"The Christian Home" Lectureship In Nigeria...

Dear fellow soldiers of Christ,

Greetings from Nigeria! The SWSE students, board and foundation members were well represented in the 13th annual Bible lectureship held from August 6-9 centered on “The Christian Home.” The four day program was attended by over 1,000 brethren and friends from all part of our great country-Nigeria. That four day program cost the WNCC over N2,000,000= ($13,000) for feeding the participants, rent of chairs and so on.

On Saturday of August 10, I was one of the panel of justice at a day Bible Discussion organized by church of Christ, Kemta Idi-Aba in Abeokuta Ogun State where we have a Bible discussion with over fifteen denominational pastors on The Old Path!

On Sunday of August 11, I taught the lesson - 8 on EFFORT (Lk.5:1-7) in continuation of our Internal Bible Lectureship which centered on Walking With God while brother Samuel Olawale Oladokun, one of the year 2 students of SWSE Ibadan admonished the church on “What is Your Culture? Attendance was 52 with total collection of N2,900=

On Sunday evening at Oro in Kwara State, I and brother David Akinola followed up on some WBS students of Sister Faye Bach and West Olive congregation, Peoria, AZ between 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at Iludun-Oro.

Brethren, the Southwest School of Evangelism, Ibadan begins first semester classes today with 22 students in Year 1 and 10 in year 2. We hope to reduce the number of the students by October  ending after the 1st semester examination to 22 in Ibadan main campus in line with our 2013 / 2014 budget.

The Southwest School of Evangelism, Ibadan began a computer training program for ten of our year 1students at the  main campus on Thursday, August 15, 2013 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The instructor will be working part time with the school every Thursday and Friday of the week.

Brethren, the SWSE-Ibadan campus will began the campus church this past Lord's day, the 18th of August, 2013 and brother Abraham Idu Yeje, one of the year 2 students of the school will be serving as the campus minister.

All is now set for the inauguration of Master's program at SWSE-Ibadan by Bear Valley Bible Institutes of Denver, Colorado, USA and our August visitor, brother Gary Allen Fallis, who is the director of the Bear Valley Extension Master’s program will be teaching the eight SWSE instructors and some of the students with BSC holder and Advance Diploma certificate in Biblical Studies from any of the Bible Schools organized by members of the churches of Christ and with at least five years experience as a gospel minister. The Book of Hebrews and Scheme of Redemption will be taught from August 19 to 30, 2013, Lord's willing.

Beloved, we appreciate your great contribution toward the speed of the sound doctrine in Africa and the world as a whole! May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint efforts in Christ name, Amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

14 Souls Added In Ghana...

Dear Brethren,

We set off for another gospel campaign last week Monday for a town called Yeji in the Northern part of Ghana. We were 9 gospel preachers. We tried all efforts to see if somebody would give us his car to go for this mission, but to no avail, and due to that we had a lot of difficulties regarding our transportation to and fro.  We decided to go for a commercial vehicle, that is, to join other passengers who were travelling along our destination. In fact, it was a very long trip we have ever made as long as our evangelistic campaigns are concerned.

The car took off around 7:00am on Monday and we reached our destination at 8:30pm. Although, we were supposed to start the preaching that night but due to some circumstances beyond control, we could not. The following morning, we went into houses and taught the gospel, and then in the night, we went to their car station where we could get people in their numbers to preach to them the gospel. We assembled our public address system and preached on God’s plan of salvation. That was preached by Brother Daniel Arthur. We were supposed to go with our own public address system but since we did not have our own car for the trip and considering the distance involved, we left the preaching equipments behind, and this indeed did cost us so much. That is, the local church that we visited did not have these machines, and so we had to go and hire some. They too did not have lights, and so we had to preach in darkness throughout the entire program. The only light we could get was a torch light that we could used to read the Bible. Even if we could buy electrical bulbs, there was no money to buy electrical cables.

The following morning, we continued with our house to house teaching. In the night too, we went to continue with the night preaching. And the topic we preached about was “The New Testament Church, which was preached by Brother Philip Nyan.

On Thursday morning, a certain denominational (Church of God )member living in the house where we were lodging handed to us tracts entitled, “Is the Sabbath only for Jews?” And “Did Christ break the Sabbath?” In fact, these tracts were in short, arguing in favor of the keeping of the Sabbath today by Christians. So we decided that this gentleman should go and call us his pastor to come and explain things to us. And for that matter, we decided to abandon the house to house preaching that day and spend all our time on the man. The man came, and he did not know we are members of the Church of Christ. Neither did his member also disclose our identity to him, for the fact that, if he had known us to be members of the Lord’s Church, he would not even come let alone to study with us. We gave him the opportunity to teach us. And the first point he established was that according to Gen. 2: 2,3 and Mark 2:27-28, the Sabbath was given to mankind to observe it, and so it has been kept since the time of Adam and Eve until our time. After this point was made, he allowed us to ask questions. And I quoted two scriptures (Psa. 147: 19-20; Deut. 5: 1-3) for him to explain to us in relation to his point. And after pinning him with questions we spent about two hours on only Ps. 147: 19-20 including a reference to Amos 3: 1-2, he finally admitted that although, there were many nations on earth, but the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath were given only to the Israelites. Praise be to God!

In fact, due to that, there was no need to read Deut. 5: 1-3. But also made a second point that when Christ came He observed the Ten Commandments and by so doing expected Christians to observe them. Based on that he insisted we leave the Old Testament pages and go into New Testament for proofs. In fact, that was very disaster for him. I quoted 2Cor. 3: 6-18, and this time, I did not allow him to do any explanation. But after reading and explaining only verses 6 and 7 in connection with Exod. 34, this man admitted again that the Ten Commandments that were given through Moses is no more binding on Christians, but now we have a New Ten Commandments written on our hearts. Based on that conclusion, I started teaching him on the gospel of Christ, but all of a sudden this man got up from his seat and started hitting a Bible that belongs to one of my colleagues on a table, saying that, he will continue to keep the Ten Commandments and if at the coming of Christ, He condemns him to hell, he will go! What? This actually told us, the truth was indeed getting into the pastor but there was a struggle within the heart between the truth and the false doctrine he had believed all these years.

From there, we went out and fortunately for us another sabbatarian pastor fell into our hands (Seventh-Day Adventist). We started a conversation with him, and by so doing, I pinned him between Exod. 20: 8-11 and Lev. 16:29-31. My first question was, “Why is it that the Bible mentions three types of Sabbath, but the Adventists have chosen only one and left the others?” He told me there was only one Sabbath that God speaks of in the Bible, which is, “The Seventh Day Sabbath” (Exod. 20: 8-11). I proved to him, that was false and quoted Lev. 16: 29-31 and Lev. 25:1-7). Based on that, I asked my second question, “Why is it that God uses “forever” for both Exod. 20: 8-11 and Lev. 16: 29-31, but all that the Sabattarians talk about is that of Exod. 20: 8-11?” In fact, in trying to explain himself, he disgraced himself in the presence of his member that was there, but time will not permit me to say everything.

In short, what we did that day with these pastors converted two members from the Church of God.On Thursday evening, brother Daniel Duah-Danquah was supposed to preach on the “New Testament Worship,” but he was sick due to a lot of mosquito bites. Therefore, Brother Patrice Blay preached. Concerning our accommodation, it was very poor that we were exposed to a lot of mosquitoes.

On Friday morning, Brother Duah Danquah had to return home for a malaria treatment, because his health condition was very bad. The rest of us continued with the house to house preaching, and in the night, we continued at the station. I preached the topic, “On which day should Christians worship—Saturday or Sunday?

We left the town early the following morning. Although we had much difficulties concerning the cars we took back home, but by God’s grace, we got home safely.

While I was away, I called back home to find out how my family was doing, and my wife told me two of my kids were sick and were taken to the hospital. When I got home, I was told that my mother had been admitted at the hospital. She was discharged yesterday afternoon, but still not well, so please, remember her for me in your prayers.

God glorified Himself and blessed our campaign trip with 14 souls. I have attached sample of photos of the baptisms we had.

Joshua

Mobile Clinics In Chimala - Wagner Report...

One of the many ways that the Wagner family works at Chimala includes doing mobile clinics. Rena (a OB Registered Nurse) and Cheryl Bode (also a RN) team up to go into rural villages to do vaccinations, education, and check ups. Rena does pregnancy checks for women who live too far out to go to the doctor for a proper check up. Our cook, Mama Betti, goes with her to translate. Just today, Rena did a check-up on 9 pregnant Massai women. Cheryl did vaccinations and taught the women about burns and 'stop, drop, and roll.' Anna and Laura (our oldest two daughters) go along as well and help with the paperwork and weighing babies. It truly is a great experience!

Preaching and Teaching
One of the aspects of mission work here is the ability to preach in many different congregations. I recently traveled to Dar es Salaam. I preached at the Mbagala church of Christ. They are in the process of appointing Scriptural leadership, but have recently had some set backs. I went to encourage them to continue the process. I also preached at the Temeke church of Christ. They have a Bible School in their church building which is doing some good work in the local community.

I also preached recently at the Luhovelo church of Christ. I was quite surprised as there were several local secondary school students present and active during the worship service. What a blessing! The congregation blessed the missionary that Sunday!

I am looking forward to starting teaching again at the Chimala Bible Institute. I will be teaching 1st and 2nd Thessalonians to our English students. It is always a positive experience to help train preachers!

Furlough 2013
We are going to be going back to the US for a visit later this fall. We are going to be doing some continuing education classes, renewing driver's license, seeing family and friends, and making reports to supporting congregations. We have raise over $8,000 toward our trip home. Thank you very much! However, we are needing an additional $3,000 to be able to purchase tickets. We need to go ahead and purchase them because the price continues to rise. If you can help us get home for a much needed visit, please let us know.

The Wagner Family Tidbits
We recently took a trip to God's Bridge -- a natural formation south of Mbeya. We enjoyed the trip off the mission to see God's beautiful creation.

One of the many things we really enjoy is going to the Massai villages. We were recently invited to special occassion at Matebete where groups from many different areas of Southern Tanzania came to do a Massai dance competition. We had beef, rice, and a whole lot of fun!

Thank you for the prayers and the support that you give to this mission and our family. Please continue to pray as we work to make a difference in the lives of many in SW Tanzania.

Chad Wagner

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

The Church Continues To Grow In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here in Cameroon. It is great for us to say hello to you all and your family. We do hope you are doing fine. We are going on even though with many they are still sick because of the climate. Rain continues to fall and by so doing the weather condition continues to disturb many with health.

The Lord added another soul in Ediki this week. Sister Emilia Akale, old in age, accepted the gospel. She came with her grandchildren for worship  while 6 backsliders came back during this week. Last week we worshiped with 31, and this week we worshiped with 39 souls. It is growing and we shall continue to send students on weekend evangelism until our campaign in September.

Last week in the CBIW family everything went on well, except for those health issues. The students are committed and concentrating on their studies. Instructors will struggle with the rain to make it to Wotutu.

The Ediki work is going on well. This week again we sent out some students for weekend evangelism and they returned with great news. Brother Mokwe shared the gospel on the road side market square. The same place where we stopped by in June to buy food, the lady who told us about the dead congregation in this village, we are now studying with her as she claimed to be an elder in the Presbyterian denomination. She came for a visit today and saw the New Testament worship. Keep her in your prayers, as she is very kind. If she becomes a Christian, she will make great influence in the community.

A physically disabled husband and wife came to worship with us and decided to obey the gospel here in Wotutu. They have been with us for a week now and they love the amount of love they are seeing in the church of Christ because many deserted them because of their disability. Their children can play with our children. Life is making meaning to them now. Please keep them in your prayers as they need more of our love, mostly for their two children who have never gone to school because they cannot afford it.

Sister Seraphine went into the water pool of baptism. It was not easy to get her into the water for baptism as the baptizer, brother Mbappe, struggled to get her crutches. They are happy to be in this family.

Sister Seraphine is very happy because, since she was born she has never worshiped even in a denomination. Keep her in your prayers that she will grow with the word and she will help others to know Jesus and make Him known.

Plans
1) We shall continue with Ediki work weekly.

2) We shall also continue with the Batoke work weekly. We shall establish a new congregation if it is the Lord’s will.

3) We shall send our students to new communities during our next campaign.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you all. Thank you for being with us in this great work. God alone will reward you all. Do your best to share our report with others.

Pray for us as we plan to send children back to school. It is not easy financially for many parents to get their children back to school come September 3rd. Orphans and underprivileged children are looking up for help.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Summarizing The Work Around The World...

The first week of classes has been completed as a new group of students works to equip themselves in the word of God. These men, and their families, will study for the next two years and enter into the ministry ready to help the church grow. Bear Valley is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with these students and help them on this journey to serve in the Lord’s kingdom.

The work around the world also continues to demonstrate progress in the lives of students who are studying just like the men in Denver. The staff in Gorlovka, Ukraine prepare for a new class of students as they reach the end of their summer break that has been filled with fruitful activity in the Lord’s church.

In West Africa, a recent graduation at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies has men now serving throughout the Northern region of Ghana. As well, a new class of students has just started their studies in preparation for the same work. Sixteen men are going through the initial preparations for a two journey where they will learn how to grow the Lord’s kingdom.

Senior students are completing their studies at the West Coast School of Preaching in Takoradi, Ghana. The staff are involved in lessons to strengthen the avenue of prayer in Nigeria.

Students in Cameroon are growing in their outreach as well. Enduring the rainy season has not dampened their spirit of evangelism as they continue to reach out with the gospel. Their studies each week provide them with the knowledge and the heart of God’s mission. 

The work in East Africa continues to grow as well. Plans are being implemented to grow the next class in Arusha, Tanzania to thirty (30) students beginning their studies in January. Between the Swahili and English program at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, this could be one of the largest intakes in the extension work. 

Ukraine and Nepal are busy recruiting and preparing for a new group of students for the upcoming class.

These are a few of the works featured in this week’s report. The news of Extension Training is changing the world.

Now on to the other reports...

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

The latest report from Gary Fallis can be viewed by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Mission In Cameroon Brings Souls To Christ: CBIW was able to see a new location for the development of the church. Four souls were added to the kingdom.

Student Recruitment Campaign In Nepal: The administration at the Nepal Center for Biblical Studies will spend another week to work on recruiting new students.

Academic Year Approaches Completion At WCSOP: One week of classes is all that is left for seniors to complete their studies. New students prepare for September.

BVBIU Prepares For A New Class: Although the numbers may not be large, a number of students continue to train the school in Gorlovka, Ukraine.

New Class Begins At TIBS: After graduation, the school in Tamale, Ghana began a new class of students preparing to preach the gospel.

Walking With God Through Prayer In Nigeria: Staff at the Southwest School of Evangelism have been involved in teaching lessons on prayer.

A Step Of Faith And God Answered: The school in Arusha stepped out on faith to recruit more students and God has answered in great ways. 

Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading this week’s report. The work is growing strong. Plans are being made for new locations to partner in the work of training preachers / leaders in the Lord’s church. This is all possible because of the great vision and sacrifice made by so many of you. We want to thank you for being involved in this wonderful work. We also want to thank the brethren around the world who allow us to partner with them in training others in the word of God. May our God always be glorified.

God bless
Bob

A Step Of Faith, And God Answered...

Greetings Fellow Servants, 

We thank you and we thank God for you, your prayers, love and passion for winning souls to Christ. God continues to have His way here in Tanzania and throughout East Africa. The Gospel of Christ is being preached to a people truly desiring to know His Will. The Lord’s Church continues to grow as God would have it.

Update: Last week we shared with you, our friends and partners in the Gospel, our “stepping out in faith” challenge, as we strive to enroll an additional 15 new students for a total intake of 30 in our upcoming Ki-Swahili stream. You have answered our prayers and God’s desire. We have commitments for 10 of the 15 needed already. Now we need to maintain our current supporters and find funding for 5 more.

Highlight of the week: This has been a busy week within the TZ2000 mission effort. Jerry Bates concluded his Masters classes. The Arusha area wide evangelist met to plan and execute our 20/20 mission plan for the church in Arusha (five new church plants by 2020 (with White Rose being the first this year). Preparations for the classes to begin Monday for the undergraduates are underway. Follow-up evangelism at the four areas where we conducted Safari for Souls campaigns continues with many obeying the Gospel this week. My personal Highlight was standing before 19 (mostly new converts and others still studying God’s Word, not yet in Christ), and teaching them what it means to be a faithful New Testament Christian. When the class ended, two sweet ladies obeyed the saving message of God’s Word and put Christ on in baptism.

Coming to America! It is always a blessing when I have the opportunity to share God’s wonderful mission work here in Tanzania with others. If the Lord wills, I plan on being in the States the whole month of October for the purposes of reporting and sharing the Tanzania 2000 Mission Effort (a work of the Bear Valley church of Christ & the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver) and all of our friends and supporters, with as many congregations, Elders, mission committees, and individual Christians as possible.

I will be traveling alone this trip, Stephanie and Granny will remain in Tanzania. I have begun making appointments and need your help. We have much to do and with your co-operation, prayers and continued support the Gospel will be heard throughout all of East Africa and yes, into all the world. If you would like an update, please let me know.

My immediate need is to raise the travel funds needed. This initial need for air fare and travel to the States is $3,000. If you, your congregation or anyone you might know can help, it would be greatly appreciated. During the month in the States I will also need an additional $2,500 for travel, lodging, meals, etc. The more we can raise for this need, the less of a negative impact it will have on the over all mission budget. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We hope and pray your week in His service is productive to the saving of some lost soul. 

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie and Granny

Walking With God Through Prayer In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Greetings from staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and my co-WBS follow-up workers in Oyo and Oshun state of Nigeria.

Here is the summary of our activities of August 3 & 4,2013:

We (myself, brother Kayode Eniafe, brother Dele Shotola and two of SWSE year 1 students named Samuel Olorode and Shotola Segun) worked with Egbeda congregation, Ibadan to evangelize their city and environ from 9:00 am through 4:00 pm.

On Sunday of August 4, brother Okon Sunday Udoh, one of SWSE instructors, taught on “Walking with God through Prayer” at Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan while my first son, Makinde Emmanuel, who is also a SWSE -DLP student, admonished the church on “Working with God” from 1 Cor. 3:9. We are 56 in attendance with total collection of N1,800=

In the afternoon, brother Kayode Eniafe informed me about the conversion of two of our prospects named Tosin Oladunmoye and Latifat Busari at Egbeda congregation, Ona-Ara Local Government on August 4, 2013.

Brethren, Lord's willing, I will be traveling to WNCC on Tuesday for this year’s annual Bible Lectureship from 6-9 of August 2013 which centered on The Christian Home. And I hope to return on Wednesday to travel on Thursday to Oro in Kwara State for another assignment.

Thanks so much for your partnership! May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint efforts in Christ Jesus, Amen. 

Sincerely in Christ,

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

New Class Begins At TIBS...

On Saturday, July 13, 2013 Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies held its second Graduation ceremony, recognizing thirteen men who had qualified for one of the three certificates offered by the Institute. The graduation ceremony was the highlight of a week long program for students, alumni, and local area congregations.

Receiving a Certificate Of Biblical Studies, the highest certificate presented by the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies, which indicates that the student successfully completed 2 years of intensive classroom training on the Bible and related ministry topics, were: Abraham Dilegm, Godwin Bentikme, Jacob Nichema, Johnson Tilinyi, Joseph Molsak, Kwame Nkumuye Lot, Lot Nlakidi, Matthew Donkor Chakpuju, Philip Bilam, Solomon Lanyan, and Timothy Niligrini. Receiving a Certificate of Leadership was Augustine Assoro, and receiving a Certificate Of Attendance was Bijine Nnurubi Amos. A special award of a laptop computer was given to Timothy Niligrini as the Best Student based upon cumulative grade point average. Additional awards of a Strong’s Concordance were given to Lot Nlakidi for Best Servant, Joseph Molsak for Most Determined Student, and Godwin Bentikme for Most Promising Student.

New Class Begins at TIBS
Sixteen new students have arrived at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies campus and have begun their two year course of studies. This group of men comes from 14 different cities and villages in northern Ghana, representing the Konkomba, Kasasi, Frafra and Dagumba tribes.

The beginning of a new class has a number of challenges, everything from helping the students get moved into the dormitories, going over rules and expectations, teaching them how to use the library, and helping them adapt to their new environment. In many of the northern tribes men do not perform tasks such as carrying water and cooking once they are married, so it is a change for them to take on these tasks while at the school.

Another change for most of the students is seen in their return to the classroom, and the requirements of homework, reading assignments, and tests. During their first of ten terms of classes the students will be studying How to be a Faithful Christian, Life of Christ 1, Writing Skills 1, Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey.

TIBS is thankful to have Joe Wilkie as a guest teacher during the first quarter. Joe, who is a 2012 graduate of the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver and a 2013 graduate of Amridge University’s Bible program, will be teaching both Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey. The students are enjoying Joe’s classes thus far and will be greatly benefited by his knowledge and willingness to teach.

We are looking forward to a great year and will be excited to see what these men will do for the kingdom!

Thank You Supporters!
There are so many to thank from my recent trip back to the US. A big thank you to the Greenbrier congregation for once again supplying Bibles for the entire student body. Enough money was given that we will also be able to buy Bibles for some of the students that will be attending the new school scheduled to open in 2014 in the Accra area. Thanks also to Connie Barden, Sue Shumate, Mildred Priest and Linda Ray for providing money that was used to purchase shirts, trousers, and shoes for new students who could not afford to bring them when classes began. Thanks to Travis White, Virginia Hielen, and Lieper’s Fork church of Christ for their gifts that are being used to help the Bawku congregation put a roof on their building. A big thank you to Susan Mullen who provided the funds to build the next classroom at the Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School, which will be dedicated in honor of Jack Wilson. A special thank you to the Broadway church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky for providing the necessary funds to purchase all the remaining desks and books for the new P3 (3rd grade) class, and many of the other needs of the school. Broadway also provided Bible lessons and teaching aids for the English classes, and a great number of school supplies. I would also like to thank Edie Singleton whose gift will be used to help the school’s program to grow their own food, and Gary and Elaine Heath for sending funds for additional supplies. Thanks to Rod and Cindy Wilson, Jim and Martha Bell, Jackie and Lynda Horton, David and Beverly Woody, Janet Banks, Baily and Marilyn Watson, Phillip and Dana Short, Ann Furr and Sylvia Curd for their gifts this month.

Most important, thanks to those who provide the monthly support that makes it possible for me to be here. None of this is possible without the Greenbrier church of Christ, Colony church of Christ, Bobby and Jackie Sims, Sue Shumate, Aubrey and Donna Allensworth, Chris and Shirley Brill, Linda Ray, Gene and Sandra Blair, and Mary Mix.

Please send all contributions to my overseeing congregation:

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

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

Additional information about the work at Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies is available through the Bear Valley Extension School website at /extension- news/tag/tamale

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

Kingdom of Hope Update
A new school year will begin next week at the Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School and there is a lot of excitement. This year the school will be offering an addition class, P3 (3rd grade), bringing the number of classes to four. We will also be able to begin the year with one of the classes meeting in the new classroom and with many of the students sitting in the new desks. We ended last year with 82 students (40 orphans and 42 from the village) and are planning for as many as 25 new students this year, although the actual total will not be known until classes actually begin.

In addition to classes beginning there is also construction work being done on the next classroom with the foundation being completed last week. I will be travelling to Kuka this weekend to check on the work and make arrangement for purchasing cement to build the blocks and set the support pillars. We will also make arrangements for the construction of the remaining desks, and deliver the textbooks for the P3 classes and supplies for all classes for the coming year.

If time permits we will also meet with the local congregation about the feeding program for the school. We have been looking for a way for the school to be able to do a better job of being self-supporting in providing the daily meals for the children. Land has been given to the school so we can plant a mango orchard with the produce being sold or traded to provide the necessary food staples. I am hoping that we will have the first trees planted this month, with an expected first crop date in two years. Until then we will continue to rely on the congregation to provide daily lunches at the school, and to help with the necessary supplies for other meals for the orphans that live at the school. As the school continues to grow developing the resources to make them self-sufficient will be an important task.

Finally, I am happy to report that since we began construction on the first classroom that the Kuka church of Christ has baptized 17 of their village neighbors. While we knew the school would be a great way to teach the

children about Jesus, it has also opened doors to teach the parents of the village children attending the school, as well as those who have stopped by to see what was being built. Considering that we have not baptized any of the children at the school as they are all quite young, this number is quite encouraging, and we give God all the glory for what He is accomplishing here!

Evangelism Update
Now that school is back in session and I have settled back in to the flow of life here in Tamale, it is time to get back into the field with our evangelism campaigns. I will be working with the Tamale East campaign in Yapei in August. In September I will be working with Steven Ashcraft on a campaign in Togo, and then a campaign to help strengthen the church in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, before returning to teach in Tamale. Our first Student campaign will be in November as we take the students to Zabzugu and surrounding villages to help recent graduate Philip Bilam in his efforts there.

The church in Kulungungu, which began meeting during a campaign this past spring, reported three baptisms since then, bringing their membership up to seven. Due to some issues finding a place to meet in this Muslim town, the congregation has decided to move their meeting place a half mile away to the nearby village of Kanyeri, which is in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso is a French speaking country, but both villages speak the same tribal language which makes this arrangement possible. I will be visiting with members of the congregation and delivering French language tracts next week to help them with their evangelism efforts.

TIBS graduate Stephen Abugbilla, preacher for the Atuba congregation, has recently been working to re-establish the church in the neighboring village of Kaadi, which has been dormant for about ten years. The church began meeting again the last Sunday in April, and now has 26 meeting each week, most of whom are restored former members. In addition to his efforts in Kaadi, Stephen also reports three baptisms at Atuba.

As we continue to reach out into new areas we have a great need for local language Bibles. If you would like to help in this effort you can send your contribution to the Greenbrier church of Christ. Please make sure you attach a note letting them know that the contribution is for African Missions Foreign Language Bibles, or send me an e-mail, so that the funds can be allocated properly.

Tony Johnson

Contact Information

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

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

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

BVBIU Prepares For A New Class...

Dear brothers, families and churches.

Time flies by quickly. A new school year will start soon. Right now it’s a period of summer camps and vacations in Ukraine. Many churches try to combine pleasant and useful activities and have VBS for kids. Young people are our future. American brethren help us a lot in this process, and we are grateful for their help. In Dzerzhisk, Kharkov, Svyatogorsk and other cities, a wonderful work with children was done; many of them saw the Bible for the first time and heard their first lessons about Jesus Christ. Our students worked in these camps and were actively working in the local congregations. For almost 3 weeks, Oksana Heohdzhayeva (BVBIU secretary), Vlad Borisenko and others were working at the Christian camp in Dzerzhisk. We believe that the seed that was sown and the following work with those children will bring forth good results.

In August, we plan to have similar camp at the Central Church of Christ in Gorlovka (in the building of the BVBIU). It will be an interesting event for both the kids and their parents. For the purposes of work with the children we have already started Christian school for kids “The Gifted Child,” and many of the kids who came from the streets got attached to us and learned about the Lord. We ask you to pray for this work. In Ukraine there are no generational Christians; many of us belong to the first generation of Christians; therefore, every new child or adult who comes to the church is perceived as a huge blessing. We are fighting for every soul. My wife and I plan to work at the VBS in Kharkov. We hope that are help will be needed and useful.

At the moment, we are actively looking for the new students. Right now there are 6 people ready to start the program, and there are 9 second-year students. As you can see, the program is not big, but we try to admit only those people who are really willing to be a minister for the Lord. The church in Ukraine is going through a difficult period, but if we want to grow and continue serving the Lord, we need to strengthen our basis, keep what we have and try to preach the gospel actively. We are training evangelists at the Institute, so that they would help the churches where they minister.

In June I visited churches of Christ in Mariupol and Kramatorsk. Telling about the Institute and our program of training ministers, I see how Christians get encouraged and become more willing to participate in this work.

In September, one of our graduates, Eugene Tebel, with his family will start working with young people at the Kramatorsk church of Christ. That’s yet another sign that Ukraine is need of the sound ministers of the word. It’s a wonderful family, and I think that many souls will come to the Lord because of them. 

One of the problems that we face in Ukraine is that we stopped spreading the church. For 5 years we haven’t planted new churches and are only trying to support those that exist. After the fall of the Soviet Union, thousands of people came to hear the gospel, and they wanted to read the Bible, but with every year Ukraine is becoming more European. Many people have the spiritual values shift to have lesser priority. Now it’s more difficult to spread the gospel; materialistic mindset makes Ukrainian nation hardhearted to Christ. Expensive cars and apartments lead people away from God. I think that in every corner of our world God’s servants face similar problems, but we continue believing in our Almighty God.

Our family and the students of BVBIU send you their greetings and the gratitude for your kind and open hearts. Your help is visible here. God’s work keeps being done.

Your brother and co-worker for the Lord’s cause,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

Academic Year Approaches Completion At WCSOP...

Brethren,

I bring you greetings from Takoradi and hope and pray that you and all of yours are faring well. I am feeling better and that has been the case for the past couple of weeks though I am not as strong as I used to be. Thank you all for your prayers.

We have one more week of school to end the academic year. The seniors will not be returning when school reopens in September and we shall only have one class (the juniors). We have five men who want to come to school now. We are considering the possibility of giving them foundation courses to see if they can join the class. Most of the courses are self-contained they can take and make up for what will be lacking in the first year when a new class begins one year hence. We have four students who will lack the first term’s work after next school year. There are two alternatives to consider for the five men; send them to the school at Tamale or let them wait to enroll in 2014. The problem with the first is students come from congregations they are working with which they visit at the weekends. This will not be possible when they go to Tamale. We may lose them like we have on a number of occasions if we ask them to wait one more year. Besides we have space to replace the five who complete their courses next week.

One of the seniors completing next week is Solomon Kweku Paintsil, 63 years old. He has set up a church at a village called Obra Ye Bona some three kilometers from Mporhor the district capital of the Wassa Mpohor district of the Western Region. Brethren from Dominasi and Adum Banso assisted him with the initial preaching and teaching. He plans to work with this new church after school. The immediate needs of this new work according to Solomon is some support for the preacher and money to purchase land for a structure for worship. People take churches seriously and choose to belong when they have a meeting place of some sort constructed. Solomon does not have a postal address at Obra Ye Bona. He uses the school address for his mails (P O Box AX 1501, Takoradi) and can be reached on 233206410028.

Last month we had two former students of the BVBID masters class at the school. They came to Takoradi to visit me July 7 and stayed till the morning of July 11 when they left. They spent Monday to Wednesday at the school visiting students and the teachers who were their course mates in the masters’ program. Gyan Mante preaches for the Ada Road Church in Koforidua, and Maxwell Ansah preaches for the Suhum church all in the Eastern Region. They really lifted my spirit with their great sense of humor and helped Ruth care for me during their stay.

We want to use the men who took the master’s program to help teach at the school. We shall begin by inviting them to teach some of the short courses scheduled for the next school year. We want to help prepare them to teach full time when we need them. And this is in the light of some teachers who have indicated they would want to retire in the next couple of years.

We are managing the use of our access road. The students did some mending and that has made brother Charles and I able to drive up to the school all week. It has been cloudy with occasional light showers this week and that is what has made the student’s repair work last. The previous week when it rained a lot, none of us could drive up. Brother Charles was able to walk up the hill, but I could not, and so I missed three days of classes.

The local weather has been cloudy with intermittent rain falls and very cold for most of us used to the relatively sunny weather. It makes going to bed easy but getting up in the morning difficult. Many report sick in such weather, but we thank God for cooling our land and watering our crops.  

May I take this opportunity to remind you of the needs of our Liberian brother, Jerome Torh which was posted in my June report. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for him yet. He yearns to go home. Please, pray for him and his children and help him as you are able.

Thank you, for your partnership with us and bye for now.

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

Student Recruitment Campaign In Nepal...

Respected brothers and sisters,

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the grace of God, love and peace always be with you. We are always encouraged by God's people around us. 

Regular class
We are doing fine in our regular classes. Brother Deepak and Surya are regular teaching classes Wednesday and Thursday. I am teaching on Monday and Tuesday. I am teaching on Major Prophets and OT and NT survey review. They are teaching the books of James and Ecclesiastes, as well as teaching about Christian Attitudes. 

One more final campaign
We are planning to have one more camp in the next week. We will begin on August 12th and return on 19th. We will go Ramesh's village, Dev's village, Chandra's village. We do hope to get some new students through this camp. Our present students will teach classes at different villages and congregations. This will encourage them as well as the congregations. 

Ladies class
We are blessed to have sister Sunita as a teacher among the sisters. We have talked with brothers and sisters from Thnakot, Chapagon, School and Goldunga regarding a regular ladies Bible study program. With the suggestions of brothers and sisters we have organized her time schedule as below given. 

First week of Saturday – Goldunga Church
Second week of Saturday – Chapagaon Church
Third week of Saturday – Thakot Church
Fourth week of Saturday – Bible school
Fifth week of Saturday – Bible study with women leaders like Sunita, Usha, Gauri, Durga and active ladies

We have begun the above schedule from this August. Sister Sunita is doing hard work now. She is busy in preparing lessons and traveling here and there. Women are really encouraged by her class. I used to talk with sister Sunita on Sunday evening and Wednesday Bible study regarding a women's classes and the difficulties and problems. I think we are trying our best in His kingdom to grow in Nepal. We do need your kind suggestions. Sister Janie, Debbie and others are welcome to suggest directly to sister Sunita regarding women's class. We will be happy to hear. 

Donation
NCBS is always blessed by God and His people around world. May God bless our brothers and sisters at USA who are regularly showing their love toward us. I must thank brother Don, Mike York, Carl, Jerry, Art, the Bear Valley team and other unseen faces who are helping us in finance and in many other ways. Once again, thank you so much. We are using God's money for the glory of God. We will wisely use this money and will report to all of you.

Please convey our hello and loving greetings to all well known brothers and sisters. 

Thank you.

Servant of Christ
Gajendra Deshar
NCBS, Kathmandu, Nepal

Mission In Cameroon Brings Souls To Christ...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here in Wotutu in particular and in Cameroon as a whole. Hope you are all doing well in faith and in health in your area.

As I write this mail we just returned from mission with some selected students for weekend evangelism to four different locations. Thanks for your prayers; we came back safe and sound. The Lord helped us to accomplished His purpose this weekend.

Brother Frank Anold Ebang obeyed the gospel. Keep him in your prayers to grow and help many in his Roman Catholic family to see the truth as he is zealous to carry the truth to them.

I taught during our annual youth retreat in Cameroon. I was teaching on the topic prayer and God’s reactions toward prayers. It was good for the youth who have a lot to ask from the Lord and will always need and instant answer.

The retreat brought youths from all over Cameroon, it was also a great time for me to meet with some of our graduates. Sharing their struggles, passion and visions for the work in their area was awesome for me to hear. Please keep them in your prayers, the going is hard for these young evangelists in the field.

The next stop was Ediki Village. Ediki Village is a road side village which had the church of Christ since 1974, but the church stopped worshiping about 3 years ago because there was no one to preach to them. We met some backsliders, we shed physical tears about the church and were ready to come back. They took us to meet with others who were part of the church many years ago so that we could talk and possibly bring them back. Many came, some make flimsy excuses, some are staying in another village, some live on their farm because now is the heart of the peak of farming season, and some are dead. That was the most sad part of the story. The work will work well. Keep it in your prayers.

House to house evangelism yielded backsliders to return. In the course of doing so we met those who are interested to listen to the gospel. They asked reasonable questions and we used the Bible to expose their denominational errors. Nangoh Rosaline was baptized and put on Christ.

On the left, sister Mbone Agnes went into the water pool of baptism to rise up and walk in newness of life. She is a trader along the road and saw us in June when we came by on our way from Kumba. She helped us trace the church and she obeyed the gospel this morning. Keep her in your prayers. She said she was a deaconess in her denomination.

A total of 4 precious souls were added by the Lord during this trip in Ediki village. Sister Eyong Tak is over 80 years of age. She obeyed and shouted after her baptism, “THANK YOU LORD I AM NOW A BORN AGAIN.” Keep her in your prayers also.

We came across an abandoned hall which was already collapsing. We were able to worship in the hall today. The congregation was revived and we shall be sending our students every weekend to preach, teach and do house to house evangelism and by so doing we shall fish out some more fallen away Christians.

We went there, four of us to do the revival and by His grace we worshipped 31 today. It is a good work and we shall continue preaching the message and reaching out to the community until we can keep a graduate there after they finished from school to be there permanent, so that the souls will continue to feed well on the word.

I spent time clearing grass and making the abandoned building look good again for worship today. The church hall is risky now, as it is soft because of the rain that is falling from the roof, the building was built using clay. Now that the zinc is off the roof, water dissolved it as fast as possible, it is risky and can collapse while worship is going on. There are some urgent needs for the work, like wood, 5 sheets of zinc, blocks to erect the wall, benches, and Bibles for studies.

Plans
1) We shall continue with the Ediki mission weekly. Please pray.

2) We shall continue with evangelism efforts to establish a new congregation in Batoke village. Some students were there over the weekend again.

Appreciations
Great God, we thank you for all that you are doing here through your children who are part of this work. God bless them and continue to make it possible for them to continue this great work.

Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless you. Please share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Let The Classes Begin...

Ten men began their journey at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver on Friday. The next two years will bring intense study, late nights, and a few challenges. In their own way, each one of them has made sacrifices to be involved in preparing themselves to preach the gospel. We ask you to join us in praying for these men as they begin classes Monday.

The latest news in South America is exciting as Eliezer Perez, a graduate from ITL in Guatemala, is now working as the minister of a new church plant near Asunción. Souls continue to be added to the kingdom in Cameroon, Nigeria, Tanzania, and other countries. The level of enthusiasm increases just by reading the reports that show how God is working through His people.

The success of the extension program is the result of the fellowship / partnership shared and enjoyed among wonderful brethren. BVBID considers it a great privilege to join hands with the dedicated and committed directors, teachers, evangelists, supporters, and students who are involved in this work.

Therefore, we want to take a moment to thank you. Every individual is valuable to the development of the work in the Lord’s kingdom. My prayer is that God will receive the glory He deserves as we labor together in the fields of harvest.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Howell Ferguson’s report share news about the work in Ukraine. Read more by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Work May Be Slower Because Of Rain, But Not Stopped: The rains have created a number of problems with the work, but CBIW continues to influence others for Christ.

New Church Plant In Paraguay: A graduate from ITL in Guatemala is now working as part of a church plant just outside Asunción, Paraguay.

Conversion And Restoration In Nigeria: As the work develops in Nigeria, various lessons are designed to help bring conversion and restoration of the Lord’s church.

Souls Continue To Be Added To The Kingdom: Sean Hochdorf shares the news about the souls who have been added to the kingdom in Arusha, Tanzania.

Faith, The Bond Of Participation Among Saints: The news of growth in the work of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching brings excitement of participation. 

Final Thoughts
One last thought: the world’s population is increasing with each second of the clock. As well, statistics indicate that 6,480 die every hour. With a world population of more than seven billion people, it is vital to determine how best to fulfill God’s mission of seeking and saving the lost. The extension program is one avenue we are using to meet this challenge. Thank you for sharing in this effort.

God bless
Bob

Work May Be Slower Because of Rain, But Not Stopped...

Dearest in Christ,

Amazing grace to you from your brothers and sisters from Wotutu in Cameroon. We are doing much better in health. We do hope you are doing great over there.

Rainy season keeps on and on, and by so doing many of our programs are being interrupted by the heavy down pour of rain.

Our student Mbappe for the past one week could not make it to class because of sickness and was hospitalized. Keep him and many others in your prayers.

We arrived at Batoke village, a coastal village located on the west coast of Cameroon. We went there with some students and one of our graduate evangelists, Opel, as we have started sowing the seeds to establish a new congregation there. Keep this work in your prayers.

Brother Opel preached house to house in Batoke village. It will be a good work. The people are very receptive and keep asking many questions about why we are coming, but now in the village, it is a village already saturated with many denominations.

Brother Opel and I went house to house. We succeeded in reaching out with the gospel to 6 families intensively who show their interest to study more. We shall continue until we have souls that will obey the gospel and we shall start worshipping. Keep the work in your daily prayers.

Plans
1) We shall continue every weekend to go to Batoke village.

2) We shall share the students and staff in different locations on weekends to preach and teach. This weekend we shall split into four groups; some will go to Batoke, some will go to Ediki to revive the congregation which is dead (they are not worshipping any longer because there was no one to preach to them), we shall send some to Mondoni and Tole congregations respectively for nurturing and evangelism.

Request
Please keep our brothers and sisters in your prayers. The weather conditions are causing many to get sick these days.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you for all that you are doing for the old rugged cross. You are doing a lot for the work. We thank God for you. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Faith, The Bond Of Participation Among Saints...

Greetings Fellow Workers;

We hope and pray this report finds you well, blessed and serving Him faithfully. We thank you all for all you do, your prayers, support and participation in God’s mission work here in Tanzania. God continues to give the increase as His servants plant and water The Seed! There have been three additional baptisms at Kwa Mrombo as a result of the follow-up efforts. Gasper reports two souls saved at Maji ya Chai in the past week. Fariji Paul report one soul saved at Usa River, yes, the work goes on.

Faith, yes Faith! That aspect of the Christian life that binds us together in the most Holy Faith. We at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching (a work of the Bear Valley church of Christ, and B.V. Bible Institute of Denver) have stepped out in faith. We are in the process of recruiting 30 new student of the 2014 intake. This would be an increase of 15 above our current enrollment of 15 in the Ki-Swahili stream. 

In order for this to happen, we need to raise additional funding of $200 per month for each of the 15 men. We have started the process and God, through His faithfulness, has already begun to give the increase. We have commitments for three, possibly as many as five. We thank God and we thank those who have made this commitment.

If you are currently supporting a student, we plead with you to continue. With your help, God’s blessings, and the work of God’s servants here in TZ, many souls will hear, many will obey and God’s family will continue to grow. 

In the past 15 years, over 150 new church plants have been established. We have graduated 115, most of whom are serving faithfully. Without these men, trained in the Word of God, many of these congregations would go wanting.

We need your help! Many are unable to support a student fully, but most could do something. With a one-time gift of $200, you support a student for a month, $2,400 one-time, you support a student for a year. One sister, a teacher for World Bible School, wrote saying she could not support a student for two years, but, she and her husband could for a month (they sent $200). Amen! 

Please do what you can where you are, with what God has blessed you with. Please help us, help them, help themselves. A trained and dedicated Tanzanian evangelist will always be more effective in his homeland than any five missionaries from abroad. Thank you, thank you all so very much for your interest and commitment to do God’s will where you are and for your efforts throughout the world. Working together, with God on our side, indeed, all things are possible. 

We close with joy and thanksgiving for God allowing us to be a part of the greatest family on earth, the Family of God!  

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Souls Continue To Be Added To The Kingdom...

Campaigners diligent efforts bring many to Christ
Our good friends (and sponsor) 2^nd and Adams church of Christ conducted a very fruitful campaign in the Ngurdoto area located just outside of Arusha. Sending 20 people proved to be a great benefit as they spread out their responsibilities throughout the mountainside. Each day numerous bible studies were conducted as well as a VBS and ladies seminar. When the campaign came to a close 14 souls had been added to the church. The work doesn’t conclude once the campaign comes to an end, in fact, just the opposite is true. In an effort to keep the momentum going, brethren from Maji Ya Chai and Usa River will be working alongside the brethren from Ngurdoto continuing to carry on with the sixty plus Bible studies that were started during the campaign. Thus far 3 more souls have been added as a result of their follow up.

Just a few short weeks after the Ngurdoto campaign brethren from the BCS church of Christ in College Station, TX made the trek over the ocean to begin a campaign with the Kwa Mrombo congregation. You might recall that Kwa Mrombo is where Anita and I normally worship. John Hall, former TZ veteran missionary led the group. Regretfully, Anita and I have started our furlough and were not present for the Kwa Mrombo campaign. Charles Heberth, the capable preacher at Kwa Mrombo, sent me a note letting us know that 16 souls were added to the kingdom during the campaign! Brethren at Kwa Mrombo continue to conduct follow up studies. 

ANDREW CONNALLY SCHOOL OF PREACHING
While Anita and I were headed toward the states for our furlough Cy Stafford, our team leader, was headed back to Tanzania after a short trip stateside to make sure the transition for the oversight of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching from the Kensington Woods church of Christ to the Bear Valley church of Christ in Denver, CO., went smoothly. We are most appreciative for efforts, both past and present, of each congregation. We are excited about the future with Bear Valley as they have been in the preacher training business for over 40 years. As we seek to train men to preach in East Africa we are certain our relationship with BVBID will be a tremendous benefit. 

FAMILY UPDATE
We want to express our gratitude for the calls, cards and especially the prayers on behalf of my mother. Mom has returned home after her surgery and is making a slow, but steady, recovery. Her doctor was pleased with the procedure and believes that all the cancer was removed and that no further treatment will be necessary. We are waiting for the final pathology report to confirm this but are so thankful for the way matters have progressed thus far. We thank God for His providential care. 

FURLOUGH
Anita and I will be headed to Sevierville, Tennessee at the end of August to attend Polishing the Pulpit. If you are attending we hope you will look us up. If you have never been to PTP you are missing out on a real spiritual treat and retreat. This year it’s expected that nearly 3000 brethren will be in attendance. If you are unfamiliar with PTP you can find out more at www.polishingthepulpit.com.

While we are home on furlough we are looking forward to visiting with many of you. It is a great joy to share face-to-face the work that you have sent us to do. We want you to be encouraged about the work in Tanzania and we hope we get the opportunity to tell you more about it. In addition to reporting we will be trying to pick up some new supporters to makeup our budget shortfall. If you know anyone that might be interested we would really appreciate you passing along our information. By the way, while we are home on furlough, I can be reached at 817-688-4317 and Anita can be reached at 817-470-0088. Give us a call, we would love to hear from you.

Until next time, take care and God bless,
Sean & Anita Hochdorf
Arusha, TZ

To read Sean’s report and see the picture of Guadence preparing to baptize a lady from Ngurdoto, please click here.

Conversion And Restoration In Nigeria...

Dear brethren,

Grace, peace and mercy be multiplied unto you all from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord.

Below is the summary of our activities on the weekend of July 27-28 2013.

I (brother Makinde E.Olufemi) along with brother Kayode Eniafe and brother Dele Shotola re-visited the WBS students of Sheri Boggess, Don Vanderlindon, Cathy Carpenter of the West Olive congregation, Peoria, AZ on Saturday of July 27 at Amuloko town of Ona-ara, Local Government of Oyo State with other WBS students of West Olive congregation. They are: Adebayo Femi, Deborah Amoo, Emmanuel Amoo, Abolade Amoo, Oyeleke John, Kolawole Emmanuel, Adegbite Tobiloba, Olapade Iyanu Oluwa, Amoo Mercy, Amoo Lydia, Mrs. M.V. Amoo, Mr. Olukunle Aremu, Damilola Owolabi, J.S. Adeyimka, Bose Adesina and Fagoyinbo Sunday.

Brethren, sooner or later some of these students will be converted! Brother Dele Shotola will be following up on this students since they live closer to him.

Brother Monday Ofem, one of the SWSE-2010 graduates, reported the restoration of a congregation of ten brethren on July 2013 at Afuze town, Owan East, Edo State.

Brother Ezekiel Okoh, one of the SWSE-Lagos campus instructors, reported the conversion of two souls and the restoration of seven brethren at his home town where he has been using his one month annual leave in Ebonyi State.

Brother Abiola Joseph Olusoji, one of the instructors in Ibadan campus, reported the conversion of two souls at Agege congregation in Lagos in July. Brother Dairo Abiodun Joseph, one of the instructors at Lagos campus, also reported the conversion of three souls at Ota congregation, Ogun State where he is preaching as a gospel preacher while brother Isaac Olaniyan, one of the present instructors at Ibadan campus, also reported the conversion of two souls at Ijoko congregation, Ogun State on July 21.

Brother Matthew Roland, one of my fellow WBSFUW in SW states of Nigeria, reported the conversion of a WBS student of West Olive congregation, Peoria, AZ named Bose Ojo of Success Kids International School, Ilesha, Osun State on July 28.

Brethren, I taught on “Understanding the Why of Suffering” at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan on July 28 while brother Arowolo Samuel, one of SWSE year 2 students, admonished the church on “Endurance.” We are 56 in attendance with a total collection of N1,700=

Beloved, we thank you all for your partnership! May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all your undertaking in Jesus Christ name, amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

New Church Plant In Paraguay...

New Church Plant in the city of Ñemby, Paraguay!
God was glorified once again in Paraguay this past month! This time with the announcement and beginning of a new congregation of the Lord’s church in the city of Ñemby. A group of members from the Avenida Sacramento congregation, who all live in Ñemby, held a special meeting on June 27 in the home of the Martinez family to make decisions regarding the idea of planting a church in that city. They decided that they all felt ready to begin holding services this month so they would ask the brethren at Avenida Sacramento for assistance. On July 7, 2013 there were 50 people from among the new congregation and their two sister congregations who met to worship together and encourage these brethren in their new effort. Praise our Lord!

Brother Eliezer Perez is doing a find job in his second month as a missionary to Ñemby. He has produced a a detailed report of the work (in Spanish) which is available at: NEMBY INFORME 

Baptized! María Belen Norguera. 
She is the life-long friend of our sister in Christ, Natalia Mendoza. She had been studying with Natalia off and on for several years and had always noticed something different and good in her. So, she finally asked Natalia about her faith. After studying the need for baptism in order to be saved, she decided she needed to obey the Gospel call … and she didn’t want to wait any longer! She was SO happy when she came up out of the baptismal waters. We sang and prayed and simply rejoiced with her in her wonderful decision. Natalia is now going to be studying some new convert lessons with her. Praise Him! 

ASUNCIÓN BIBLE ACADEMY UPDATE
The students are currently in their second quarter of studies and it is becoming obvious this is a little more difficult task than they first imagined. The studies are now more focused and demanding, but the students are showing great improvement in their study skills and understanding of God’s word. 

This past month, the students participated in another evangelistic campaign, working alongside a short term mission team from Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ. Working in the city of Ñemby, once again, they generated more than a dozen good contacts and held several Bible studies. Their enthusiasm and work ethic in evangelizing was rather impressive. It is really heart warming to see their zeal to spread God’s saving message to the lost. Please keep them in your prayers.

Ramón is 27 years old and is a native Paraguayan who is also fluent in the Guarani language. His current grade point average is 82.7 and his favorite subject so far has been the study of Genesis. The following is a thank you letter from Ramon. 

“Hello! My name is Ramon Paredes.”

“I am [currently] studying at the Asuncion Bible Academy. I want to give thanks to all of you, my brothers in Christ, who are supporting us so that we may be here to study without having to worry about anything, but just dedicate time to be well prepared in order to work in the kingdom of our God. [So that we may also] be well prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15), as well as, to know the will of God, that He does not want any to perish but for all to be in reach of salvation.

Thank you for your continued support of us so that the kingdom of God may continue to grow while we are [striving to] bring more souls to Christ.

May God bless you!”

Palm Beach Lakes Mission Group Comes To Paraguay!
A mission group from Palm Beach Lakes (FL) came to Paraguay from June 28 thru July 7 to work with the church here. They assisted us with our evangelism campaign in Ñemby, brought some lessons to share, and completed service projects. The purpose was to gain new contacts for the upcoming church plant. The effort resulted in more than a half dozen Bible studies being held and about 20 new, promising  contacts made. Since the campaign, we have had visitors come to services and more Bible studies conducted. Those we had join us were, Marie Hackshaw, Gwen Lyons, Phil and Mary Porter, Adam Seal, and Giselle Smith. The mission team did a wonderful job and greatly encouraged our brethren here in Paraguay.

One of their activities was a benevolence project at the house of our sister in Christ, Mirta Vera. We painted, cleaned, and made several repairs in order to help her. She cares for two adopted children and her 90-yearold mother. She was so happy and thankful! 

Ruben Pacheco
Andrea received some terrible news on July 14th from her family back in Florida, that her 18-year-old nephew, Ruben Pacheco, had been in a deadly car accident. At the moment, he was on life support. Several very gracious brethren provided funds for Andrea to be able to return to the USA in order to be with her family. We can’t say thank you enough for your care and concern. Sadly, Ruben passed away the following day and the family held a memorial service for him on Saturday the 20th. He was a registered organ donor and through this gift he was able to give life and relief to at least 8 other people. The family is still struggling with the loss and we ask you for your prayers.

Bible Studies / Visitation / Other Activities:

• I starting up the study of Revelation again with our sister Elvira Dominguez. She has brought her friend, Susana Paredes, to study with us, as well. So the study has resulted in a rather interesting and challenging evangelistic effort.
• We spent the “4th of July” with the Yegros family while the mission group from Palm Beach Lakes was here. There was BBQ, fireworks, Americans, and the US flag. What more could one ask for a US holiday on foreign soil?
• We took several brethren from Palm Beach Lakes over to visit our sister in Christ, Odila Uriola. She is the widow of one of the first missionaries to Paraguay back in the 1970’s. One can still witness the fruit of their labor because several of our members that we have today are converts from that effort years ago. The congregation at “Centro” was also a result of their work. We are very thankful for her example! 

PRAYER REQUESTS
You can help the church in Paraguay by adding the following to you prayers:

• For continued leadership development among the men of the church in Paraguay
• Spiritual development of members
• Our current Bible study contacts and that God may provide others
• For the students and faculty of the Asuncion Bible Academy
• For the members of the new church plant in Ñemby
• Improvement of Andrea's health
• Safe travels throughout our work week
• Continued improvement in Spanish speaking skills 

Cultural or language discovery:
Most Paraguayan bathrooms (that have running water) have electrical showerheads in them called a “calefón,” or “ducha electrica.” Cold water passes through the showerhead which is heated by an electrical element inside. To an American, it is rather unnerving to step into a shower with standing water and visible (sometimes bare) electrical wires. No wonder they have been dubbed as "widow makers!"

We have these in our house also but Andrea says, “Sure it’s a little scary, but at least I never run out of hot water!”

There's always a bright side!

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

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

Privileged To Participate In Extension Training...

This is the final week of preparation for the new class beginning in Denver. The last few students will be arriving this week as orientation will be held on Friday. Watching the faces of incoming freshman as they wonder in anticipation to what the following week will bring is exciting. Somehow, no matter what is said, there is just no way to adequately prepare for the intensity of the course work they will be involved with over the next two years.

The Extension news is also exciting as students continue their studies in preparation for work in the kingdom on a global level. One report this week shares how some students are only two months away from graduation. Another report speaks of the work graduates are involved with in their country. Others report about the way God has given the increase to their efforts while they are in school and reaching out through evangelistic efforts to bring souls to Christ.

When it is all said and done, the work of Bear Valley in Denver, and the brethren we are privileged to participate with in Extension Training, is an awesome program. We are so blessed to serve a great God, and we are thankful for the opportunity to work side by side with the greatest people on earth.

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 

Rainy Season Challenges Evangelism: The rainy season in Cameroon brought flooding and raised challenges for students evangelizing villages near CBIW. 

Prospective Students In Togo: With graduation a few weeks away, the new class of students is shaping up very well at the Center for Biblical Studies in Togo.

New Students Begin Classes At VVBC: The same is true in India as classes register and prepare to begin classes at the Visakha Valley Bible College.

Evangelizing Nigeria Through Preacher Training: The students at the Southwest School of Evangelism are sharing the gospel around Ibadan, Nigeria.

The Heart Of The People In Tanzania: This is a touching and powerful story that shares the network of God’s people reaching out with the gospel. 

Final Thoughts
A final word to thank you for the blessing you are to the Lord’s kingdom. Everyone who reads this report is involved in some level within the Extension Program. Whatever you contribute to the work through your abilities, financial means, prayers, encouragement, or all the above, please know you are appreciated. We pray for you each day and we trust God will continue to bless you for all you do in His kingdom.

God bless
Bob

Prospective Students In Togo...

17 men have applied to CBS
These prospective students are from the Church of Christ and the following denominations: NewApostolic, Presbyterian, Redeem Church, ChinHai, Micsa, New Covenant Baptist, Church of Pentecost, SDA, House of Holy Spirit and Fire.

Catholic Priest to Attend CBS
Barry Baggot informed CBS that he has a prospect in Burundi who has expressed the desire to attend CBS. This man as I understand is a Catholic Priest and a lecturer in one of the Universities.

Students prepare for final exams
CBS students can be seen in this two pictures seriously preparing for their final exams in August. They were divided into two groups completing a project work.

Nyiveme Church of Christ organized a 3 day seminar on Marriage and the Christian Home
Some of the topics discussed during the seminar included: preparation for marriage, responsibilities of husbands and wives, who is the head of the home, dealing with in-laws and step children, and resolving marital conflict.

The 11 resource persons included: Nine students, one instructor and one former student.

There were about 80 in attendance during each session.

Mr. Aluka, until recently, was a member of the Jehovah Witnesses and the director of a college in Hanyigba, near Kpalime.

Brother Aluka has been using his influence as the director of the college to lead other teachers and students to study with the Church of Christ. He has been able to convince 13 of his friends from the Jehovah Witnesses to start a regular class with Cephas, the principal of CBS. It is our prayer that God will touch their hearts to respond to the gospel soon.

WHAT IS GOD DOING WITH OUR FORMER STUDENTS
Location Preacher Baptism

Noepe Selorm 6

Akepe Yaovi 7

Keve Foli 5

Sanguera Gidigidi has a congregation of 44 members.

Schedule of activities to mark this year’s graduation September 23rd - 29th
September 23rd Monday: Lectures on Leadership.

September 24th - 25th Church Planting at Agou Gare

September 26th - 27th Preparation for graduation

September 28th Graduation Ceremony

September 29th Thanksgiving Service

Meeting with students
During my recent visit to Kpalime, I was informed that the students would like to meet with me. I knew what their concerns were prior to the meeting. When the time finally came and I walked into the classroom, I saw some signs of mixed feelings written all over their faces. They were happy to be completing their two years of study, but afraid of what the future holds for them. I remembered the disciples asking Christ ‘we have given up everything to follow you, but now what is in it for us?’

One student said when he informed his wife that his support ends after the graduation, she quickly took the kids and left for her parents. I had to encourage them to ‘hang in there’ until such a time that God responds to their impending plight. Brethren, it is not easy looking into the faces of these men and telling them that I don’t know how they will survive with their wives and kids. Some have left the denomination, their jobs and their sources of income to spend two years to prepare to preach.

However, I informed them that we shall assist them in any church planting exercise if they call on CBS to do so.

Willie Gley
williegley@gmail.com