life! (pictured above, right) 

Special Activities:
Annual Team Evaluation Workshop. We invited Gail and Jerry Heiderich from Itu, Brazil, to come once again and provide counseling for the team, as well as, guidance for yet another major transition that the team is facing. The Hardins will be finishing their time with the team in December and we are about to begin a Bible school, both of which will have an effect on the congregation. The remaining team members want to make the transition as smooth as possible and use it as an opportunity to help the church grow. We also set several new goals to work toward as a team. It looks like 2013 is going to be an exciting year!

Contacts / Bible Studies
Two new English Campaign Contacts! Two more interested students have come our way with Andrea and Adriana. They are both very interested in the Bible, so we pray the English study will develop into an opportunity to focus mainly on the Bible.

The remainder of our English studies continue to go well and we are advancing toward more serious Bible studies, as well. Please keep Blanca, Daniel, Sergia, Antonio, and Graciela in your prayers that they may be touched by the word of God.

Evangelistic efforts:
A young man named Martín has been attending services regularly and wants to grow stronger spiritually. He struggles with several addictions and just wants to make sense of his life. We pray for him and will continue to offer spiritual guidance.

Steps toward mission goals:
The new mid-week Bible study group in Ñemby is going very well! The weekly attendance has been strong and we have had some great studies. We pray this will continue to develop toward a natural church plant in Ñemby, that the church in Asunción can work towards and facilitate. Most of the leaders and the members have this vision already, so it seems to be only a matter of “when” instead of “if”.

Plans for near future:
We have a guest coming down from the USA! Karen Bennet, who is a member at one of our supporting congregations, Central Avenue in Valdosta, GA, is coming down to work with us for a several days!

We have two students coming to Paraguay from ITL of Guatemala to serve as “interns,” as well as, teaching and preaching. We look forward to their visit!

Our Team Retreat and Planning Session is coming up next month!

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES
Personal HIGHLIGHT(s) of the Month: Two more precious souls added to the church, a team workshop, a Ladies Retreat/Renewal and the Annual Men’s Retreat all lent to a wonderful and busy month of October! We feel so blessed to be able to participate in such a wonderful work!

Personal study:

• I am currently reading / have read:

“Difficult Conversations and How to Discuss What Matters Most” by Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton. 

“David Crockett: His Life and Adventures” by John S. Abbott - just for leisure. The old language used in the book is rather fascinating! 

Culture and language study 
Andrea has enrolled in Berlitz Language School for Spanish classes. She loves it! We are praying this will accelerate her skills in speaking Spanish.

Visitation:

• We had a nice dinner one evening with Aldo Britez and our new sister in Christ, Catherine Pascottini in order to get to know them a little better. 
• We had Guillermo and Mirian Sanchez and Ruthy Pacuá over for lunch one Sunday just to get to know our new brethren better. They are a precious family! 
• We had a nice lunch with our sister, Raquel Franco. She is considering attending the Bible school! 

• Prisilla Santandar is now regularly attending a Bible study group and bringing her family with her to worship. We are continuing to visit her and try to help her spiritual development. 

• Dinner with our neighbors, the Meza’s. He is a retired Army Major and she currently manages a little sandwich stand near one of the universities. They have always been really kind to us and we enjoyed getting to know them better. 

Family activities:
Andrea attended Continent Care Connection 2012 which is a missionary retreat and renewal conference held in Brazil. She enjoyed getting to know other South American missionaries and soaked in the opportunity to spend some time at the beach! We are thankful for Great Cities who provides this valuable service to missionaries.

We voted! After learning what to do for oversees voting procedures, we cast our ballots via the US Embassy. But, we didn’t get one of those little “I Voted” stickers! :-(

We enjoyed a nice 17th Wedding Anniversary dinner at “La Misión Hotel.”

We have some fun family plans for November and are looking forward to the opportunities!

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see the full report with pictures, please click here.

Weekend Evangelism Produces Fruit In Liberia...

Greetings come to all those who support Liberia Bible College though prayers and financial assistance.

ENROLLMENT UPDATE
Liberia Bible College has the total enrollment of 15 students, 7 of whom are residential students. The other 8 students are day students, who commute weekly to and from school. Two of the students are Nigerian brethren while the 13 are Liberian brethren.

BUILDING UPDATE
The Bible College Building which has undergone massive renovation is about 90% complete, with few outstanding things to be done which include procuring and installing two additional toilets, enclosing the campus with concrete a fence, and constructing a kitchen for cooking purpose.

OCTOBER 2012 REPORT WORKSHOPS
On October 27th, the director of the Bible School was blessed to help with the work of our brothers and sisters meeting at the Gardnersville Church of Christ. I presented a lesson on the Preparation and Presentation of Sermon and Pulpit Management. Another instructor spoke on the Role of Women in the Church. Fifty-six members were in attendance.

On October 29th, the Bible College was blessed with the visit of two brethren from the Madison Church of Christ in Alabama who conducted a one day workshop on Leadership and The Christian Home. Both brethren work on the Mission’s Committee of the said congregation. Sixty local preachers and leaders joined the students in this seminar.

LIBERIA BIBLE COLLEGE SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2012 REPORT

WEEKEND EVANGELISM
Boarding students of LBC participate in weekend evangelism during each week as part of their outreach program.

During the first week of October our students engaged in community evangelism. They worked with local congregations both in Monrovia and outside in the areas of teaching Bible Classes, visiting backsliders. Through that exercise four persons were restored. The students also enrolled people in the Bible Correspondence Course.

During week two our ministerial students were involved in personal evangelism and worship activities at local congregations. One of them, Harris Kolleh, presented Bible lessons on worship on a local radio station. The radio program is aired in Kakata by the Kakata Church of Christ, where student Harris is serving as associate to the minister. The students also got involved in visitation.

Week three saw the boarding students involved in personal evangelism at various local congregations. They actively participated in Sunday Bible teaching, spoke on local radio station, and visited backsliders which resulted in three restorations.

Finally in week four of October, four of our residential students participated in field work at the High Way Church of Christ. Their efforts resulted into three baptisms on October 24th.

OBJECTIVES OF NOVEMBER

1. To establish the World Bible School correspondence course as an integral component of the evangelism program, where students will actively participate in enrollment exercise. 
2. To complete instruction for the First Term and administer final evaluation of students for the term. 

To conclude, we thank our brother from Texas and others for their continued support of the Liberia Bible College.

Alassis

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

KSOP Students Complete First Quarter Of Studies...

Dear Brethren,

On behalf of the faculty and students of the six week old Kenya School of Preaching, I send my greetings to you. We are very much happy to be fellow workers with you in the Lord’s vineyard. Your prayers and sacrifices are greatly appreciated. We sadly join through prayers to God with fellow brethren and States that were hit and affected by the hurricane in the loss and destruction. In most of the times we cannot explain why some things occur but I am comforted in knowing that God is in control and he knows (consider the seven “I know…” Rev 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15). I have been ill but now am doing good and have an appointment with the doctor next week. Thanks for your prayers and still keep going to the Lord.

The six weeks have been that of settling down while at the same time working. Everyone is adapting very well to the changes and we thank God we have not witnessed any serious problem health wise on the students side, but those that are manageable. The students are now done with the five courses. They have done final exams and will submit the research papers by the end of the month before going for the December long break.

I did send two students to go and help lead Bible classes and worship services at the young revived church, Nyamasare, 80 km away, for three consecutive Sundays and the result was marvelous. Three baptisms on their third visit and also helping them stop errors of women leading singing and making denominational testimonies during worship. We pray this school will be capable as it trains men to also send them out occasionally to the congregations around western Kenya to evangelize and fight liberalism which is prevalent here as in other areas. Tomorrow, November 11th, 6 students from KSOP will be leading Bible classes and worship services at three different congregations, Butere church, Kaila church and Umuri church.

Short courses will run from November 12th -23rd. The students will have the opportunity of studying “Personal Evangelism 1” and “The New Testament Church” under fellow native instructors Obadiah Omutele and George Ong’ondo respectively. Both are graduates from ACSOP in Arusha, Tanzania.

We were very much privileged in the past weeks to have Bob Turner of BVBID and Cy Stafford of ACSOP Arusha visit us at the school. It was inspiring for the new student to hear Turner speak on Leadership and be with Cy who has played great role in molding us through his vision. Bob Turner, thank you for the English song books and helping us fix our photocopy machine and the computer after the power surge, they are now working well.

Attached find pictures of students in class and the secretary's desk.

Brethren we thank you, keep us in your prayers to overcome challenges common with young and new preaching schools as ours.

In His service,
Charles Ogutu

Students Evangelizing Eastern Uganda Villages...

Dear brethren,

The Lord is protecting us and giving us life. The students and faculty of Uganda School of Evangelism are doing well. On Friday (Nov. 2) the students went for agriculture lessons which Paul given them and worked in the Garden. After lunch they all went out to do evangelism. 

On Saturday (Nov. 3) the whole faculty and students went for evangelism in Junge village about 5 kilometers from the school. After breakfast they started walking to that village. There were students who were not feeling well who wanted to remain in the dorm, but they were encouraged also to go as we had carried the lunch for all of them to that village. We carried also some extra plates for the members of Junge church of Christ who were going to walk with us in the homes. We divided in a group of three and we made seven groups. Most groups were welcomed in the homes they were visiting. One group was scared and chased a way by the owner of the home by saying that there are some people who pretend to be preachers, but they are thieves who come with Bibles in their hands, but they are just looking for things to steal at night. The group left the home and moved to the next home which welcomed them very much and they were comforted by that. They said that in the second home they wanted them to come back for more studies. Most homes wanted more studies. 

We hope that the power of the gospel will create salvation. Hope read from you. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

Hindi Booklets Are Reaching Masses In India...

First of all, we are prayerfully thankful that there has not been a single news of loss among the brotherhood in the recent natural calamities in the US and in India. The Lord is in control. He gives us strength and wisdom to share His message among his people.

We are also thankful for all the supporters and well wishers who are partaking with us to spread and strengthen the work in this Northern belt. It gives me immense pleasure to share with you some of activities during the past few weeks. After brother Jerry and brother Rodney left Chandigarh, we were more busy in Lord's work here. After the first Wednesday meeting in Parjapati Bhawan we were again ready to go to the People.

Sharing the truth with Voice of Truth International (Hindi)
After printing the Voice of truth International (Hindi), Vol. 2, we thought to take it to as many people as we could. We set a target of 1,000 books (out of 5,000 copies we printed here) to be given in Chandigarh and the surrounding areas. I am glad that we could do that. We asked students to go by bus to the far places and visit the nearer places on foot. They did it and it was very encouraging for them to contact new people.  

Follow up
To leave the people after giving them the book does not seem to me a good idea. So we have thought to start the work in new places. In Kharar (of adjoining City Mohali) we have started meeting in the evening on Sunday. Sector 26 (about 15 Kms. from our place to the other corner of the city) is in mind to start work there. Baddi (an industrial town in adjoining state, Himachal Pradesh) is also in our prayers to start work there.

Amritsar Trip
On the 23rd of October, brother Mangal had arranged a gospel meeting in Verka, Amritsar. More than 100 people attended. Brother Francis David and sister Elsy came from Delhi and we, along with the children, joined from Chandigarh. Preachers from other places of Punjab were invited. We took the students also.

Brother Francis and I were asked to preach there. The meeting went well, except that there was a sudden storm in the middle of the program and all tents were blown away and the electricity failed. The banner was found the next day in the fields. It was blown in the air as the program was on the roof. There was darkness everywhere, but thank God brother Mangal had arranged a generator set and we had light after a short while to continue. We thank God we could arrange downstairs and all went well. People were there to hear the word of God.

This kind of event is a part of learning how to arrange meetings and an encouragement to each other. Students were also able to visit Indo-Pak International Border retreat and the world famous golden temple of Sikhs in Amritsar.   

Bombay Trip
My Bombay trip in the first has been postponed due to some changes in program there. Now I will go on the evening of the 13th and return back on the 18th after 3 days Bible class there. I hope to fetch some students from that side too.  

Dengue Fever
Dengue has spread in the city and some of our members are affected by it. They need our prayers.

SMS Service restarted
Started a couple of years back, our daily SMS message on mobiles is started again. In the past few months I had stopped that due to financial reasons and the restriction of the government due to security and other reasons. But, thank God it is back now and we are able to send text messages to 1,600 people daily. This way we are able to send 50,000 messages each month.

Literature Distribution
We are using every opportunity the Lord provides us to share the word of God with as many people as we can. Presently we are sending throughout the nation and to Nepal also, Truth for Today (Hindi and Punjabi) books for preachers and the common people as well. Bibles, New Testaments and Song books are also part of that to help the local preachers.

Correspondence course
Though we do not have it in the Hindi language, yet as people know that we are running a Bible Education program, there is increasing demand of the Bible correspondence course in Hindi language. I think we need to think over it seriously as many people can be blessed with that.

I am sure, there is no end of writing, but this is just a glimpse to inform the brethren, what is going on here and that every penny we get, is used for the glory of God.

Earnest Gill

20 Souls Added To Young Congregation...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept greetings from this end. We are doing fine, but not in the best of health today. We do hope you are doing great and we continue to pray for you over there in the USA for the safe elections in your country. We are praying for you because in most African countries after presidential elections, most of the time leads to a civil war and other uproars. We praise the nature of peace and maturity in the politics in USA. May God bless the good people of America. 

Our week here went on well even though many are sick because of the climate change now, but we praise God for His great care over us. CBIW students are still serious with their studies as they will be winding up the long courses soon.

Sister Magdalene obeyed Christ and was baptized. Please keep her in your prayers to continue to walk with the Lord, so that through her many will come to know Christ and make decisions like this.

Our chapel theme for the week was “Your Mindset” Rom. 12:2. It was aimed at helping all in the school and in the congregation focus their minds only on the old rugged cross where they will see the greatest sacrifice in human history ever made. That will build them and give them hope as they pass through lots of challenges now.

We arrived for house to house in Kombe village. We were supposed to go to two different locations for mass campaign, but finally we failed to go to Batoke village because of logistic problem. The mission work this week took us to 3 locations and the mass was in Kombe, one of those congregations we just revived. I could not continue the work because of severe fever. I left and came back to get some herbs that really helped me and as I write this report I am okay. Thanks for your prayers. The campaign in Kombe ended up this morning with 20 souls being added to the young congregation there. We need follow up so that these young converts will not lack the spiritual milk that must help them grow. Keep the work in your prayers.

In Wotutu this morning after worship, among the five first time visitors that came, one obeyed the gospel. Sister Magdalene Zangma listened to our student Eddie Samuel to make a confession and to be baptized. A total numbers were 114 worshippers who witnessed her willingness to follow Jesus.You can see how our membership keeps growing. We are in an urgent need to get some more benches in the church hall and in less than no time we shall be thinking for an expansion of our hall. As we continue to preach on our radio program every morning many are getting the truth from their beds before they start their day. Many call and ask questions and to appreciate what the church of Christ is doing. By so doing we have a great influence in the community.

Plans
1) We are still planning to go to Batoke for the same exercise. Please keep this in your prayers .

2) We have started making preparation for our very first graduation ceremony and second matriculation in CBIW. The expectations are high as we are expecting above 700 people. Please we make an appeal for you to see how you can help add from what we have to feed this population.

3) The church in Wotutu prepares for a day of prayers and fasting for successful twin events coming up and also for the short courses instructors and other visitors who will be visiting us soon.

Appreciations
We praise God for you, your family and your congregation for listening to the great commission call and you are here praying and standing by us in all situations to see that the work of the Lord come to pass, which is to go to the whole world and to preach the gospel. Thank you for  coming to Cameroon in person or through your generosity, which is taking someone here to help the work to grow.

God bless you all and watch over you. We count on your fervent prayers. God will see you through in all your endeavors.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director of CBIW

A Month Of Thanksgiving...

We have entered the month of Thanksgiving. Perhaps the most significant holiday celebrated in the U.S. is Thanksgiving. I hear it every year, but it is always worth repeating. As Christians, we do not need to celebrate one day a year for Thanksgiving, rather we should give thanks everyday. As we go through the weeks ahead leading up to the celebration of this holiday, I will be focusing on several areas for which I am thankful.

This week, I want to express my gratitude to God for the providential ways He has and continues to bless the work of training men to preach the gospel. Fifteen years ago when the Extension Program had its beginning, my family and I moved to Greenbrier, Arkansas to assume the responsibilities of pulpit work with the Greenbrier Church of Christ. I had no idea at the time of what was taking place in the area of Extension training, or the magnitude it would grow to in the years ahead. I certainly could not foresee my involvement.

To reflect on the years that have gone by provides such a beautiful perspective to the overall work. I think about God’s working to connect all the various individuals involved in the program, from supporters and staff to the locations where we are partnering around the world. My limited time in the Extension Program has been filled with stories I will carry for the rest of my life because of how God’s hand has worked to develop this program.

I realize that everything we do is to the glory of God. He is worthy to be praised because of who He is and all He has and continues to do. The opportunity to be a part of His kingdom and share in the work of His kingdom is humbling. Our heavenly Father deserves our praise and thanksgiving for how He works to bless us as His children, strengthen us for His work, guide us in the paths leading to eternal life, and provide opportunities to share hope with others.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Howell Ferguson is in Chimala, Tanzania. His latest report is located here.

Steven Ashcraft’s report about the work in West Africa is located here.

Extension Reports 

The Truth Is Changing Lives In Cameroon: As students return from weekend evangelism, the gospel continues to change lives.

Growth In The Church And Bible Institute Of Ukraine: Recent opportunities have provided growth within the church that is also helping grow the Bible Institute in Gorlovka.

Rich History Of The West Coast School Of Preaching: Several men who have attended and graduated from the West Coast School of Preaching are working in Ghana.

Growth To Independence: The steps may be small, but Christians in Cambodia are working to take steps toward removing dependence on U.S. support.

Tanzania Chronicles: Sean Hochdorf sends word about the past and current events shaping the past month in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Heart Of The People: From around the world, the heart of people is seen in the compassion toward others who are suffering on the East coast of the U.S. 

Final Thoughts
While we started the report with an area of thanksgiving, we shall also close the report with the same. However, this section is always reserved for you. Thank you for the time you take to read the reports, keep up with the work that is taking place, pray for the efforts being put forth, and participate in the fellowship of kingdom activity. I pray God will bless you richly for your love for Him, His church, and the lost.

God bless
Bob

The Truth Is Changing Lives In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters of this part of the globe. We do hope you are doing great and we pray that this report finds you all well and sound in Faith. The work this way is going on well and God blessing us with good health. This period of our country is the time that many suffer from health conditions as we are transitioning to another season. The rains continue to fall and by so doing making the weather not favorable for people’s health. We praise God we are managing to move ahead with our calling.

Brother Tobias baptized brother Jonathan. God helped us to rob from the strong man’s house this weekend as 4 precious souls obeyed the gospel. Keep them in your prayers so they will grow to maturity and many will see their life style and will love to be like them. Keep us in your prayers for us to have the means to do constant follow up to help feed them the word that will enable them to grow.

Last week in CBIW went on well and our chapel theme was STAND FIRM (Exodus 14:13). This was aimed at helping our students who will face lots of challenges as they graduate from school and enter into full time ministry work in different locations and also to help the Christians of Wotutu to stand with the Lord forgetting their present situation.

The weekend came again taking us to 5 different locations this week. God went with us and we all return safe and sound. We thank you for your fervent prayers.

The Lord continues to bless our Wotutu congregation daily, as we had 7 first time visitors today and 110 people study the word and worship with us. We still lack benches as many will stand throughout our almost 3 hours during our time in the hall. Keep your prayers going on our behalf.

Locally made canoes help to cross people over the lake to another side where we can trek to our mission location. God is faithful that we were safe there and back.

Our staff and kids of Brightland Christian Academy of Wotutu demonstrate how our ministries keep growing. The vision to win Wotutu for Christ in particular and Cameroon as a whole is working. 3 months ago the educational family of Cameroon came and gave us the go ahead with the creation and running of this nursery and primary school. By this we shall be able to transplant the word to the hearts of these young ones and the church of Christ in the future will have a different face. Keep this in your prayers and join us to build and win for the glory of God.

Weekend evangelism this week took us to 5 different locations and our main aim when we are out is to do house to house evangelism so as to rob from the strong man’s house. Brother Tobias taught a family in Mbanga Village. There is a good history that prompted us to establish this congregation.

Brother Jonathan smiled as he come out of the water grave to be part of our Big family. Keep him in your prayers.

The truth continues to change lives (Romans 10:13-15). Both the old and the young listen to the words of truth with eagerness to know and to obey. God is faithful.

Plans
We are planning to go to two new locations one for the establishment of a new congregation and the other one to revive and nurture. Batoke village has been pending for long time. If the Lord wills then we shall be there this weekend. Keep it in your prayers.

Students have started preparing for their final exams by next week, so that we shall be done with our exams and attend the annual Bible lectureship of the churches of Christ in Cameroon December 12-15.

Our alpha batch graduation will take place on the 20th of December. Keep it in your prayers and if you wish to come and witness it then we shall be ready to prepare invitation letter for you to get a VISA.

Appreciations
Many thanks to God for you, for all your prayers and support to make this happen. You are the pillar to our ministries and we pray you continue to stand by us and help us realize more what God is already doing in our communities. God bless you and bless all your endeavors. Do your best to share this report with others who may love to be part of this soul saving ministry. God bless you with what you wish yourself this season.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

West Africa Happenings...

Greetings from all of your brothers and sisters throughout West Africa. The gospel light is shining bright as the workers continue to labor in the vineyard of our Lord. In this report, we will outline some of the happenings over the period. 

The Church Expands in Togo
I love the song “Soldiers of Christ Arise!” Whether we realize it or not, Christians are at war throughout the world. We are fighting this war in West Africa where Satan is attempting to prevail through Islam, idolatry, and false teachers. A battle was recently waged in the town of Basaar in northern Togo. Ghanaian and Togolese evangelists came together to preach the gospel publicly and house to house. We preached over the radio airwaves, as the call to prayers echoed from the mosques throughout this predominantly Islamic city. We sat down and studied with the residents as others attempted to divert their attentions away from the truth. We showed Bible films and preached publicly in the evenings as many gathered to hear more about the true doctrine of Christ. Before we left, five souls were baptized into Christ, others had promised to study, and a new congregation was worshiping in Spirit and in Truth. A battle has been won, but the war wages on. Islam is pressing down from the north, false teachers are sprouting up everywhere you look, and many are becoming so confused that they look towards the animistic religion of their fathers to satisfy their spiritual needs. We must continue to preach the Good News if the war will be won in West Africa. We are ready for the fight! Many are hearing the words of truth that can save their souls. We thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Tidbits from the Schools
With your help, the gospel is being proclaimed throughout West Africa, and dozens of leaders are being trained at the Bible schools to prepare them to build up the church in this part of the world. We want to tell you a little about each location in this Newsletter. The best place to get complete up-to- date information for the schools is on the Bear Valley website at this address: /why-extension- schools/

The work is moving forward at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies in Tamale, Ghana. The building construction is continuing with windows, doors, plastering, water, and electricity moving towards completion in anticipation of a move from the rented premises during the month of December. The school in Tamale has realized a wonderful addition to their staff with the arrival of brother Tony Johnson from the USA. He will be teaching at the school and helping coordinate the work with Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver. He is already making a positive impact on the work!

The Southwest School of Evangelism in Ibadan Nigeria continues a wonderful work in their training of faithful preachers in the cities of Ibadan and Lagos. Recently, the staff and students’ evangelistic efforts resulted in sixty baptisms, forty restorations, and the establishment of a new congregation! Twenty-eight students graduated during the SWSE’s ninth graduation ceremony in August. The 2012/2013 year then began with thirty-eight students studying at the two SWSE campuses. A great work is taking place in Nigeria!

The Center for Biblical Studies in Kpalime Togo is continuing their labors to train preachers in French speaking West Africa. Twenty souls were recently baptized into Christ and a new congregation was planted in Keve Togo. Four graduates are now working with new congregations that have been planted during the year. We were able to purchase Thompson Chain Reference Bibles for all the present and past students to help them with their studies, teaching, and preaching. We were also able to acquire a new copier to provide handouts for the students. CBS is truly making an impact on the strength of the church in this area!

During July and August, the Liberia Bible College in Monrovia Liberia moved forward towards their desire to train preachers in this war torn country. Brother Glen Addison from Texas and I took the time to visit Monrovia in August and assist in their building renovations, acquisition of furniture and equipment, and the planning necessary to put this training program in place. Twenty students were scheduled to begin classes at the end of August. Bear Valley is also in the process of beginning a Master’s program at this school to train the instructors. We thank God for all those faithful men who are sacrificing to make this work possible!

Brothers Bill Dillon from Arkansas, and Mike Kiser from Alabama traveled to the West Coast School of Preaching in Takoradi Ghana to teach short courses during the month of August. Max Robertson from the overseeing congregation in Howe, Texas also visited during August to discuss the renovation of the building, revision of the budget, and plans for an increase in the student body for the upcoming enrollment in September. Precious souls are being brought to Christ through the evangelistic efforts of the staff and students at this school!

The Cameroon Bible Institute of Wotutu is another Bear Valley Bible school in West Africa that I have not mentioned in my previous newsletters. I hope you will take the time to review their reports on the Bear Valley website. Many great things are taking place in Cameroon, and I hope to be able to visit this school in early 2013.

Year End Reporting
I will be scheduling time over the next couple of months to visit many of you and report on the work in West Africa. The primary objective of this ministry is to fulfill the Great Commission through empowering the indigenous Christians to fulfill their complete potential. With your help, we are achieving this goal by equipping the local brethren with Bible knowledge and providing them with evangelistic assistance. Together, we can do even more in the future than we have accomplished in the past. Let us continue to labor together is this fruitful field!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks So Much, With Christian Love
Steven Ashcraft

To see Steven’s report with pictures of the work throughout West Africa, click here.

The Heart Of The People...

Greetings Fellow Workers:

The Heart of the People: “Dear brethren in the LORD JESUS, greetings! We  have heard of the Sandy Super Storm in U.S.A, sorry for the hard time there! God will take care of all who depend on HIM for everything, and we all are praying, knowing GOD hears the prayers of the saints... Bible Correspondence Courses are continuing, some completed their lessons and need further studies. one obeys; from Ngurdoto congregation were Gaudence's wife obeyed the truth through baptism.” In Him, William Rodrick

One at a time: “Christian Kubero is the mother of one child who has been studying God’s Word for six months. We met her through distributing some flyers for the Kilimanjaro Bible School. On the first day of the week Christian stood and declared she wanted to be born again!” Amen, In His Service, Josephat, Anna & family.

Yes, the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continues to have its desired effect on the hearts and minds of the good people of Tanzania! Thank you for making this possible.

The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to come together, thanking our God for the good He is doing in our lives and in His Church. The month of December brings much joy and sharing with people all over the world.

God has blessed His mission work here in Tanzania in so many ways. At the end of October we faced a “Challenge.” When the funds were sent to Tanzania there remained a balance of less than $500 in the TZ2000 account! So, the “Challenge” we have set for ourselves and the mission is to raise one months budget in the next 60 days! $25,000 is what is needed.

Last week we sent out a plea for my trip to Uganda to speak at the Uganda School of Evangelism’s annual lectureship. This will also allow me an opportunity to do some recruiting for the ACSOP. Thank you Cotton, Gene and Dupree for stepping up and making this mission trip possible.

We also had our first commitment toward the $25,000 challenge; with the donation of $5,000 from our dear brother and sister from TN, we now need only $20,000. In addition, we still need to raise our furlough expenses. We received a commitment for $3,000 toward our airline tickets, leaving a balance of $2,000 (I guess I could send Stephanie and stay here in TZ, what do you think). :) We also need between $6,000 and $8,000 to cover our Stateside travels.

We are booking appointments for presenting the mission work and reporting on the good being done. If you personally or as a congregation would like to hear more about God’s Powerful Mission Efforts here in Tanzania, please let us know. We close with a very prayerful and thankful plea, please do what you can that we might continue “making disciples”!

May our God be with you all as you strive and serve the one true living God and our neighbors.

In Him, Cy, Stephanie, Granny & Allie

Tanzania Chronicles...

On behalf of the Hochdorf family we send our friends and neighbors of Tanzania Missions a heartfelt greeting from the southern hemisphere. We thank God for you. While winter is coming into view for you back home, we are headed into summer and it appears it’s going to be quite toasty this year.

TANZANIA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
We have recently wrapped up the Annual Tanzania Leadership Conference and from all accounts it was a real success. We are grateful to God for the opportunity to bring Him glory through worship in song, preaching and prayer.

The Tanzanian Leadership Conference is an event we host each year at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching (ACSOP) in Arusha. Our theme this year, NATIONAL LEADERSHIP: SHAPING A NATION FOR SERVICE TO GOD, Lessons on national leadership from 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings, was well received by those in attendance. Speaking of attendance, we were very pleased that we had brethren from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the United States present. We averaged 130 daily attendance over the four day period; an increase of over 50%! The Lord’s church is growing in East Africa and brethren are anxious to attend any event that will bring them closer to God and help them grow. It is all but impossible to relate the difficulty and danger our brethren in East Africa must endure to a travel to such an event.

They, literally, put their life on the line when they commit to traveling cross-country. We were all encouraged by the presence and participation of many of the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver (BVBID) faculty. Denny Petrillo, Bob Turner, Michael Hite and Neal Pollard all made the trip and did a marvelous job preaching at the conference as well as the various congregations on Sunday. ACSOP is a BVBID extension school; a relationship for which we are very appreciative. Aside from the BVBID staff we also had speakers from Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, Uganda, Kenya and, of course, Tanzania. A truly, multi- national event.

ACSOP
We continue to be rewarded with good news from ACSOP graduates. Congregations are planted regularly throughout East Africa. Cy Stafford, our team leader reported recently:

These two men [Charles Ogutu and Elias Omollo] are graduates of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. These two soldiers of Christ, after graduating from the school, went on to plant eight new congregations between the two of them. Charles had even begun a “preacher training school” in an effort to equip men to go as he had done, “making disciples”.

Gasper Julius and the Mto wa Mbu congregation have planted two new congregations. Gasper is in the process of starting a Bible School for the edification of the local believers and as an outreach to the lost of their community.

This is just a glimpse at some of the fruit God is bearing. Please continue to offer prayers of thanks and continued blessings as our brethren work to bring others to Christ.

Currently I am teaching Minor Prophets 2 at ACSOP. This is the final quarter before the english class graduates at the end of November. I have some new duties that we will be implementing into the work over the next few months. Stay tuned for further details as we are going to need to be laborers together in order to get up and running.

THE FAM
Anita continues to conduct regular Bible studies each week. She and mom go out each week to visit several of the ladies who are new converts at Kwa Mrombo, where we worship. Aside from just getting to know them they have bible studies and discuss first principles.

Anita has an ongoing Bible study with a couple that live over the hill from us in Kisongo. Sylvester and Neema have been studying for quite some time but neither has decided to commit their life to Christ as of yet. Pray for this couple and Anita as they continue to study together.

Mom and Dad are doing fine. They continue to be amazed at how kind and loving the Tanzanian people are. Dad takes frequent walks and enjoys the TZ countryside. Actually, I think he enjoys the children. They flock to him while he is walking, hoping to get some pi pi (pronounced “pee pee,” Swahili for candy). Sometimes he gives in and whew, the mob is on once the first piece hits a hand! Separation from the rest of the family has been difficult but they are glad that we can Skype and they can see the grand kids from time-to-time.

ARNOLD UPDATE
In our last newsletter we introduced you to Arnold, a young boy, all but orphaned, living next door to us in some very desperate conditions. As previously mentioned we were able to get Arnold into a good school and he has been doing very well. Since our last newsletter Nester and

Esther Augustus, have agreed to allow Arnold to move in with them. Nester, is our property foreman and a good Christian brother. Nester and Esther have three children of their own. They rent a two room place in Kisongo. Normally when we Americans think of two rooms we are picturing two rooms with a bathroom, kitchen,etc. Two rooms in TZ is just that, two rooms (10‘x10’). Meals are cooked in Nester and Esther’s bedroom and served in the living room/bedroom/dining room. I mention this for a couple of reasons: 1. To show the selfless generosity given by a family that has neither the money nor the space to take on another child and, 2. So that we might take an opportunity to again count our blessings. At any rate, it is so touching to see how happy and safe Arnold feels. He is finally experiencing the love and care all children should receive.

Some of you responded to Arnold’s story and wanted to help. I have to make a plea for forgiveness. As soon as I sent out that newsletter I departed for a 2000 mile journey across Tanzania. When I returned I was up to my eyeballs in director duties for the Tanzanian Leadership Conference. I know, enough whining Sean, bottom line is I failed to respond to your generous offering for help. I’m sorry. If you are still so inclined to offer help for Arnold I give my word I’ll respond in a timely way. Again, I’m sorry.

BACKSTORY
If you have never lived in a foreign field as a missionary you might not realize that missionaries don’t simply pack up, seamlessly move to a far away land and conduct thousands of Bible studies everyday. Yes, the soil is such that opportunities for reaching the lost abound and being able to work in such an environment is encouraging indeed. However, a missionary has many hats to wear; preacher, teacher, student, mentor, hospitality expert, accountant, mechanic, handyman, etc. One of said hats is that of employer. When living in a third world country, as here in Tanzania, it is expected (and needed) that you will employ Tanzanian’s for a number of tasks, domestic or otherwise. We try to employ brethren, those who will work hard while at the same time trying to provide them an opportunity for growth and improvement.

This past week I had the unenviable task of having to fire one of the men who worked for us. He was hired as a night guard and his duties have been light, at best; pick up the trash in the yard, wash the truck and be alert through the shift. As is the case with each of our workers, we periodically loan them money for various reasons and deduct it from their pay. This particular man came, one day, asking for a significant amount of money stating that his wife was pregnant and he was trying to prepare for the hospital bill, clothing, etc. Knowing that the baby wasn’t due for another 6 weeks or so I offered him an opportunity to earn the money instead of borrowing that which I knew he could not repay. Long story short, he accepted my offer but didn’t do the work.

Trying to go the extra mile, I gave a mild rebuke and we gave it another shot. It didn’t take. Not only did he not carry out the extra work, his regular duties began to suffer as well. After a long effort at trying to help this brother the time has come to exercise some very difficult tough love and let him go. It’s especially tough knowing that there is almost an 80% unemployment rate in Tanzania, he is married and has a new baby. Hey, I didn’t sign up for this in preaching school.

In the end, however, I extended every possible way and means to help him. Simply put, he was lazy. The scriptures still teach the necessity of work. “For even when we were with you, we used to command this to you: that if anyone does not want to work, neither should he eat” (2 Thes. 3:10). As is the case with almost all sin, we don’t normally sin to ourselves. Those we love and care for are generally the recipients of the consequences of our actions. This man’s family will now endure hardship because he was lazy and not willing to work.

If you can’t tell, I have agonized over this decision. So much so that we went ahead and paid for all the hospital bills connected with the delivery of their new baby, gave them a blanket to bring the child home in (a big deal here), bought them enough food to last a month, and let him finish out the month. Firing him is the last thing I want to do but I know it to be the right thing to do.

Please don’t misunderstand, we love living in Tanzania, we love the Tanzanian’s, and we love doing the Lord’s work in such a wonderful environment. Rather, I write this to provide a small glimpse into the unseen life of a foreign missionary. Please pray for me, and the other missionaries here, and around the globe, as we do our best to be Christlike in wearing so many different hats as we serve our Lord in a foreign land.

UNTIL NEXT TIME
Perhaps it becomes somewhat redundant but I can’t close without saying thank you for your support. Times are hard almost everywhere in the world right now and yet, you have seen fit to sacrifice hard earned income to promote the cause of Christ in Tanzania. It is a true sacrifice indeed and we really hope you know that we thank God for your selflessness regularly.

Yours in Christ,
Sean, Anita, Maddie, Mom and Dad

To Sean Hochdorf’s latest report with pictures, click here.

Growth To Independence...

To my Christian brethren in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is always a great privilege to be a part of God's work with my fellow workers.

After working part time as a school driver for this past month I learned a lot from the worldly people. They don't care too much of how your feeling is, how your wife and your children are. What they focus is to work for them as they pay, even sometimes employees request to take a rest for a few days to treat the illness. 

Any way, that's just my little experience and I have some news I want to share with you all about our work to serve God in this side of the world.

The church is doing well here in Siem Reap, Takam and Leang Dai as well. Somehow we are growing to some points and we would like to ask you to keep us and our work in your prayer.

That's what I have for now and will keep you updated next time. 

In Him
Chann

Rich History Of The West Coast School Of Preaching...

Dear Brethren,

I bring you greetings from Takoradi on the West coast of Ghana, West Africa. It is my hope and prayers that you grow strong in the faith and increase in fruitfulness to the glory of the Lord.

I have just completed a week long teaching assignment at Tamale, the capital town of the Northern Region, some 430 miles from Takoradi. I taught in our sister school, The Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies. The course was on Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage which I taught October 15-19, 2012.

We are five weeks into our new school term with ten new students and five continuing students.  Two more will join us next month. They will have to catch up with the rest. If they do not pass their first term exams they will have to take the first term courses again. Classes are being held in earnest and the new students are becoming used to the daily routine of campus life. Our next major event is the graduation and here is some information about. . .

WEST COAST GRADUATIONS
About the time you read the next report it will be graduation time at West Coast, November 10, 2012.  This is going to be another unique graduation in that aside from the six men who would be receiving BVBID certificates (the second time in the School’s history), two men who have successfully completed Bear Valley’s bachelor’s and six who have completed the Master’s  would also be recognized at the ceremony. 

Graduations have been held for those who completed West Coast School’s two-year programme as follows: 

At the First Graduation of the school in 1999  – 2 men graduated. Second Graduation in 2000, 6 men. Third Graduation in 2001, 8 men. Fourth Graduation in 2002, 8 men. Of this number 3 went to the Central Region of Ghana, 1 to the Brong Ahafo Region and the remaining 4 worked in the Western Region. Fifth Graduation in 2003, 11 men. Two went to work in the Ashanti region, 1 to the Northern Region, 5 in the Central Region, and the remaining 3 located in the Western Region. Sixth Graduation in 2004, 10 men. Of this number, 1 is located in the USA, three are working in the Central Region, and the remaining four are located in the Western Region. Seventh Graduation in 2006, 9 men. Four of these are in the Central Region, 1 in the Eastern Region, 1 in Nigeria, and the rest in the Western Region. Eighth Graduation in 2007, 6 men. Of this number 2 are located in the Eastern Region and 4 in the Western Region. Ninth Graduation in 2008, 8 men. One in the Brong Ahafo Region, 1 in Canada, 1 in Nigeria, 2 in the Central Region, and 3 in the Western Region. Tenth Graduation in 2009, 9 men. Five are located in the Western Region, 2 in The Central Region, 1 in the Volta Region and 1 in the Eastern Region. Eleventh Graduation in 2011, 11 men.

Eleven men graduated at the eleventh graduation which was held on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year two thousand and eleven.  We have 1 of them in the Volta Region, 1 in Liberia, 2 in the Northern Region, 1 in the Brong Ahafo Region, 2 in the Central Region and 4 in the Western Region.

Twelfth Graduation in 2012, 6 men. Of this number, 1 will be going to the Greater Accra Region, 1 to Sierra Leone, 1 to Nigeria, 1  to Liberia, and 2 will be working in the Western Region.

This is to give you information about where students from West Coast are working. The school is located in the Western Region of Ghana, which is the reason most of our students are from the |Region and work in the Region after graduation. With the exception of the Upper East and the Upper West Regions, West Coast has students working in the remaining eight of the ten Regions of Ghana, and some are working in neighbouring West African countries of Liberia, and Nigeria, as well as North America. We give thanks and glory to God for our journey so far.

 Our concern for the graduation this month is the deplorable condition of the only road leading to our campus. Before the latest rains one could drive up there with some effort, but not anymore.  All vehicles will have to be parked at the foot of the hill for all to hike the steep hill on which we are located to the ceremony.   

 “Brethren, pray for us. . . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” –1Thessalonians 5:25,28.

Your servant for Jesus’ sake,

Daniel K Ampadu-Asiamah

Growth In The Church And Bible Institute Of Ukraine...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches.

I hope that everything is well with you, and you have an opportunity to get to know about the latest news about the events taking place here in Ukraine, in God’s churches and at the Bible Institute.  

First of all, I want to say a few words about God’s work in the churches in Ukraine. Recently I had some conversations with our graduates who now preach at the churches of Christ, and I was surprised to hear the news that they shared with me. There were baptisms in October in Kramatorsk, Slavyansk and Krasnoarmeysk. The Lord is still adding the saved souls to the church. Of course, we don’t always have such good news to share, but God gives growth where the church puts its best efforts to win the unsaved souls. 

In October only Ukrainian teachers taught the courses, and because of them we keep training future ministers. Albert Bagdasaryan, Andrew Zhuravlyov and Vitaliy Rodichev are the brothers who are involved in the work of our Institute, and they also keep ministering at their local congregations. Besides, brother Terry Harmon taught Greek via video conference. 

Right now we have a scheduled week of evangelizing campaigns at our Institute. This time we divided all students into 4 groups, and each group went to the local congregation in Donetsk region: Kramatorsk, Gorlovka, Krasnoarmeysk and Konstantinovka. I know that students will be responsible in their ministry and will encourage church to evangelize more after they are gone. 

I want to say a few words about the Central Church of Christ in Gorlovka (this is where our Institute is situated). In October, the church received humanitarian aid with the assistance of John Kachelman, and on the Ukrainian side, Andrew Zhuravlyov and Sergey Stefanovich were dealing with this aspect. Distribution of this aid gave us an opportunity to have Bible classes with people with disabilities (blind, deaf and mute) and at the orphanages. 

In mid October, we had a conference for young adults on the topic: “Do not be afraid of defeat.” There were about 50 young people attending the conference and we had wonderful fellowship and a delicious lunch. Having such events helps bring young people together, strengthens them spiritually, and we also advise them to act wisely in regards of their future, having the sound doctrine of Christ in their lives. I have noticed that some of our students have learned about our Institute having attended such conferences. They came and met with us and then they had a dream to get enrolled in the program and to minister in the church in future.

Right now we have the Master’s program classes at our Institute. Ted Cherry came to teach here. Actually, he baptized me 10 years ago after the classes on the epistle to Romans. In a year and a half we will have students graduating the Master’s program. This means we will have new prospective teachers and that shows that we are gradually growing.   

I want to thank everyone who is supporting our Institute and my work. Some of you have never met us, but for a long time now you keep caring and praying for us. All students send you their greetings. The money you give is already bringing forth good fruits. In time some students become very good ministers and it makes you happy when a person you taught or supported financially is being useful tenfold for the kingdom of God. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, I will be glad to answer.

Your brother in Christ,
Dennis Sopelnik