BVBID Graduation Is This Week...

The Bear Valley Bible Institute will graduate another class of students in Denver. The men who have completed this program have exemplified the qualities necessary to prepare themselves for the ministry. As they leave the Denver location to go into their various areas of work, we ask that you pray for them and the work they will do in the Lord’s kingdom.

One of the beauties of seeing a group of men complete their studies and enter the work is that another class will begin in just a few months. Another class will come to Denver in August to begin their journey in preparation for ministry in the kingdom of our God. The August class is typically a large group of men. As such, there are challenges to getting the support needed to help them through the next two years. Again, we ask you to be praying for them as they plan to move to Denver and begin their studies.

Other locations are also preparing for graduation. The second class of men in Honduras are nearing their graduation the end of this month. We will have more information about the graduation and the areas of work where they will be involved in the weeks ahead. As we have mentioned before, this will be the last class for the school in Honduras. In the future, recruits will travel to Guatemala for training.

The development of each group of students around the world is exciting. The reports this week add credibility to the need for this work. I love reading how God is giving the increase and increasing the outreach to the lost.

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/

Donnie Bates’ latest report can be read here.

Extension Reports 

Marriage Of Two Kinds In Cameroon: Cameroon shares news about a spiritual marriage to the Lord and another couple who marry each other.

Giant Simbas And Teaching Ministry: The story out of Chimala is exciting when learning about seeing lions while out preaching and teaching.

Classes Begin Monday At WCSOP: The West Coast School of Preaching continues to train men to preach the gospel, as a new quarter is beginning this week.

Meeting Produces Plans For The Future: The Southwest School of Evangelism in Nigeria is planning for the future growth of the church in Nigeria.

Ukrainian Church Is Spreading: Among the churches of Christ in Europe, the work of the church in Ukraine is showing the power of the gospel.

What A Joy It Is: The work in Arusha, Tanzania is showing the hand of God blessing the efforts of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching.  

Final Thoughts
With each passing week, I grow more grateful for the opportunity to be involved with training preachers. I also know the reason this is possible is because of your generosity. Thank you for your trust and confidence in the Bear Valley Bible Institute in training men to preach the gospel. The Extension program is just a part of the whole in fulfilling the Great Commission. Thank you for all you do.

God bless
Bob

Giant Simbas And Teaching Ministry...

We just returned from Chimala Bible Institute with a warm heart about the program of training preachers in this African country. I am constantly amazed at the amount of work that goes into running a competent Bear Valley Bible Institute school. We were sent off with many well wishes from Christians in Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas and Indiana. We picked up support from two new sources to help us as the coordinator of the Chimala Bible Institute.

We landed in Dar and then the next afternoon in Mbeya. I was with Dr. Robert Curry, whose congregation generously allowed him to come and teach two intense short courses on the General Epistles and the Godhead. Then we met brother Rueben, a preacher and school administrator in Nigeria. As you can imagine these two godly, dedicated men were able to give a wealth of knowledge, experience and ministry teaching to our students. They both spoke in chapel, mentored students and brought material that the students will be able to use for the rest of their ministry. Personally, it is also energizing to me to be around these men who have a tremendous heart for training men for the work of the Kingdom.

I was very happy to teach the two graduate classes on Christian education and Church Planning and Growth. There are some amazing men in this class. These dedicated evangelists already have many years of ministry experience. We have all of our CBI faculty as well as local preachers, including men from Malawi, who are both preaching and teaching in the school in Msusu. The material we covered was appreciated and we had many hours of classroom discussion on the work of the church in education and church planting. One of the activities these godly men are already involved with include a jail ministry in Malawi in which 34 men have been baptized. Another activity was the planting of five churches in a region where Christianity had not existed before. Another master’s student has started a Bible teaching program in four local secular schools in which many young men and women have been taught New Testament Christianity. During our two weeks together all 14 men had 30 hours of lecture and all wrote a 12-page paper in which they discussed an aspect of the class subject. We left them exhausted, and elated at the amazing amount of work they have put into their studies. This is being done while they also have been involved in the greatest work in the world; the preaching of the Gospel. 

On the last day of school for the summer some amazing young people from Oklahoma joined us. They attended chapel and the singing and fellowship was as close to what I imagine heaven must be like. They are working at the hospital and schools during the morning and having a VBS in the afternoon. The students and staff were well rewarded by their attendance and enthusiasm. Speaking of that, we have also been able to make friends and fellowship and teach “the way of the Lord more perfectly” to two amazing young Doctors from Hong Kong. Tony and Grace came this time to the mission looking for a Christian hospital to work with. One evening I was able to have a Bible study with these amazing young people and we have promised to keep in touch and continue to study together. 

Both Lord’s days we went with Robert Curry, Ezekiel Harrison and some of our students to Uturo. We bounced along the dirt road to the building and both services were so rewarding. Israel, one of our graduates of last November, has moved there to build the church. When we arrived we saw they were having a ladies class in one house and the men’s class in the building. Israel had taught the teachers, who are members of the church, to teach those classes. Last year we were having around 12 in attendance. Both Sundays we were there they had over 30. The work is going well because of the training and dedication of this one young man that CBI was able to provide. 

The last weekend we traveled to check on some churches and drove through a nearby game reserve. Just about dark we rounded the dirt road and came upon what I thought, at first, was a large pony, but no, it was the largest lion I have ever seen. We followed him for over mile until he went down to the river to drink and prepare for his nightly hunt. Of course I was remained of the “devil as a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour.” I also was reminded of the dedicated supporters, teachers and students of the Chimala Bible Institute that are working hard to prevent this as we train workers for Christ (2 Timothy 2:2). 

Garry L. Hill
Coordinator Chimala Bible Institute

What A Joy It Is...

Greetings Fellow Workers:

What a joy it is to be a child of God. What a joy it is to know we have good friends and supporters like you. What a joy it is to be privileged to serve here in Tanzania. Today is the day the Lord has made, we are to be glad in it.

The sounds that make us think, love, appreciate: The first cry of a newborn, a congregation full of young people. Today was one of those days where you noticed something, something you “hear” or “see” perhaps every week, but for some reason today that “sound” stood out in a special way. What sound you might be asking, the sound of a church building with over 120 souls, and upon hearing the preacher announce his first scripture reference, the sound of 90 plus present in the congregation turning the pages of their Bibles. Oh, how sweet it was!

What joy it is to reflect back to 1998 when this mission work began: To remember the two congregations that existed here in the northern part of Tanzania, the Arusha and Moshi congregations. Then, to sit through services at Kisongo, a congregation planted by this mission effort, with a family of over 120 souls, singing, praying and worshiping our God in truth and spirit, oh, what joy it is.

Today was special in many ways. Our brother John Galloway taught a great lesson from the book of James. Jennifer (John and Patricia's daughter) taught a great lesson for the ladies and John and Patricia's two granddaughters taught a room full of little children a lesson from the Old Testament. Three generations, glorifying God through the teaching of His Word.

I received a note from our brother Yusuph Madaki saying that one of our recent graduates, our brother Amos, had baptized seven souls into Christ. Yesterday while showing John around the ACSOP we noticed a gathering of students around the baptistery, yes, another soul being added to the Kingdom. Today after services I was introduced to a teacher from Karatu. He had traveled over one hundred miles to be baptized into Christ. Last Sunday a young lady from the White Rose area (new church plant) obeyed the Gospel. No greater joy than to know of a lost soul coming to know and obey God.

We need your prayers. First of all for our brother Chuck who will be coming in this week from Denver to teach here at the ACSOP. Also, for our dear sister Soneia Galloway who will undergo a procedure this week (of a very serious nature).

We need your prayers as we have begun our pre-campaign efforts. Please pray that God’s will be done, that He might be glorified and that He might give the increase. Thank you all for all you do in your service to others. May our Lord bless you with a great week and may He bring great joy into your life, where ever you might find yourself. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Ukrainian Church Is Spreading...

Hello dear brothers, churches and families.

As you know, Ukraine is the only country in Europe, where God’s church is most influential. We eagerly accepted the sound doctrine, and churches in Ukraine were established and started spreading. There are church of Christ congregations in almost all towns and cities of Donetsk region. I think that we achieved these results with the help of 1. American missionaries, 2. Christian men and women from local congregations, 3. Graduates of the Bible Institute. The history of the church in Ukraine is not so long, about 20 years. Over this period of time, we’ve had experienced a sweet taste of victory and bitter taste of defeat. Some churches fell apart, but others grew stronger and continue preaching even now. I think that the most common reason why the church in Ukraine experienced defeat is because of unprepared leaders and preachers. While planting churches, missionaries would leave them soon and give the ministry to untrained newly converted leaders, who in their turn didn’t know how to act in the house of the Lord (1Tim.3:14-15). The situation is more stable now. Ukraine is writing its own history of the church. There was a time when we were in dire need of help from brethren; now we have our own teachers, and some local churches have their own buildings to gather for worship, and that fact encourages us greatly. This is our country, and we should be proud that God’s church exists and functions here.

Several years ago, the Bible institute was recruiting about 3-4 students a year, and those who came didn’t see themselves preaching in future. And now we have 16 students who are eager to serve the Lord. We have 7 students who will graduate this year. Some of them are already preaching the sound doctrine in the churches. Others help local congregations.

*Dmitriy Kuropyantikov – is actively starting his ministry in Proletarskaya church of Christ (Donetsk). 

*Maksim Gaykov – preaches at Mayskaya church of Christ (Gorlovka). 

*Bogdan Chigvintsev – wants to minister as a youth leader at the Central church of Christ (Gorlovka). 

*Victor Nakalyuzhniy – preaches at the Central church of Christ (Donetsk). 

*Eugene Tebel – might help the work of the institute in future. 

*Polina Berdu – teaches Bible classes for kids at church of Christ (Konstantinovka). 

*Julia Kudelina – teaches Bible classes for kids at Central church of Christ (Gorlovka). 

As you can see, we try not only to teach our student but also to give them an opportunity to use their knowledge in practice. And what is more important, the church in Ukraine has learned from its mistakes and is need of trained ministers. First-year students are already helping the churches that are in need of their ministry (Vladimir Didukh – in Ivano-Frankovsk, Sergey Slastyonov and Roman Rotan – in
Illovaysk). Most likely that in the next year they will be permanent preachers in these congregations. 

In April, I have visited and preached in many church of Christ congregations (Dnepropetrovsk, Nikolayev, Donetsk, Kiev). The Bible institute has a good reputation among Ukrainian brethren, and they express their gratitude for our work on every occasion. There was a 4-day conference in Kiev “After God’s heart”. I was one of the main speakers at this conference. On my opinion, this was one of the major events on the territory of Ukraine in this year (about 150 members-leaders from 40 CoC congregations). I was allowed to speak about the institute, and I saw that many people are respectful of this ministry.

Every time we gather for worship, we remember and pray for our sponsors. If it were not for the generous congregations, families and individuals, we wouldn’t be able to train preachers and ministers for the church of Christ in Ukraine. This is our joint achievement and victory. This year our institute is facing financial difficulties. I know that financial crisis has stricken many, and that Satan doesn’t want God’s Kingdom to grow stronger and spread. Just as we’ve started seeing successful results, he is trying to close the doors in front of us. I believe, that you won’t give up, just as we don’t give up in our ministry to the Lord. We have started looking for support from the local congregations, but they are not able to meet all of the needs. If you know anyone who would be ready to help us in this ministry or you want to contribute to it, we will be so grateful. For more detailed information please contact Howell Ferguson (email: hferguson@bvbid.org )

On May 18, we plan to have the conference for young people “Personal relationships with God”, and on May 25, we’ll celebrate graduation of class 2013.

Thank you for your support and prayers, we are grateful to those who don’t lose hearts and keep helping us. If you have any questions or comments, I’m always ready to talk to you.

God's blessings!

Director of the Bible institute
Dennis Sopelnik

Meeting Produces Plans For The Future...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings from Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan-Nigeria. Here is the summary of our May 11, 2013 Board & Foundation meeting held at the auditorium of Agege congregation, Lagos.

1. June 8 - July 7 students practicum (i.e.teaching practice) will cost us N75,000= to transport the 37 students to Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Edo, Delta and River state of Nigeria.

2. The forth coming 11th Annual Bible Lectureship of August 22-24 and 10th graduation ceremony will cost us N350,000= and we are to raise 50% of total cost among the Nigeria brethren.

3. Entrance examination for 2013 /2014 academic session will come up on June 15 at both centers. Only 20 students will be admitted at Ibadan and 10 on the Lagos campus. Our budget for the next academic session from August 12, 2013 to July 2014 ending is $22,500 and we plan to raise at least 10% from Nigerian brethren / churches.

Brethren, I taught today Sunday of May 12 at Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan on GROWING A LOCAL CHURCH and admonished the church on “Self-examination” (1 Cor.11:28). We are 53 in attendance with total collection of N1,995=

Brethren, Lord's willing, I and brother Dele Shotola and some SWSE students will be working with the Ilisan-Remo congregation on May 18 at a day WBS seminar. We will have evangelism in evening and on May 19, I will be lecturing on “Church Autonomy” at Ilisan -Remo congregation, Ogun state.

Classes continue tomorrow at the school! We thank you all for your partnership. Stay blessed!

Sincerely His and yours,
Makinde E.Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism(SWSE), Ibadan & Lagos campus, Nigeria

Classes Begin Monday At WCSOP...

Dear Brethren,

I bring you greetings from Takoradi, Ghana. It is my hope and prayer that this report finds you all well and prospering in the Lord. May the Lord continue to use us on both sides of the Atlantic to accomplish His purpose in Christ. 

As of April 20, 2013, the school has been on recess. Students will report this weekend for classes to begin May 13, 2013. This will be the final school term for the seniors and the term that completes the first year for the juniors. We do not plan to enroll new students this term. We will therefore have one stream to run for the next academic year. There will be no graduation this year. There will be next year and it will combine the juniors and seniors together. Posted below are the calendar and courses for the new school term.

One of the men who graduated last year is Jerome Torh, from Liberia. For the past several months his wife Louise had been ill. It got worse early last month when he sent word to many of us that his wife was dying and we intensified our prayers for her. When he sent us the SOS, she had not been eating nor speaking for some days. The doctors had called for a number of tests to be conducted to determine what line of treatment to give her. Jerome did not have the money, but brother Steven Ashcraft who was going from Liberia to Togo through Accra, met him at the hospital and paid for the tests and left Jerome with some money to take care of his wife. Two days later she passed away. Louise was 31 years old and was survived by her husband and three children – two girls and a boy. Her funeral was held on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at the Buduburam Camp where she lived with her family. A delegation of four was sent to represent West Coast. It was made up of two instructors, Charles King Arthur and Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah, and our two cooks, Charity Fordjour and Monica Andoh. Jerome has been shattered by the passing away of Louise and needs our prayers and support.

2012/2013 Academic Year   ---   Third Term

***School Reopens for 2013/2014 Academic Year   September 6, 2013

Seminar for Preachers and Leaders – September 16-19, 2013 

TEACHERS & COURSES

Junior Class

Matthew Ackah
Book of Romans

Joshua Aidoo
Life of Christ – 2 (Teaching: Sermon on the Mount, Parables, Judgment)
Church History

Charles K Arthur
Old Testament – 3b (Study of Wisdom Literature: Psalms – Song of Solomon)

Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah
Personal Evangelism – 2 (Church Planting)
Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage

Charles Mensah
Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon) 

SHORT COURSES
1 and 2 Corinthians Matthew Ackah
Epistle of James Matthew Ackah 

Senior Class

Joshua Aidoo
World Religions

Charles K Arthur
Public Speaking – 3 (Advanced Homiletics)
Preacher’s Work

Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah
Book of Revelation
Current Issues in The Church

Charles Mensah
Christian Ethics 

SHORT COURSES
Preacher Epistles (1and 2 Timothy and Titus)  Charles Mensah

The Godhead Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah

Brethren, as we face a new school term we solicit your prayers, and much so, as we consider the fact that health was a major problem for instructors and students alike in the last term. 

Thank you, brethren for your continued support both spiritually and physically.

Your servant for Jesus’ sake,
Daniel K Ampadu-Asiamah

Marriage Of Two Kinds In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here. I do hope this mail finds you doing well in all that you do for the glory of God.

In the Wotutu congregation, sister Beatrice traveled from the tea camp plantation to come and worship with us. Many continue to follow our radio program. Some denominational leaders are not comfortable with the truth that is being proclaimed through our speakers with any AM or FM media. We are creating lots of impact in our communities; there will be a time for a mass harvest. Sister Beatrice was baptized within the week. She is the first to become a Christian in their family. Keep her in your prayers.

Our last week at CBIW was busy as usual with our students keeping on target to keep growing as they prepare themselves for mission. Many are still sick here, surely because of the changes of weather conditions.

God continues to bless the work as we continue to reach out to the community through our radio program and follow up.

This week ended with a program for the annual national preachers forum. I was one of the speakers to talk on alcoholic consumption among Christians and preachers. It was a wonderful time to make many know their stand on the subject matter. I stood and exposed what the Bible says and nothing but the word of God. The Lord added a soul into the church in Buea during the forum.

We were able to take a family picture with some preachers after the forum. As we return to continue the work of building and empowering our members to maturity. Keep the work in Cameroon in your prayers.

In the cross section of our worship today, we had 7 first time visitors. Some of them being those who came to witness the traditional marriage of our brother and minister to the Brightland Christian academy.

Minister Nsong Edie Nelson stood this morning in front of the Wotutu congregation with his wife, sister Bernadette. The church was represented heavily yesterday night for the traditional marriage which was successful. Keep them in your prayers as they start their journey of love.

We used the word of God (Prov 19:14) to exhort them to build their home on the foundation of God’s word. I continue to praise God as many lives are being touched because of our work. The sister is the first Christian in their family; many who came from far and near admired what the church of Christ can do in our worship and our love for the gospel. We shall do follow up for those who are around and we have already made connections with congregations where some of them came from so that those ministers there will study with them. God is worthy to be praised. Join us praise Him for His great power.

Plans
We are praying and making plans for a great work on the West Coast of Cameroon.

We are making plans for the Lebialem mission. It is also a barren land in Cameroon. One of our alpha batch graduates is going there now as I write this report for a revival and evangelistic work before the June campaign.

Appreciation
God is good. We thank Him for standing by us and by using you to accomplish His work here in Cameroon. Continue to lean on Him, He is dependable and reliable. God bless you as you share our report with others.  

God bless you

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Preparing For A New Journey...

We are nearing the end of last quarter of studies in Denver and with it comes graduation. The students who are completing their journey at Bear Valley are simply taking a step into another journey. The new journey will be one of ministry in the Lord’s Kingdom. The fruit of their labor will save lost souls, strengthen the church, and encourage growth to maturity. We are all looking forward to hearing reports of their success in the future.

The reports from various locations within the extension program carries the same news. The excitement increases week after week in reading about the growth of God’s Kingdom as students continue to study and prepare for the work of ministry. The good being done around the world helps us see the bigger picture of God’s incredible power working through His people to fulfill His purpose.

Hearing reports about the nature of the economy in this country is just a reminder of how easily people become focused on the temporal things of this life. No matter what happens with the economy, the rise or fall of countries, or the leadership ushered into power, the task before the church is the same. We have a mission. It is not our mission, but God’s mission and when our focus is on carrying out this great task we can know our God is in control. He will always equips and provides His people with what is needed to succeed.

It is now up to us! Let us be busy about our Father’s business.

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’s latest report can be viewed here.

Steven Ashcraft’s latest report about West Africa can be seen by clicking here.

Wes Autrey’s latest report about the work in Cambodia is here:

Extension Reports 

The Power Of The Gospel Changes The Most Unlikely: The report from Cameroon shows how the gospel has the power to change even the most unlikely.

Changing Hearts And Lives In Guatemala: The work in Guatemala is bringing lives together in marriage and souls to Christ in salvation.

The Program Expands In Uganda: Several wives in Uganda are receiving training in God’s word to help prepare them for training women in local congregations.

A Trip To The US And Back: After returning to Ghana, Tony Johnson is busy in the work of training leaders, establishing a new congregation, and helping children.

Events Center To Be Dedicated: The Southwest School of Evangelism in Nigeria is set to dedicate a new Events Center for the work of training preachers.

The Baptistry Is Ready: The work in Paraguay is growing. The Asunción Bible Academy is training students and the Sacramento Avenue congregation has a new baptistry.

Safari For Souls Is Underway In Tanzania: The first guests are set to arrive and participate in the annual Safari for Souls in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Final Thoughts
I continue to receive notes of personal encouragement with the passing of my father. We are making adjustments to how we live on a daily basis, but I know that God is helping us through the challenges we face. Sheryl and I are very thankful to be working with the greatest people on earth. Thank you for your compassion and encouragement. We will never be able to express adequately how much you mean to us and all you have done to help us through this time of loss. We give thanks to our God for each of you.

God bless
Bob

The Program Expands In Uganda...

Dear brethren,

We do thank you for your support to us here in Uganda. A lot is being done through  your support toward us. Ten ladies from Uganda and Kenya have finished their first two weeks of the quarter at the Uganda School of Evangelism. They have really appreciated the plan of training ladies to work in kingdom of God. This quarter they were taught “The Role of a Woman in Kingdom of God,” and “The church I.” These were taught by sister Margaret Wechesa. She used material from the World Video Bible School by Cindy Colley. Brother Samson Omutele taught “God's Woman” and Francis Wechesa taught “Principles of Public Speaking I.”

Some of these sisters left their children with their husbands which is not very much normal in African setting. In Africa it is the work of a woman to take care of children. We very much thank  the brothers who agreed to remain home with children so that their wives could come and learn the word of God. This has shown us that this program of training sisters has been long due. These sisters transported themselves to school. We just helped them with transport to take them back to their homes.

The School did not have budget for this program. We just tried this from some small fund which had remained on our normal fund. We also feed them with fish from our personal fish ponds for supper almost daily.

We had a problem with how to keep these fish as we do not have a deep freezer. This forced Margaret to deep fry all these fish in oil so as to keep them from rotting. It would help us very much to keep them in deep freezer if we would have one. We need whole Bibles in English and Kiswahili languages to give to these sisters when they come. Most of them do not have their own Bibles. Those who had Bibles had just borrowed from their husbands or friends. We also need some funds to print songs books in Kiswahili and Lusamia and also a Lusamia New Testament Bible. These ladies have also requested to be taught some skills like tailoring, knitting, hair dressing, baking and food processing courses so that they can do some things that can give them some income as they teach the word of God to the ladies in their congregations. God willing these sisters will be coming again the last week of July and first week of August 2013. We are likely to have more as some did not come because it was planting season. Pray for this program so that more sisters are also taught the word of God. We will be going to the Barber Church of Christ in Kenya to teach in the Bible seminar the 8th - 10th. I will come back on 9th to prepare to go to Kigumba for the Uganda Christian College graduation, northwest of Uganda which will be on 11th. The first part of the second quarter will begin on the 13th. We will be having a lot of traveling, please keep us in your prayers.

Yours
Francis, Margaret, Paul, Susan, Ema and Edith Wechesa

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

Safari For Souls Is Underway In Tanzania...

Greetings Fellow Servants:

We pray this report finds you all living life to its fullest, knowing too whom you belong and where you are heading. We are good on this side of the world, thankful for answered prayers on behalf of the Gee family who were blessed with safe travels and are now in the States. Also, we thank God for Anita’s safe return. It is indeed an amazing blessing to know we can go to our Heavenly Father in prayer, knowing He hears, cares and always answers in the absolute best way.

As we continue working hand in hand with each of you, we are reminded of this one thing, our labors are not in vain, our labors in the Lord that is (1 Corinthians 15:58). Here is but one example: “Hello brother, habari. Amos Kinasa (graduate of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching) had several classes since April in the village of Katoro. Seven souls have obeyed today and have become new creatures in Christ. We are planning to join with them, coming together here at Ushirombo as one congregation. Also, we have also finished preparing all blocks for the new church building. I will send short report next week. Your brother and fellow servant, Yusuph Mdaki.”

This week begins our Safari for Souls activities. We will conduct house to house evangelism in the White Rose area of Arusha and Ngurdoto (near Usa River). Our first guests arrive this week (John Galloway, Jennifer Smith (John and Patricia’s daughter) and her two daughters. They will be the “first-team” to be followed by over 60 others continuing through the end of July.

Jennifer, Stephanie and Anita will be hosting a ladies day at Monduli next Saturday. Jennifer will also be teaching the ladies Bible class at Kisongo next Sunday, while the girls are teaching the children’s class. They will also be conducting one on one Bible studies throughout the week. John will be teaching “Christian Doctrine and Ethics” at the ACSOP, as well as teaching Bible class at Kisongo and Kwa Mrombo.

The Tanzania 2000 mission team is blessed in so many ways. Our short term workers bring much joy and excitement to our team and to the Lord’s work here in TZ. Our Short Course teachers like Chuck Ramseur (the amazing son-in-law of Bob Turner) will come next week to teach “The New Testament Church.” What a privilege it is to work with men and women that are committed to the cause of Christ in such a powerful way.

To God be the glory, great things he continues to do. Please pray for the campaigners and evangelistic efforts coming our way over the next 90 days. Pray that our God might open doors of opportunity that we might teach the saving message of our Lord. Pray for the safety of each worker. Please pray that God has His way and that His Church in Tanzania and throughout the world might grow.

We close with a thank you! A thank you to everyone who is making this work possible. May our God bless your lives in a special way. May His peace be upon you as you strive to do His will, serving Him and our fellow man. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie and Granny

The Baptistry Is Ready...

Even though the Paraguayans are known to take life at a little more casual pace, it never seems to be slow or mundane in Paraguay! April proved to be just as busy as all its predecessors! The month kicked off with our annual congregational retreat which was held at Campamento Sion in Aregua. The theme for our camp this year was “The Lord is my Helper” (Hebrews 13:6). We had 56 in attendance with several visitors and first-time campers. Josh Blackmer directed the activities and all the Academy students assisted with the logistics and various other areas. We had wonderful weather to compliment lots of great Bible study. It’s always a great fellowship experience and this year was one of the very best! That event was followed by several new projects starting up that we have been wanting to get done. Some are still in process, while others have been completed during the month. We praise God for so many blessed opportunities! For example... 

WE NOW HAVE A NEW BAPTISTRY (FINALLY)!
Ever since the congregation moved into it’s new location, it has been without a baptistry. We have been blessed to have friends at a hotel just up the road which have allowed us to use their pool anytime we have needed it for a baptism. One of our sisters in Christ has also allowed us to us her pool on occasion. A while back, there were even donations given by some kind brethren in the USA to help the congregation here pay for a new baptistry. However, it’s just been a matter of what and where to build one which has lead to a long time without one. Our first idea was to build a mobile baptistery that could be wheeled into the auditorium when needed, but the project got stalled when the carpenter became too backlogged to build it. Then, someone finally had the idea to use the “Quincho” out back as a space for the baptistry. Since we never use the BBQ grill that is there (and it was broke), the men decided this would be a great place to install a permanent baptistry. It already had water installed, it would be covered from the elements, and many people could easily gather around it to watch someone being born into Christ! A contractor was hired, materials were ordered, and now we have a beautiful baptistry for those who decide to obey the Gospel call. We thank God for this blessing and pray that we have to use it repeatedly for many years to come!

Evangelistic Contacts / Bible Studies:
•Andrea and I are continuing our studies with our “Learn English Using the Bible” students, Adriana Rodriguez, and Sergia Frutos using “Searching for Truth.”

•Andrea’s study with Dina Aycock is going very well as she continues to ask more questions and she comes to realize the truth of God’s word.

•My study with Marile “Romi” Balbuena is going well. Her interest in Revelation has afforded the opportunity to teach many other parts of the Bible as we progress through the book.

“Comfort in Times of Grief” is a group study program that was designed to help those who have lost a loved one by focusing on God’s word while sharing their grief with others who may have experienced the same thing. The team developed the program to not only help our grieving members, but also as a possible form of community outreach. Brittnea Yegros has done an outstanding job in getting this program going and the current group that is meeting is composed of several visitors. We pray it will be a useful service to the community, bring souls closer to God, and ultimately glorify Him. 

Asunción Bible Academy update:
The students and teachers have settled in nicely to their routines and have already completed several courses. The students are showing great promise in their efforts and attention. They have finals the week of May 6, then a short course with brother Donnie Bates. There will also be a campaign in Ñemby. The campaign will be an evangelistic effort with a focus in finding new contacts and potential Bible studies in the area in order to prepare and coincide with the upcoming church plant in that city. 

Recent Developments:
Perry and Alba Hardin have arrived at the end of their agreed time of commitment with the mission team. Perry has been invaluable to the work here in Paraguay and the Lord’s kingdom has certainly been blessed through his efforts. Although he will no longer be serving on the team, he and Alba will be remaining in Paraguay as he will be serving as Academic Co-Director and teacher for the Asuncion Bible Academy.

Upcoming plans:
•We are preparing for mission groups who will be coming down to work with us this summer in June and July. 

•Eliezer Perez, (from Panama and an ITL graduate) will be coming to work with the church here in Paraguay in June. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES: HIGHLIGHT(s) OF THE MONTH:
Not sure if this is exactly a “highlight,” but I have spent the entire month focusing on getting some of our long awaited projects completed by working with local construction workers. A truly big highlight for me has been entering the building every morning and hearing all the activity among the Academy students. It has created quite an enjoyable atmosphere! 

Visitation / Other Activities: 
•We have been concentrating our spare time on getting everything ready for our upcoming furlough. It gets a little easier logistically each year, but it is still no less stressful!

•Andrea held yet another “Pinterest Party” where several young ladies of the church came over and worked on special crafts together. They are working on crafts for an upcoming wedding.

•Andrea took a little trip to Santa Maria de Fe in Southern Paraguay with the Las Amigas Club. Several ladies from the club went to deliver some food donations, as well as, to investigate the possibility of giving the community some vocational scholarships. They got to tour an Artesan’s workshop, a medicine garden, and one of the local schools. 

Personal study: 
•I completed (and passed) my first course toward my Master’s Degree in Missions! Hooray! I am now working on the assignments for the next class, “Introduction to Missions.” I’m pretty excited about the material!

•I am currently reading / have read:

♦“The Pentateuch” by James E. Smith

♦“Spontaneous Expansion of the Church” by Roland Allen

♦“Mission in the Old Testament” by Walter Kaiser 

♦Rereading "Missions: Biblical Foundations & Contemporary Strategies" by Gailyn Van Rheenan.

Cultural or language discovery: 
•Construction practices are very different in Paraguay! I have lots of experience in construction from the USA but a good deal of it just doesn’t apply in the same way here. For example, in the US, you usually hire a contractor and he does the entire job, including obtaining all the materials (which is calculated within his estimate). Not in Paraguay! You have to go get all the materials yourself and really, there is no such thing as a General Contractor. Instead, the Architect who designed the building usually serves in the capacity of site manager. Oh, and there isn’t a lot of layout or preplanning, either. You just build the wall, then, if you want water, electricity, or air conditioning in that location, you just chip away at the wall where you want to install it. Presto! So, a lot of things are very different from not only the materials used, but also the practices employed. BTW, the permitting process is a whole other adventure.

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see their report with pictures, please click here.

Events Center To Be Dedicated...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings and thank you for your partnership and the great sacrifices which you are all expressing through your faithful commitments to the growth of the Lord's church.

To God be the glory! We are almost through on the completion of our Events Center that by God's grace will be dedicated to our beloved brother Doug M. Wheeler on May 31, 2013 for his great contribution toward the growth of the Lord's church in Nigeria since 1984.

I spent my support for this quarter from brother Joel Coppinger and associates with the N1,000,000= which I was loaned on April 17, 2013 to work on the SWSE Events Center from April 19 through May 1. We now need another N1,000,000= ($8,000) for the finishing of the Events Center: N350,000= for ceiling, N350,000= for painting and N300,000= for soak & away and wiring of the hall. Those who are willing to help us in one way or the other should please contact brother Doug Wheeler of West Side congregation in Oklahoma, USA or by e-mail at (douglasmwheeler@gmail.com).

Brethren, the staff and students of Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan will be working this afternoon through Sunday afternoon with the three WBS students of West Olive congregation, Peoria, AZ that was baptized in March with the 2 day mass evangelism and in planting of the Lord's church at Egbeda town of Egbeda L.G.A. of Oyo state.

We thank you all for being part of this spiritual exercise! Please continue praying for us! May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint efforts in Christ name, amen.

We evangelized Egbeda town of Egbeda Local Government of Oyo State from Friday evening till Saturday night and on Sunday of May 5, 2013. We started the Lord's church at Egbeda with three WBS students of brother Ken Heflin, West Olive congregation, Peoria, AZ that were baptized on March 2013.

On the first Sunday morning worship at Egbeda congregation, brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe moderated the service, I taught on “Worship in Patriarchal, Mosaic and Christian Ages” while brother Dele Shotola admonished the church. We are twelve in attendance with a total collection of N1,400=

A couple named Samuel and Shade Oladunjoye were baptized after the morning worship at Asejire River by brother Kayode S. Eniafe.

Brethren, studies continue tomorrow at the school! Thanks so much for your partnership! May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint efforts in Christ name, amen.

Sincerely His & yours,
Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of studies)
SWSE-Ibadan & Lagos campus, Nigeria

A Trip To The US And Back...

It has been a while since my last report as I have spent much of the past 2 months traveling from place to place in the U.S. My trip home included stops in Chicago, IL, Green Bay, WI, Greenbrier, AR, Fort Worth, TX, Denver, CO, Shiprock, NM, and Phoenix, AZ. I was really blessed to be taken care of by so many wonderful people during my travels, the Hansens, McCulloms, Wilsons, Wilkies, Keeles, and of course my mom, Virginia Hielen. While it is somewhat disconcerting to no longer have a place of my own to call home in the U.S. I have been blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who not only make sure I have a place to lay my head, but do so much more. I am living Matthew 19:29. On this trip one person in particular went well out of his way to help me along, so I want to say a special thank you to Jack Wilkie for everything. Words cannot express how much I love you all!

This trip was one of two trips back to the U.S. this year. Besides visiting supporting congregations, this trip was scheduled to allow me to attend the first Masters in Missions classes conducted by the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver. This course is designed for both those who are contemplating entering the mission field as well as for those who have already ventured out. The course allows the students to complete nearly all the requirements while working in the mission field, with the exception of the two classes I just attended. I am not sure how long it will take me to complete the course as I have found it extremely difficult to fit the necessary studying in since I have returned to Africa, but I am grateful that the Bear Valley Bible Institute has seen the importance of offering this type of course.

My final trip back to the US this year will be in June. During this trip I will be working as a counselor at the Bear Valley Future Preachers Training Camp. This will be my fourth year working with this camp and I always enjoy spending time with the 40 young men who take a week out of their summer vacations to increase their knowledge of God’s Word and learn how to deliver it more effectively. I will also be speaking to the adult class at Leiper's Fork church of Christ’s Vacation Bible School during this trip, as well as visiting as many congregations as possible before spending a few days with my home congregation at Greenbrier. I am looking forward to greeting many of you who have been such an encouragement to me!

One of the most difficult things to do when I come home is figuring out what to bring back to Ghana with me. The airlines allow me to check two suitcases of 50lbs each and take one carry-on bag, and it doesn’t take me long to fill them up with items that I cannot easily find here (one thing I made sure I had room for this time was lots and lots of junk food.) Special thanks to my aunt Fran Hansen for loading up one suitcase with books for the school’s library and toys for the children at Kingdom of Hope, and to Rod Wilson for providing work gloves that the school greatly needed. I believe I already have my suitcases filled for when I return on July 4th with items that are being put together for the children’s school as well as those items needed for our graduation ceremony (but I assure you I’ll find a little room for my junk food!)

Finally, I want to give special thanks to the Greenbrier church of Christ, my home congregation, for the love and support they continually show for me. Every time I visit I am overwhelmed by your kindness and how much you go out of your way to bless me. Even though there was a previously scheduled gospel meeting during the time I was visiting, you went out of your way to make me feel both welcomed and appreciated. I cannot tell you how much the reception that you put together on Tuesday night meant to me. I take each of you with me every place I go, and treasure you in my heart always. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies
April marks the end of the final term for the class of 2013. In this term the class will be getting lots of practical experience as well as classroom instruction. In addition to three local weekend campaigns (Thursday thru Sunday), the students has classes covering the books of 1, 2, and 3 John, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Old Testament 8, and the Revelation of John. Once completed this class will return in July for their graduation ceremony. Currently there are 11 students that are scheduled to receive either a certificate of Biblical Studies or a certificate of leadership, and 2 students who will receive a certificate of attendance at the July 13th graduation ceremony. If any of you are in the area we would certainly like to invite you to the lectureship on July 12th and the graduation the following day.

With this class completing their course, the staff has begun to focus on recruitment for the next class which will begin on July 9th. Bear Valley’s West Africa Coordinator, Steven Ashcraft, and Tamale Director, Baah Joseph, recently made a trip through the Northern and Upper West Regions meeting with church leaders to discuss the school and the opportunities being offered to train men here in Northern Ghana. During the second week of May I will be traveling with brother Baah to the Upper East Region to meet with their leaders about the school. Currently we have 14 student applications for the next class, and hope to add to that number during the next month.

The school is also working through all the small problems associated with having moved into their new building. Corrections to the plumbing system in the student bath facilities required tearing up the floor and redoing the drainage pipes. We are also still trying to get the second phase of electricity hooked up (the third phase is still probably a year or more away) to fix the problem of lights dimming every time someone plugs in an iron or coffee pot. Despite these minor issues we are really enjoying the new building and the extra space it provides. Even while work continues, the new building is already providing additional opportunities to edify the church. At the end of April the Institute will host its first Northern Ghana Leader’s Workshop. More next month on this event.

Thank You Supporters!
There are so many who make this work possible through their financial support, provision of materials, and encouragement and prayers. So many have done so much that I am always worried about forgetting someone! Please be assured that if I have overlooked anyone that it is purely unintentional, and only caused by my small brain not being able to keep up with everything! Every single gift and prayer is greatly appreciated.

Overseeing Congregation Greenbrier church of Christ

Supporters
Greenbrier church of Christ, Colony church of Christ, Bobby and Jackie Sims, Sue Shumate, Aubrey and Donna Allensworth, Mildred Priest, Virginia Hielen, Wilkie Family, Chris and Shirley Brill, Linda Ray, Ron and Joann Boatwright, Jim and Martha Bell, Herb and Dorothy Tatum family, Edie Singleton, Connie Barden, Carla Farr, Judy Moody, Mary Mix, Stephen and Jerri McCullom.

Special thanks to the wonderful members of the Greenbrier and the Colony congregations. There are too many to name as so many members from both of these congregations gave personal gifts for the work during my visits in March.

Please send all contributions to: Greenbrier church of Christ

Attn: African Missions 12 Wilson Farm Rd. Greenbrier, AR 72058

Please be sure to send me a note if you want your gift to be used for a specific purpose.

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies P.O. Box TL 925
Tamale, Northern Region
Ghana

Ghana Phone - 011-233-0248216622 E-Mail - anthonyjohnson2010@gmail.com

If you want more information about what is happening in Ghana check out my blog at http://thinkingsouls.wordpress.com/.

Kingdom of Hope Update
Work continues at Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School with finishing touches on the new building, such as plastering the outside of the building, installing blackboards (done by mixing charcoal into concrete and then applying to the wall), and building steps. The building is already in use, and has been a great help to the school.

We have also arranged to have the first 10 desks built, which will be complete by the time I arrive in Kuka during the middle of May. By only paying for a small number to be built at a time, with the incentive of us ordering more, we are able to control the quality much better as well as insure a quicker delivery. If these desks look okay we will arrange for the next two sets of 10 to be built while I am at the school.

We will also finally be able to put up the school’s signs on this coming trip. We have been trying to get a sign made for the Enoch Elliott Learning Center, as well as a road sign pointing the way to Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School, for some time without any luck. God willing, I should be able to pick up the signs before I make this next trip and will be able to get them installed.

With the completion of the Enoch Elliott Learning Center we have begun to make plans for the next steps. I met with the school’s headmaster this past week and we outlined the school’s schedule and needs for the next 2 years. As soon as enough money can be raised we will begin on the next classroom, and hopefully be able to add one classroom per year until we can house preschool through sixth grade. We will also be looking for the necessary classroom materials for P3 (third grade) classes which will begin this summer, more desks, etc.

On this upcoming trip I will also have the pleasure of delivering footballs (soccer) and uniforms to the children, thanks to gifts by Anna Wilkie and David and Beverly Woody. For almost a year the children at the school have not asked me for anything, just gratefully received the things that we have been able to help with. During my last trip to the school in February one of the younger boys (probably at the instigation of the older boys) finally came up to ask if it would be possible to get a football. I asked him if there was anything else they would like, and he said shirts, so they could tell what team they were on, would be good. On my trip home Anna provided half of the necessary money for both the balls and shirts. What made this really special to me is the fact that Anna was getting married in less than a month, and I am sure she could have found all kinds of other things to do with that money. The previous week the Woody family had given me a personal gift to, as David put it, “get something for yourself.” I couldn’t think of anything better to give myself than the smiles of a bunch of children, and their gift more than covered the remaining cost. Because the shirts are for small children it has taken some effort to get them (I had to have them made) but I should be able to deliver them in May.

Evangelism Update
In the first two weeks that I have been back in Tamale we have had three baptisms at the school. Two of the baptisms were men who had heard about the school and came to see what it was about. The third was from a contact made during one of the school’s local evangelism campaigns. All three came to the school and spent time studying with the students and staff and eventually came to the conclusion that they needed to be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins in order to be added by God to His church.

We have also started a new congregation that is meeting at the new School location, Kpalsi South church of Christ. At our initial service we had 15 in attendance, mostly from the local schools. We will continue to reach out to the local community in order to share the gospel in our own neighborhood as well as throughout northern Ghana.

Out of their recent Missions Day contribution the Greenbrier church of Christ set aside enough money for me to do four campaigns this year. During the month of May we will use half of that money to do two full campaigns and one short campaign. I will be traveling north to Garu to do a four day campaign with the Kuka church to reestablish the church there (it stopped meeting when the building collapsed). If we are successful in reestablishing the church, or starting a new one if necessary, the Kuka church has committed to sending preachers and teachers to Garu for the next year to help them mature. After Garu, I will make a short visit to Kuka to show two films, one on Jesus and one on Abraham. The church will do the follow up work there as they seek to encourage lax members and open the door for evangelism within the mostly Muslim town. Then I will head to the Burkina Faso border for a 4 day campaign in the village of Mognori, working with the Bawku congregation. Mognori currently has no church, so depending on the number of people we are able to teach the Bawku congregation has committed to either sending teachers each week or bringing them into Bawku for worship and Bible study.

May is going to be a busy month, good thing I got all rested up!

Thanks again to all of you who are helping the Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School take care of so many children!

Tony Johnson

To see Tony’s report with pictures of the recent activities, please click here.

Changing Hearts And Lives In Guatemala...

This scene was what we commonly saw as we traveled from one place to another last year as we visited with supporting congregations and potential supporters. We are very grateful to God to have loving brothers and sisters who treat us so kindly when we visit them. May God show you the same kindness you displayed to both of us as we lived out of a suitcase for several weeks!

As we do every year, we took some time out of our visits to participate in the Annual Churches of Christ Family Retreat, which took place again in Rothenburg, Germany. Our theme this year was “Discipleship: Change Our Hearts.” Jeremy and Rebecca Korodaj again joined us to form a great team in charge of the teen program. We had a great group of young people. This year, we had more military teens than in the past, which was great to see. Please keep this event in your prayers. Next year, we will celebrate the 50th retreat! If you could join us, we would love to see you there. The dates are November 23-27, 2013. We hope to see you then!

The Church at Linda Vista
This year, we sadly began with a sad story. One of our long-time members, Carlos Ordoñez, was killed in an accident on New Year’s Day. He had been looking for a job for many months and had agonized over not being able to work. He finally secured a job driving a truck. While in El Salvador on his way back to Guatemala, his truck lost its brakes and he crashed into bedrock on the side of road. Please keep his widow, Patricia Ordoñez, and their three daughters, Karla, Julissa, and Paola, in your prayers.

On a positive note, we would like to mention the spiritual growth we have seen in two of our members who are attending our Saturday program at ITL, our Bible school. The first is Enrique Tovar. This past February, he preached his first sermon and did a great job! He has since preached one other time at Linda Vista. We believe that his heart is pulling him toward the ministry, but his biggest challenge is the fact that he married a non-Christian a couple years ago. Please keep him and his wife, Evelyn, in your prayers, especially for her conversion. She attends fairly regularly and has received Bible studies from several people, but has not yet obeyed the Gospel.

The other member who is a student at ITL is Dinora Lopez. Dinora is always willing to serve in whatever way she is needed and has been faithfully assembling with the body, along with her children, Rodrigo, David Jr. and Andrea. Our prayer is that one day this godly example may win her husband, David, to Christ. He, too, has received several studies from several of us, but has yet to commit his life to our Lord Jesus.

Please keep both of these Christians in your prayers, as well as the whole church.

Ramirez - Palacios Wedding
Another bit of good news we have to report is the wedding of our coworker, Anibal Ramirez. Many of you were aware that several years ago, Fanny, Anibal’s first wife, left him for another man. Although the church made numerous efforts to encourage Fanny to repent and to consider her family and her relationship with God, she did not make the right choices. As a result, Anibal and Fanny were divorced. About a year later, Anibal began to date Damaris Palacios, a Christian woman worshiping at the time at the Zone 11 church of Christ. After about a year of dating, Anibal and Damaris decided to get married.

The wedding took place this past February. Hawatthia was asked to perform the wedding. We believe that Damaris will bring a needed woman’s touch to Anibal’s home. He has been doing a good job with raising three girls, one of whom is now 15. A Christian woman’s presence will be a great blessing, we are sure, and the girls really like Damaris ☺.

Coming Events
There are several events that will soon be upon us, so please keep them in your prayers. The first missionary team is scheduled to visit us July 11-20. This team has Christians from various parts of the country and we are excited to have them visit us to serve the people here. Also, we are hoping to continue to host World English Institute teams this summer. If the Lord wills, we will have two teams to come for two weeks each. This would be the fifth year for these teams to work with us. Our prayer is that all the plans will come to fruition, if they are in God’s will.

Prayer Requests
As we close, we also make the following prayer requests:

• For us so that God will continue to use us in this part of the world. We are thankful to Him because He has granted us good health and many blessings on a daily blessing.

• For the churches in San Cristobal and Coban in the department of Alta Verapaz. A separate report will be sent out soon, Lord willing.

• For the spiritual and numerical growth of the Linda Vista church.

• For Patricia Ordoñez and her daughters.

• For the Ramirez family as they adjust to a new circumstance.

May God grant you the peace that passes all understanding!

Serving Jesus,

Byron E. Benitez
Hawatthia Jones

To view their report with pictures, please click here.

The Power Of The Gospel Changes The Most Unlikely...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here in Wotutu. We hope this reports finds you well and sound in all that you do. We are doing better mostly to those brethren who were sick last week. We appreciate your prayers. They are getting better. Continue to pray for them.

Our radio program, commonly called “Back to the Bible,” fetched a brother who just came to a nearby village to Wotutu and heard us in the morning and realized that we are members of the church of Christ. He came and worshipped with us and said he had fallen away from the grace of God for the past 20 years. He was restored today as I and minister Nsong exhorted him to remain steadfast in the Lord. He promised never to go backward any longer. Keep him in your prayers.

Things went on well in CBIW as the students continued to put in more hours to meet up with their studies as you will see them struggling with our limited books in our small library to do their assignments.

Keep praying for some of our students who went out for weekend evangelism far away from Wotutu, who are still on their way to come back to school from 3 different locations.

Some of the students and I went to Batoke village. We praise God that finally we made it there and the ground is fertile as we continue to study it. Batoke mission will be rolling soon.

In Batoke we moved house to house preaching and teaching the word, and many appreciated the word and need some more studies.

We tried to meet with the authorities of the village. The chief was not around, but some of the king makers gave us audience and said we shall be welcome to the community with the truth, because they cross check from the list that the government of Cameroon has published concerning illegal churches (denominations). The Church of Christ is legal and we have authority from our government to preach the saving message in all communities in Cameroon.

I am teaching Bible class this morning on the topic “Abiding in Christ.” This was aimed at helping our brothers and sisters to solely depend on Christ and obey all of His precepts. It was wonderful.

Brother Amode Samuel listens to our program every morning and became a lawyer against those who will get up in the morning and continue arguing among themselves about the message. Finally he called and asked questions and we met him and studied with him. He obeyed the gospel as brother Mbappe, one of our students, baptized him into Christ.

I was there to encourage him the more about his life changing decision to follow Jesus. I love reading and we gave him a copy of the Bible that he reads and calls daily for clear understanding. Keep him in your prayers.

God is blessing our work. Many in the community continue to see the need to be saved and that the Body of Christ is the church of Christ and there is only one body.

Plans
1) We shall go back again to Batoke village for the follow up in the establishment of the church in that community. This will be the first congregation in the whole west coast of Cameroon.

2) We shall attend the annual preachers seminar in Buea not too far from Wotutu, our students will benefit from this two day seminar.

3) The second edition of the annual preacher’s wive’s seminar will be hosted here in Wotutu on the 24th to the 26th of May 2013. We shall appreciate your prayers and concern.

4) Our young graduate, minister Nsong Nelson, will be doing his traditional marriage this weekend 11th of May 2013 to sister Njang Bernadette. Please, they both need your prayers and love.

Appreciations
God bless you for your prayers, concern and deep love shown towards the work here in Cameroon. You are powerful instruments that God is using to do greater things in the life of many here, as we continue to reach-out with the word and souls are being rescued from darkness. Do your best to share this report with others.

God bless you and watch over you in this new week. We love you.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Cambodia Coordinator Chronicle

Greetings
It is with great excitement that I am able to report to you the good news from Cambodia and the plans for this next year.

IBISR
We had 8 graduates this past year, 5 men and 3 women. The men have already been teaching and preaching in various parts of the country with success. Each of them now has 2 years of intense Bible study under their belts while maintaining certain benchmarks to pass. We currently have 8 students in their first year of studies.

Church Growth
During 2012 we have seen continued growth in our main congregation of Siem Reap. More male leaders are stepping up and taking leadership roles, with the intent on becoming elders! The membership has increased to about 50 souls. Takam Village continues to be a place of growth and one of our most potential filled sister congregations. We currently have 3 of our past graduates engaged in the work there. This congregation continues to grow and there are plans to start some other congregations in the nearby area. Leang Dai is a place that we have 2 of our graduates working and taking care of those members. This is a farming village and smaller in size but has steady growth. Even though Svay Reng is near the Vietnam border and is small we continue to see maturity and have hope for them.   

New Work 
Two of our recent graduates currently live on a large pontoon boat in the Bos Krolan area on Tonle Sap Lake. These young men will evangelize, study and hold worship services on the boat while also providing purified water with their filtration system to those in the area. This is very exciting and we ask for you prayers in this area.

Future Plans 
In February I will be traveling to Cambodia for 2 weeks to teach a short course for the students.  Another instructor from the Bear Valley Bible Institute will be traveling with me to teach I & 2 Peter as a short course as well. We are already scheduling others to go and teach on the Godhead, Christian Evidence, 1 & 2 Timothy, Evangelism and the Preacher and his family. I am excited to go and report back to you upon my return my personal viewpoint how things are going. Plans also include working to make the students self sufficient, marketing the school locally and establishing a solid Saturday Bible Study program. I will bring more details to these in the next report.

Thank You

2 Thessalonians 1: 3-5
I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to each of you for your support and faith in this work. I believe that training preachers in their native culture is the best way yet to further the spreading of God’s Word. Your actions have brought many to salvation and honor to the Lord by your giving character.

Wes Autrey
Cambodia Coordinator for IBISR
Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver Extension Program

With All My Heart, I Thank You...

Words cannot express how grateful I am for your words of encouragement since the passing of my father just over a week ago. Your words have been a great source of strength during a very difficult time. My mother continues to struggle with the loneliness of not having dad around and I am thankful to be able to be here with her. I know she would greatly appreciate your prayers as she learns how to move forward without the presence of her husband of 60 years.

I have been working to keep up with the development of the various locations of extension training for the past week. The reports contain wonderful news about the development in each location. Learning about the maturation of the students and their efforts to share the gospel within their countries is a constant source of encouragement. The increase God gives strengthens our faith in His power to work through the power of the Word.

I know you will be encouraged this week with the news from around the world. 

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 

Souls Added In Cameroon: Recent mission work in several villages near Wotutu, Cameroon has brought forth fruit in several souls added to the kingdom.

Diary Of A Recent Trip In Nepal: Gajendra Deshar, along with a few others, visited graduates and was involved in recruiting future students for NCBS.

The Reward Of Preaching The Gospel: The Southwest School of Evangelism in Ibadan, Nigeria shares the rewards that come from preaching the gospel.

Life Is Always Good On The Mission: Chad Wagner’s report looks at the latest events around the Chimala Mission.

I Love Tanzania Because: The reasons for loving the work in Tanzania are many, but Cy Stafford shares a few of the wonderful reasons. 

Final Thoughts
Thank you again for all you do in support of the Extension program, your involvement in the overall development, and your prayers for my family. I am thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends and a spiritual family that continues to provide encouragement. You truly make it possible to survive even the darkest valley.

God bless
Bob

I Love Tanzania Because...

Greetings Fellow Servants,

It is our hope and prayer that each of you are well, blessed and serving others faithfully. We are good, busy about His work. There are many things here in Tanzania that we love and enjoy. There are many reasons we like our life as missionaries here in East Africa. There are any number of reasons we consider ourselves blessed to be here, serving our God and others in Christ. Here are but a few....

I love Tanzania because of men like Bernard Elias (graduate of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching). Bernard, after graduating, went back to his home country of Kenya and has been faithfully serving the church. He recently sent out this short note; “Hey brother, thanks be to the Father, we had 8 baptisms at the meeting. I will write more later today. Be blessed, Bernard and Dorothy.” (2 Timothy 2.2 at work)

I love Tanzania because of men like Philemon David. Philemon was here are our home earlier last week talking about the congregation where he is from. Philemon is a second year student at the ACSOP, he told me the village leader had donated several acres of land for the church. He has invited me to come, meet the village leader, the church family and to teach the Good News to his family, friends and his fellow countrymen. He went on to tell me of another congregation about 70 kilometers from his home that he also visits and works with. I asked him how much it cost to ride a bus back and forth, he said he was not sure because he always road his bike! Yep, he rides almost 44 miles one way to serve his brothers and sisters in Christ. (2 Timothy 2.2 at work)

I love Tanzania because of men like Paul Muhendi, who graduated in November of 2012. While at school he planted one new congregation in the hills of Kilimanjaro. As he was getting closer to graduation he came to me and said; “I have a burning desire to take the gospel to my own people, will you please help me.” He is currently traveling each weekend from Arusha to the village of Katesh (234 miles away). He has planted the church and there are now nine new souls in the Kingdom. He travels the 145 miles one way, spends two nights, lodges, eats and returns. What is the help he needed? $31.54 each week. Brothers and Sisters, here is a wonderful opportunity to sponsor a man in a new work, that God might be glorified and souls might be saved. If you or your congregation is interested, drop me a note and let’s talk.

I love Tanzania because of the men and women I am privileged to work with. The list is long and for this I am truly grateful. One family I will mention here is Jimmy Gee and his family. They left today, heading back to America for their furlough after three years. Jimmy has served as the Director of the ACSOP for several years, and has done a fine job if I say so myself. One of the things I love about this brother is our friendship. He has been that friend others talk about, you know, the one you would like to have in your foxhole in time of war. Yes, Jimmy is a genuine friend, co-worker and brother in Christ. Thank you Jimmy, Trina and family. We wish you a very joyful, peaceful and successful furlough. Hurry home, we already miss you guys. Please keep the Gee family in your prayers as they travel.

The list is long, the space too short. We thank you, we love you and we pray God continues to bless each of you in your support of His work here in Tanzania. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Life Is Always Good On The Mission...

Life is always good here on the mission. There are so many things to do and see here that we always have something to do. We have to be careful, however, because the ants have been quite busy of late. When you get into ants here in Chimala, you know it quickly! Jonah was looking at some ants a few weeks ago. While he was away from the 'line' of ants, he didn't see the other ants in the grass. It took all of us and one of our guards to get all the ants off of him!  

The kids are almost finished with home school for this school year. Rena has been keeping them very busy about every day to get finished. They started late, in October, and they have been playing 'catch up' ever since. Jonah will be starting with kindergarten this year and is very excited. We have already ordered our home school material for next year and we are working on getting it shipped over to us.

Rena, Anna, and Cheryl Bode (another missionary) have been doing mobile clinics in the area. They go to a Masai village and another closby village of Mfumbi. Rena has been doing well-baby checks and giving immunizations.  

We recently hosted lunch for all of the missionaries and guests on the mission to a spagetti lunch with homemade bread! It was quite good.

The weather is changing here in Chimala. We are coming out of the rainy season and into the dry season. That means low humity and cool weather. Nice. However, as you know how it goes with weather changes, a few of the girls are suffering from allergies and/or colds from the weather change.

We are going to go on our furlough in October. We have already raised $300 but we need about $12,000 just for plane tickets. We need your help. We would love to come and visit with you, when we are home, about our work here in Chimala. We are prayerfully asking for your assistance with this trip.

Also, we have revived the mission garden. It is in full bloom! It is producing tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, and so much more. First, we provide all of the vegetables that the schools need to operate. Afterwards, the missionaries share what is left. The ground is fertile! 

Chimala Mission Update
You can check out the latest Chimala Mission newsletter here.

The Chimala Bible Institute is our 2-year Preacher Training program associated with the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver, CO.  We are very proud of the progress the school has made over the last few years. It is currently one of the largest schools of preaching in the world associated with churches of Christ. They will be finishing up short courses in a few weeks and then head home to be with their families until July -- when they will start up again. We are enjoying the visiting teachers we have with us. Reuben Egwu is a preacher and evangelist from Nigeria. He is also a director of a school of preaching in that country. He is here teaching for two weeks. He has spoken several times at the Chimala B (Mission) church of Christ and has been well received every time. We also have Robert Curry here teaching at CBI. Robert is an old friend of Garry Hill (CBI Dean/BV Coordinator). Robert has a Doctor of Ministry from Harding University and we are quite happy to have him here.

Speaking of preacher training, our 2-year residential program is not the only option for preaching training. In fact, we are looking at branching out into local churches strategically placed in commercial centers of SW Tanzania with our Bible School program. This program will train church leaders in their own community to be effective leaders in their own churches. We would be able to train the educated and employed members of the church who cannot come to a 2 year residential program but would love to be trained more. We are excited about this opportunity to train more men and be effective leaders of our churches.

Anna, my oldest daughter, has been busy whipping the CBI library into shape and preparing it for the books coming on the next container. However, with all of these books, we are in need of shelves. One shelf for our library costs $80 each. We are in need of at least 6 -- maybe more -- to fit all of the current books we have and also the books coming.  

The Chimala Mission Hospital has recently been to the brink of closure and (thanks be to God) we are able to keep it open! The Tanzanian government has a program of free obstetrics care for expectant mothers. They strongly suggested that we come into that program last year. Since that time, the number of mothers giving birth have surged. The life-expectancy of mothers are higher with better care than having their child at home. Meanwhile, the TZ government had agreed to cover the expenses of these mothers but has not even come close to fulfilling their end of the bargain. While we were happy to participate, we could no longer afford to be giving away free medical care, supplies, and medicine. We have had to stop the program a few weeks ago. Since then, the LORD has blessed us! Even though we are now charging for our services again, the number of patients has not stayed the same, but increased! We are now in a much better position financially than we were just one month before. The LORD always knows what is best.

We also have two visitors who are volunteering at CMH for the next few weeks. They are Tony Tsang and Grace Tang. They are fourth year med students from Hong Kong, China. They have been working well at the hospital and enlightened by their experiences at CMH.

The Herring Christian Secondary School is going to be doing mock Form 4 exams this next week preparing for the big test in October. As you may know, HCSS is only 3 years old, so this is our first Form 4 year and exam. There is much that is depending upon the outcome of this exam. We are confident that our students will perform well. We would appreciate your prayers, however, since so much depends upon this exam.

One of the projects we are trying to get started is a fish farm. Tilapia is a popular fish and easy to grow. We are wanting to grow Tilapia here on the mission for several reasons. First, it will provide low-cost, healthy protein for the school children. Second, it will reduce costs for school operation as food (especially meat) is quite expensive. Third, we want to train our preacher students and secondary school students to be able to do this in their own place so that can earn a living.  

The Ailsa Farm project is really setting off at this time. We are preparing to begin a seed nursery on the mountain at Ailsa to start planting trees there in January. We will also plant apple trees as well as avocado trees. This will enable the mission to not only keep the land, but to make it productive and useful again to the mission. We are also looking at regaining our mission presence on the mountain. This is a vital first step. We went up for a land survey last week. On the way up, there were only a few clouds. However, by the time we were ready to come down, the rain was heavy and we slide down almost sideways! It's always an adventure in Chimala.

Our sponsoring church is planning on sending a container to us at this time, however, due to the financial assistance we have been giving the hospital, we are unable at this time to send it. If you could help us out with container expenses, that would be wonderful. On the container, we have personal items, mission supplies, books for CBI, and so much more.  

As the mission is a huge place with so much going on all of the time, we are trying to refocus on the spiritual formation of our employees, students, and missionaries. It is important that we all keep in mind that we are working for the LORD, but we still must maintain a personal relationship with Him. The first step in helping the spiritual formation of our mission family is by encouraging chapel attendance and varying speakers. On the mission, there are 5 chapels that go on each day. We want to encourage spiritual growth by giving a variety of speakers at the chapels around the mission.   

Preaching the Gospel
We visit several congregations in the area. We have been working with one congregation more closely -- the Majombe church of Christ. When we visited there one Sunday morning, there was not a Christian meeting there. We investigated to find that another congregation had been started just down the road due to some of the older members. Since we have been working them, we have had 1 baptism and a few restorations. Also, the church is again meeting on a regular basis. Praise be to God for His good help in that effort. We will continue to work occasionally with them to see that they continue 'spurring one another on in love and good works.'

We are looking at several groups coming to work at the Chimala Mision over the course of the next few months. Oklahoma Christian University will be arriving next Saturday on the mission with plans for VBS and service work around the mission. We are also looking at a group from Harding University Nurses coming in mid-May; Tony Hopper and John Rogers in July; and a campaign group in September from Kentucky. We could use you as well in the work here on the mission if you can come. What benefit is there for short-term mission trips? First, they encourage the local Christians. It is helpful to know that there are other Christians out there besides the ones in your local area. Second, they encourage the full-time missionaries to keep working on the field full-time. Third, they encourage Christians in the states to see the wonderful works that God is doing throughout the world. Fourth, it opens the mind of the short-term missionary to new cultures and experiences that they might not get otherwise. Fifth, they can participate in the Great Commission by helping with evangelism. All in all, it is important for full-time missionaries to maintain the work, but also it is important for short-term missionaries to come and encourage the work with their presence and assistance.

Chad Wagner and family

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

The Reward Of Preaching The Gospel...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings from the staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and my fellow WBSFU workers in South West states of Nigeria. We give glory to God Almighty for the successful completion of the 3rd semester and smooth beginning of the 4th semester on April 15, 2013 at SWSE-Ibadan main campus.

We appreciate your impressive fervent prayer, co-operation and relentless support demonstrated to jointly move the Lord's work forward Nigeria and Africa as a whole. We pray that the Almighty God will continue blessing you more abundantly in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Here is the summary of our April 2013 activities:

ON EVANGELISM: The students and staff of SWSE Ibadan evangelized Elesin, Kuede, Akinwande and Alagbede villages of Ona-Ara L.G.A on April 6 and 20, 2013 and a married woman named Anna Yusuf from Akinwande was baptized on April 21 as the result of our April 6 & 20 evangelism at Butubutu congregation where brother Abraham Yeje, one of SWSE students, is ministering.

On April 20, I visited the three WBS students of brother Ken Heflin of West Olive congregation in Peoria, AZ with brother Kayode S. Eniafe, brother Dele Shotola and brother Adeniji Joseph to discuss the Bible with them and the possibility of planting the Lord's church in Egbeda town in May or the nearest future.

Also, the staff and some graduates of SWSE-Lagos campus named brother Matthew Idowu, brother Mfon Etim and brother Okoro Chinyere worked with the WBSFU men in Lagos state from April 4-7 at Oriokuta-Ikorodu town of Lagos state in 3 days mass evangelism and in planting of the Lord's church in that town on April 7, 2013. A soul was converted on April 7 with the planting of the Lord's church at Oriokuta-Ikorodu town, Lagos state.

ON SWSE IBADAN: The 4th semester lectures start on April 15 with four instructors. We commenced works on the SWSE-Events hall on April 19 & 20, 2013 in preparation of the May 31st dedication of that hall for the Lord's glory!

ON OTHER ACTIVITIES: At the WBS seminar of April 13, 2013 in Baruwa-Ipaja town, Lagos state....I and brother A.B.Udoh, one of the WBSFUW in Lagos state, taught on WBS lessons- Review and Application. Thirty-nine WBS students graced the occasion with some few brethren from sisters congregation. Two WBS students were baptized at the end of the exercise.

I taught on April 7 on “The Reward of Giving unto the Lord” at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan and the secondary class on April 21 on “The Principles Governing True Worship” and the women’s class on “Christian Etiquette” from 1 Peter 2 :11-18.

IN CONCLUSION: We thank you all for your moral and financial support for the Lord's work in Africa and Nigeria in particular. May the Lord keep using you all for His glory is our fervent prayer in Jesus Christ name, amen.

I remain your fellow laborer in Christ Jesus,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE) Ibadan & Lagos satellite campus, Nigeria