Work / Study Program In Cambodia...

Greetings from the church in Siem Reap! 

It's always an honor to report of the work of Christ here in Cambodia to all my supporters back home in America. My family and I thank you for your love and support. 

In this particular report, I would like to focus on my main work, which is IBISR (International BIble Institute of Siem Reap). It has been such a blessing for me not only to be able to teach at this school, but also play a role as the director of this humble school. Many lives have been changed for the better because of this program. We have developed faithful men who are able to teach other faithful men what they've learned (2 Tim 2:2). 

We are currently on our 3rd class since its inception back in 2008. We have continuously striven to improve and adapt our program to meet the needs of the Cambodian people as well as our goals for Christ. We think we have the right curriculum program by formulating the "Work/Study Program" as a part of the curriculum. This program has helped us to focus and put priority on the local church in Siem Reap instead of the village churches outside of Siem Reap. 

Before, as a part of our program, we sent students out on the weekend to the villages to gain experience and preach to the poor villagers because we thought that the students who came from the villages would go back and teach at their village once they graduated. But, we found out that rarely does that happen. Either the villagers won’t accept the newly graduated preacher back in their home village or the newly graduated preacher won’t go back to his humble background because he's been 'spoiled' by the 'city' life. If we continue in this cycle, we will never be autonomous. It will always end up being a 'show' for the brethren. They will be 'playing' church instead of really converting to Christ and living the Christian lifestyle. 

That's what we want to eradicate with our program at IBISR. We want to build 'gold, silver, and precious stones, not wood, hay and stubble' (1 Cor 3:9-15) through our program. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers, especially for the school's program in developing strong faithful leaders to grow the church here in Cambodia.

Phanat

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

Marriage Class Strengthens The Church In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this end. We do hope you are doing great. We are also doing great and God is blessing our movements.

Our students finished up all their campaigns and will stay with families for a week and move back to school for the third quarter. I visited some of them within this week and they are doing great in health and this their work of reaching out to souls.

Our work here in Wotutu continues to experience progress. This weekend we saw fruit from the Marriage and Family course by brother Bill Stewart. Brother Kingsly and sister Remind who were fiancés for long after the course made the move to regularize their stay before their families. The church was there to witness and to encourage them to move ahead.

Sister Remind dressed in her traditional regalia. She is supposed to be in this form and in front of elderly women who have been in marriage for many years who will teach her how to dance and they will advise her and give her gifts that she will take to her marital home, as the culture demands.

After the traditional dance, she will dress and they will give her a glass of a traditional drink where she will dance in the crowd to show her husband to the public. My wife, who accompanied her, was present with her which will give her courage and some moral support to do that in public. It is colorful.

This morning in the church we used God’s word to encourage them so that they will start building their home upon God’s word. They presented themselves in front of the congregation that offered a special prayer to them after worship.

Plans
1) We shall be in Muyuka the third week, by their invitation, to help evangelize the community. Keep that in your prayers.

2) We shall also make another trip to Batoke to finalize the establishment of a new congregation, which will be the first in the entire west coast of Cameroon. Keep us in your prayers.

3) Early next month we shall move to Ediki village to revive a congregation that is dead. We passed through that village of recent and we realized that a congregation that was established in 1974, but stopped worshiping since 2010 because there is no one to preach. After a short survey we realized 5 Christians who cried out with their voices that we should come back and help them. Keep this work in your prayers as we plan to do just what will please the Lord. If we kick start the work again we shall be sending students on a weekly basis to go there on weekend evangelism till we shall graduate a student who will take the work full time. If not so then our work will not make sense again. Oh, oh it is sad that people are willing to serve God, but no one is there to help lead them (Rom 10:15).

Appreciations
Praise God for you, for all that you are doing to make things happen for the glory of God. You are in our prayers and we trust God will not pass you by when He will return to reward His servants. We love you and we pray for you.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

The Sacrifice Made By God's People...

Approaching July 4th each year provides a constant reminder of the spiritual application of the work we share in training preachers. As the U.S. celebrates the freedoms we enjoy based on the independence gained in 1776, we remember spiritual freedom we are blessed to receive based on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. This is the Good News!

As Bear Valley continues to train preachers in Denver, we are also privileged to share in the work of training preachers globally through Extension Training. When I think of the sacrifices made to keep this work going, I am reminded of the following...

1) The tireless sacrifices made by men and their families who live in each location. They willingly give of their time and talent to provide a quality level of teaching for students on a daily basis. They often take time away from family to provide for the needs of the students and the church. They are constantly serving the needs of others.

2) The generous sacrifices made by the financial supporters who give so abundantly toward this effort. Considering the amount of money involved in the monthly operations for the entire program is overwhelming. Without the love and generosity of wonderful brethren who believe in the nature of Extension Training, this program would not work.

3) The passionate sacrifices made by the staff demonstrates a dedication to training men to preach the gospel. They give of their time, ability, and finances to help promote the greater good of God’s kingdom. 

4) The reliable sacrifices of short course instructors is an encouragement to all. They volunteer to go to the various schools, develop material, take time away from their work and family to help in the cause of preparing men in the word, so these men can go and teach others.

5) The faithful sacrifices of each of you who fervently pray for the success of the Bible Institute and the partnerships we participate in around the world. No part is too small, and nothing is more powerful than the prayers of God’s people.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are willing to make. We love you and appreciate you for your loyalty to the Almighty God. He has blessed us so richly!

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/

Steven Ashcraft’s latest report can be viewed by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Elizabeth Chou Becomes A Christian: David Ballard recently returned from Cameroon. While there, he was able to reach Elizabeth Chou. Read more about this special lady. 

Final Thoughts
I have already expressed gratitude for the sacrifices you make for the overall program. I do not want to sound redundant, but thank you. I hope you have a great week and enjoy the 4th.

God bless
Bob

Elizabeth Chou Becomes A Christian...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings and love from this end. I do hope this mail will meet you and family and the entire congregation in good health and sound faith. We are doing great. The students of CBIW left campus safe and they are healthy in their respective locations for evangelism.

In Kossala 2 Village, we went to visit one of our graduates, minister Mulango Theophile. We met a prospect that graduated from a denominational seminary, now a sister, Elizabeth Chou, who stood beside the river listening to the exhortation before her baptism.

As I write this mail, we are still appreciating God for His love and care towards our visiting instructor, minister David Ballard, who is also the coordinator of CBIW. He was here for 12 days teaching and doing evangelism in some congregations here. He left last Wednesday and made it home safe and sound. Thanks for your prayers.

Brother Ballard went to most of the communities that we move house to house to preach. We passed by and one group said, “Oh white man come and greet us.” He went there and greeted them and told them where he is coming from and what he came to do in Cameroon. They said when next he is here he should come to their homes and teach them the gospel.

Sister Elizabeth Chou accepted the gospel and was baptized into the Body of Christ in Kossale 2. She was in worship today as the minister there called me a couple of minutes ago while I was writing this report. Keep her in your prayers that through her many will come to know Christ and also to make Him known.

Minister David and I visited with Stacy, a girl that came to my home for holidays, at the airport as we waited for his departure. He left Cameroon after visiting 6 congregations, had studies with many and the Lord added 4 souls to two different congregations.

Plans
1) Keep praying for us as we shall move to Muyuka congregation on their invitation to help evangelize their community.

2) We shall move to Batoke within this week for another house to house evangelism and also to see the establishment of a new congregation by God’s grace.

Appreciations
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. We praise God for you and appreciate you for your prayers, love and support towards the work here. God bless you and watch over you.

Do your best to share this report with others. God bless you as you do so.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Ending One And Beginning Another...

As we near the midway point in the summer in Denver, preparations are being completed for the next group of students to begin classes in August. There are twelve men who are working to get support raised to begin their two year journey at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver. These men, some with their families, will start their work the first week of August. We ask you to be praying for each of them as they transition into a new phase of their life.

Participating in the graduation of one class and anticipating the beginning of a new class is exciting for everyone involved in this work. Seeing one group of men enter into the work of the kingdom provides us with the assurance of the gospel being preached throughout the various locations where they serve. At the same time, a new group of men “set their face toward Jerusalem” in preparing themselves to better administer the word of God.

The joy of this work is coupled with the ways God has given us opportunity to work with diligent and dedicated brethren around the world. We are partnering with the greatest people on earth in training leaders in their own country and their own language. Knowing there are more than 300 current students around the world gives everyone hope that God is working through His people to share the message of Jesus in powerful ways.

The help you provide for the work in Denver and around the world is greatly appreciated. We know this work continues because of the heart you have put into these efforts. Thank you for placing your confidence in the Lord and us to be good stewards of the task we have been given.

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 

Coordinator Visits Cameroon And God Gives The Increase: David Ballard is in Cameroon and the results have been fruitful.

Youth Seminar Success: The Wagner Report: The work in Chimala continues to show success as efforts are being made to reach the youth.

Joint Service In Togo Demonstrates Unity: A recent event in Togo brought congregations of the Lord’s people together to worship.

Three Day Mass Evangelism In Nigeria: The work of the Southwest School of Evangelism continues to influence people in Nigeria.

Campaign Season In Arusha, Tanzania: Sean Hochdorf’s report shares news about the growth occurring in Arusha with the campaign season.

Furlough Update: Gee Report: Jimmy Gee and his family are reporting about the work while on furlough. Read more about their activities and an update. 

Final Thoughts
As you continue to pray for this work each day, please remember to pray for those who have completed their studies and entered the work of the kingdom. Also, pray for those who are beginning an incredible journey of studies to prepare for kingdom work. We love you and appreciate your help in making this program so successful. 

God bless
Bob

Furlough Update: Gee Report...

Dear Supporters, Family, and Friends,

First, please accept our deepest apologies for not writing before now. We arrived in the US on April 30 and it has been a whirlwind ever since. But, that is no excuse for not at least dropping an email letting you know that we were able to get the tourist visas and travel.  Most people found out through Facebook.  We have decided that time goes by even quicker in the states than in Tanzania! 

As most of you know we were made aware on Monday, before we were to leave the next Sunday, that the British visas for our Tanzanian children were denied. To make a long story short we scrambled to get the visas, which included a 14-15 hour drive from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi. We had to reapply for the visas in Nairobi. This was on Thursday. We received the visas on Friday at about 2 pm, drove back to Arusha, got ready to travel on Saturday, then, after services on Sunday, went back to Nairobi on a shuttle to fly out that evening. Yes, I know you got tired just reading that! Imagine how we felt having to actually do it. :) But, with God's providence and your prayers, it all worked out in the end. As my good friend John Rice says, "God likes to cut it close," so that we know that it is through his working that we are able to have what we have and do what we do.

We are still going to be working on the immigration / citizenship issues, so, we covet your prayers on that also.

Since arriving we have attended Todd's graduation from Faulkner, his marriage to Lauren Kelly, my graduation, and two weeks of Bible camp. We have also reported to several congregations, made new contacts, and had time with family.

We have been to the following congregations: Lay Lake (Columbiana, AL), Meridianville, AL, East Ridge (Chattanooga, TN), Athens, TN. East Side (Cleveland, TN), Calera, AL, Ironaton, AL, Parrish, AL, Cartersville, GA, Jacksonville, AL

The schedule for the next month or so is as follows: 

June 23: Munford, AL - AM, Pikeville, TN - PM 

June 30: Ooltewah, TN - AM

July 7: Spring Creek, TN - AM, Union Grove (Cleveland, TN) - PM

July 14: Huntingdon, TN -PM

July 21: Open

July 28: Cottondale, AL - AM, Oxford, AL - PM

We will be returning to Tanzania September 16^th which is about 12 weeks away. We will be contacting the rest of our supporting congregations about reporting and looking for others to show our presentation  to raise the funds we have lost.

We are thrilled that our daughter, Heather, who just turned 15, was baptized into Christ.

Thank you again for making our furlough possible!  It has been a joy thus far and we have enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones.  We look forward to seeing all of you. 

In Christ, 
Jimmy Gee and family

Campaign Season In Arusha, Tanzania...

SOULS ARE ADDED TO THE KINGDOM AS THE 2013 CAMPAIGN SEASON BEGINS
We are glad you have taken a few minutes of your time to read the latest Tanzania Chronicles and pray this edition arrives at a time of your well being and labor in the kingdom.

Our campaign season is underway and we have had a number of visitors that have put in a lot of hours and great deal of hard work to spread the gospel throughout Arusha. The pre-campaign and campaign in the White Rose area have just concluded. White Rose is a suburb of Arusha and has been selected by area congregations in the first step of a plan to try and establish congregations throughout the city. Generally speaking, due to walking, most people won’t travel further than 2 -3 kilometers to attend services. In an attempt to address this dilemma local congregations, combined with concentrated campaign efforts, are methodically targeting the different areas that are without a congregation. White Rose was the area selected this year. While too numerous to name, we are grateful for the many visitors we have had thus far. All of these good brethren have gladly given their time and hard earned money to give themselves for the cause of Christ here in Tanzania.

We are thrilled to report that when the Hoover church of Christ group finished the campaign the results were reason to offer thanks as the Lord added 18 souls to the kingdom. In addition to a multitude of tracts and bible correspondence courses over 300 bibles were handed out! (Update - 2 more souls were added this past Sunday for a total of 20!)

In conjunction with the White Rose campaign Hannah Box, Jessica McVeigh, Stephanie Stafford and Anita conducted a VBS. The children were taught about Moses and the 10 plagues. Sunday morning one of the children came to Anita and said “you taught us about Pharoah”. The young girls words made Anita smile pretty big as it confirmed that the youngsters were listening. We offer our heartfelt gratitude to Patty Shafer, and those who assisted her, from the University church of Christ in San Marcos, TX for preparing enough material for a 5 day, 500 children VBS. Not only was there plenty of material for the White Rose campaign there is enough for an upcoming VBS that will be conducted next month in Kwa Mrombo. It is a real blessing to have partners in Christ on all sides of the world.

During the next few weeks we have nearly forty more visitors coming to conduct campaigns in another area of Arusha. I’ll send another report after they conclude to share the good news.

TEAM MAGAZINE
We are very excited about our upcoming issue of the TEAM Magazine. The printing is complete and our good friends from Oklahoma will be bringing as many as they can carry with them. This issue is 36 pages in length with half being in English and the other half in Kiswahili. We print in both languages because the magazine will be used in other East African countries that dont speak Kiswahili. We believe this will be an effective tool in reaching many with the gospel. This issue contains articles detailing what is required to become a disciple of Christ, the unique and powerful nature of the bible, and a helpful questions and answers section. If you would like an electronic copy of this issue you can find it here. The latter half of the magazine will be upside down as we printed the magazine in such a way that it can be handed to English or Swahili speaking people. Lord willing, our next issue will be ready for our October leadership conference.

UPCOMING FURLOUGH
We will be returning for our furlough August 1^st and we are looking forward to visiting with our family, supporters and friends. During our furlough we will be trying to accomplish two main tasks: reporting to several of you, our supporters, and trying to meet those who are not supporting us in an effort to make up our budget deficit. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this good work perhaps you could point them our way, we would be glad to meet them and discuss the work.

As we prepare for our furlough there are a number of you who are individual supporters of our work with whom we will not be able to visit with and personally offer our gratitude. We hope you understand. We are very, very, grateful for your sacrifice.

We are facing a bit of a dilemma, and we hate to ask, but we need some help to find a remedy. When we return to the US we will be without transportation. For the cost of renting a car we could actually purchase one that we could, in turn, use each year. This is our preference for a number or reasons. However, we would be thankful for any help offered to carry out our travel needs. We plan on traveling coast to coast and a number of places in between to visit with current and potential supporters.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE
Anita and I are now empty-nesters and are adjusting to this new stage of our lives. Our son, Race, completed his time in the Army on June 14th and will be heading back to college this fall. Our daughter, Madeleine, will be getting married to Caleb Norman on September 27th. Caleb is a fine young man and we are excited about the big day. We would be appreciative for your prayers for Race, Maddie and Caleb.

CONCLUSION
As we close, again we want to express our deep gratitude for so many. We thank you for your sacrificial giving. The Lord’s kingdom is growing in Tanzania as a result of your selflessness. We are humbled to be considered your partners in this noble effort. We thank the numerous visitors we have that work so hard to get here and work here. We also would be remiss if we failed to recognize and offer gratitude toward Cy and Stephanie Stafford. Their dogged determination to stay in Tanzania through some very difficult times is most certainly one of the main reasons this work has not only continued but has prospered. We also thank our family. My parents have invested themselves personally and financially to see us succeed. Our children, while independent, still want us to be close by to lean on. They have been patient and understanding of our personal absence. Most importantly, we thank God Almighty for loving mankind enough to make the biggest sacrifice of all, His Son. We hope that our combined efforts will show our gratitude toward Him as our Father.

Until next time, take care and God bless,

Sean & Anita Hochdorf
Arusha, Tanzania

To see Sean and Anita’s report with pictures, please click here.

Three Day Mass Evangelism In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings in Jesus Christ mighty name! Happy Lord's day to you all! I'm sending this message before I travel out of the city to the school site.

The three day mass evangelism of June 20-22 was a great success, though there are no converts yet. Nevertheless, we have many prospects that one day some of them will be converted into the Lord's Kingdom!

On Sunday, I taught on “No Blessings Without Bleeding! No Pain, No Gain” at the Kute congregation in Lagelu local government of Oyo State where brother Sunday S. Adegoke, one of the graduates of SWSE-Ibadan, is ministering. We are 25 in attendance with a total collection of N1,200=.

Brethren, the information reaching me, as of this afternoon, from SWSE-students who are serving in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun State shows that 12 souls have been restored to the church from June 8 when they start their teaching practice while the two students serving at Fugar in Edo State recorded 2 converts and 2 restorations and the students in Ilorin-Kwara State recorded 2 converts so far!

Brethren, we are deeply appreciative of your moral and financial support toward the growth of the Lord's church! May the Lord of blessing continue blessing all your undertaking; in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.

I remain your fellow laborer in Christ Jesus,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism(SWSE), Ibadan-Nigeria

NB: Attached here is a picture of brother Makinde (myself) in the middle of brother & sister Edwin k. Ebire, the minister of Owena-Ijesha congregation and year 2 student of SWSE-Ibadan.

Joint Service In Togo Demonstrates Unity...

Senghor is seen here teaching the church 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 spoke 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 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 and 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.

Young Lady Responds To Radio Broadcast
A young lady heard the preaching on the radio and followed up to CBS campus for further studies. A student named Nofodji was assigned to conduct the study. At about 9 pm that night she responded to the gospel through baptism. Nofodji baptized the young lady. She now worships with the Nyiveme congregation.

Tutu Campaign Scheduled For July
All is set for a 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.

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 program. 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 concern 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 the activities prior to the 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.

Bible Study with Mr. Sowu
A colleague preacher in Nkwanta recently sent me the name of Mr. Sowu, a business man in Accra. We set up a date to begin our Bible study using “A Few Minutes With Someone Who Loves You.” At the end of this last session, Mr. Sowu made the great confession “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God”.

After the last session of Bible study, I handed the Searching for Truth CD to Mr. Sowu to listen to before Sunday. The final moment came when Sowu approached me after the worship service on Sunday to request baptism.

Sister Louise is Laid to Rest
The late Louise was the wife of Jerome of the Buduburam church of Christ near Accra. This sister has battled with sickness for a couple of years, but in April the Lord called her to rest. Louise and Jerome have three kids. Jerome is one of the preachers at the Church. I was invited to preach the funeral sermon.

Deaf Couple Wed
I had the opportunity recently to officiate a wedding ceremony between Mr. and Mrs. Atepoka. The bride and groom are both deaf and are members of the deaf congregation at Nsawam Road. Sam Williams the deaf minister signed while I did the officiating.

I was able to present the certificate to Mrs. Atepoka, along with officiating ministers, bride and groom and some members of both families.

World Radio Program Makes Impact:  Report from Sem Akumia: HO
During my visit to the Republic of Togo in April I was told that most of the newly baptized in the Akepe church were listeners to our radio broadcast from Ho in Ghana. I understood that they used to converge in one brother’s house early Sunday morning to listen.

In May I also traveled to help in an evangelistic program at Ave-Dzalele and Ave-Ziope. Almost every house we entered with the gospel the occupants wanted to know whether the radio presenter was also part of the team, upon hearing that we were from Church of Christ. I was therefore compelled to visit and have a word with those who wanted to meet me. The campaign ended with twenty-six (26) souls baptized, out of which (8) eight claimed to be regular listeners to the radio program. There are several who have been led to the Lord through the radio broadcast that we may not be privileged to meet, but the word is spreading. We are therefore very grateful to our sponsors for their continuous support. Several will be in heaven because you cared. God bless you.

The Gospel Chariot is Here to Boost Evangelism
The dream of having the Chariot in Ghana became a reality when as of Friday, the 7th of June a team of drivers, management committee and officials of the Silver Star Mercedes met in a short ceremony at their outfit where the truck was finally handed to Church Of Christ.

George Funk, a missionary in South Africa and the founder of the Gospel Chariot Missions, has, in the twenty years of its existence, built two of the Chariots operating in Southern Africa, serving eleven countries. George Funk is highly commended for this kind gesture of providing Ghana with this evangelism tool. On their part, Ghanaians promised to use the Chariot to broaden the borders of God’s kingdom. The Chariot is placed under the oversight of the elders of Nsawam Road Church of Christ. Evans Lartey of Heritage Christian College will coordinate Gospel Chariot Mission in Ghana to be assisted by Martin Oppong of Nsawam Road Church of Christ and Willie Gley of World Bible School.

The Chariot takes only three passengers, but has a sleeping cabin with bed for two, a baptistery, compartment to store, chairs, literature PA system and a large tent. It came equipped with a generator and platform which pulls from underneath the truck. The truck will also be equipped with items such as projector, screen and DVD player.

The three on the truck include two drivers and WBS personnel. It is a great opportunity to have such a tool that has come to enhance our outreach programs and enroll more students for WBS.

The truck will be used for campaigns, WBS seminars, church planting activities and WBS enrollment exercises, tract distribution, etc.

Mars Hill Continues to Make Progress, But Needs Help
On the 10th of September, 2012 Mars Hill started classes with only 13 kids, but today it has recorded 58 kids with several parents contemplating enrolling their kids. It is becoming obvious that very soon we shall have no space to accommodate these kids should the trend continue.

In order to forestall this problem, I have asked the church for a half plot of land to build a temporary wooden structure to house grades 1, 2 and 3 in September when we add these classes. The estimated cost of this structure and furniture is $5,000.00 (five thousand dollars). The ultimate goal of establishing this school is that it will become a tool to evangelize the students who will attend, and parents who for years would be associated with Mars Hill. All these kids are future prospects. With your support this school will develop into a High School from this humble beginning. Since the school started, the church is beginning to experience numerical growth. Partner with me to give these young ones a basic education in a Christian environment.

Blanco Church of Christ P.O. Box 866
Blanco TX. 78606 Tel:830-8334884

Report by: H.Willie Gley
williegley@gmail.com
P.O Box An 19611 
Accra North, Ghana 00233244509169

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

Youth Seminar Success: The Wagner Report...

Well, we just finished up our first year at the Chimala Mission in SW Tanzania. We have had many ups and downs over the last year, but it has been quite a learning experience and a big faith builder!

Over the past year, we have been to numerous villages to preach and teach the simple New Testament Gospel, learned about the local culture, learned a lot about each other, got our car stuck a few times, had some fights with sickness, and hopefully did some good here.

While Chad is busy with the business of the mission, he is spending as much time as he can preaching and teaching and always looking for new ways to share the Gospel.

Rena has started using her nursing skills in small villages doing mobile clinics with Cheryl Bode, another missionary at the mission. She is also busy with home schooling the kids each day. In fact, her days are so full of hospital work, village work and home schooling, she is often gone much of the day.

The kids are each finding ways that they can fit into life here on the mission. Anna is working at the Chimala Bible Institute library. Laura is assembling new charts for the hospital. Micah is also helping with Cheryl at the hospital in the pharmacy!

While we are all busy, we have the same goal in mind: trying to do at least some good here on the mission to benefit the lives of people in this area. We are very thankful to be in this place at this time.

Wagner Family Furlough Update
The Wagner Family is planning on coming home for a quick furlough in late October – December, 2013. We are going to come back to visit family and friends; make presentations at supporting congregations; and raise some much needed funds for our support. Also, while home, Rena will do some continuing education classes for her nursing license.

Because of an appeal for assistance, we have currently raised $4,000 for our trip in October. We are so very thankful for your assistance at the call.

We are still in need of about $9,000 to be able to purchase tickets on August 1. However, the longer we wait, the higher the tickets become and we would like to be able to purchase them as quickly as possible. If you can help us with our trip home, please send me an email and let us know! You can send it to our sponsoring congregation and specify it for WAGNER FURLOUGH. Thank you in advance.

Wagner Family Update
The kids are doing fine here on the mission. They all find ways to pass the time. We have had a couple get sick, but they are doing fine now.

They recently made themselves a new swing from rope. Micah had the good idea of adding some wood for a seat. Now, we have a good swing.

June 2nd was Chandra’s birthday. We celebrated her birthday with a party. You can see the cake in the picture that we baked here. She got a bag and other presents.

Jonah is pictured to the left with a large walking stick on his tractor. Jonah spends a lot of time outside working with our yard man, Doto. They have worked hard raking and watering the yard.

Rena is almost finished home schooling the children for this school year. Between her village and hospital work, she is quite busy. We have already received in the mail our new home school material for the new year. She will kick that off in August

Preaching the Gospel
Chad has just finished a series of lessons at the Chimala Mission ‘Chimala A’ Church of Christ. This is the congregation situated on the mission campus. It is one of the largest congregations in the area.

They would like to take the next step and appoint elders and deacons to bring themselves in line with Scriptural teaching.

They asked me to teach series of church leadership. I preached on:

*Biblical Authority for Church Government.

*Qualifications of Elders

*Role of Elders

*Role of Deacons

*Appointing Church Leadership.

The series was well received. I offered a time for questions and answers where several questions were asked and answered before the entire congregation.

May the LORD bless this congregation with Godly men to lead the congregation and be an example to other congregations in this area.

Ministering in the Villages with Mobile Clinics
Rena has been working lately with Cheryl Bode, a nurse and full-time missionary here at the Chimala Mission. They are teaming up to do vaccinations and checkups. Rena is helping her using her OB training by doing OB checkups for pregnant mothers.

She needs assistance for her work in the villages who have little access to medical care. She needs some equipment and medicine to be able to do her work in the villages.

If you can help with this work, let us know.

2013 Youth Seminar a SUCCESS!
The 2013 Chimala Mission Youth Seminar has ended with great success! We had over 120 youth attend the three day seminar. We also had 9 baptisms!

We had a new feature this year in the youth seminar – games! Based on Chad’s years of experience at Crowley’s Ridge Youth Camp in Walcott, AR as a codirector, we added some activities that the youth were very excited about. I have included pictures of a tug-of-war and relay race games!

The topics at the seminar were Prophets, Life of Moses, Life of Joshua, Judges, Saul, David, Paul, and others. The topics were well received. 

We had youth from Lyambogo, Mswiswi, Chimala, Mlangali, Kibaoni, Isisi, and others.

Visitors to the Chimala Mission
We have had several visitors at the Chimala Mission. We had a group of college students from Oklahoma Christian University that did VBS’s in the area villages as well as painting at the hospital.

We also hosted a group of senior nurses from Harding University led by Janice Bingham. There were 19 in total. They participated fully in the life of the hospital. From working in the wards, going to mobile clinics, and even helping in surgeries.

We also had Dale and Leann Kastner who were doing a survey trip as potential missionaries. They spent a short few days at the mission, but we kept them busy. We also enjoyed Howell and Mary Ferguson at the mission for a few days.

We are looking forward to Tony Hopper and John Rodgers coming in early July. We are also anticipating a campaign group in September.

We would love to have YOU visit the work firsthand!

Chad Wagner

If you would like to read Chad’s report and see the pictures included, please click here.

Coordinator Visits Cameroon And God Gives The Increase...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. I am writing this report out of Wotutu far away in the Kumba area where we are on evangelism with CBIW coordinator minister David Ballard.

He came to CBIW to teach the course New Testament Church. It was great and he ended the course on Friday before 3 p.m. Cameroonian time as the students were ready to leave for mission work immediately after that.

Sister Philomena was raised with Christ in Baptism. God bless you as you keep them in your prayers.

In Wotutu, 3 souls who have been worshiping with us for some months and weeks, respectively, accepted Jesus as they stood beside the river for baptism. Please keep them in your prayers as they are the very first to obey the gospel in their families.

As I write this report all the students made it to their destinations, praise God for their travels and safety.

Brother David Ballard shared course material on the New Testament Church. It was great for our students to have this course as they move around reaching out to many the gospel that will help many to be part of the church.

During his teaching of the course, brother David paused to show the students the Bible world where he visited using his laptop and projector device. It was great for them to see the reality of the things that they can read from the scriptures.

After the course, brother David took time to visit the sick and the elderly in their homes which was also practical concerning the love we share in our radio program back to the Bible.

Brother David and I went with our student, Etah Edwin, beside the Atlantic ocean where by the Lord’s will he will travel on the ocean about an hour to reach a community that he will do house to house evangelism during this period of field work.

As the students left campus, we also left Wotutu to 24 different villages, mostly where our Alpha batch graduates are serving to visit with them and also to nurture their respective congregations. We realized that they are doing a marvelous work for the Lord even though with difficulties, like tracks, Bibles and other personal problems. Please keep them in your prayers and the great work that is going on in Cameroon because of them.

The difficulties that it takes for an evangelist to get to their destinations of work occurs mostly during this rainy season. A bike helps us get there we praise God.

We were able to get a  picture with all the 27 Beta batch students of CBIW with their new coordinator brother David. They are ready to learn and zealous to preach and teach in villages all over Cameroon.

Plans
1) Pray for all of our students who are already in the field reaching out to souls, so as to rob from the strong man’s house and also to nurture and conserve those already in Christ.

2) We will be involved in evangelism in Wotutu after this week.

3) Batoke mission is pending and we shall go there again for another survey. Keep us in your prayers.

Appreciations
God bless you for your love shown. God bless you for your prayers and support to this work. God alone will reward you.

Share this report with others.

God bless you and watch over you and your family.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

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