God Is Good All The Time...

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. The thought behind this expression emphasizes the direction of the overall program. God has blessed the work of extension training and continues to show His goodness and favor throughout the world. The development of each location where Bear Valley is privileged to work in training men to preach is powerful. The dedication of the staff and students throughout the world is an example for all of us.

The week has been filled with various activities. A number of the stateside teachers and coordinators have been traveling to visit schools where short courses were needed. The reports below will indicate the enjoyment of the staff and students, along with their families, with the classes that were taught.

One of the greatest joys in this work is seeing the unity between brethren who come together with a common purpose. The joy fills to overflowing when seeing the efforts of like-minded brothers and sisters who want nothing more than to see the kingdom of God grow, the lost saved, and the church built up. The good accomplished through working side by side to fulfill God’s mission is making a difference.

This week the reports continue to bring encouragement to all of us at Bear Valley for the opportunity to share in the kingdom work. To God be the glory for all we are able to do together, and for the increase He continues to give as we work to honor our Master.

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 ready by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Safari For Souls In Full Swing: With campaign groups coming and leaving from Arusha, it is exciting to read about the growth in the kingdom.

Walking With God: A new series of lessons in Nigeria provides teaching in the nature of the walk and how to walk with God.

Marriage And Family In Cameroon: Visiting instructors are in Cameroon for short courses and the course on Marriage and Family this past week has strengthened the church. 

Final Thoughts
As you finish reading the report this week, please know we are praying for you each day. We are thankful for our partnership in the task of preaching the gospel and training men to preach. The work grows because God continues to bless all we do together. Thank you.

God bless
Bob

Safari For Souls In Full Swing...

Greetings Fellow Workers,

We greet you with much joy and thanksgiving. The Lord continues to bless His work here in Tanzania in a grand way. We hope this short report finds the same in your life, blessings, joy and thanksgiving. We thank Him for each of you, your prayers, your service, and your support. Without you, we would not be where we are, souls would have gone wanting, and the Devil would be rejoicing.

Our brothers and sisters from the Hoover congregation have come and they are gone. Yes, they are gone, but not forgotten. Their works continue in the conversion of two new souls at the newly planted White Rose congregation, in Arusha. Vanesa and Rutty gave their lives to God this day, making the number of souls who have done the same 20 in number. Dozens of studies continue and the building is going up both physically and spiritually. Thanks to the vision and support of our good brothers and sisters from Hoover the White Rose congregation will have a permanent meeting house in the next two or three weeks.

Our dear brother Michael Mitalami called a couple of days ago informing me of one soul being added to the Church at Karatu. This is the third soul to obey in the last month through the efforts of Michael using World Bible School material. The printed page continues to have a great impact on the lost of East Africa.

Julius Gasper reports: “We greet you brethren in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are doing well with the work of the Lord here and we thank God for the three souls added to the Church.” 

Our summer Safari for Souls campaigns are in full swing. Our follow-up efforts continue at White Rose, our pre-campaign efforts continue to Ngurdoto (the campaign begins this Tuesday), the pre-campaign efforts at Kwa Mrombo are going well.

The Hoover group has left, Gary Box has left, but Parker Aultman remains, Cotton and Hannah Box are here, Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benitez arrived yesterday, the OK group arrive tomorrow (group of 20), Brian Horner and Rissa Morris arrive this week.

We are blessed on so many levels and in so many ways. We have put into the hands of the people more than 400 copies of God’s Word, over 500 copies of the Searching for Truth book, thousands of tracts and hundreds of Bible Correspondence Courses. The work continues to God’s glory and to the saving of lost souls.

We continue to solicit your prayers and support as we strive to live for Him through our service to others. Please continue to remember our sister Soneia who is to begin cancer treatment this week. Also our brother Charles Lollar who has been put on a heart transplant list and our dear sister Kathy Minor who has had heart surgery and is recovering. Thank God for hearing our prayers, and for answered prayers! May your week be a blessing in the lives of others to the saving of their souls. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Walking With God...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are deeply appreciative of your moral and financial support toward the growth of the Lord's kingdom on earth.

I start our three months teaching on Walking with God today - June 16 by teaching on “What walking with God is all about!” While brother Lawrence Dada, one of the graduates of SWSE-Ibadan and a member of Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation admonished the church on “Are You Walking With God?” We are 55 in attendance with total collection of N2,100=

In the afternoon, I taught the Women’s Class on The Women of God - “How to walk with God.”

Brethren, June 15, 2013 was an entrance and interview to next academic session at SWSE-Ibadan and only five new students were admitted for the Diploma program to join the six students for the two years of studies and three students admitted for the advanced certificate from the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver to join the other six students who did not meet with the school requirements for graduation.

Below are the students for 2013 / 2014 academic session at SWSE-IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA:

A: DIPLOMA SESSION:

1. Adeniji John 2. Emmanuel Shotola 3. Destiny Elijah 4. Festus Ayoo 5. Ishom Gabriel 6. Olofingorite A. Mayowa 7. Oluwasegun S.Idowu 8. Samuel Omotayo 9. Samuel Olorode 10. Tsado Jonathan 11. Ishmael Alabi 

NB: Numbers 2, 4, 7, 10 & 11 are the new students

B: CERTIFICATE SESSION FROM BEAR VALLEY:

1. Abraham Idu Yeje 2. Adedoyin Sola Rotimi 3. Adeniji Joseph 4. Adekunle Olanrewaju 5. Adeyehun Raphael 6. Abiodun Lawrence 7. Faleye Joseph 8. Samuel Arowolo 9. Udeme Umoh

NB: Numbers 1,2 & 6 are the only new students

Brethren, we thank the Almighty God for His mercy on us all! May the Lord keep us fit in His loving way till death, 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

Marriage And Family In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters in Christ here in Cameroon. We do hope you are doing great. We had great time with the first short course instructor in this beta batch students, brother Bill Stewart.

The congregation and the students are doing great even though with some health problems, because of the season. Our week was really a busy one as members of the congregation alongside married students and their wives, with single students, took the course Marriage and Family. It was great as many enjoyed it and pray it comes again to strengthen marriages in Cameroon, and by so doing strengthen the church. If we have strong, devoted and zealous families then automatically we shall have strong congregations for the glory of God. Thanks be to God for the coming of CBIW which is opening doors for many things to happen in Cameroon.

This was the practical part of the course, where you look at your mate in the eyes and tell him or her how much you love and appreciate your marriage so far. It was great and challenging from the start but it became exciting and many love to do, oh what a week in CBIW.

After the course for a week, we were waiting for the banquet. I and my wife took brother Bill for a walk and visited our environment, and we took him to the tea farm. He was happy to see the tea plant physically.

We paraded into the banquet hall for a “choosing your mate again celebration.” I was blessed that my wife chose me again. It was lovely and filled with excitements. Glory be to God.

The banquet was characterized with the mates making their vows again. It was colorful and we really appreciate Bear Valley for their gestures toward the cross.

We had opportunity to exchange vows and put rings on again which signifies the agape love that God has given to us which has to keep going round and round. 163 people were in attendance and a total of 29 couples. It was amazing and brother Bill was happy and said it was great for him to see the ambiance in the Wotutu congregation.

Choosing my mate marriage license was given to all the 29 couples. We praise God for brother Bill for such thoughtfulness about the program.

As we took him to the airport to see him off from Cameroon, we also welcomed another short course instructor and the coordinator of the school, brother David Ballard who is here to teach The New Testament Church. We waited for the plane that brought brother David to arrive and we took dinner together at a restaurant at the airport before brother Bill left our shores safe and sound. By His grace, as I write this report brother Bill will be arriving Denver in 2 hours.

Plans
1) Our students will leave campus on Friday to different locations for evangelistic campaigns that will transit them to their homes for vacation. Keep their travels in your prayers.

2) We shall have evangelism in many congregations with brother David before he leaves. Please keep this work in your prayers.

Appreciations
Thank you for your prayers and support of the work going on in CBIW and Cameroon. God bless you and watch over you. Pray for us as we pray for you. Do your best to share our report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Graduation And Growth In Extension Training...

Graduation seems to be the most common thread in the extension program this week. Recently students graduated in Honduras, Ukraine, and India. Reports below provide details of the various graduation events, along with pictures of the students. There are times it is difficult to fully understand or recognize how great an accomplishment it is for these students to dedicate themselves to two full years of intense study. We are encouraged by their efforts.

The work these students have been involved with during their time in school, as well as, the work they are entering continues to demonstrate the wonderful hand of God in giving the strength and increase for the work. Your prayers on behalf of these students is greatly appreciated. Remember them and their families as they strive to serve the Lord.

Additional reports share information about the progress of students throughout the remainder of the schools globally. Some students are enjoying a summer break, while others continue their studies in the word of God. The credit goes to staff within each location. They have given their lives to the task of preparing students to lead throughout the various countries where they live and serve in the Lord’s kingdom.

Credit also goes to each of you for the time, energy, talent, and financial support provided to sustain the work of extension training. Thank you for your dedication to the Lord, His church, the lost of the world, and the work of training preachers.

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 recently returned from Ukraine and Tanzania. Read his report by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

From Physical Death To Spiritual Life In Cameroon: Elangwe’s father-in-law recently passed away. During this loss spiritual birth brings two souls to the kingdom.

Building The Bridge On Marriage Communication: Bill Stewart recently taught class in Nigeria at the Southwest School of Evangelism. 

Please Pray For Earnest’s Wife, Benu: After a recent surgery, Earnest’s wife, Benu is facing challenges with her health. Please pray for her and their family.

Milestones At Visakha Valley Bible College: The work in Visakhapatnam, India continues to reach new milestones with the VVBC.

Graduates At BVBIU In Ukraine: The largest class to graduate from BVBIU recently received their certificates to honor their achievements. 

Final Thoughts
I final word of thanks. Your support and confidence in Bear Valley to continue in this work is encouraging and edifying. We will never be able to fully express our gratitude for all you do to make this work possible. Thank you.

God bless
Bob

Graduates At BVBIU In Ukraine...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches. 

In this letter I want to share with you some news about the events that took place at BVBIU in Gorlovka. There are many memorable and interesting events, and some of them are already a part of our history, and yet there are some that will take place in the future. In 15 years of our Institute's existence, we faced various difficulties, and each time God was our hope and protection. For 8 years, we didn't have our own building, and now we have it; we didn't have enough students, and this year we've had 7 graduates. From time to time we experience a lack of financial support, but each time there are churches that are willing to help us in this work. God is great, and He still hears our prayers. 

On Monday, May 27, we had a graduation ceremony for the second-year students. This year we've had the highest number of graduates for the last five years. Seven prepared ministers were taught and trained for two years to preach and serve at the Lord’s church.  All of them have been serving at the church, and we hope that they will keep bringing fruits for the kingdom of God. Ukraine, as many other countries, is in need of ministers, and we try to meet this need. Congregations where they will minister have finally receive their full-time preachers. We hope that fellowship and friendships formed while being at school will continue among the graduates, and they can always count on our support to protect the gospel. Coordinator of our extension school and his wife, Howell and Mary Ferguson, made it right on time for the graduation. They brought diplomas with the signatures of the Institute’s leaders and valuable presents in the form of signed shirts. 

In the middle of May, we had planned a long awaited youth conference on the topic “Personal Relationships with God.” We invited young people from the local congregations.  There were about 60 Christians and guests attending our youth conference. Jim Sherman and Steve Housley were the main speakers. These brothers are active participants in the work of our Institute. By the way, they both taught the last courses in this school year. Jim Sherman taught courses on James and The Preacher and His Work, and Steve Housley taught the courses on John and John’s Epistles. We are grateful for their work and ministry in Ukraine.

Right now it’s vacation time at the Institute. The classes will resume at the beginning of September. The students have their obligations before the Institute and the local congregations where they minister. It’s time for them to start making practical application of their skills and knowledge. Each student is obliged to prepare and teach at least 5 Bible classes and participate at the Sunday worship service. During the summer time I will be looking for the new students for this Institute. As of right now, we don’t have any applications, so I ask you to pray for the recruitment of the students for the new school year.  

In June we plan to have the school of the young preacher. Last year we had 8 young men (ages 13-17).  During several days we will show these young men how important it is to be a minister in the church. Also in the middle of June we will have two-week courses in the Masters’ program at our Institute.  

I want to thank all the churches that participate in the work of this Institute; we are really in need of your help. You make a huge input in spreading the sound doctrine in Ukraine. Trained ministers are already serving in local congregations and teaching the truth.

If you have any questions or comments, I'm always ready to get in touch with you. 

Your brother and co-worker for the Lord's cause, 

Dennis Sopelnik

To see Dennis’ report with pictures from graduation, please click here.

Milestones At Visakha Valley Bible College...

Dear Brethren in Christ, 

Greetings to you all in the name of Lord Jesus Christ from Visakha Valley Bible College. By the grace of God we are all doing fine and hope the same with you all.  

After the graduation ceremony we were busy in attending the local preachers fellowship meetings as well as gospel meetings. 

Public Gospel Meetings
Finally the congregations in the city of Visakhapatnam have successfully conducted the Public Gospel meetings for three days. This has been a long lasting dream to many brethren here. By the grace of God, director Samuel Raju has taken the initiative to motivate the preachers in the City to come together to hold this awesome program. After several meetings and discussion among the brethren they finally came up with a plan. Still it needed somebody to take the lead, so we the faculty, students (current/past), came forward to spend 3 full days to get ready the meetings place and make other arrangements for the audience. By the grace of God we had successful gospel meetings. This has helped us promote our school. We had so many students visit our school and inquire about the courses & facilities we are offering at Visakha. 

Faculty Meeting
We had another faculty meeting to discuss the curriculum and also about the admissions currently going on. We discussed about running two parallel batches of students so that we do not have to wait for two years to graduate the students, where one group of students will be graduated every year. We shall implement this plan for this time. According to this we shall enroll some students this year and some in next year. We are thinking about 12 students for each batch. In his recent visit brother Jerry Bates advised us to think about this, so when we put this before the rest of the faculty for discussion everybody agreed to implement this plan. We believe this will open up opportunities for many other students, we do not have to ask the interested person to wait for a couple of years to get enrolled. We hope and pray that this will be successful for the benefit of the School. 

Preachers Fellowship & Gospel Meeting 
Brother Uday Kumar, who attends our school during the short courses, has invited us for a gospel meeting as well as Preachers Fellowship Meeting. This brother lives in Vijayanagaram District which is about 80 kms from our school. We had been there for two days, our faculty, and old students who live in that area, were present as well. We witnessed a couple of people baptized into Christ. Our graduates have reported about the new additions in their church families. Brother Vamsee preached in both the nights, other teachers, brother Balaram & Malleswarao, preached during the Day.

This month has been very productive because we attended several gospel meetings, distributed thousands of Gospel Tracts and witnessed over 20 people being baptized.

We appreciate all your prayers and support to run the preacher training school which is opening up doors to reach out the unreached souls with the Good News. Please greet the brethren at your congregation. 

Our heartfelt gratitude towards the elders of Strickland Church of Christ for overseeing this work and the elders of the Lake Houston Church of Christ for helping to run the school. May our efforts produce more preachers and many congregations will be established and there by be edified.  

Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you so much for you kind concern towards running the preacher training school at Visakhapatnam. Without your help there is no way we can run this school. Please visit Bear Valley’s website to see pictures from the events at Visakha Valley Bible College.

We believe that the Scripture is revealed to us by the inspired men so that the men of God be equipped for every good work. The good work such as teaching, correcting, reproofing and for training in righteousness. We are certainly blessed to have Visakha Valley Bible College to teach the inspired word to the men of God to do every good work of carrying out the gospel to their own people. 

By the grace of God and kind encouragements of the supporting churches we have reached two milestones so far. One is training 16 men in the year 2009-11 and the second is 9 preaching students receiving their Master's Degree from the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, which made the total students sent out to the mission field from our school 25. This is our first Master’s Batch. Now, we reached another milestone, that is sending out another 13 successful students (2011-13) to the mission field.  Our mission of ‘Reaching the un-reached millions’ is absolutely coming true.  

 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? Rom 10: 14, 15” At this time we honor our mighty God for His kindness and mercy. Now these men are ready to go into the mission field, let us pray that they will be bring glory to the Lord God.

Thank you very much brethren for being part of this accomplishment, we pray that our joint efforts would establish more congregations in this pagan nation. Please share this report with the rest of the brethren.

In Christ,

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

Please Pray For Earnest's Wife, Benu...

Dear brother, 

Thank you for the prayers and concern. This past Monday my wife was operated on and again they have sent the lump for a biopsy. It was perhaps, by mistake, the surgeon took the sample before the surgery as it showed negative, but after the surgery, they have gave the report as positive. Though in a very early stage. We wish to do whatever is necessary at the earliest. I request you to pray for Benu as this is our great hope. 

Two souls obeyed the Lord here last week. One was a student and the other a WBS student who approached us from a nearby place. We have asked him to continue in worship and I think he needs more encouragement.

I have received the course from brother Joshua Gootam. It is written by Ira Y. Rice, Jr. and has 26 lessons. It seems one lesson is missing on Restoration. I will soon be working on the translation. I think we can start translation and printing lesson by lesson, too. Maybe we can start with the printing in small quantity.  

In Christ
Earnest 

Building The Bridge On Marriage Communication...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Greetings and appreciation for your love and care! May the Lord keep using you all for His glory is our fervent prayer .

Below is the summary of our June 1-7 at the SWSE-Ibadan, Nigeria.

The staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and our Lagos counterpart divided ourselves into three groups on June 1 to evangelize Egbeda town, Jago village and Butubutu village and the group evangelized Jago village had one convert on June 1, 2013 at the end of that day activity.

On Sunday of June 2, I taught on What Makes a Strong Church from Deut.4 :1-40 at Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan. We had 56 in attendance with total collection of N2,050=

Immediately after that Sunday morning worship, I travel to Lagos to welcome our August visitor-brother Bill Stewart who arrived in Nigeria around 4:00 pm on that Sunday evening.

On June 3, brother Bill commenced teaching on Building the Bridge on Marriage Communication at SWSE-Ibadan main campus, and our 37 students (from both Ibadan & Lagos satellite campus) were in attendance. The lectures were so interesting and powerful and the students wished the lectures should be extended by another one week!

During the lectures on the home by brother Bill, one of our prospects named Victoria Foluke Oguntunde was baptized on June 6, 2013 at Oshun River by 3:30 pm witnessed by brother Bill and four other brethren. 

On the evening of June 6, brother Bill witnessed the sending forth of our 37 students for a month teaching practice in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Oshun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Delta and River states of Nigeria. We shared with them all packages of tracts for evangelism during their one month preaching program.

On June 7, at the close of brother Bill’s lectures on the home and marriage, a Marriage Banquet was conducted. I served as the guest speaker and I spoke on Living a life of Love (1 Cor. 13:1-7) while brother Bill did the renewal of marriage vows for eleven couples at Doug Wheeler Hall! The program was attended by over 100 participants. In fact, every thing was great!

On Saturday morning of June 8, brother Bill left Nigeria for Cameroon for another week of lectures. We thank all our American and Canadian brethren for their dedication and great interest in the salvation of mankind. May the Lord of blessing continue blessing you all in Jesus Christ name, amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

From Physical Death To Spiritual Life in Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. I do hope this reports finds you in good health. We are doing great and we just returned safe and sound from a short trip which was characterized with sorrow and joy.

As we went to bury brother Paul, God gave opportunity for some to be buried spiritually and to live  in newness of life. This is brother Mbappe baptizing a new brother Linus.

After the long courses exams, staff and students of CBIW had some few days to rest while the wait on the short courses instructors.

We used these few days of rest to attend the funeral program of my wife’s father. We went there to mourn with those who mourn, and also to scatter the seed of the gospel to the entire community. We used one stone to kill two birds. We praise God that it worked well and glory goes to God for His great accomplishments.

Our students went to Kwa-kwa village going house to house with their Bibles telling many that Jesus cares for them. It was interesting and many will leave whatever they are doing to focus on the saving message of Jesus.

We were also part of the evangelistic efforts in Kwa-kwa village. It was great and we give glory to God. This made CBIW very popular again in the country as we use any given opportunity to reach out to souls, because we think souls daily.

Our students and others met with the Kwa kwa congregation, processing into the village with the mortal remains of brother Paul Fon, my wife’s father. Many saw the love and unity of the church of Christ during this event.

The students carried the mortal remains to the grave. It was pathetic as many kept crying as they lost a man like brother Paul Fon who had impacted the lives of many in the community. Continue to keep the family that he left behind in your prayers.

Another baptism took place late in the night as many heard the good news and decided to follow Jesus. A total of 7 precious and zealous souls were added by the Lord to the church in Kwa kwa, while 4 souls were restored back to our family there. Keep them in your prayers and the congregation there to nurture them to maturity. One of our Alpha batch graduates, evangelist Ewang Divine, is serving in this congregation and will make sure their steady growth is assured.

Praise God and you for your prayers on behalf of brother Bill Stewart who was to come to CBIW for the first time to teach the students along side their wives for those who can get them to Wotutu for the Marriage and Family class. He made it safe and sound. He preached this morning in the Wotutu congregation from the book of Philippians. It was great and many appreciated his wisdom. Keep him in your prayers as he delivers his assignment this week. Many seems interested to come from outside Wotutu to attend the class, but we don’t have accommodations and that will hinder some from making the trip from other congregations around Cameroon. This course will help many, because if we have strong Christians families then we shall definitely have a strong church all over. Pray for us.

Plans
1) We shall go back to Batoke village for mass evangelism next month to fully establish a congregation there.

2) Next month we shall be in Muyuka congregation for a 4 days evangelism, this is a special invitation from that local congregation to come and help in evangelism.

Appreciations
Thank you for your prayers, your help in many ways, and your love for the gospel in this country. God bless you and reward you in due season. Do your best to share this with others who may love to be part.

Elangwe and family
BY His grace Director CBIW

God Given Responsibility...

The summer months have ushered in severe weather throughout much of the country, especially across the plains’ states. Two weeks in a row the state of Oklahoma has experienced extreme tornado activity that has resulted in the loss of lives and property. These storms have also resulted in damage across other states, i.e. Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky. I know many of you are already involved in praying for the people who have been affected by these events. We ask you to continue praying for the families who have lost lives and suffered damage to their homes.

This type of activity reminds us of how temporary life is and the need to have a strong faith. Trusting in God when there is so much suffering is challenging, especially in the lives of those who do not know God and are outside of a relationship with Him. We would ask you to pray for opportunities for Christians to shine the light of God’s love into the lives of those who are hurting physically and emotionally and who need Him spiritually.

These events are also shared in the lives of others around the world. There is no country and no individual exempt from tragedy, loss of life and property, and suffering with those who face such times. Through Christ we have hope of a life beyond this physical realm and the suffering that accompanies it. The message of hope is one we seek to instill in the hearts and minds of men and women domestically and globally. We also ask you to pray for each student who is involved in the extension program to have the knowledge and wisdom to reach out with the hope of Christ to each person who suffers.

God has given us the ability and opportunity. The resulting responsibility is not taken lightly. We must recognize the way God is working throughout the world and integrate ourselves as part of His plan in fulling the mission of reconciling the world back to God through Christ. This week’s reports share information of how this is being done.

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 

Persecution Of A new Christian In Cameroon: Even though we do not often see persecution in our neighborhood, it is a live and well in Cameroon.

Uganda Is “On The Grow...” Recent events in Uganda are demonstrating the growth taking place numerically and spiritually.

Need For Materials In Kenya: The need may not seem great to us, on this side, but students in Kenya could greatly benefit from materials for the library.

The Plight Of Lacking Preacher Support: The challenges of ministry are the same around the world. In Togo, preachers are struggling for lack of financial support.

Safari For Souls Leading Souls To Christ: As groups of campaigners arrive in Arusha, Tanzania, the first weekend of Safari for Souls is already off to a great start. 

Final Thoughts
I want to thank each of you for continuing to be a vital part of the work of Extension training. The partnership we share in this work is extending the hand of God into the lives of others globally. There is a great excitement that exists when we consider how God is using each part of this program to successfully unite souls to the Savior of the world. May God continue to give the increase as the seed is sown and watered. Thank you!

God bless
Bob

Safari For Souls Leading Souls To Christ...

Greetings Fellow Servants,

We are well, busy and thankful to be a part of God’s family. We hope the same for each of you as you begin a new week in Him. Our co-workers have arrived! Cotton, Gary and Hannah Box have been busy with Bible studies, working with local evangelist, translators, and Christian brothers and sister from the areawide congregations. The studies are many, the excitement contagious, and the good being done, Heaven only knows. The Hoover group of 15, lead by Sid Aultman and Chuck Webster are here as well, ready to begin the work of reaching the lost with the saving message of the Gospel.

Today Cotton and Gary taught and preached at the newly planted White Rose congregation. Chuck and Grant Webster taught and preached at Kwa Mrombo. As we reflected on the morning, Cotton mentioned, “father-son” teaching and preaching at both congregations. What an amazing testimony to the “scriptural home” as God would have it! Thank you Cotton and Chuck for leading your families in the way of the Lord and for the good example you have lead for so many.

I received a short note from our brother Josephat Massawe, evangelist for the Kilimanjaro congregation and director for the Moshi Bible School.

“Dear brothers in Christ, It is our hope that you all are doing well with this great work of love. We also continue to thank Him for great things and opportunities that he grants  us. I can remember sometime ago I had offered request of prayer on behalf of our young Christian sister, Christina. She obeyed while she was three months pregnant. Being suffering from miscarriages before, she was nervous that she might lose the baby prematurely. But with prayer God helped her to carry it through normal delivery. She had had three consecutive loses before her baptism but now she is happy nursing her baby as well as enjoying the wonderful fellowship in the body of Christ. The second item is Christina and her young sister Joyce whom we studied with, is very close to obey the gospel. Stephen Masas and his wife who have been attending services for about seven month, they have come the the knowledge of truth and his wife Georgina is ready for baptism this Sunday. We thank you all for caring about God’s work and for your prayers. May God bless you richly.”

We are reminded daily of God’s love and protection in our lives. We ask of each of you to join us in this month of Safari for Souls campaigns and outreach efforts. With your prayers, God’s providential care, and the power of His Word, we know great things await us. We are willing, able and busy about His Kingdom’s work. We know without you, this would simply not be the case. Thank you, God be with you all, and may He have His way in each of our lives to His glory and to the saving of many souls.

Please remember our sister Kathy Minor who suffered a heart attack this past week, under went surgery and is now recovering. Also our sister Soneia Galloway who is to begin chemo treatment in the coming days. Also please remember our new missionaries Nathan (graduate of Bear Valley) and Jessica McVeigh as they continue to travel this way. They were due in this morning at 1am, but due to weather have been delayed and are due in tomorrow morning at 3 am. Pray for this family as they adjust and begin their work in the Kingdom. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

The Plight Of Lacking Preacher Support...

Senghor is teaching the church an administration and management class. Until recently, he was a member of the Nyiveme church in Kpalime while teaching in one of the high schools in town. He has been transferred to Lome the capital city.

12 congregations organize “ joint service”
Twelve congregations in the Kpalime area organized a “joint service” to encourage each other in matters pertaining to giving. The service was used to initiate discussions on how to support each other in times of bereavement.

There were three speakers: Cephas –s poke on how Christians should prepare to face death, Rodrigue - spoke on what brethren are to do when a member is dead. I spoke on “Giving is to prove the sincerity of our love for Christ and His church” (2 Cor. 8:8). The meeting was hosted by the Yoh Church of Christ, and was attended by 104 adults and 60 children. Total attendance 164.

Three baptisms at Hanyigba
The Lord’s church was planted in this Catholic dominated community near Kpalime. For a while, we thought no one would leave the Catholic Church for the Church of Christ, but Jean Akli a former student of CBS, continued to meet with his family, a few friends and relations. This continued for over a year. Jean continued to preach and teach from house to house. After a recent campaign, the number of baptized persons has risen to ten. Recently, a man and his wife (both over 60 years) were baptized. A young lady was also baptized after a question she asked about baptism was answered to her satisfaction. All these new Christians have spent years in the Catholic church.

Tutu campaign scheduled for June20-23
All is set for church planting exercise at Tutu, about an hour drive from Kpalime. The goal for this campaign is to move the Beme church to Tutu because they seem to be more receptive and tolerant to the teachings of the New Testament Church. Beme on the other hand is predominantly Evangelical Presbyterian. There is a major road that separates the two towns from each other. We have already approached the elders of the town for a plot of land on which we shall put up a shed for our services. We shall need $500.00 for the shed.

Proposed date for graduation is 28th September, 2013

Lack of Preacher Support: A Threat to the Growth of the Church in Togo
The plight of eleven former students of CBS has become a great challenge to young men who are contemplating enrolling at CBS for the two year Biblical studies. Until recently, all the eleven had been preaching without any form of support. However, four of them have been hired to take care of four newly established congregations near Lome. The problem confronting the preachers stems from the fact that, the churches they preach for are still young and incapable of paying them. The difficulty of the preachers is that, if they should encourage these young men to go for the training, then they become responsible to find support for them, something the preachers also lack. We are in a difficult situation and therefore need all the help we can get.

The problem is going to be compounded by 15 more preachers coming to join these eleven in September. These men will also lose their support after the graduation in September. However, a couple of men have expressed the desire to attend CBS come September 2013.

New Congregation to be planted in Agou Gare
As part of activities prior to graduation in September, we have planned to organize a two day seminar at CBS in Kpalime and a three day church planting exercise at Agou Gare near Kpalime. Those who are going to be part of this exercise include: all past students, the graduating class, new students and instructors.

Willie Gley

Need For Materials In Kenya...

Dear Brethren,

Greetings everyone, it has been a while since I wrote on what is going on at KSOP and it is worth the wait. The third quarter has just come to an end with a lot of activities, the students have gone home for a three weeks break and will report back on June 21st. It has been the greatest quarter in terms of evangelism and the classes taken. The students who have been going out to preach, have done great work to the glory of God and we still need more to go out.

We had two baptisms in Marega church and I wish they had a camera to show the situation. The Marega church is in an area that is normally affected by floods annually in the month of April to May, this leads to loss of lives and destruction of properties. But on that occasion it made Joseph and Elias’ work of baptism very easy to do, water was everywhere.

Through the efforts of the students we had 5 restorations in Kisumu worshipping at the school building. We also found a church bearing the right name a few kilometers from the school building but practicing some errors (women leading singing, preachers called pastors, singing while partaking Lord’s supper and giving, fellowshipping those in total mess), we have been in constant studies with them and they have been ready to do Bible things in Bible ways. We pray they will be fully restored to worshipping God in Spirit and truth even in our absence.

The third quarter classes went on well as planned with all the short course teachers coming early enough and well prepared for the classes. We had David Wasonga teaching the book of Job, Omutele Obadiah teaching 1and2 Thessalonians while Phabian Paul did marvelous in the class “World religion” with more emphasis on Islam. So far all the 17 students have covered 21 courses and the growth is tremendous.

In August there is plan to have some selected students from Kenya and Uganda finish their masters classes in Kenya, this too will be a milestone in training more men who can more accurately handle the word of truth.

One thing for sure, the school can do more of evangelism within Kisumu and outside. This is where we are scoring poorly because we lack resources. We need tracts and Bibles to help in the studies. We need correspondence courses distributed and graded within the school. This will create a lot of Bible studies and follow ups.

KSOP is still a new school in need of study materials, tracts, used religious books, song books in your bookshelf, might not mean a lot to you since you have read them but it means a lot to us here. Our library is still small. If you are willing to donate any study materials, feel free to contact me or send them to the address below:

Kenya School of Preaching
P.O. Box 7696 – 40100
Kisumu – Kenya.

Thanks in advance!

On a sad note, one of our students, Ernest Amwanzo, lost his father and the burial will be conducted on June 1st. Keep that brother and his family in your prayers. Also, remember to keep the school in prayers; the government officials are on my neck on why I am using a residential building for training purposes. We have started the process of getting the papers they need, but we will only be freed from them when we will establish our own buildings for the school which is now top on my priority list.

Elias and I plan to go work with congregations in the villages during the month of June helping them with gospel meetings and campaigns.

We thank you all who have been involved with the great work going on in Kenya. The Lord’s peace be with you.

His servant and yours,

Charles, Director KSOP
Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

Uganda Is "On The Grow..."

Dear brethren,

We do thank you very much for the support you are giving to  us here in Uganda. The Uganda school of  Evangelism is going on well. We have started our first quarter in the second year. In the Kiswahili Class we have 9 students and in the English class we have 12 students.  The subjects we are teaching this quarter are Minor Prophets from Hosea - Micah, by brother Ojiambo Morris, Jeremiah - Lamentation  by Ouma Christopher, 1 & 2 Timothy and Homiletics 2 by brother Raymond Bwambale. 

Paul and I we are now working on the translation of these lessons from  English to Kiswahili  for future use. Paul is still working in the garden with these students. We teaching them how to plant vegetables on raised beds in the morning from 7:00 to 10:00 am and from 2:00 to 3:00 pm teaches them in class. From class they go out to evangelize in their respective villages. We also to want bring in someone who knows about bee keeping so that they can be taught how to care for bees. For this person to come he needs an allowance of $20 dollars that includes transport, meals, and pocket money. He will be coming once a week for one month. 

There is a school in Kenya which trains people in Animal Heath Industry, training we wanted Paul to receive there. Reading from their brochure, we find that when Paul can go there, he will help our students very much. His education will cost $1800 dollars for the whole course of 2 years. If we can get this money they want him to go in July 2013. I have attached their  brochure which has the subjects they are teaching. We need your  support in these.   

Brother Ema Mawa has completed his studies here and he desires to go for further advanced  studies in Arusha in July. We pray that he may be allowed to take that course. I met my old friend   and a brother from Sudan, Mr. Daniel Khamsin Walle. I met him in Arusha in 2005. He came with a friend of his at Arusha Bible school looking for a place he could teach Bible. I asked his  educational background and he showed me his B.A in Christian Education which he received in  a Baptist seminary in Arusha. I enrolled him in the Truth for the World Bible correspondence course. He studied this course and completed the five courses very well. When he came for his certificate, I asked him if he understood the course and what he is supposed to do. He told me that from what he has read, he needs to be baptized. I made arrangements for him to baptized at the Arusha church of Christ. 

In December 2007, when I left Arusha moving to Uganda, he also left Arusha and went back to Sudan when I was still in the States, when I had gone to meet the elders of Woodland Oaks and we lost contact. As someone who had been in the denomination, he did not understand that he could start a church of Christ congregation without  permission from someone. He just looked for employment with Care International. In February this year, when he had gone to Arusha, he met with  brother David Bay who gave him my phone number and we started communicating. He had gone to do interview for the Master program at Mt. Meru University in Arusha. He has visited me here in Busia and I have reminded him of who he is, and now he is willing to go back to South Sudan and start a congregation of the Lord’s church in a border town of Nimule. To get more Biblical knowledge, he agreed to be coming to Uganda School of Evangelism during the short courses and also be enrolled in distance learning in International College of the Bible. The only challenge that might hinder him from starting this work is finance. He will need some money for his house rent, and rent for a place of worship and also his personal support. 

Please brethren we need your prayers over this. Hope to read from you.

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

Persecution Of A New Christian In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this end. I do hope this report finds you well and sound in the faith. We are doing great. We praise God even though many are sick, even myself, from cool and catarrh. My daughter was rushed to the hospital again, immediately after worship. Thanks be to God she is getting better. Please keep her in your prayers, she is call Cheercy.

Brother Etah Edwin, our student, taught Bible class this morning on the topic of Christianity, which is away from the drama that is prevailing in the world today.

CBIW students spent time taking exams in the examination hall for the second quarter. How time flies. Keep them in your prayers. After these exams we shall have two short courses; Marriage and Family and The New Testament Church. Thereafter, students will go out for campaign and vacation within two weeks.

At our worship hall this morning we had 6 first time visitors, all those standing admired the New Testament worship as we do evangelism every Saturday evening and morning the radio program daily, many keep coming to us for questions.

We have a new brother, who was baptized last week. His baptism brought persecution to me as the preacher and also to himself as he was thrown out of the house because he was baptized without without telling the family. He was thrown out of the home and we have accommodated him for the past one week in the student’s dormitory and today the church sent him back to his home. Fortunate enough his home town has the church of Christ, so we have connected him to the preacher of the congregation and they have opened their hands to welcome him. Keep him in your prayers to grow in Christ so that he will testify to all of these one day.

Plans
1) This week, as we wait for the short course, we shall go to Kwa-kwa for the funeral before the time, so that we shall use 4 days to evangelize the community. Keep it in your prayers.

2) After the short courses students will travel to villages again for a campaign to evangelize and nurture.

Appreciations
Many thanks goes to God for you and all your efforts towards the work here. God bless you and watch over you.

God bless you.

Elangwe and family

By His grace Director CBIW

Remembering The Reason For The Work...

Monday is a day in the U.S. known as Memorial Day. This day is one of remembrance, remembering men and women who have died while serving in the Armed Forces. While Americans are spending time remembering family, friends and loved ones who served in the Armed Forces, it is also a day where we express appreciation for the freedoms enjoyed because of the lives lost while defending this country.

As I consider the purpose behind this holiday, I am reminded of the spiritual freedom Christians have because of the life that was given by our Savior. As well, we remember His sacrifice each week and we express our gratitude for what we enjoy because of the love that was demonstrated on a cross at Calvary. Victory is ours because of the victory He gained over death through the power of the resurrection.

The result of this freedom is what motivates our actions in sharing the good news with others, and it is why we are involved in partnering with wonderful brethren around the world in training men to preach the gospel. There is a great excitement that accompanies this work as we read about students who are bringing souls to Christ.

This work is also possible because of wonderful brethren throughout this country who are dedicated to the mission of God. They give of their time, money, and abilities to make sure the success of this work continues. Together, Christians are working side by side to advance the cause of our Lord. Thank you for placing your trust in God and your confidence in us in preparing brethren to fulfill the Great Commission.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Donnie Bates was in Paraguay last week. Read his latest report here.

Extension Reports 

Preachers’ Wives Seminar A Great Success: In preparing the wives of students at CBIW, a seminar in Cameroon is helping grow the kingdom.

Graduation And Lectureship At ITL: The recent events in Guatemala highlight the second graduation from ITL and their 5th Annual Lectureship.

Short Courses About To Begin At SWSE: Students in Nigeria are about to take a course in Leadership, as well as, Marriage and Family.

Library, Campaign, And Short Courses In Liberia: The library is growing as students also participate in a campaign and study through two short courses.

Love, Generosity, And Sacrificial Giving: The example of good brethren who are helping the work in Tanzania highlights what the work is all about. 

Final Thoughts
The generosity demonstrated by each of you is an incredible sight to see. I am thankful to be part of loving brethren who see the need for extension training. Your love for the Lord, His people, and the lost of the world are what help fulfill God’s mission. The saving message of Jesus is being seen in deed and heard through the preaching of the gospel. The kingdom is growing and I am thankful to share in it.

God bless
Bob

Love, Generosity, And Sacrificial Giving...

Greetings Fellow Servants,

We hope all is well with each of you. We count it all joy to be in fellowship with you in the greatest labor we can know. It is indeed a blessing to be a part of God’s “Scheme of Redemption.” Recently we received a short note from our brother Daniel Gaines on an appointment he had as he and the family continue their fund raising for their upcoming move to Tanzania. Here is a tale of genuine Christian love, generosity, and sacrificial giving.

“Brethren, I wanted to tell you about this weekend's presentation. The congregation was small (42 in attendance on Sunday morning), and had no elders. I was invited to attend a men's meeting after services regarding helping with out work in Tanzania. The treasurer was consulted and reported that there was no surplus of funds from which to draw. Yet the men desired to be more involved in missions and believed in the work we presented. As the conversation progressed, they began to question the need for internet service at the building. The preacher was part-time and didn't keep regular office hours so the internet was not heavily used. The preacher, in the meeting, agreed that he could do without the internet at the office.  So they decided that they would cut off the internet service and reroute those funds to our mission work. Additionally, several men pledged to increase their giving to provide funds for monthly support. As it all turned out, the congregation has committed to contribute $300 per month!  

One of our current donors is a member there and already gives us $150 a month, and a widow pledged $20 per month. If you add these to the total, then that means this congregation of 42 people is contributing an impressive $470 each month! I was astounded, and wanted to share the moment with you. Daniel”

We experienced a very similar situation during our fund raising back in 1998. There are many in the Church, if given the opportunity, would do more in full-filling the Great Commission. The Gaines family needs our help. They are just over half way regarding their monthly needs. They now lack $10,000 in one-time needs.

Please contact Daniel, help them where you can, help them with an appointment to share with your congregation the good work they really desire and want to be apart of in the coming weeks. Thank you for your prayerful consideration in this most important need. 

Daniel Gaines
(270) 777-6402
daniel-gaines@hotmail.com

We close with some really good news. The pre-campaign work continues and has now brought forth four more souls. One new sister in Christ was going with members from the Kisongo congregation who were helping with the pre-campaign efforts. Through hearing the Gospel preached, she expressed her desire to become a New Testament Christian. We are thankful for Ralph, Cindy and Caitlin Williams efforts at White Rose this past week.

Today we worshiped at Kisongo, where our brother Chuck Ramseur taught and preached two powerful lessons, one from Matthew 6 and the other from Matthew 7. During the invitation several requested prayers, two repented for the harm they had caused against the church, one teacher expressed his desire to obey the Gospel. Yes, God is good all the time.

Thank you all for all you do to make this work of God possible. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Library, Campaign, And Short Courses In Liberia...

With the close of our Spring Semester on March 31st, 2013 came two weeks of intensive Short Courses. Two courses were offered as short courses at the end of three months of academic work at LBC. The schedule of classes for the said short courses follows:

April 1 - 5 The Godhead 3 hrs Maxwell Whea

April 8- 11 James 3 hrs Steven Ashcraft

The above short courses met daily Monday – Friday; except the course of James which wasn’t held on Friday because of the observance of a national holiday. 

BOOKS DONATED TO LIBRARY
For some time now, Brother Steven has being keen on assisting with the supply of Bible related books and resource materials to LBC library. During his visit in January he and Brother Renfro donated several religious books dealing with the study of Greek and other subjects to our growing library.

Upon his arrival on April 7th brother Steven donated another set of books. In addition, Brother Steven personally purchased from a local book shop and donated some Bible reference books, including Vine’s, Halley, etc. Our library needs more books. There are many empty shelves to be filled with books, e.g., Study Bibles, reference books, commentaries on OT and NT, social science books (sociology, psychology, and counseling). We are on the lookout for any and all assistance with this great matter.    

GOSPEL CAMPAIGN
Shortly after the short courses, both students and staff participated in a one week Gospel campaign in Duazohn, a community situated some 15 miles along the Roberts International Airport Highway. 

The evangelistic team established a new congregation in Duazohn as a result of some 19 baptisms. The new congregation now meets for Bible study and worship in the Duazohn Public School. Thanks to the goodwill of the community leaders and the school authority for donating a large classroom for the brethren to meet. 

MASTER’S PROGRAM
The month of April did mark a significant milestone in the history of LBC. Bear Valley Bible Institute finally kicked off its master’s degree program in Biblical studies for our teachers and other brethren who hold bachelor’s degrees. Thirteen candidates were successful to enroll in the program. They completed 30 hours of classroom exercises including attending and participating in lectures, taking daily tests, preparing and presenting sermons. Having completed the classroom activities, the Graduate students have between now and July 15th to submit 10 page research papers and six sermons (2 for each type of sermon). This will then bring to completion the requirements for the first two courses.

Brother Ralph Williams conducted the first two classes in Introduction to Graduate Research and Advanced Biblical Hermeneutics. This inaugural session lasted for two weeks of intensive study with the following schedule:

April 22 – 26 Introduction to Graduate Research M. Ralph Williams

April 29 – 3 Advanced Biblical Hermeneutics M. Ralph Williams 

We are very grateful to Bear Valley for the Master's program. We very much appreciate brother Ralph for being the pioneer professor and for his splendid presentations during the course of the study. And we thank very kindly brother Steven for his encouragement in making this program a reality.  

Take care and God bless.

Alassis N. Goldore
Director

Short Courses About To Begin At SWSE...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Greetings from Nigeria! Due to some circumstances brother Bob Turner will not be able to visit the SWSE and Nigeria on May 27 through 31, 2013 as earlier scheduled, due to a death in the family. Nevertheless, the five days Leadership class will continue as scheduled with four of our instructors. Two from each of the campus: I (brother Makinde) and brother Okon S. Udoh from main campus and brother Matthew Idowu and brother Dairo Joseph from Lagos campus will be teaching on 56 topics from Christian Leadership Handbook by brother J. J. Turner for the five day intensive classes for the joint session of Ibadan and Lagos students.

Lord's willing, we are looking forward to receive brother Bill Stewart on June 1 by 12:00 pm at Ibadan while the lectures on Marriage and Christian Home will commence on June 3 through the evening of June 7, 2013 at the SWSE permanent site.

Please keep on praying for us since our determination is to serving the Lord till death!

Thanks for your partnership!

Sincerely His & yours,

Makinde E.Olufemi (Director of Studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism-Nigeria