Student Obeys The Gospel In Liberia...

Greetings come from your fellow Christians, who are your fellow laborers in the Lord.

We are pleased to submit for consideration the report for January 2013. Among other things, the report covers major events that took place during the month of January, including evangelistic outreach, the beginning of the second term of instruction, visit of the vice president of Mission Printing. Also included in the report is the statement of income and expenditure for the month of January 2013.

Beginning of School Term
The second term of instruction at Liberia Bible College started on January 7, 2013 with all of the 15 students returning to school. This term is expected to run from January 7th through March 31st. Second term course schedule meets from Monday until Thursday of each week. The schedule of the classes is as follows:

New Testament Church - 3 hrs - Daniel B. Sackey

Life of Christ - 3 hrs - Philip G. Montgomery 

I & II Thessalonians - 3 hrs - Jerry D. Wamah

Public Speaking - 3 hrs - G. Moses Beh

Book of Acts - 3 hrs - Maxwell J. Whea

Biblical Interpretation - 3 hrs - Alassis N. Goldore

Evangelism During the Break
Being on vacation does not stop our students from evangelizing. During the vacation our students taught and preached the word. As they returned to their home congregations for the Christmas and New Year break were actively involved in personal evangelism, teaching Bible classes, visitation, and preaching from the pulpit. Twenty persons received water baptism directly from the work of our students.

Week End Evangelism
For the month January campus based students of the Liberia Bible College were engaged in outreach activities to include personal evangelism, distribution of WBS courses to eager students in the community. Our students baptized four persons and restored three others.

Spotlight on Student Convert
Student Ojuku Smallwood became a new convert in the New Year. Smallwood enrolled at Liberia Bible College in September 2012. He came to the preaching school as a non-Christian. He was only sprinkled as an infant. Having received intensive instruction in the biblical text during the Fall Semester, Smallwood was prepared to make a decision for Christ.

So on the New Year’s Day (January 1, 2013) Smallwood sent a text message to the director of the school declaring that he wanted to become a member of the Lord’s church through baptism. His text follows: “Hi elder, I have made up my mind to be a member of the Lord’s church and is willing to be baptized at anytime. Please help direct or lead me in the upright way.” With great delight, the director was on hand to assist the young man obey the gospel. On January 2, 2013 at about 11:15 a.m. Smallwood was immersed for the remission of sin. He now worships with the brethren at the VP Road Church of Christ.

Visit of Brethren Steven and Renfro
Through the instrumentality of brother Steven Ascraft, brother Richard Renfro, Vice president of Mission Printing, paid a five day visit to Liberia. Both Steven and Renfro arrived in Liberia on the 9th January 2013 and stayed until the 13th of January. During their stay they had a meeting with a committee set up by the director of LBC to manage the distribution of tracts that will be shipped by Mission Printing. Brother Renfro informed the brethren that his organization will be shipping containers laden with tracts (some 750,000 copies) over the next six months or year provided he could get others to share the shipping costs. He also intimated that in case he didn’t find anybody or organization to share costs, he would arrange for several pallets of tracts to be shipped initially.  

While at LBC the guests interacted with students and instructors in Chapel. Following couple of songs and introductory students, the guests were given the opportunity to speak to the student body. First to address the audience was Brother Steven whose presentation was centered on false teachers and false teachings. He told his auditors that false teaching or departure comes gradually and with subtlety because false teachers appear harmless as sheep but are ravenous wolves. Using such scriptures as Jude 4, Matthew 7:15, etc. he therefore admonished the students to beware of false teachers and their teachings. For his part, Brother Renfro encouraged the students that they have chosen a worthy vocation. They needed to persevere in their training and not to give up the worthy cause.

Brother Steven Meets with Board
The governing board is the highest decision making body of LBC. The current board is chaired brother David S. Dahn and has nine members including elders, preachers and other church leaders.

Brother Steven, in his effort to encourage consistent and regular Liberian support to the college, met with members of the board on January 12th. In that meeting the board members renewed their commitment to continue to contribute to the budget of the school as well as appeal to local congregations to commit resources as well as recruit students now and in the future.  

Brother Renfro Preaches at Smythe Road
On Sunday, January 13, 2013 both brothers Renfro and Steven worshiped with the Smythe Road Church of Christ. Brother Renfro preached the message for the day. His was an evangelistic sermon with text taken from Matt: 28:19 – 20. He briefly historicized about Mission Printing and stated its goal: “World evangelism by the printed page.”  He then exhorted the congregation to participate actively in evangelism using tracts in order to enhance the preaching of the gospel. At the close of the sermon, many people went forward for various petitions, with three declaring their intention to be baptized. Those three prospects (two females and one male) were baptized right after service.

Alassis

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

Teachers Setting The Example In Nigeria...

Compliments and Happy New Year to all our supporters & well-wishers!

Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms and Preaching during December:
Makinde E Olufemi, the director of the Southwest School of Evangelism, served as a guest speaker at a marriage ceremony of sister Morenike Ishola and brother Aderemi Barnigbade which took place at Meiran Lagos on December 1, 2012. He taught on “The three pillars of every successful home” to over 1,000 participants. On Sunday at the Meiran congregation, he admonished the church from 1 Samuel 17:33-37.  

On December 7 and 8, our WBS team in the Western State of Nigeria were well represented at the marriage ceremony of brother Sugun Kumayon which took place at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. On December 9, Makinde taught the Sunday morning Bible class on “How to face the trials of life” and admonished thirty one brethren at the Kute congregation in Ibadan.

On December 14, the SWSE-Ibadan closed for the year. Classes will continue on Monday of January 7, 2013, Lord willing. Thirty-two students have been admitted at the Ibadan campus and ten at the Lagos satellite campus for the 2012/2013 academic session.

On December 15, the brethren in Ibadan were well represented at the burial ceremony of PA Ogundijo. On December 16, Makinde taught on “No Denominational Christianity” while brother Okon S Udoh, one of the SWSE instructors, admonished the church.

During December, Brother Joseph Adeniji, one of the advanced diploma students of the SWSE-Ibadan, reported the baptism of a young man who was a WBS student of the West Olive congregation in Osun state. Brother Raphael Adeyehun, another SWSE advanced diploma student, reported the baptism of two old men at Igbotako congregation in Ondo state, and brother Monday Ofem, one of the graduates of the SWSE-Ibadan, reported the baptism of eight at his new field in Sabongida-Ora in Edo State.

On December 22, Makinde and two of the SWSE students, brother David Edor and brother Abraham Yeje, worked with the Butubutu congregation near the SWSE. On December 23, Makinde taught on “Shining for the Lord” at the Butubutu congregation. On December 24 and 25, brother Dele Shotola, brother James Waleola, and brother Makinde worked with the Ikoyi congregation in Osun state where he spoke on “God’s Plan of Salvation,” and brother Kayode Eniafe, one of the advanced diploma students at SWSE, taught on “Where will you spend your eternity” on day 2 of the program. On December 26, 27, and 30, Makinde taught at the Kute and Onikokoro congregations respectively.

Conversions by Instructors of the SWSE:
Brother Abiola Olusoji, one of the instructors at the Lagos campus of SWSE, reported three baptisms and one restoration during December 2012 at the Agege congregation where he is serving as one of the ministers.

Brother Kayode Eniafe, one of the instructors at Ibadan main campus, also reported the conversion of one and restoration of two brethren during December at the Asejire congregation, Osun state.

Southwest School of Evangelism Moves to New Site:
On December 10 and 11 the SWSE-Ibadan finally moved to her permanent site at Butubutu Village. The first building cost the sum of $25,000 while we have spent approximately $15,000 on the 2nd project which is the lecture hall. The 2nd project has now reached the roofing stage!

How Did We Get the Money?

• Sale of 14 Acres of Director Makinde’s farm land – $20,000
• Contribution by Nigerian brethren and churches – $3,300
• Gift from American brethren - $200
• Loan from the bank, community and friends $15,500

Appeal for Funds:
We humbly appeal to our supporters, well-wishers, and lovers of good work to assist us financially in completing our annual budget for the 2012-2013 academic year. The total budget was $27,000, and $16,000 was provided by brother Doug Wheeler for scholarships to support the students. We hope to raise at least ten percent of the current deficit from the Nigerian church.  This leaves a deficit of approximately $8,000 that still needs to be raised.

Conclusion:
Brethren, we give thanks to God Almighty for the successful completion of this year’s program.  We appreciate your impressive fervent prayer, cooperation and relentless support! We pray that the Almighty God will continue to bless you and all yours more abundantly in the year 2013 and beyond.

Yours in His grace as a servant,
Makinde E. Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism
(SWSE) Ibadan, Nigeria

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

More Souls Added To The Kingdom In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings and love from this end. I do hope this report finds you all doing great in health and in all that you do. We praise God for His great care and love over us and the work we are doing. Last week in CBIW was exciting as the students started short courses which are Scheme of Redemption and Personal Evangelism. These courses will take them one more week in school there after they will move to different locations in Cameroon both in the French and English communities for two weeks.

Brother Rene Awah accepted the gospel in Ekona village and was added to the congregation there. Keep him in your prayers for the growth of his zeal to serve the Lord in purity.

It was also time for them to go out of Wotutu for a Bible lectureship. This is the very first one for this BETA batch, it was great and they have started writing their own history in their preaching calling.

I was able to teach the audience in Ekona village, who attended the lectureship on how to become more evangelistic in our communities. It was great. We do hope many will double up their evangelistic efforts to rob from the strong man’s house and rescue many souls from darkness.

The students of CBIW are part of the system to evangelize our dark world. You can see them on house to house sharing the saving message to many that will allow them to speak out the words of God.

The students will knock also those in the workshop, like one of the tailoring ladies who stopped what she was doing to listen and asked constructive questions concerning her deep involvement in her denomination. The local congregation in that area has done a great work to follow up, but with no preacher, how will this work?

Sisters in Ekona congregation sacrificed enough time to prepared corn flour to help us replenish our energy as we work in the community preaching and teaching.

Brother Jacob who is the landlord of the house that the church in Ekona worships obeyed the gospel and became a brother. Keep him in your prayers. May God use him in that community to glorify God. Keep him in your prayers who made lots of promises to help expand the gospel of Jesus in his family. The Lord added four souls total over this four days and one lost soul came back to the family.

Our weekend was great as we left class and jumped into the field to help some souls come out from darkness. The students have lots to write home about this first outing. We are relaxed because after the worship service we stayed again hours upon hours waiting for our hired van driver to come and take us back to Wotutu. Some students started sleeping because of the hard work. We continue to pray for a day that we shall have our own evangelistic 19 seat van, only God knows.

Plan
1) This weekend all CBIW students will leave campus to different locations for campaign. Many congregations have demanded for students and we shall go to virgin locations through a brother’s appeal to help establish a congregation in that community which is characterized by all kinds of satanic practices in the name of traditions. Please help us pray.

2) We shall also do a survey of the possibilities of establishing new congregations when the students return in April for the next quarter.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you. Without your help our efforts, visions and passion would have taken us anywhere. Thanks for your prayers and support. Continue and God will never pass you by when He will return to reward His servants. I wait for any comments and suggestions. Be steadfast towards this.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director of CBIW

You Just Never Know About The Weather...

We are almost back in Denver. After nearly a month of traveling, we were returning home when a major snow storm caused us to stop short of our destination. We hope to be back on the road tomorrow and home by the afternoon.

This past weekend was one of great encouragement. I was able to attend the Affirming the Faith Lectureship, hosted by the North MacArthur Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. The time we had with these brethren was nothing short of incredible. Twenty-one (21) congregations unite and work together to host this lectureship. The speakers did an outstanding job of addressing the various subjects surrounding the theme - Meeting Jesus at the Cross.

This is also the last week of classes this quarter for the students in Denver. They will be on campaign next week and then a short break before starting the last quarter of this school year. As hard as it is to believe, we will soon be approaching another graduation. The development of these men and their work in the future as a tool of God will help enlarge the borders of the kingdom. We ask that you pray for each of them.

In a short time, Donnie Bates and I will be headed to Paraguay for the opening of the new school in Asunción. We are looking forward to reporting about this event and sharing pictures as the first class begins its two year journey of studies. Recognizing that in a country of seven million people, and only two congregations of the Lord’s church, the need for training students to go out and share the gospel with the people of their country is a priority.

News of souls being added to the kingdom at the hands of students throughout the extension program continues to highlight this week’s report. Their dedication to studying the word is coupled with an even greater desire to share what they are learning in leading others to our Savior. I think you will agree it has been an incredible week.

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/

Extension Reports 

First Exams For The New Class: The new class of students in Cameroon just finished their first set of exams and prepare for the first campaign.

North India Preachers’ Lectureship: The annual NIPL in Chandigarh, India continues to grow and this year it was coupled with another graduation.

Campaign Produces A Harvest In Nepal: With two visiting instructors from the US, a campaign in Nepal witnesses souls added to the kingdom.

The Devil Is Always Unhappy: As the work continues to expand in Southern Tanzania at the Chimala Bible Institute, the devil is losing ground.

A Great Day In The Wagner Family: Nothing is sweeter than seeing your children grow and mature to the point they make the decision to become a Christian. 

Final Thoughts
As the week’s continue to press on through 2013, we are only a few days away from the beginning of March. We cannot stand still very long. The events of the world continue to emphasize the need for the message of Jesus. Thank you for helping us keep this program moving forward in our effort to address this need. All you do for the work of training preachers is not only needed, it is greatly appreciated.

God bless
Bob

A Great Day In The Wagner Family...

It is a great day in the Wagner family because our 16 year-old daughter Laura decided to put Christ on in baptism. We went down to the Chimala River, climbed into the rushing water, and helped her begin her new life in Christ. Since it is the rainy season, the water in the river was really flowing! We braved the river, however, to have a very memorable day.

Chimala Mission Update
There has been a lot of activity going on at the mission lately. We have welcomed a new missionary named Cheryl Bode. She is a RN from Oklahoma. She is going to be doing mobile clinics and much more. We are very excited about her plan and her dedication. Cheryl is located the second from the right in our updated Chimala team picture. Cheryl has a blog at cherylinchimala.blogspot.com/

We have started a new evangelism plan at the mission using our preacher school students. Our students rotate between hospital evangelism, door-to-door evangelism, market evangelism, school evangelism, etc. Here is a report on their evangelism efforts:

Hello brethren 

Greetings in Christ, 

Its our hope that you are all doing great. We are also fine and the Lord is blessing us daily. Here is our weekly evangelism report done on 15 February 2013.  

On Feb. 15/2013, our evangelism was done in three areas which are as follows.

Mbozi
Mbeya
And Kitekelo

In this work the Lord blessed us with 3 Baptisms and 9 Restorations.

We are very proud of our school because in this evangelistic work, our students are effectively involved. And we have our new programme introduced by Chad.

Every weekend we have 4 students evangelizing the Mbeya City with brother Peter Kamatula.  

Let us keep one another in our daily prayers as we continue to serve the LORD!!!!!

Preaching the Gospel
We visited several congregations lately. We visited the Matebete church of Christ today. It is a primarily Masai congregation in a beautiful location. Following the service, we were treated to a traditional Masai dance group! 

We also visited recently the Majombe church of Christ. When we first visited them, they were not meeting. After looking up the preacher and some of the members, we have been able to get the congregation meeting again. We are sending evangelism teams to Majombe on a regular basis.

Chad Wagner

To see Chad’s report with pictures, please click here.

The Devil Is Always Unhappy...

The second quarter at CBI starts tomorrow with a full round of classes such as Exodus and Leviticus, How we Got the Bible, Personal Evangelism and Ezekiel and Daniel and a full round of English classes. The full round of short courses will start in April with an international group of teachers coming to teach for a solid month. We are so proud of our students and their hard work as well as our dedicated staff of teachers. 

We returned for the Freed-Hardeman Lectureship this year where the week begin with a staff meeting with the Bear Valley Bible Institute leaders, Dr. Denny Petrillo and Bob Turner as well as other staff and instructors about the work in East Africa. It is so rewarding to see the full corporation between us and the overseeing congregation of the mission, the New York Avenue Church of Christ, in the training of preachers in the most competent way. I am always impressed at the spirit of corporation and commitment to the “training of Preachers” around the world the leadership and staff of Bear Valley has to the works they partner with around the world. 

We also made contacts and, as of this time, we are close to raising full student support for the school. One of the trills of being a Bear Valley Bible Institute Coordinator and the Director of CBI is meeting people all over the brotherhood who, as they hear of the work, are interested in giving to see the Lord’s cause prosper. One young couple came to me recently and wanted to support three students a year. I was privileged to speak at the combined Riverbend and Highland congregation in Georgia and their interest in the work has always been so rewarding. There is never a time I have ever spoken there that people did not give me Bible’s, shirts for the students, or candy for the children to hand out on the weekend evangelism trips. 

We are having a big congregational fellowship to focus on the work at Chimala Bible Institute this spring. A college class in Rossville, Georgia has informed me they want to support some of our students and started collecting supplies for the school. I have been so blessed to get to know that hard working congregation and their support is so richly appreciated. I am constantly amazed and blessed to be working with these fine brethren. The next few weeks we will continue to be on the road with that aspect of the work. 

We have spoken to Remmy, our Dean of the English program and Ezekiel our Evangelism recorder to get the teachers and staff ready to start the second quarter. Last week the students continued not only their academic training, but also their practical church work. They have been working on the weekends at Mbozi, Mbeya, and Kitekelo. Four of the students are working every weekend with Peter Kamatula, who is doing full time evangelistic work in Mbeya. Because of this weekend effort there were three baptisms and nine restorations. Yes, the work goes on both sides of the world at the Chimala Bible Institute. As the report from Chimala mentioned “Let us keep on praying for each other because the devil is always unhappy when he hears this.” 

Garry L. Hill
BVBID Extension Coordinator
Director: Chimala Bible Institute

Campaign Produces A Harvest In Nepal...

Respected brothers in Christ,

Loving greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May the grace of God, love, peace and blessings always be with you.

This time I got a little late on writing words from our school. It was a little busy week for me. We had two guest teachers from USA in this month. Brother Mike York and Richard Everett from Texas came for two weeks of Bible classes at Nepal Center for Biblical Study in Kathmandu. We did our Bible study on the topic of The Church of the Bible. We invited our graduated students and many other preachers from the villages. Forty people participated in our class. We held class from February 4th through 7th of 2013. After that we made campaign work from 8th through 12th of 2013. Ten people made this gospel trip toward graduated student's home congregations. Four souls were added into the Lord. Please kindly remember those souls in your personal prayer.

Thank you all.

Servant of Christ
Gajendra Deshar
Nepal Center for Biblical Study
Kathmandu

More pictures are below

North India Preachers' Lectureship...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It gives me a immense pleasure to share with you that the Lord has been very kind to us and especially in these days when we were preparing and working for the above said programs. The 7th North India Preachers’ lectureship and the graduation ceremony of the NIBC, Chandigarh (Feb. 14-15) went well. We give all the glory to God and thanks for all the brothers and sisters with whose efforts and prayers this could not have happened. 

Just 2 days before the lectureship, we baptized 4 souls into Christ here.

It has been a good start to begin with the NIBC to spread the borders of the Kingdom in the Northern belt, neglected field so far. NIPL is a great time of fellowship and learning especially for the brethren in Northern India. We have been getting requests from the brothers from south India also to attend this great fellowship, but so far we want to focus on the preachers from Northern India and to encourage them to be equipped with the sword of the Spirit. Out of 28 states and 7 Union territories, Brethren from Chandigarh (Union Territory), Punjab, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Delhi, UP, MP States and from Nepal and near the Nepal border attended. From the States this time, brother Russell G. Bell, Topeka, KS and Keith Kasarjian from Alabama (BVBID) attended. We are grateful for their love and of all the supporters for this great work and field. 

80 plus people attended this meeting this time and the messages from 2, 3 John and Jude were given to Indian preachers. Brother Russell spoke 4 times and brother Keith for 6 times as he also attended worship with us on Sunday. Brother Russell spoke 3 lessons in the 3 sessions on the “Assurance of Heaven.” Brother Keith spoke to encourage preachers from 3 John

On 2nd day evening, we had the graduation ceremony and though 5 people could pass this, we are sure that they will be among the total of 50 graduates so far working in different States of East and North India States, effective tools to bring many sons into the light of the Kingdom. About 200 people attended to witness this ceremony. 

Still the States like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal in the East are not represented yet and are in our prayers to join us, yet there is a lot of work that needs to be done in these representing States in the mission field.

Keeping in view that the preacher’s work is half done without his wife’s support, along with NIPL, the ladies' started meeting in 2011 in the Park outside the lecture (in Public place) hall, thinking that the preachers' wives should also take benefit in this great fellowship. So to help them support their husbands, we planned to teach them separately.

Sister Elsy David, New Delhi also attended for the first time and she assisted Sister Benu Earnest in encouraging preachers’ wives to be their helpmates in sharing the truth with God’s people.

The Indian speakers for this lectureship included brother Earnest Gill, Chandigarh, brother Francis David, New Delhi, brother Peter Singh, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), and brother Vinay David.

Next year NIPL-2014 was announced to be on February 13-14, 2014.

Brother Earnest Gill

First Exams For The New Class...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this end. We hope you are doing okay. We are doing okay here and God is blessing us and the work we are doing.

This week was a busy one for the students of CBIW as they were writing their first quarter exams with tension on how the exams will be. They scaled through it and we praise God. Only the end will testify their progress from what we taught them in class.

Brother David and brother Godwin were ready to travel for mission on weekend to help evangelize, preach and teach in Mile Four, the newly established congregation.

CBIW students can lead in the Wotutu congregation now. There is a saying that “charity begins at home.” We are exposing them now to preach, teach and lead songs, so that they will not face much problems as they move to their first campaign next month to different congregations.

Our worship hall this morning had a full cross section. Keep the work here in your prayers as many continue to listen to our early morning program Back to the Bible. We need to increase the loudness by buying new horn speakers to carry the message far.

Plans
1) Next month students will go to different locations around Cameroon in both French and English communities to preach and teach. Keep our plans in your prayers for God’s name to be made known.

2) We shall move to Obonime. This will be the first time the people of that community will hear with the undiluted message. A brother in Christ attended our graduation and made this appeal for us to go to his village and establish a congregation. Some students with me will be there this March, by His grace, to set the work going, if the Lord wills.

Appreciations
Thank you, thank you for your prayers, your love and your priceless support to make sure things are going. God bless and keep you for many more things to happen. You are in our prayers and we pray you are sound and in good health.

Do your best to share this report with others. God bless you and watch over you.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Affirming The Faith...

As each week goes by I am constantly amazed at the complexities and depth of this overall program. The work continues to grow and God is blessing each location as the students continue to take the gospel of Jesus throughout the various countries where they live, study and work in the Lord’s Kingdom.

I continue to visit with congregations about the work and share the wonderful news from all the schools. As I wrap up this week, I will be traveling to Oklahoma City to participate in the Affirming the Faith Lectureship, sponsored by the North MacArthur Church of Christ. I have visited the North Mac congregation on various occasions in the past and they have a beautiful congregation involved in numerous areas throughout the world.

After the lectureship, Sheryl and I will be headed back to Denver to prepare for two trips in March. I will share more about these in the weeks ahead. I find it hard to believe how quickly the time goes by as we near the beginning of March. 

The news from each of the schools is exciting. I pray you will enjoy the information and know you are the reason this work continues to move ahead so powerfully. Thank you for your confidence in us and the work of training men to preach.

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/

Extension Reports 

47th Day Celebration In Cameroon: The Cameroon Bible Institute of Wotutu continues to make its presence known throughout the Southwest Region.

Moving Into TIBS’ New Home: The school in Tamale is moving into a new location and the work continues to grow.

Classes, Campaign And Questions On The Church: After a series of special classes, a campaign, and questions on the church, the work in Nepal is flourishing.

Mawwiage Twue Wove - Only In Tanzania: Go back and say the words slowly, pronouncing each letter, and maybe it will make sense. If not, read the report. 

Final Thoughts
Before closing out, let me thank you for taking time to read this report and for your interest in training men to preach the gospel. It is your interest and support of this work that is making a difference around the world. Thank you for the blessing you are to each location where Bear Valley is privileged to share in the work of Extension Training.

God bless
Bob

Moving Into TIBS' New Home...

Greetings from the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies!

On Saturday, February 9th, the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies (TIBS) saw four years of work come to fruition as we moved into our new home. The building includes expanded classroom space, twice as much dormitory space, a larger office and library, and an expanded literature room from which we can distribute Bibles, tracts, World Video Bible correspondence courses and other evangelistic literature throughout Northern Ghana, Northern Togo and Southern Burkina Faso. The facility is the result of years of prayer and selfless giving by many congregations and individuals. We thank you for all for your desire to see the Word of God spread throughout West Africa!

Students are in the final week of classes for Term 9, which will be followed by a week of campaigns before the students get a three week break to return home to their families. Unlike many schools which operate on a four quarter per year, TIBS has five terms per year which are scheduled around the planting and harvest seasons of northern Ghana. Although the terms are only six weeks in length, by having an extra term each year, and attending classes eight hours per day, students are able to get the required number of classroom hours to earn their certificates. This class will be returning in March for their final term. It will be exciting to see the work these men will do for the kingdom!

After their final class on Friday we will be loading up the truck for two campaigns, one in Kulugugu and the other in Bimbila. I will be leading a team of four students on the Kulugugu campaign, working with TIBS graduate Avoca John and four members from his congregation. Kulugugu sits on the Burkina Faso border in the Upper East Region of Ghana, and there currently is no church in the village. The plan for this campaign is to show evangelistic movies on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights to draw attention, do public preaching each evening, and follow up on Monday through Thursday with house to house evangelism. The goal is to establish a new congregation in the village, which will then be assisted by teachers and preaching from Avoca John’s congregation which is about 20 miles south (which is a long way by bicycle, Avoca John’s primary means of travel)!

Our second campaign had originally been planned to go to Walewale to help the local congregation there with house to house evangelism, but they cancelled due to a conflict with the local school schedule (most of the congregation are students). While we held a campaign in Bimbila in October they had asked us to return in order to do house to house evangelism in parts of the town we were unable to reach at that time, and this cancellation gives us the opportunity to do so. I will be bringing the movie equipment to Bimbila on Tuesday afternoon so this team can show the evangelistic movies and do public preaching on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. TIBS staff member Yeboah Jacob will be leading this team of seven students and will be working with the congregation which was planted in October. It should be an exciting week of spreading the gospel!

Once the campaigns have concluded I will be joining the students in heading home as I will return to the US for six weeks in order to attend the Bear Valley Bible Institute’s masters in mission blitz week and visit with congregations who are interested in the work we are doing in Northern Ghana. If your congregation would like to hear move about the work here you can e-mail me at anthonyjohnson2010@gmail.com. Please keep us all in your prayers for both the work and the travel involved as we continue to think souls.

In His service,
Tony Johnson

Classes, Campaign, And Questions On The Church...

The first two weeks of February were spent with special classes at the Nepal Center For Biblical Study, and a campaign to three village congregations, teaching, discussing, and answering questions regarding Christ’s church. 

Brothers Mike York and Ritchie Everet, an elder and member of the Church of Christ in Buna, Texas, came to teach and minister for two weeks.  Four lessons each day [Monday to Thursday] were taught and discussed about numerous areas pertaining to the church and it’s proper importance and place in our lives. Our five students, along with about twenty-five invited preachers and leaders, enjoyed the lessons and learned many things during these four days. They also formed loving and respectful relationships with one another and with their brothers from Texas.  

A six-day campaign added so much more to those relationships of fellowship, unity, and love because of the very nature of the closeness of their time together. Ritchie and Mike taught approximately half of the classes in the villages. The other classes were provided by their own local leaders, who attended the classes in Kathmandu, and by our five students. The local members learned from the lessons and were greatly encouraged to see the progress in their Nepali brothers. Sharing the hospitality of the Christians, having meals together, evening devotionals, hiking some hills, wading some rivers, and ten men sleeping on the floor and snoring together are bonding memories.  

Saying good-bye included many expressions of thanks from everyone, a lot of laughter, and tears on many cheeks. Everyone associated with these two weeks will look back with thoughts of thankfulness, praise, and love, while they also look forward to our next meeting in God’s loving providence. 

In Christian love and service …………………. 
Jerry Golphenee

Mawwiage...Twue Wove - Only in Tanzania...

"The ostriches' wings flap joyously with the pinion and plumage of love, for she abandons her eggs to the earth and warms them in the dust." Job 39:13, 14

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters, 

"MAWWIAGE...TWUE WOVE:" Jimmy preached a powerful sermon comparing Christ and the church to the marriage relationship (of a man and a woman, mind you). As usual, Trina taught the book of Genesis to the ladies and Abigail taught the children. The building was packed full and a bench from a classroom was brought in. Two first-time visitors (employees of the mosquito net factory) honored us with their presence. 

TEEN DAY: Thirteen young people enjoyed games, hamburgers, homemade ice cream and brownies, soda's, (to our fellow Southerners...that means "cokes") a movie, and devotional at our house yesterday. Some teens invited friends also (one girl was a Lutheran and one a Catholic). Our girls are allowed to plan these events for several reasons (the main one being to encourage the young Christians to make friendships among those in the church). Since the girls do 98% of the preparation for the event and conduct the entire thing by themselves, we will continue to let them participate in this good work!

CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT: During teen day, one of the guys saw the remote security button (normally worn around the neck of our night guard) hanging in the storage room. After pressing it he asked, "What's this for?" Within 8 minutes he knew: the KK Security "SWAT" team arrived in our yard with helmets and billy clubs wondering what the emergency was. 

ACSOP: In the Basic English/Writing Skills class, all but three passed the first test (with A's and B's). The students understand written English better than the spoken. All seem eager to learn and are happy to be in preaching school. Elisha, a student in the Swahili program, was admitted to the hospital yesterday due to dehydration (malaria and peptic ulcers). He had not eaten in two days, had a high fever and had been vomiting. Please pray for his recovery.

OUR SYMPATHY IS EXPRESSED to Byron, Wanda, Harold, Barry, Melissa, Hunter, and Hadleigh in their loss of Helen Andrus, a long-time member of the Zachary church of Christ. Four generations of her family attend this congregation in Louisiana (where we served before coming to Africa.) 

SLOWLY, BUT SURELY: If all calculations are correct (and the pledges come through), we now lack only $9,000 for our airline tickets. We are very appreciative to all who have given (you should be receiving a "thank-you" note in the form of a postcard in just a couple of weeks)! We thank you in advance for prayerfully considering our needs (56 days or 8 weeks left until our designated departure date but we need to purchase the tickets as soon as possible!) 

With Love from Africa,
Jimmy, Trina and the Gee gang

47th Day Celebration In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from brothers and sisters here. We do hope you are doing great and God is blessing you all.

CBIW students march pass and show their Bibles in front of the government officials. It was great and thereafter the students shared the gospel to many during the lunch break.

The week in CBIW went on well and Cameroon celebrated the 47th day celebration in Cameroon with peace and harmony. The students of CBIW were invited to take part of it in our communities. It was hectic as brother Steven Ashcraft that came was part of the ceremony.

The Brightland Christian Academy kids, which is an arm in our ministry here in Wotutu, was also part of the youth day celebration for their first time. Exposing the church of Christ in any way we can in this community is our passion. Keep this work in your prayers.

Some of the students and I went during the week to the regional hospital in Limbe to visit our sick sister, sister Martha. Keep her in your prayers.

Some CBIW students went to see an eye doctor because they are having some eye problems. They got reading glasses, but they needed lenses as the doctor prescribed. We had no money to pay for lenses, so we got them reading glasses to enable them read the Bible as they study the Bible. Keep them in your prayers.

Plans
1) We are working on the invitation to Ekona congregation for a four days evangelism. Please keep us in your prayers as we finalize that arrangement. Difficulties in transporting the 26 students to and from the place will pose our major problem.

2) We continue to send students to help preach in the new congregation in Mile Four, very close to Wotutu. Next week on Saturday some students and I will go there to do one day evangelism.

3) Next month we shall move to Batoke village for another survey for evangelism to establish a new congregation. Keep us in your prayers.

Appreciations
We praise God for you and your efforts towards this work. God bless and keep you.

We will appreciate you sharing this report with others. God bless you.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

A Week Of Many Blessings...

The Freed-Hardeman Lectureship ended last Thursday and the few days we were able to attend was wonderful. We had opportunity to visit with several who are connected to the Extension Program; staff members, teachers, supporters, and good friends. The lessons we were able to hear were excellent as the theme focused on We Will Serve the Lord: Conquest and Deliverance in Joshua and Ruth.

Wednesday, Sheryl and I had opportunity to travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, along with Denny Petrillo, Randy Duke, and Cy Stafford. We met with the elders of the Kensington Woods congregation about the work in Arusha, Tanzania. The Kensington Woods congregation is the overseeing congregation for TZ2000, a work that has been a tremendous influence in training men to preach in Tanzania, along with planting and growing congregations to maturity.

Thursday, we traveled to Monroe, Louisiana where I was given opportunity to speak Sunday night at the Jackson Street congregation. A graduate from the BVBID, Travis Bookout, preaches for this wonderful congregation. He and his wife, Lauren, have been in Monroe for about six months and doing a great work. It was a privilege to hear him preach and I was honored to have the opportunity to speak Sunday evening.

The week ahead will take us back to Arkansas where we will meet with supporters of our work. There is an air of excitement in sharing the news about the Extension Program. To recognize the growth within the work demonstrates why this is such a great approach to fulfilling the Great Commission.

Prayer request: The sister of Hawatthia Jones, Linda Kay Jones, passed away last week. Funeral services were held Friday. Please remember Hawatthia and their family in prayer during this time. Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benitez are the founders of ITL in Guatemala City. Their work in Guatemala is well known around the world. The death of his sister was unexpected and certainly a shock to their family. 

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/

The following report is from Howell Ferguson about the work he is connected with in Gorlovka, Ukraine. To see Howell’s report click here.

The following report is from Gage Coldwater who has been teaching in the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Read the report by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Steven Ashcraft Visits The Work In Cameroon: A recent visit by Steven Ashcraft provided a good perspective of the work in Cameroon.

New Term, New Students, New Roof, More Space: Changes in Takoradi are helping to make the learning environment more conducive.

A Quiet Beginning To The New Year: The work at the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Ukraine started the year in a quiet fashion, but it is moving ahead now.

Preparing For The Opening Classes: Everything is being prepared for the first day of classes in Asunción, Paraguay. The growth in South America is exciting.

Devoted To The Ministry Of The Saints: The work in Arusha continues to provide for the needs of the saints and is growing.

Maji Baridi: There are times when the language of the people expresses what we cannot in English. The report from the Gee family shares this thought. 

Final Thoughts
Thank you for loving the work of training preachers. Your support through prayer, encouragement, teaching, directing and finance keep this work successful. God is answering prayer and working through you to provide the needs around the world. Thank you for being such a blessing.

God bless
Bob

New Term, New Students, New Roof, More Space...

I am happy to be able to send this report today. I pray all is well with you and all the brethren at Bear Valley. 

We are three weeks into our second term which began January 14, 2013. The calendar and details of academic work have been posted.

The new class now totals fifteen students. They have come from Northern Region (1), Volta Region (2), Eastern Region (3), Greater Accra Region (1) and Central Region (1); the remaining seven students are all from the Western region. With the five in the Senior Class we now have twenty students total in attendance at West Coast.

The new roof that was put on our classroom / administration block during vacation has given it a new look – very pretty. Inside the building, the merging of rooms and reinforcements that have been done have given us one large classroom that can take sixteen students. Our library is now twice its size – more room for shelves and books and for our students to sit and study. We are looking at the possibility of moving our computers (only three working) and copier and a printer (when we can afford one) into the library so that hard copies of materials students access could be made. I have a Canon flatbed scanner which I have sent to the school to be placed in the library. Gradually we shall get the ideal library we have been dreaming about – pray with us.

I have been down with pain in my back and hip and have been home most of three weeks of school. The pain is not all gone but mobility is better now and I hope to be able to resume teaching next week. I have only taught the introduction to my assigned courses for the term.  

We are in the harmattan season and the weather is dry and hazy throughout the country. We have had a couple of rains since beginning of the year but that has not helped to bring down the dust blowing all around us.

Brethren, pray for us and our country

Daniel K Ampadu-Asiamah

Devoted To The Ministry Of The Saints...

Quote Of The Week: "For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills."  Psalm 50:10 

WHOSE CATTLE? The Masai tribe believes that God gave them all the cattle. Supposedly they will steal cattle from other tribes, but do not consider it "stealing" because of their belief that it was theirs in the first place! 

ANDREW CONNALLY SCHOOL OF PREACHING: The new quarter for the English Program begins tomorrow with fourteen students enrolled. Classes being taught are "How We Got the Bible" (Jimmy Gee), "Hermeneutics" (Sean Hochdorf), "Spiritual Disciplines” (Ahimidiwe Kimaro), "Genesis" (Charles Heberth) and "Basic English & Writing Skills" (Trina Gee). 

"THEY HAVE DEVOTED THEMSELVES FOR MINISTRY TO THE SAINTS..." On Saturday, Gage Coldwater and the Wagner family began the return journey to their respective homes (Texas and Chimala, Tanzania). We enjoyed all the fellowship and laughs! Our deep appreciation is extended to Chad and Gage for their time and effort in teaching "Romans" and "Raising Rabbits & Tilapia"!  

KISONGO BIBLE SCHOOL (for the "person in the pew" four evenings a week) begins new classes tomorrow. "Joshua, Judges and Ruth" taught by Ahimidiwe Kimaro, "How We Got the Bible" by Jimmy Gee, "Prison Epistles" by Michael Mitalami and "Reading and Writing KiSwahili" by Paulina Martin. Esther is a non-Christian who desires to learn God's Word but is struggling to read (and speak) KiSwahili. Sent away from home when young, she never learned the common language of Tanzanians, presently knowing only her tribal language. Sadly, Esther cannot even write her name and is a student in Paulina's class. Paulina and I will be studying the Bible with Esther and her friend.

THE BENEFITS OF ATTENDING WORSHIP was the title of the bulletin board Trina "designed" (using that word loosely). Doing the hands-on work was Heather, Happiness and Candace. The benefits listed are the opportunities to: Listen to God's Word, Praising God as a group, Being encouraged to live as a Christian, seeing good examples and hearing all the news of others.

UPDATE ON GRACE: Abigail's friend, Grace, recently became a Christian but was not attending services. Grace had not yet told her parents about her baptism. At the urging of Abigail, Grace asked permission to attend the services that morning (her mom said "yes"). However, she left for boarding school yesterday so we won't see her for awhile. Since official home-schooling is not allowed (people without jobs are exempt from paying the fees to school their children but parents with jobs must send their child to school), the church should seize the opportunity to establish Christian schools in Tanzania (the only one known is in Chimala). Please pray for plans under discussion concerning this very topic. The Tanzanian National Curriculum actually requires the teaching of certain Bible subjects in their schools. Oh, the opportunities!

TODAY IN WORSHIP: Jimmy taught the New Converts, Trina taught the ladies and Abigail, the children's class (Walls of Jericho). At the new congregation in White Rose, evangelists David Bayi and Ahimidiwe Kimaro will be teaching/preaching (Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights).

OPEN WIDE! Trina recently had a second root-canal procedure due to an ill-fitting cap on a neighboring tooth...which needed a root canal a few weeks earlier. {Teenagers: The fillings you get when you are 13-18 years old will not last forever and may start crumbling in thirty years, sometimes requiring a root canal. So brush and floss now or you will pay for it later in more ways than one!}                   

ANGIOEDEMA? I didn't know the meaning of it until Elijah had an allergic reaction to an overdose of worm medication (Mebendazole). Thanks be to God that he only had a mild case causing his lips to swell (and not his tongue or throat). For more information, Google it on the internet.

LONG-TERM VISITOR: Alissa ("Allie) Reed has had several studies with Jane, the 15-year-old granddaughter of a new Christian (also named Jane). We appreciate her efforts and have enjoyed her company. Allie is a very caring and loving individual whom we will miss when she leaves (Feb. 22) but hope she returns.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE! Sixty-two days until our target departure date of April 14th. The needed furlough funds are now down to $10,000 (if the pledges come through)! We are so thankful that you are working to help us come home for the summer! Has anyone tried the idea of the "one dollar per person" contribution at their congregation? Every little bit helps! Please pray for the furlough fund-raising AND that our TZ children's immigration visas will be completed soon (Senator Bob Corker has tracked the progress, trying to help us leave on time). We truly need to buy our tickets soon to get the 11 seats needed. Time is of essence because we have some wonderful ceremonies to attend (graduations and our oldest son's wedding in May).  THANK YOU!

May the Lord bless you for your concern, prayers and generosity. As we begin our ninth year in Africa (ten if you count our very first year in 2001 before starting our second term in 2005), WE THANK YOU for your participation in spreading the Gospel in East Africa. You are changing lives and giving hope to people who didn't have any. We love you and appreciate your sacrifices and are indebted to you! 

With Love from Africa,
The Jimmy Gee family

Preparing Students To Provide...

We had a great first week of vocational classes here at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha, Tanzania. We had 29 students in attendance, five of them being graduated preachers that traveled far to learn how to support themselves better agriculturally. I also have worked with several of the Masters Program students after school who have approached me to receive the training the other students are. We taught on several subjects that tremendously help preachers in third world countries feed themselves and their families better.

One subject is that of the rabbit. Rabbit meat is the most nutritious meat on earth (according to USDA) because of its high protein content and low cholesterol. One female rabbit and her offspring can produce over 300 lbs. of meat in a single year. This is with little to no external input (purchased processed feeds) and with a very small footprint (it takes less than 6 square feet to raise to maturity one rabbit!). Rabbits can be fed grasses, garden refuse, and table scraps that will not be consumed by humans. With proper training (less than 3 days worth plus follow­up) a person can be trained to produce all the protein for their family with extra to sell at the market. Several of the students have been attempting to raise rabbits over the past couple of years but told me that they had met failure, but during the classes you could see the light bulb go off inside as they learned what was causing them to fail (generally the problem had been poor nutrition and hygiene for the rabbit). They also told me that there is a great market for rabbit in most of the villages and they are quite excited to return home and amend the problems that they have encountered.

Another subject is the Moringa Oliefera tree. It grows throughout the world, specifically in the places it is needed most but unknown to natives is the nutritional and financial benefits. It is sometimes called the Miracle Tree or Mothers Friend. Its leaves contain three times more iron than spinach, four times the protein as in an egg, four times more vitamin A than carrots, three times more potassium than bananas, four times the calcium of milk, and seven times more vitamin C than an orange. It contains 46 anti­oxidants and 36 anti­inflammatories. The benefits of these leaves have proven to help alleviate malnutrition in children and have helped nursing mothers produce enough milk while maintaining their own physical health. The leaves and branches serve as a highly nutritious fodder for livestock. Growing upwards of 12 to 18 feet per year, it proves to be a nutritious and fast producing food source for livestock. Recent studies have shown that the flowers have proven to be a powerful anti­inflamitory agent and have reduce muscle spasms in laboratory rats. They also contain powerful antibiotic agents which can help combat infection. The chemical compounds found within the flowers have been proven to help reduce blood­sugar fluctuations in diabetes patients and have also proven to help control high blood pressure. The seeds contain 40% oil which is comparable in quality to that of Virgin Olive Oil and can be easily pressed to extract it. The seeds are also being used to clarify water due to their natural coagulant properties. Sadly however, none of the students knew none of these benefits and regularly destroy the trees. We purchased 25 seedlings for the school and 3 kg. of seed for the school to distribute to the students. All of the students are very excited about the possibilities of this tree to help overcome malnutrition in their villages and families. Today we will be planting the seedlings around the school property and also will be planting several hundred seeds.

Please keep our work in your prayers as we strive to keep preachers in the field preaching by educating them vocationally.

Gage

Maji Baridi...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, and caused the dawn to know its place..." Job 38:12

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters:

AND SHE WENT ON HER WAY REJOICING. Last Sunday completed Jimmy's month of preaching and teaching in White Rose. The church is continuing to meet in the house of Baraka and Angel who are grateful to have the church established in their neighborhood (both are crippled making it very difficult to either walk or travel on a bus to Arusha for worship). Baraka must walk with two metal canes. Angel is better off but still must walk slow. The parents of two young girls, this friendly couple have smiles that will light up a room. Selina asked Jimmy during Bible class, "How do I tell which is the true church? All churches say, 'Come here, come here'." Several had studied with her previously and, after baptism, she was one happy (but very cold) lady. A great way to start off the week!

TANZANIANS must exhibit an extra amount of faith when being baptized. The water is very cold and many believe it will cause sickness (thinking that even drinking cold beverages causes harm). Since dark-skinned people are normally cooler-natured than white-skinned folks, it is an ordeal for Tanzanians to sit in the freezing water while the baptizer explains the procedure (the baptistery is shaped like a large bathtub with much shorter sides than a U.S. baptistery). Most Tanzanians have never been immersed in water (majority have no in-door plumbing /no bathtubs) and most have never swam, making immersion a frightening thing. Many are unsure how to hold their nose and mouth closed at the same time (and many TZ baptizers need a refresher course on preparing the baptizee). Nose plugs are on the list of things to bring back from the states. Speaking of...

"MAJI BARIDI"... ("cold water" in Kiswahili) is what the ACSOP students are calling Gage Coldwater (including a "Mr." or "brother" with it). Gage, a Gospel preacher, works with the Manna Project (a missionary work under the oversight of the Vidor, TX church of Christ in conjunction with the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, CO). Gage is teaching a two-week course on raising rabbits and tilapia (fish) together (teaching integration because the rabbit droppings are fed to the fish and also used to fertilize the water). Among other things taught to the 20+ students was the perfect rabbit diet, what foods NOT to feed a rabbit, the best adapted methods for rabbit cages in Africa, how to butcher a rabbit (students ate rabbit for supper one night), rabbit diseases and ways to diagnose, how to construct the best tilapia pond system, good gardening techniques (compost, mulch, bone meal) how to make salt-licks, the financial aspects of profit and expenses along with the amount of meat produced by one doe annually (120 lbs…a conservative figure)… and an enormous amount of information concerning the animal and human health benefits/uses of the Moringa Tree (found all over Tanzania). Graduate student, Gerald Chucuba, was very familiar with the tree and said, “they’re everywhere…we just didn’t know their benefits!”

LINDSEY SAID the class was very exciting and motivating and she loved the hands-on experience (although squeamish about the butchering). Planning on raising rabbits and tilapia when we return from furlough, Lindsey says,”I've learned so many new things that I want to implement and teach others!” Since the school purchased rabbits and tilapia for this course, this farm project has already begun at ACSOP. When put into practice, this “information-packed” class will be extremely beneficial to the students and their families, obviously helping the church grow in East Africa (giving new preachers the opportunity to support themselves while preaching)! Thank you, Gage, for all your time and effort! 

TO LEARN MORE visit his very interesting blog at: mannafarm.blogspot.com. Unfortunately, Gage (highly allergic) was stung Wednesday three times by a wasp(s) while near the school building. After taking high doses of Benadryl, he was still experiencing pain and swelling the next day (he went to the doctor but also ran errands in town for his class).  

REDEEMING THE TIME. While in the Houston airport, Gage struck up a conversation with a Catholic gentleman from Chad (African country). After explaining why he (Gage) was traveling to Tanzania, he told the interested man, “none of this will help you if you go to hell.” After Gage showed him a verse, the man replied, "Oh, no." After further Bible study, they exchanged email addresses. Imagine Gage’s surprise when he emailed saying he was looking for someone in Chad to baptize him and looking for a congregation to worship with!

AT KISONGO LAST SUNDAY, Trina continued teaching the ladies about Genesis (chapter 34, the revenge taken by Dinah’s two brothers) and Abigail taught the children about Moses bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. Seven visitors introduced themselves when asked to during announcements. It’s puzzling that sometimes during a closing prayer someone will ask God to “please guide the ones on their way so they can reach worship safely.”

AT KISONGO TODAY... Again, Trina taught the ladies and Abigail taught the children. Chad Wagner preached an excellent sermon on the Beatitudes! Chad, Administrator for the Chimala Mission in Chimala, TZ, and his family made the long 16-hour trip to Kisongo. While Chad is teaching "Romans" at the ACSOP, we will enjoy spending time Rena, Anna, Laura, Micah, Chandra and Jonah.

IF YOU’VE BEEN TO BACKWOODS CHRISTIAN CAMP (BCC) you've heard the song "Magdalena Hagdalena." When John Rice (BCC director) conducts the camp here (Tanzania Christian Camp) he sings this silly song during skit night (while someone translates the words to Tanzanians). Our friend, Happiness, told us something funny. The song begins with, "Magdalena Hagdalena oga boga toga boga, oga boga toga was her name." In Kiswahili, "oga" is bathe, "boga" is pumpkin and toga doesn't mean anything. So Tanzanians are hearing "bathe pumpkin," "bathe pumpkin" "bathe pumpkin" is her name! 

SPEAKING OF HUMOROUS MISUNDERSTANDINGS: Years ago, we provided coffee for our guard to help him stay awake at night (until we learned hot tea was preferred). We didn't know the word for "coffee" (kahawa) so in English we said "Would you like more coffee?" No wonder we got some strange looks...the guard was hearing "kofi" which is "slap" in Kiswahili. He probably wondered what he had done for us to mention the word "slap!”

IT’S A WHOPPER! Previously funds were requested to buy a large generator for the ACSOP to provide power to the offices, student and guest rooms and kitchen during power outages (sometimes lasting several days). The donations were very much appreciated (half the money being donated by one person)! Since there is “no hurry in Africa" the tax exemption took almost a year to receive. After many attempts to get the government to give us the exemption check, the school had to pay the taxes anyway! Please accept our "whopper-size" THANK YOU for the "whopper-size" generator.

WAYS IN WHICH OUR LIFE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM YOURS:

*Up until about 3 weeks ago, there were only two traffic lights in Arusha (at other major intersections round-abouts are used or a "keep-lefty" as local people say). Two additional traffic lights were recently installed at congested intersections (without a round-about). These lights are very helpful and work great...when everyone follows the rules. While we were stopped at one of the new traffic lights, a motorcycle, a dala-dala and car whizzed right past us and on through the red light (so much for law and order)! Even at the other traffic lights, many times a policeman is needed to enforce the rules. (If a policeman has to be there, what use is the traffic light?) We personally prefer the round-abouts and think they are much safer (although in rush hour the one-lane becomes two lanes going around).

*We are somewhat isolated and don't know all the latest American crazes/trends. Jimmy reads news on-line, staying somewhat "updated." Although American newspapers are available we rarely buy them. We do not listen to the radio nor do we subscribe to local TV. The children and Trina are especially out of touch with American life (except what is read on Facebook where our two older girls communicate with selected friends). Sometimes... "ignorance IS bliss."

*Businesses are closed on National holidays, Christian holidays, Muslim holidays and Hindu holiday (many stores are closed on EVERY holiday. Most stores close early on Saturday (about 2 pm) and most are closed on Sundays.

*Sometimes at a petrol station (service station) or “Shelli” (the connection to Shell stations) there is no fuel.  Afraid people will leave without paying, there is no such thing as "self-serve" in Tanzania.  Normally women are pumping the gas (an easy job for them). When we first came to TZ, it was beyond Jimmy's "raisin'" to allow a woman to pump the gas so he insisted on doing it. But, as time went on, it was easier to let the person do the job they are paid to do ("when in Rome, do as the Romans"...unless it's a sin, unsanitary, or senseless).

“WE OUGHT ALWAYS TO GIVE THANKS…” (II Thess. 1:3) Abigail, our main cook, has worked tirelessly this week providing meals for us and guests, Gage Coldwater and the Wagner family. Trina retired from the kitchen years ago. Also, Lindsey deserves our thanks for all the hours she spends inserting pictures and sending out the weekly update (a job Jimmy “retired” from recently). The goal of parenting: turn over all jobs to the children. (Wink!)

GOOD NEWS! Our new furlough balance needed is: $11,000 (thanks to some very generous donors!) Please continue to pray that our furlough funds will come in soon (the sooner the tickets are purchased the cheaper they will be). SIXTY-NINE DAYS...til our appointed day of April 15th! Please help us make sure we get the seats in time (they fill up quickly). We stand in faith! A huge "thank you" to all who have contributed! 

With Love from Africa,
Jimmy & Trina & Family

Preparing For The Opening Of Classes...

NEW BEGINNINGS, CAMPAIGNS, and PLANS! 
As we begin this new year, we are really excited about the possibilities and opportunities that lay before us in His kingdom here in Paraguay! God is clearly working as we see our calendars filling up with lots of upcoming activities. We see Him working through the many Bible studies being conducted, the recent baptisms, and through the continual spiritual development among our Paraguayan brethren. These are exciting times in Paraguay! We can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do next! 

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES / CONGREGATIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Our Wednesday night “Summer Series” lessons have been a great success! The event has exposed our brethren to some good, sound preachers for a fresh point of view. Our speakers have all presented great lessons and have included: Chris Fry, Enoch Rinks, Donnie Bates, Andy Chavarilla, Willie Alvarenga, and Douglas Alvarenga. 

ASUNCIÓN BIBLE ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT:
•The Inauguration date for the Asunción Bible Academy has been set for March 10, 2013! There will be a worship service followed by a lunch for both congregations. The day will include a special ceremony and a charge to the students, faculty, and church. The opening orientation session will be on March 11. We couldn't be more excited! The classroom is being prepared, the student's residence is being made ready for use, and the professors are about to turn in their first set of study plans!

•We are also excited that we will have brethren Bob Turner and Donnie Bates from Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver here in Paraguay for the opening of the school. 

RECENT BAPTISMS / RESTORATIONS / IDENTIFICATIONS 

•Baptized! Norberta Vera: After many years of seeing the Gospel demonstrated in the lives of her daughters and hearing them speak of the Good News, Norberta Vera decided to put on Christ in baptism at 90 years of age!

•Baptized! Javier Zarate is the fiancé of our sister Maria Jose Yegros. He has been attending services, Bible studies, and other activities for quite some time. Josh has been diligently studying with him until the seed that was planted finally grew to fruition as Javier decided to heed the Gospel call!

•Baptized! Elvira Dominguez. She is the fiancé of our brother, Ramón Paredes. She came to the church from a denominational background and has been consistently studying to learn “more accurately” the truth of God’s word. We rejoice in her decision to “obey that form of doctrine”  that saves! 

Evangelistic Contacts / Bible Studies:
•So, what was accomplished in 2012? Well, God provided our team with tremendous opportunity through a total of more than 1800 Bible studies this past year! These numbers include all our individual studies and group studies with more than 400 of those being evangelistic studies. God also provided the increase with 20 precious souls that obeyed the Gospel call. Many of these came from the 65 new contacts that were made throughout the year! What wonderful things are happening in His kingdom! We look forward to 2013 having just as many opportunities. We are already setting goals to help us focus on more evangelistic efforts while also continuing the training and study for the spiritual development of the members.

•Elvira Dominguez is the girlfriend of our brother, Ramón Paredes. Elvira came to the church through Ramón from a denomination. She had many misconceptions about the church and the Bible but has been steadily learning and growing through the many Bible studies she’s had with our brethren, Alba and Perry Hardin, and then most recently with Andrea and myself. We rejoice that she came to the conclusion that she needed to put on Christ in baptism according to His plan in order to be saved! 

•Hector and Patricia Paredes are new babes in Christ that have hearts of servants. They are very involved in many church activities and have a desire to grow stronger in the Lord. We have started a new converts study with them and we´re enjoying watching them grow! 

Steps toward mission goals: 
•Church plant in Ñemby! We are getting even closer to planting the church in the nearby city of Ñemby as our brother, Vicente Martinez, has been out looking at locations that could be rented to use as a meeting facility! Some of the group has decided they want something independent, simple, and centrally located instead of meeting in someone’s home. We look forward to the continual development of this vision.

•Be sure and check out the back page for some really big news about some big steps being taken by the church here in Paraguay. We´re excited! 

Worship and Bible class attendance: 
•Sun am – 44 (6th); 41 (13th); 50 (20th); 58 (27th)
•Sun pm – 30 (6th); 24 (13th); 37 (20th); 20 (27th)
•Sunday Bible study average – 33
•Midweek study average - 24 / Other - 22
•Current members: 85 Baptized (47 Family Units) 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES  

Personal HIGHLIGHT(s) of the Month: Three baptisms, the church building remodeling project coming together, new plans and new beginnings with several other projects coming to fruition . and it’s only January! 

Family activities: 
•We celebrated New Year’s Eve by having a nice dinner with the Yegros family. Brittnae´s parents, Kevin and Tammy Dye, were here with us also.

•Andrea celebrated another birthday this month (she looks way younger than she really is)! We went to one of her favorite restaurants and enjoyed the evening together.

•We took our annual South-American vacation and went to see the beach in Encarnacion, the old Jesuit ruins, and a yerba mate processing plant, along with a side trip for some river fishing. It was a great time and much needed rest! 

Visitation: 
•Next-door neighbors! We have had some wonderful opportunities to visit with some of our next door neighbors from beside us and behind us! We had dinner with the Meza’s last month and have plans to get together again soon. We also have an invitation from another neighbor for dinner.

•The Martinez family is struggling with some personal issues and needed some encouragement. We took Delci and Nati with us and just visited a while.

Personal study: 
I am currently reading / have read:

♦“St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen” by William Mitchell Ramsay
♦“Balanced Christianity: Maintaining Biblical Balance” - 1997 Shenandoah Lectureship 

Cultural or language discovery: 
“La Costanera” is a term used in the Southern Cone (Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile) to describe a riverside drive or park. The term has been in all the newspapers a lot for the past couple of years. One of Paraguay’s southern cities, Encarnación, completed their “Costanera” last year and has since turned into the country's biggest tourist attraction for beach goers. Not to be outdone, Asunción has been speedily constructing their own version in order to attract tourists. There´s just one major difference: the Paraná river by Encarnación is rather clean and pure while the Paraguay river by Asunción has been deemed unsafe to enter for swimming! Oh the dilemma! 

Upcoming plans:
•Vacation Bible School in February.
•Preparing for opening of the Bible Academy in March.
•Congregational retreat in April

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see Troy’s report with pictures, please click here.