Happy Holidays From South America...

From the hot, summer season that is now upon us here South of the equator in Paraguay, we want to wish all of you back in the USA a very happy holiday season! We pray this time of year finds you filled with peace and joy while enjoying time with friends and family. God bless!

DEVELOPMENTS AT AVENIDA SACRAMENTO
This month a lot of time was dedicated to goal planning for the upcoming year. We started with our annual men’s planning meeting and that has been extended to a weekly meeting due to the desire to restructure our ministry programs. The meetings have included members from Ñemby and Avenida Sacramento. It is very encouraging to see the Paraguayans working so diligently in making plans for the future of the church in their country. Once all the decisions are made. We will share them with you here in our following reports!

The ladies also held their annual “Mujeres de Fe” conference on Saturday, November 9th. Two of our sisters, Raquel Franco and Leti Alfonso, extended the lessons on the theme of “Quiero Ver” (I Want to See) taken from Mark 10:51. There was a great turn out of ladies from all the congregations, as well as, visitors.

ÑEMBY CONGREGATION DEVELOPMENTS
The good brethren at Ñemby hosted a “dinner on the grounds” on November 10 in their new facility for some fellowship time and to welcome brother Joe King to Paraguay. Several visitors came which afforded the opportunity to evangelize.

Baptized! Graciela Espinoza! She came to the church as a new contact made from an evangelistic campain back in July with the Palm Beach Lakes congregation from the USA. She has been studying regularly with Eliezer and attending services. She has a very humble heart and we joyfully welcome her to the family of God!

Baptized! Gabriel Balbuena! He is a friend and co-worker of our sister in Christ, Raquel Franco. She taught him the gospel over the course of several months and he finally came to the decision that he needed to be baptized. We rejoice with the angels in heaven!

ASUNCION BIBLE ACADEMY UPDATE
The students have finished their third quarter of studies and wrapped it up with a successful evangelistic door-knocking campaign in Ñemby. This time, they went to the neighborhoods around the new church building. This area was even more receptive than previous ones, with several really good contacts having been made. The next quarter will feature a class on “Church Planting” with a special guest teacher, Enoch Rinks, as well as, some practical application workshops.

Evangelistic Contacts / Bible Studies / Special Activities:
We have some exciting news in regards to our study with Sandra Durarte! When she first came to study with us, she said that her husband is very Catholic and didn’t want her in a Bible study. After a few weeks she said he finally approved of her coming. This past month, she informed us that he has lots of Bible questions and would like to come study with us! We thank God for the opportunity!

We ask that you please pray for our students in our “Learn English Using the Bible” program: José, Max, Martín, Aaron, Felix, Adriana, and Oscar. The studies are moving slowly, due to weather or schedule complications, but they are continuing forward.

Please pray for the several new contacts that have been made in Ñemby: Gustavo, Issa, Salvadora, and Ruthy.

This month we also had the pleasure of having brother Joe King, an elder from our sponsoring congregation Maragaret Street church of Christ, come to visit us in Paraguay and survey the work here. While he was here, we had several great Bible studies and special meetings with the brethren. He also sat in on one of our English Bible studies, encouraged our two elder candidates, gave some great advice on planning meetings and leadership classes, and really encouraged Andrea and myself.

Brother Eliezer Perez finished up his first term as missionary here in Paraguay and headed back to Panama on the 25th to be with his family for the holidays. He will be returning to Paraguay on January 5th to resume the work. He is such a hard worker! He was so concerned about all the contacts that had been made recently, that he assigned several people to call them and maintain communication!

Our Leadership Training by Extension classes continue to go very well. We have been studying through a book on “Hermeneutics” and the brethren have shown great interest in what they have been learning. We pray it will provide a strong foundation for their future study of God’s Word.

Other news and upcoming activities:
We’re looking forward to our annual “End of Year Dinner”

Andrea will be hosting this month’s Ladies Tea in our home.

Karen Bennet will be coming to Paraguay to visit us again in January and lead the Ladies Retreat.

Enoch and Laura Rinks will be coming to visit their family and brethren in Paraguay.

Personal Activities:
Every year the “Las Amigas Club” hosts an American style Thanksgiving Dinner as a fundraising event. Andrea has been involved since 2010 and it’s always a great opportunity for us to get to meet new people. But, let’s not forget, to also enjoy a yummy taste of home!

Andrea and I went to visit our dear sister in Christ, Estela, who lives in Caacupe, about an hour outside of Asuncion. Her daughter, Graciela, had come to town, so we picked her up and took her to her mom’s house. It was a great visit and is always a relaxing time in her comfortable home.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at a great steakhouse and an evening of fellowship with our mission team mates during our annual Team Banquet.

We attended a piano recital for one of Andrea’s English students, Oscar Parodi. He did a great job!

Andrea and I have had to make several trips to the doctor this past month for check-ups, physicals, and a few concerns that we each had with our health. Thanks be to the Lord, all results have come back with good news. We continue to pray for good health while on the mission field.

We want to say “THANK YOU!” to all our brethren at Maragaret Street for the beautiful card and care package that you sent down with Joe King. It made us feel so loved! We really appreciate you all and miss you very much!

Personal study: I am currently reading / have read:

“The Eternal Kingdom” by F.W. Mattox

“The Books of History” by James E. Smith

I have been preparing for the upcoming quarter to teach I and II Kings, as well as, Church History.

Preaching/teaching opportunities:
This month, I preached at Avenida Sacramento on the subject of “Are We Saints or Sinners?”

I taught classes on Eccesiastes and Romans in our Bible study hours at Avenida Sacramento.

I wrapped up the month with our classes on “The Life of Christ IV” with the Asuncion Bible Academy.

We will be studying a “Panorama of the Bible” for the next year. We’ll be giving an introduction and summary for every book in the Bible during Sunday AM class.

Cultural or language discovery:
On Saturday, October 26, Paraguay shattered the Guinness World Record for the largest harp ensemble, with 420 harpists performing in a single orchestra. The previous record was 201 harpists in Scotland. A large majority of the musicians were Paraguayan youth from 39 different cities, as well as a few from Brazil, England, Japan, and Peru, who came together to perform in Asunción. The youngest musician was 6-year-old Maura Glober. The ensemble was called #SuenaParaguay (Paraguay Sounds) because even the world’s largest harp ensemble needs a hashtag.

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see Troy and Andrea’s report with pictures, please go here.

Campaign Completed In Takoradi...

Brethren,

We are inching towards the end of our first term in the 2013/2014 Academic Year and I am happy to report on some events since our last report.

Our Campaign #2 has been carried out. This was to work with existing churches to give our students some experience in the day-to-day works of congregations I was undergoing therapy every other day at the clinic and could not go with them. Joshua had a local program set for the week and could not go too. Charles Mensah, Matthew Ackah and Charles Arthur were the instructors who went with the students.  This was to have been a week-long program but had to end on Friday because there was a MEN’S FORUM scheduled for Saturday, November 16.

Brother Charles Mensah reported on the Campaign as follows:

TRIP TO JAMRA: November 11-15, 2013

Departure: 1:45 pm.  The vehicle had a mechanical fault at Daboase Junction (within the Metropolis) and had to continue the journey with a hired van

Arrival: Arrived at Jamra about 5:30 pm and were met by the church there.

Program: As had  been scheduled, we met at 7:30 pm (their meeting time) for the first of four evening lectures presented by brother Matthew Ackah.

Tuesday: We began the evangelism program at Jamra.  Students and instructors were paired. Since we could not get members from the local congregation to lead us into the village, we decided to study with anyone we met on our way. We were able to study with thirty prospects on this day. Tracts were distributed and contacts were made for further studies.

Evening: We met for our evening lectures at 7:30 pm.  Brother Charles Arthur was the Speaker.

Wednesday: Evangelism continued. Questions from tracts given out the previous day were answered. We had the opportunity to visit some who were absentees to the services of the church. We followed up on our prospects of the previous day and studied with some twenty-five more persons. There was one baptism.

Evening: Brother Charles Arthur continued with his lecture at 7:30 pm.

Thursday: Though transportation was a problem, we divided the team into two to enable us cover a nearby village from which we had received a call to evangelize. We hired a van to take one team there while the other continued evangelizing at Jamra, our base. One soul was baptized by the team that went into the second village. Over thirty prospects were contacted this day.

Evening: Brother Charles Mensah was the speaker for the evening’s lecture. There was an increased attendance perhaps because we were to leave the following day.

Friday: There was a call from another nearby village and even though we had planned to depart by 2:00 pm, we responded by hiring a van for a team to go. Another soul was baptized today.

Departure: We departed Jamra at 4:35 pm.

MEN’S FORUM
This is a twice yearly gathering of men in the Metropolis hosted by the Ituma church which meets on campus. Various topics pertaining to Man’s Mission are studied and discussed to inform and encourage men to take their rightful place in the home, the church and society. The eighth of the series was held on Saturday, November 16.  Discussion were made on Failure of Male Leadership is the cause of the woes of the world and Healing the Divisions Among Churches In The Western Region. Brethren from 30 congregations attended.

VISIT TO FRANK AKYI AND CHILDREN
We have reported the death of the wife of Frank Akyin one of our students who preaches at Kikam in the Nzema area of the Western Region. Churches in the area set Saturday, November 30 as a day to visit him and present their donations to help defray his funeral expenses as custom demands. West Coast attended and presented the donation of the staff and students to our brother. We bring you some photos of the occasion and brother Frank’s four children.

West Coast Delegation
Next week our short courses begin. Charles Arthur will be teaching The Christian Home and Daniel Ampadu-Asiamah will be teaching Leadership. We have entered the hot season and as with every change of weather come various ailments four of our students are ill and out of campus. Please, pray for them. All five teachers are well and for that we are grateful.

Thank you, brethren, and bye for now.

Daniel K Ampadu-Asiamah
Principal

To view brother Asiamah’s report with pictures, please click here.

Challenges Facing The Work In Ukraine...

Dear brothers, families and churches.

It’s obvious that every one of us wants to live in a fair, just and God-fearing society. Right now in Ukraine it’s a period when millions of people with trembling and anxiety are going through the events that took place in Kiev (the capital of Ukraine). Our government decided not to enter into the union with Europe, and hundreds of thousands people all over the country went out protesting and expressing their discontent. The protesters require resignation of the government and specific actions while moving in the European direction. I urge you to pray for the future of Ukraine and for the future of God’s church here.

At the beginning of November, there were Master’s classes at the BVBIU, and most likely these students will graduate next year and finish their three-year marathon. We expect to have three graduates from this program, and some of them will be able to help us teach at this Institute. In the Bachelor’s program, first-year students studied such courses: Godhead, Angels and Satan (instructor Vitaliy Rodichev), and Genesis (instructor Victor Semikoz). The second year-students studied Acts (instructor Vladimir Paziy), and 1-2 Thessalonians (instructor Dennis Sopelnik). I’m grateful for the brethren who participate actively in training the future ministers. We had Ukrainian teachers in this semester. A few years ago we could only dream of such possibility, but now it’s a reality. Now we have to work on becoming financially independent, but it’s a difficult thing to do at the moment. Talking about the churches in Ukraine and their development, I will try to show their situation using the example of the church in Gorlovka (which uses the BVBIU building for worship services). This church is now going through a period that is not so good in its history; there are about 22-25 people attending the services regularly. The growth of the church is barely noticeable, even though the church has many programs functioning. The main part of the church members consists of elderly people, whose pensions are so small that they hardly have enough to pay rent for their apartments, not mentioning food or medical expenses. Therefore, the contributions in the church are very small accordingly. We always talk about inviting more young and middle-age people, but it’s very difficult to accomplish on practice. God’s gospel is not changed; it’s still potent and powerful, and probably we need more time, patience and continuous prayers.  

Last month I visited congregations in Kramatorsk and Dzerzhinsk. The latter is situated in about a 30-minute drive. The church there is very friendly and hospitable. We have a student, Sergey, from this town, and he prepared a good sermon, and I hope that he’ll minister in that church in the future. 

My wife and I continue working in the orphanage. During the time of our ministry there, kids have already got used to us and met with many missionaries from the US. Of course we can’t give them all they need, but the most important thing that we share with them is the Good News about Jesus Christ.  

One of the interesting events of the last month was a conference for ladies in Konstantinovka. Ladies who graduated from BVBIU actively participated in it; they spent a lot of time preparing for it, and everyone was greatly encouraged. 

We thank every one who supports BVBIU. We appreciate your input in spreading the gospel here. Your prayers and financial support help us to train sound preachers. Taking a student into the program, you basically take care of all financial expenses (including housing, food and clothing). Many of them send you their greetings and gratitude. 

Your brother and co-worker,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

Fetish Priest And Wife Converted...

The gospel truly has the power to save. This can be the only explanation for what is being done in Togo. In Hanyigba, near Kpalime, a fetish priest has operated for several years indulging himself in all kinds of activities with his evil powers. Several people had consulted him for evil powers and for years he had been considered a very powerful man in the area. The mention of his name sent shivers down the spine of individuals. The natives couldn’t believe what they were hearing about the native doctor becoming a Christian.

John Akli, a former student of CBS stood before this ‘powerful man’ in the name of the almighty God taking the confession of this fetish priest. To the right, the powers of this native doctor were on display. It was a display of the source of his powers. He brought them to be destroyed by the Power of God. On this day two powers crashed and God of heaven was victorious. I don’t know how this may sound to you, but brethren, this is a very significant event in the African contest. All these have been made possible through our weekly radio program and evangelistic outreach programs in the area. Continue to pray for the success of the Gospel.

2013-2014 CBS STUDENTS
Twenty men have committed themselves to two years training to preach the gospel of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Out of the twenty in the class, only four came from the the Church of Christ. However, as at the time of writing this report, seven (7) students who came in as denominational pastors or church leaders have been baptized. These have been made possible through the daily instructions at the school, church activities and the radio program. We are so grateful to God for the lives of these men.

Class in session at CBS
Courses for the first semester include:

    1.    Genesis 

    2.    Homiletics 

    3.    Old Testament Survey 

    4.    Scheme of Redemption

    5.    The Church 

    6.    Evangelism 

    7.    West African Traditional Religion 

    8.    French 

    9.    The book of Acts 

    10.    The Gospel of John 

RECENT BAPTISMS IN KPALIME
The Nyiveme church was blessed with a number of baptisms during the month under consideration. A part from the students, some other individuals were baptized too. A lady who is a wife of one of our members who had a stroke and was confined to the house, but when recovering decided to submit to Christ through baptism. Her decision was based on what God has done for her during her sickness. She attributes her gradual recovery to the work of God and this is her way of showing appreciation.

ANNUAL BIBLE CAMP, DECEMBER 23-26

During my recent trip to Kpalime, I met some of the church leaders to discuss the end of year activities. The area churches have planned to hold the annual Bible camp in Kpalime under the Theme: “Christians and material blessings.” Twelve congregations will converge at EYOH and several messages under the above theme would be delivered by preachers. The organizers are expecting about 150 participants.

December 31st “Watch Night Service”
On the last day of each year, Christians in the Kpalime area meet in Kpalime at a service dubbed “ Watch Night Service” to say goodbye to the old year and usher in a new year (2014). This service is characterized by singing, praying, and peaching. The service usually starts from 9:00 pm till 12:30 am. The service is followed by a fellowship meal and there after brethren depart for their homes.

SCENES FROM RECENT WORSHIP
I was privileged to worship with the Nyiveme Church of Christ on my recent trip to Kpalime. One of the recent graduates taught the class and one brought the sermon. The Nyiveme congregation is blessed with preachers and teachers because most of the recent graduates are currently worshiping there. These preachers are paired with the students for weekend visits to local congregations. We hope that very soon they will all have congregations to work with.

Report By: H.WILLIE GLEY

williegley@gmail.com

Short Courses End And Campaigns Begin...

Dearest in Christ,

Peace and love from your brothers and sisters in Wotutu. We do hope you and the entire family over there are doing great, praise God.

Last week in CBIW was busy as usual, as all 27 students were involved in their short course that marked the end of their first year of studies in CBIW. We say bravo to our God for all His providence and care.

Brother Ralph and sister Cindy are still in Cameroon, but they have finished honorably all that was assigned them to do. In a few days they will take off from our shores. Please keep them in your prayers till they make it back home on Wednesday night.

Brother Ralph Williams gave last minutes instructions to students before their final exams in the book of Galatians. It was great as the students testified, he is a great teacher.

After the exams we took a picture with thumbs up meaning “we are not alone.”

Brother Ralph taught in our youngest congregation, which is three weeks old now in Down Beach, Limbe, on the topic “Christian Principles.”

Sister Cindy stood at our pulpit teaching the women of Cameroon in a one day seminar that was initiated for the ladies. It was great as many sisters in Cameroon, who were part of the class, loved it and solicited the class to be organized again so that many other sisters who were not informed this time around could be involved.

It was also time for praise and prayers as the program was just for one day, but it was so uplifting to the sisters as 8 congregations, excluding Wotutu, were present with 57 ladies in attendance. Praise God for this initiative.

The sisters were also able to take a family picture. It was great and it was all fun. In God’s presence there is joy and there is the fullness of joy. This is what the sisters experienced as they departed Wotutu. We are praying and hoping such a program has come to stay to empower our sisters in many domains of life.

All the students in CBIW are on their way to 26 different locations for the last evangelism effort for the year, 2013. Keep them in your prayers as some will be in the village of Dikome where there is no congregation to see how they can help establish a congregation. Keep them in your prayers please.

Sister Hilda Mesumbe, one of our graduates’s mother, obeyed the gospel in Wotutu. Keep her in your prayers to grow to maturity and that the rest of her 5 children, who are not Christians, will follow her foot steps in Christ.

The family of God is great, catching fun after worship today beside our dormitories. What a great family of God.

Plans
Please keep me in your prayers as I travel to Nigeria this week. I will be there until almost the close of the year. I am going over there to get some books donated to us for our library. When I return I will give you a comprehensive report of what made news throughout 2013.

Appreciations
My heart is full of joy, and are the hearts of many here in our congregation and the entire student body. We say thank you Lord. We thank our Lord for His great care and love to us and His providence to us through you. Oh we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your prayers, care, love and support to us and our ministries for the year. God bless you and continue to watch over you. You are a pillar that the Lord is using to accomplish many here. All glory goes to Him.

Do your best to share our reports with many around. God bless you and keep you safe. We wish you, your family and the congregation of the Lord a fruitful year - 2014 - in advance. God loves us.

Elangwe and family

BY His grace director CBIW

God's Power Is Bringing Souls To Christ...

As we enter the last month of the year, there is a great deal to be thinking about: assessing the information surrounding the work for the past year, adjusting to the changes that are occurring, and planning the year ahead. Time goes by so quickly and with the proper evaluation, preparation and execution we look back and realize, we were ready to take advantage of the opportunities God provides.

We are entering the last few weeks of the second quarter of the school year in Denver. The students are finishing up their assignments and preparing for final exams. They are also looking forward to a needed break, as they will be able to travel and spend time with family and friends at home.

Many of the extension schools will also be taking a break as we near the end of the year. Until then, however, the news from around the world continues to be exciting. The growth of the Lord’s church does not slow down for the holidays and the proof is found in the demonstration of God’s power in bringing souls to Christ through the preaching of the gospel. Even though there are challenges and obstacles to overcome, the dedication of these servants of God prevails.

We ask you to keep praying about the work of training preachers. The new year will see several new students in Denver, recruiting in several of the extension locations, and the graduation of numerous men who are going into the world to bring souls out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son!

Now on to the other reports...

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

Extension Reports 

The Gospel Continues To Bear Fruit: Students continue to strengthen the church and God has given the increase, as 8 more souls were added to the church in Cameroon.

In The Midst Of Challenge, God Is Glorified: While threatened, Joshua Aidoo continues to preach the gospel to a family needing Christ. He needs our prayers.

Year 2 In The Kenya School of Preaching Is Underway: The time is going by quickly as the Kenya School of Preaching prepares to begin the second quarter of the second year.

What Will You Do With Christ? Focus In Nigeria: Recent lessons in Nigeria focused on answering one of the most significant questions in history.

Graduation Gives 134 Reasons To Be Thankful: The work of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha recently completed another graduation, a total of 134 graduates.

Final Thoughts
Thank you for making the work of training preachers possible. We love you, pray for you, and will never be able to thank you enough for making the sacrifices needed to provide for the work. Your prayers, encouragement and financial support are appreciated. 

God bless
Bob

Graduation Gives 134 Reasons To Be Thankful...

Greetings Fellow Servants:

It always brings joy to our hearts when we think of the amazing work God is doing here in East Africa through His faithful, you! We are very thankful for many things in this missionary life; you are high on that list to be sure. We partner in the greatest labor that can be known, because our God has said so and we know it is to the saving of souls for eternity. 

It was 1998 when we began a new chapter in missions, in Tanzania. To date we have graduated 134 evangelist from the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, in partnership with the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver and all our loyal supporters. We have also graduated 20 evangelist with their Master’s degree in Biblical Studies. These men are in the “field of God,” laboring to serve our God and the lost of this world. 

The untold good being done can be seen in two of our graduates: Charles Ogutu and Elias Omolo. These men now serve as Director and Dean at the newly planted sister school, the Kenya School of Preaching. Jimmy and I had the privilege of teaching two Short Courses this past couple of weeks to 13 undergraduates and four graduate students. Yes, the mission efforts are beginning to compound throughout East Africa. 

This year’s graduation was especially dear to myself. As I witnessed the 14 men receive their diplomas, one name really stood out, our dear brother Ayubu (Ki-Swahili for Job). This is one of the two young men who came down from Mt. Meru several years ago telling Francis Wechesa that Moses had sent him down from the mountain to be baptized. Ayubu will be serving the newly planted congregation at White Rose. The other young man’s name is William. William graduated and is serving the Maji ya Chai congregation. Our formally blind brother Moses, who was blind, has gone on to his reward and “sees” perfectly and for eternity! 

Another part of this years graduation was special. Three men from the Arusha Bible School took part in this years graduation. These men began classes two years ago, non-christians, but today they are faithful men of God. One of these men, Amani, is working with Desdery Masaawe at the new Mt. Meru church plant. 

To see God’s mission work mature and to have been a small part of it is a blessing indeed. A very special thank you to our brothers, Tom Brandon and Randy Pyle. Tom, an Elder in the Lord’s Church, and Randy, the minister from the same congregation, have been here at the ACSOP teaching two short courses. We are blessed and yes, very thankful for all the men that have come to teach and train these young men that, in turn, they might teach others. (2 Tim.2.2)

Please say a very special prayer for these graduates and their families as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Also, please remember Sean and Anita as they begin their travels back to TZ. One last prayer request, please remember Randy Pyle at this time. This will be the first holiday season without his wife who passed away earlier this year. 

In closing, let each of us thank our God for who we are and pray He helps us to become the men and women He wants us to be! 

In Him, Cy, Stephanie & Granny

What Will You Do With Christ? Focus In Nigeria...

Beloved,

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

The students of the SWSE-Ibadan evangelized Jago, Kupalo and Lamini villages of Ona-Ara L.G.A. Oyo State on the weekend of November 23, 2013, while we (SWSE-staff, Foundation & Board members) attended the burial ceremony of the mother-in-law of our Board chairman (brother Ayobami Akanji) at Asi town, Oyan in Osun State.

On Sunday at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan, I taught on “The Perilous Time,” while a visiting minister named brother Matthew Roland admonished the church.

At the campus church in SWSE-Ibadan, brother Optimism Onyeanulam taught on “What Will You Do With Christ?” while another student admonished the church on “God Will Provide” (Gen.22:8).

Brethren, the staff and students of SWSE-Ibadan, and one of our August 2013 graduates, named brother Dele Shotola, shall be working with brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe and brother Adeniji Joseph in evangelizing Asejire town, Osun State on November 29 and 30, 2013.

Lord willing, we shall be working with brother Paul Akinwale, and brother Sunday Samuel Adegoke and the church at Ode-Ajagba in Ondo State from December 6-8, 2013, and on December 13 & 14, we shall be working with brother Sunday Samuel Adegoke, and the church at Kute in Lagelu L.G.A. Oyo State, and on December 20 & 21, we shall be working with brother Dele Shotola and the church at Felele-Ibadan.

The SWSE-Ibadan main campus shall close for the end of the year program on December 20 and to re-open on January 3, 2014, Lord willing.

We thank you all for your prayer and financial supports! May the Lord of blessing continue blessing our work together in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

Year 2 In The Kenya School Of Preaching Is Underway...

Dear  brother,

What a way to end the year 2013 for KSOP!

By God’s grace the year 2013 has come to an end. We thank God for leading us through it. It is a December break at the Kenya school of Preaching, we just finished year 2 Quarter 1.  We cannot also forget to thank all brethren who through their prayers, advice and generosity helped us to be what we are. Thanks! There are those who made trips to come and teach at KSOP, thanks.

Cy Stafford, a man who through his influence in East and Central Africa many preachers have been trained and thousands of souls rescued, visited KSOP accompanied by Jimmy Gee the Director of ACSOP in Tanzania. It was great having Cy and Jimmy teaching undergraduate (The Book of James and Marriage and family life) and graduate (O.T Criticism and Advanced Greek Reading – Ephesians) classes respectively for two weeks, it was like a dad paying visit to his children. Indeed, a great way to end the year! Welcome again.

There is still room for other foreign teachers to come and teach short courses, get in touch with me or Mike Reese the KSOP Coordinator on that.  

The students are doing well with the classes, they go for the break with the ability to stand up and give a defense concerning the hope in them with meekness and fear (1Pet 3:15), with the ability to establish and conduct bible studies and preach in all seasons. During the past breaks, the students have been actively involved in gospel meetings and campaigns with many souls obeying the gospel.

In the coming year 2 Quarter 2, we want to sent the students out as much as possible to evangelize and help the local congregations around Kisumu region and out, we will need your prayers to realize this.

The school still requests commentaries, dictionaries, bible softwares that we can use in our library computers, we have received some books and we really appreciate all who have given.

We look forward to another great year coming as we continue to labor in the Kingdom. Keep us in your prayers as we join other brethren during this break in gospel meetings and campaigns.

God bless your labor in the Kingdom.

His servant,
Charles Ogutu, Director KSOP

In The Midst Of Challenge, God Is Glorified...

Dear brethren,

About four months ago, I converted a denominational pastor named George Cassidy, and afterwards decided to work on his family so that they also would become members of the Lord’s Church. This has become a very difficult task for me, since the wife of the man was not happy about the husband’s decision to leave the Assembly of God denomination, and in regards to that, saw me and the members of the Lord’s Church as a threat to them. The woman polluted her children’s minds and by so doing turned them against their own father.

However, through prayers, and persistence I found a way to approach their daughter in personal Bible studies, which resulted in her visiting the church. Yesterday, she visited the church and after the worship was over, she told me she wanted to be baptized. In fact this brought a great joy to the entire congregation. She is called Marian Cassidy.

This morning, I called Mr. Cassidy to ask about how sister Marian was doing, only to hear that the wife was really furious about Marian’s baptism and as a result, creating confusion in the house. This is about to have some bad effect upon their marriage. Please, help me pray for the faith of Mr. Cassidy and his daughter Marian. Also, let us pray for Mrs. Cassidy so that her wrong perception about the Church of Christ will change and become a member too.

Also, I am about to start working on their son, Gideon, who seems to be following his mother in her crusade against the Lord’s Church.

Again, there are some people I have been studying with for some time, and last night between 8:00 and 9:00 pm two of them called me for baptism, and without hesitation, I arranged for their baptism. They are called, Jude and Esther.

I baptized them myself including that of Marian.

Thanks for your prayers.

Joshua

The Gospel Continues To Bear Fruit...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this end. We do hope this report meets you all in good health and a sound faith. Those of you in the USA, we send our special prayers to you and your family. We do hope the holiday of thanksgiving was great.

We are doing great here. God took us off from Wotutu to different locations and we made it back safe and sound. Most of our students and staff were involved in the National Annual Lectureship in Tombel, while some students went to where we are working to evangelize, nurture and do follow up as we do weekly to keep those congregations without preachers up and going.

I was able to be with some students already in Tombel. After our exams we were supposed to go to Tombel area for mass evangelism. We were able to walk up and down the street of Tombel. It was a great mission.

We were involved in house to house evangelism, meeting people and sharing the gospel in their home. Some did not have enough sits for all of us, so we were bound to sit with them on the floor to reach out with the gospel.

CBIW students put canopies up for accommodation from rain and from sun. It was great for our students to be of great help to the congregation there.

Sister Mercy Chang, who listened to us with keen attention, asked lots of questions concerning her belief and her life styles. We told her Jesus is calling and she obeyed the gospel. A total of 8 souls were added into the church in Tombel.

Our sermon this morning was “Thank You.” It is a word which is easier, but difficult and rare for many to use. It was time to provoke the Christians to think about what God had done, is doing and will yet do in their lives, for them praise Him and also to fellow humans. Many fail to say thank you, so the aim was to help many here put on the spirit of gratitude. Brother Ralph and his wife, sister Cindy, who were part of our worship today.

Brother Ralph is in Cameroon to teach in CBIW on the book of Galatians. They made it safe here and we encourage you to keep them in your prayers for good health and for them to accomplish what brought them here to help train men to preach the saving message.

Today was a day of joy in my family as my son Breedlove Elangwe turn 1 today. Many children in our congregation came together to sing, pray and celebrate with him. Keep the young man in your prayers, and us, so that we shall bring him up in the way of the Lord for him to impact his generation for the Lord’s glory.

Plans

Our students will leave Campus on the 9th of December for their last evangelistic campaign for this year. By next week we shall know how far and the number of congregations that they will go to preach and teach.

Appreciations

God bless you. Thank you very much for all that you are doing over here. God will reward you in due season.

Elangwe and family

By His grace Director CBIW

New And Exciting Changes...

An exciting new look can be found at the Bear Valley Bible Institute website. Among the changes, you will notice the Extension page provides a slide show where schools have provided pictures. We want to encourage the extension locations to provide pictures with their reports that we can incorporate into the weekly report. Also, one of the new features, located at the bottom of individual reports, is a link where you can share the report through various social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Google +1. Again, we want to encourage all of you who read the report to share the individual reports or the report as a whole. The more who read about the work, the better it is for the program.

Thanksgiving week is a very special time of the year. As we have mentioned before, it is a time where we have opportunity to more formally express our gratitude for all you continue to do for the development of training preachers. This includes the work in Denver, as well as, the extension program around the world.

Our only wish is that we had enough space to thank each individual involved in the work. Of course, the nature of such a task would be impossible and inevitably would leave someone out. To the financial supporters, teachers, directors, encouragers, staff and those who offer prayer each day on behalf of the work, thank you! The work continues to flourish because God is working through you and for you in the development of training preachers. Thank you!

It is amazing that we are approaching the end of the year so quickly. 2013 has seen so many powerful developments: souls brought to the Lord, churches planted (and revived), and the Lord’s people encouraged. The year before us is one that promises to be filled with the same in every location.

Our prayer is that each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please know you are loved and appreciated for your involvement in the work at Bear Valley. 

Now on to the other reports...

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

The latest report from Jerry Bates can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Quarter Ends And Evangelism Begins In Cameroon: As the last quarter of the first year comes to a close, seven locations are prepared for evangelistic work.

Change Of Plans Works For The Good Of VVBC: Jerry Bates recently had to change travel plans and ended up teaching a short course in Visakhapatnam, India.

Powerful Influence Of A Mother In East Africa: As Cy Stafford and Jimmy Gee teach in Kenya, the story of a local minister shares the power of a great evangelist.

The Ear Of The Wise Seeks Knowledge: There are times the challenges in a child’s life can become a lesson for everyone, especially on the mission field.

Final Thoughts
A final word to let you know that we are working to finish the “end-of-the-year” tasks in preparation for 2014. Please remember us in your prayers as we seek wisdom to make the right decisions and move ahead with the diligence needed. Our sole desire is to glorify God and lift up our Savior. Thank you for making it possible.

God bless
Bob

Change Of Plans Works For The Good Of VVBC...

Dear brethren Christ,

Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. I hope this email finds you all doing well.

God blessed us with another visit by our beloved brother, Jerry Bates. This was an unexpected visit, however we are ready for any such visits. Because we consider such visits benefit our students so much. Certainly this is what happened when brother Jerry Bates visited Viaskha Valley Bible College. He was scheduled to visit us on the 24th but due to bad weather conditions his following visit to Orissa was cancelled and when he shared that with us, we welcomed him to come visit us and teach a short course. During their visit, Jerry’s wife, Paula, taught during the Ladies class for two days. They were really blessed with these classes. Much good was done during their one week visit, glory to God. 

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ”

New Birth: We are grateful to God for blessing us in producing effective evangelists of Christ.  One of them is brother Prakash. We attended a gospel meeting where he invited us to preach about the ‘New Birth’ and ‘Blessings in Christ Jesus.’ One of the reasons he invited us to preach these subjects is, on this day four newly baptized brethren were present, also his daughter celebrating her first Spiritual Birth anniversary (she was baptized a year ago). We used this very good opportunity to preach about the mentioned subjects. Brother Samuel Raju, Director of the school preached about the “Blessings in Christ.”  John Dean Preached about the “Uniqueness of Christianity” comparing with the other religions on this globe. He emphasized the uniqueness as the New Birth and New Life in Christ Jesus. 

" Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. "

Evangelism: Local congregations, including some of the students of the current batch, have begun reaching the local community with the gospel. They took up a new program, that is the ladies in the congregation should gather on each Friday to do a door knocking campaign. Not all, but some of the ladies who are very interested have come forward to be a part of this program. The local preacher, along with another brother from the congregation, have been doing this program successfully. They are not getting a 100% welcome from every home they visit, but thankfully enough that most of the homes are being given gospel tracts. These have Biblical information about the Bible, Salvation, Church, etc. They are reaching several individuals through this print media. As a result two ladies have come forward to accept Christ as their Savior. 

Gratitude: We are thankful to God first for His mercy being shown on the school through the charity of our beloved brethren from the Lake Houston and Strickland Church of Christ. We pray that the success of the Lord's work would be continued for the years to come, so that effective evangelists would be produced into the vast mission field of India to rescue the lost millions. We thank all the Churches, including Bear Valley, for their trust and confidence in the Lord's work that is going on here. We do appreciate them for sending instructors to teach both short courses to the under grads and also the master’s class students. We pray that our relationship would be strengthened through this joint effort and bring glory and honor to our mighty God by helping the Church to grow in India. 

Description of Pictures attached:

1. Brother Jerry teaching 'Book of Acts' to the undergraduate students

2. Ladies attended for Paula Bates's class, Samuel distributing Hymn books to the ladies

3. Newly Baptized young men received New Bible and a Hymn Book

4. People gathered for a gospel meeting conducted by one of our graduate Prakash

5. Prakash being honored for his good work towards the extension Lord's kingdom.

6. Couple of ladies came forwarded to be added to the Church, we are praising God for the growth of the local congregation which gathers at the school premises. Local minister Bro. Kavitha baptizing one of the two ladies.

In Christ,

Samuel Raju & John Dean 

Visakha Valley Bible College

Church of Christ

Andhra Pradesh,  INDIA

Quarter Ends And Evangelism Begins In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Shalom from your brothers and sisters in Wotutu Cameroon. We do hope this mail meets you, your family and the entire congregation doing great. We are doing our best here, even though many continue to struggle with health conditions.

Last week was great and busy as the students of CBIW were writing their last long courses exams for their first year of studies. Thank you for your prayers to God on their behalf.

Immediately after the exams some students were ready to go to 7 different locations for weekend evangelism. God took them and brought them back safe and sound with great news of His power over His work in those locations.

CBIW students traveled with me and minister Itali, whose course was the last long course to be taken during the exams. We posed for a family picture, saying we are not alone. It is clear we are not alone, because God is standing by us and you are also there. We thank you and pray you continue to stand with us to accomplish God’s mission in our lives and our land.

We always welcome our visitors as we did during our worship this morning during announcement. We had 4 visitors stand and introduce themselves to us. Our program “Back to the Bible” keeps making waves as many listen to the gospel message early in the morning in their homes through our PA system, or as we call it, a community radio.

I was able to preach God’s word. What a great privilege to be a happy slave for the Lord, serving the Lord with joy and joy.

Brother Etah Edwin appreciated sister Alice on behalf of the entire student body for her great gestures towards the students. She brought cooked food from a faraway congregation to Wotutu to visit the students of CBIW. She did the same last year during the alpha batch, she is touched to see preachers discharging their job with joy even in the situations that many preachers in Cameroon find themselves. Keep her in your prayers to continue with such love for the gospel and the cross.

I was also able to share with the students in the dormitory, as she brought us fufu and vegetables. It was delicious and we committed her in God’s hands and to receive the desires of her heart.

The Lord added a soul in our one week old congregation in Down Beach, Limbe. It is amazing every day in our eyes as we see what the Lord is doing in this work. The work in Batoke village witnessed an increase from little children who came today to worship, but their parents didn’t come after Saturday evangelism, whereby they accepted to come but failed. The children (6 of them) came and were happy to be in the church. We shall follow the interest of these little children to penetrate their parents who were receptive to listen to the message. Bafia village, which is the congregation we revived less than a month ago, is now witnessing a great increase as our brother Johnson was restored and 8 of his neighbors came and worshiped with the church of Christ to see how on earth people can worship without mechanical instruments. They were amazed to enjoy vocal singing for the first time today. Please keep this congregation in your prayers. Today they worshiped for the very first time with 26 souls. What a God we serve. God is blessing the work here. Thank you for your prayers and your deep concern.

Plans
1) Tomorrow, all the students in CBIW will rest and prepare for the annual gospel Lectureship which will be held in Tombel, far away from Wotutu Village. A hired van will take some students while some will go to other congregations where we are nurturing for follow up and evangelism. Keep our travels in your prayers.

2) This week on Saturday we shall welcome brother Ralph and wife, sister Cindy, in Wotutu who will be here to teach a short course on Galatians, while sister Cindy will organize a ladies day on Saturday 7th for the ladies in our congregation here and other congregations. Keep their travels in your prayers.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you for all your love for the old rugged cross. We appreciate God daily on your behalf for accepting and allowing the Lord to use you the way He is using you to accomplish His work here. You are in our prayers, along with your entire family and your friends who are hearing about us through you and your entire congregation.

Do your best to continue to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family

By His grace director CBIW

The Ear Of The Wise Seeks Knowledge...

"It is better to live in a desert land than with a contentious and vexing woman." Proverbs 21:19

We hope you are enjoying your Sunday! The above picture gives the impression that there is no civilization for miles. However, our house is right above this ravine, the preaching school is below and several buildings are near.

Randy Pyle and Tom Brandon arrived late last night, worshipping at Kisongo today. Tom taught an excellent lesson on the main characters in "Esther." He emphasized the importance of an encourager (Mordecai) who knew he couldn't go before the king but helped Esther have the strength. Abigail taught the Children's class. Lindsey will be a student in Randy and Tom's short course on "Leadership."

Also at the Kisongo congregation was the Gaines family. Daniel preached a great sermon on "Hell," saying that of all the preachers in the N.T., Jesus spoke about this subject the most. The Gaines have found a suitable house and should be moving in soon. Tiffany said she appreciated our efforts to arrange such a great initiation for their family (constant electrical outages continuing into their fourth week here and now a water shortage for 3 days. Having no electricity at night translates into sweaty nights with little sleep). As missionaries welcoming others to the team, we do what we can! (wink) Now, if we could just arrange for them to catch an amoeba that would top it all off.

Speaking of electrical outages, we "traveled back in time" and did hand-washing one day. Our guard did the difficult clothes (like blue jeans) and us the easier ones. Hand-washing isn't all that bad (when you turn on the generator and spin them in the washer getting all the water out!) The machine won't drain properly when the generator is on...but it will spin! Americans have become so dependent upon electricity...us included. We washed approximately 7 loads of clothes.

Jimmy and Cy are scheduled to return Thursday from teaching in Kusumu, Kenya at the school of preaching. Then on Friday, all the missionaries plus guests will celebrate Thanksgiving at the Stafford house. And,  on Saturday, ASCOP students will graduate.

"The ear of the wise seeks knowledge..." Naomi's right ear was bitten by an insect (maybe a spider) and swelled up.  After three days, the infection was gone and the swelling disappeared. Besides a painful ear, she was upset because the boys teased her about turning into "Spider Woman."                                    

Our boys love the outdoors and are always making weapons out of sticks or plastic pipes, finding lizard eggs, unique-shaped rocks, making their own "bowling balls" out of mud, clay and straw and climbing trees. Eventually parents catch on to the fact that most kids like nature better than "store-bought" toys and will use their imagination!

Our girls invited some friends over Friday night. They had a devotional, ate beef stew, brownies and ice cream, watched a movie and of course...talked and laughed.

New friends and old friends...we enjoyed having the Gaines and the Kimaro families over for a meal on Saturday evening.                                                    

Thank you for everything you do for us! Next week, we have an interesting story to tell you (under the heading of "A Day in the Life!").        

Please pray for the safety of Cy and Jimmy while in Kenya and for the Gaines adjustment and transition here. Speaking from experience, it is tough on a family...especially little ones who don't understand this new and strange change in their lives. The Gaines will be without their personal effects for several more weeks (or months...) and will continue "living out of suitcases" like they did for a long time BEFORE coming to Africa. They are a great family  and already an asset to the TZ 2000 Mission Team.

With Love from Africa,

The Jimmy Gee family

Powerful Influence Of A Mother In East Africa...

Greetings Fellow Servants, 

We greet you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and in His great might. You remain in our prayers often, knowing our God hears and is more than able to fulfill all your needs. We are most grateful for your prayers and support. God continues to do a might work here in East Africa. 

Jimmy and I are blessed to be here in the city of Kisumu, Kenya, teaching in our sister school (the Kenya School of Preaching), directed by our good brother Charles Ogutu. Today was a very special day indeed. I had to amazing privilege of traveling upcountry with Charles, Obadiah and Raymond (all graduates of the ACSOP). These three men of God are taking the Master’s classed being taught by Jimmy. 

We left around 07:45 heading west toward Charles’ home area of Bungasi, Kenya. We drove for just over two hours. Our travels took us around the Northeastern part of Lake Victoria. About mid-way we crossed the Equator. As we drove Charles began telling “his story” and the many congregations the Lord has used him to revive, convert to the truth and establish. He told of the most amazing evangelist he has ever known. This evangelist taught him the Gospel and had the greatest influence on him, helping him to become the evangelist he is becoming. This amazing evangelist was his mother! Yes, his mother. He said she helped start many congregations throughout his life and demonstrated God’s love and desire for all to hear. Thank God for godly mothers!

We arrived to a very nice and very neat building. It has a dirt floor, walls made of sticks and mud, no windows, but they did have a tin roof! When Charles came to the ACSOP in 2004 he left a congregation of 15-20 souls. A year after graduation he began working with his home congregation and today we worshiped our God with a full house of over 100 souls. 

Next door was a small building that housed the school he began, beginning with eight students, teaching them that they might in turn fill the pulpits of the 10 plus new congregations the Lord had established through this man of God. The school continues teaching God’s Word by our good brother Vincent, another of our graduates. 

Space does not allow to tell the “whole” story, but know this: your prayers and support of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching and the Tanzania 2000 mission effort as a whole are having God’s desire accomplished here in East Africa in a way only God could accomplish. We are but two of the 18 school around the world the Bear Valley School of Biblical Studies in Denver, CO work with. Can you imagine the good being done? 

Two other amazing examples are Clement Murungu and Michael Losotwa. These two men are working together at Karatu, TZ. Recently, using Wold Bible School material, three teachers have obeyed the Gospel. The congregation is also in the process of securing some church property for the building of a future meeting house. We thank our good brothers and sister at the Mayfield, AL congregation and for our dear brother and sister from Hoover, AL for making this possible. We are short $1,000 to “close the deal.” If anyone can help, in part or in whole, we say thank you dearly. Till all have heard.....

In Him, 

Cy, Stephanie & Granny

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Larger Than Life...A Tribute To Luke Kasarjian

As we move closer to the first of the year, we are seeing more and more from each school about the progress of the work over the past year. We are planning to share news about the development of the overall program a few weeks from now. The news is always exciting to see and to recognize just how much God has blessed the work.

I encourage you to read the wonderful tribute below written by Keith Kasarjian concerning his father. I mentioned the passing of Luke Kasarjian in last week’s report. The tribute below is a great reflection of the character of Keith’s father, a godly Christian man who continues to influence the lives of many.

My Dad was one-of-a-kind and larger than life. Anyone who met him never forgot him. He was a conglomeration of many things that would be conflicting in anyone else. At times he was strict and at others he was downright silly. He could tell the corniest joke you’ve heard one minute and wax philosophical the next. He could irritate you and endear himself in the same span of time.

When I was little, one day while he, Brian, and I were playing on the floor, he lifted both of us off the floor at the same time and I thought that he must be the strongest man in the world. I later learned that probably wasn’t the case, but the years since have revealed a different, more important, strength.

He loved Mom and showed us how you treat a woman. And even though we didn’t like it at the time, he instilled in my brother and I a work ethic that has been good to us and our families. He loved sports, the Boston Red Sox, and FSU Seminoles. He loved to golf, watch the weather channel, and keep up with what everyone was up to on Facebook. He would laugh at the drop of a hat and he’d even drop the hat if he needed to! He loved God and the church and you could tell because those were often present in his conversation. 

He was a very large social butterfly. He had an amazing ability to relate to, and get along with, people of all ages and walks of life. Whether you were 1 or 100, he could find something to talk about to you. And it also didn’t matter if you worked the drive thru window or you were the Mayor, he would treat you the same. 

But perhaps nothing embodied him better than his hands. They were huge and they were strong. He could literally bring grown men to their knees and enjoyed doing so until his last day. Those strong hands also worked hard to provide for his family, they fixed cars, made household repairs, and disciplined sons. But those same hands were surprisingly soft. Those bone-crushing hands were often used to “high 5” a child and to give a big hug to someone and to let a baby wrap their hand around one of his large fingers while he talked baby talk to them. His hands were strong, but they were soft; they were hard, but they were encouraging; they were steel and they were velvet.

And that’s who he was: a man of steel and velvet. Yes, my Dad was one-of-a-kind and larger than life.

Keith Kasarjian

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 Howell Ferguson can be read here.

Extension Reports 

Physical And Spiritual Growth In Cameroon: To appreciate the efforts in Cameroon, please read the passages associated with the development of this week’s post.

Spiritual Strengthening, A Safari, And Studies: The news from Paraguay is exciting as the school progresses and the church plant is growing.

Conversion And Restoration In Nigeria: Eight souls were added to the kingdom and fifteen were restored as a result of the work at SWSE in Ibadan, Nigeria.

The Gaines Family Arrives In Tanzania: There is excitement in Arusha, as the Gaines family finally arrives to share in the work.

Just A Few More Days, Tanzania Chronicles: The Hochdorf report this week shares news of returning to Tanzania after their furlough.

Sadness And Joy At Kisongo, Tanzania: The report of a funeral in Tanzania is coupled with an overflowing building in worship. Read more about this event. 

Final Thoughts
As we proceed through the final few weeks of the year, we ask you to be praying about the development of the Extension Program in the new year. As we move forward we are going to need your help in every area. Thank you for all you do to help this work improve and grow. We look forward to sharing the progress each week.

God bless
Bob

Sadness And Joy At Kisongo, Tanzania...

"...the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands..." Acts 7: 48 

Dear Co-Laborers:

Our deepest sympathy is extended to Keith Kasarjian and his family due to the sudden death of his father, Luke Kasarjian. Keith works with the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension schools having made numerous trips to Tanzania. From reading the post on Facebook, it seems that Mr. Kasarjian was an amazing Christian man who left behind a great legacy for his family.          

At the funeral of Bertha (member at Kisongo who passed away recently), Ahimidiwe seized the opportunity to invite all of her family and friends to worship with us today. People kept piling in until several of the  regular members were asked to sit outside so the guests could have a seat. We estimated about 225 in attendance (including about 40 guests). It was wall-to-wall people. Jimmy taught the Bible class on "The Deity of Christ" and preached a great sermon on "The Church." Due to bringing additional chairs from the ACSOP and Jimmy wanting to take advantage of teaching so many non-Christians, the Bible class and worship combined totaled 3 1/2 hours (with only a 5 minute break between services). Toward the end of service, tired Elijah whispered, "I like America church services better because on their soft benches you can sleep!" When he heard the first note of the last song he said, "Finally!" Abigail taught the children's class and Philiness taught the ladies on 1 Corinthians 13.

Among the crowd at Kisongo were short-term workers Tom Watkins and Chip Hill (arrived just Thursday night. They have already begun work in Engarenaibor (try to pronounce that!) near the Kenyan border, helping to build a church building. For the next 4 days, they will be holding Bible studies at Namanga and then returning to Engarenaibor to continue building. We've lost count of how many trips they've made to TZ. Tom and Chip are brother-in-laws (having married twin sisters). Also, Chip's daughter, Kaitlyn is married to the Staffords' son, Paul. 

Speaking of the Stafford's, Cy will travel with Jimmy next Saturday to the Kenya School of Preaching in Kisumu, Kenya to teach for two weeks. Jimmy is teaching two graduate classes, O.T. Criticism and Greek Readings (Ephesians). Cy will also be teaching two classes. Our girls are planning another sleep-over while Jimmy is away (last Friday, Mary and Miriam, 18-year-old twin daughters of Elly Martin, spent the night. We have known these beautiful girls since they were 6-years-old...and we have some stories! ha/ha) 

The Gaines family is trying to get more acquainted with the grocery stores and other places in town. In Arusha there are several nice grocery stores. The problem is that everything you need can't be found all at one place. We go to a separate meat market, separate fruit stand, 2 different grocery stores and another store to exchange our 20-liter water bottles and propane gas cylinders. Tiffany and Trina took our children swimming after our shopping (going to a total of 6 places).  The Gaines family worshipped at Arusha today where Daniel preached. 

Fifteen of Kisongo's youth group met at the church building on Saturday. Great news is that some of the youth invited a friend they had been studying with. After the class was over, their friend, Joel, was baptized!

During furlough, we presented the great work to be done through translating English Bible materials (commentaries, etc) into the Swahili language for the ACSOP students to use. Funds should be sent to the Bear Valley church of Christ (address on the left-hand side of this report).  Mark the check "Tanzania 2000 Translation Project." 

Thank you for your part in this growing and fruitful work. TZ 2000 director, Cy Stafford, said this in his report concerning the upcoming ACSOP graduation: 

"In three weeks, 14 faithful evangelists will graduate...These men will return to their home areas, excited, prepared and willing to do the will of the Father.  These good men have given of themselves for the past two years, and now they are ready to use their talents and knowledge to further the Kingdom..."   

Until next week, may the Lord bless and keep you!

With Love from Africa,

Jimmy, Trina, Lindsey, Abigail, Heather, Candace, Stuart, David, Naomi, Elijah and Matthew Gee

To see the Gee report with pictures, please click here.

Just A Few More Days...Tanzania Chronicles

It is such a blessing to greet you on behalf of Anita and myself. We are packing up and getting ready for our return to Tanzania. We are most excited about our reunion with the mission team and the great brethren from Tanzania. We still have a couple of appointments left before we return and I will be undergoing some camera training for the new production studio at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Needless to say we will be busy right up until our departure.

We offer thanks that Cy Stafford, our mission team leader, has returned safely to Arusha. We were fortunate that, while he was stateside for a whirlwind fundraising trip, he was able to carve out a day we could enjoy some food and fellowship. Cy is a true Barnabas and always leaves people encouraged and motivated to do more in the kingdom.

By the time this report reaches you, Daniel and Tiffany Gaines will have arrived in Tanzania to join the team. Keep them and their children in your prayers as they make the transition to life in a developing country. We know they are up to the challenge and are grateful for their commitment. The Gaines will be a valuable asset to the work and we all look forward to working alongside them.

Lord willing, the next time you hear from us will be from Tanzania. We solicit your prayers as we leave family, friends, and the comforts of home. Until then, take care and God bless.

Yours in Christ,
Sean and Anita Hochdorf 

The Gaines Family Arrives In Tanzania...

Greeting Fellow Servants,

We pray the Lord is blessing your life in a very special way. We hope your life is a life of service to others, to His glory and to the saving of lost souls. We thank you for your prayers. God is faithful and is answering them in a most powerful way. 

Good News: The Gaines have arrived! Amen, Amen, Amen! Daniel, Tiffany, Abby (11 years old), Josiah (2), and Levi (16 months), arrived at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday morning. They were a bit tired but also very excited about this new chapter in their lives. 

We thank God for them, their example and sacrifice. Daniel has dreamed of returning to Africa for many years, having been a “MK” (missionary kid) in Cameroon for three of his early life. Both Daniel and Tiffany are graduates of Freed Hardeman University, Daniel having received his Masters in Ministry and Tiffany her Masters in Education. Please remember this sweet family as they go through the transition of settling in, waiting and clearing of their vehicle, household goods, etc.

Update: We have been raising much needed funds for some special opportunities. One such opportunity is our need to recruit and enroll our largest class to-date at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. We needed to raise support for an additional 15 students (30 total). God answered our prayers through His faithful. You have answered our challenge with open hearts, open minds and open hands. We have the needed funds for the 2014 intake, thank you all and may our God bless you richly for your amazing generosity. 

A second challenge we put forth was for our desire to distribute 2,500 bibles in the coming year’s campaigns and evangelistic outreach, here in East Africa. Our goal was to raise the needed $15,000 to purchase the bibles. We only lack $2,750 to reach our stated goal. Thank you all for your cheerful giving, a giving that will indeed “keep on giving”. 

Another great blessing we have received is all the funds needed to complete the (currently printed) Truth for Today Commentary set. The students at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching will benefit for years to come as they strive to know our God and His will better, that in turn they might be better equipped in taking the Gospel to the lost of East Africa. Thank you all so very much for making God’s work in Tanzania all it can and should be. 

Prayers Needed: In three weeks 14 faithfully evangelists will graduate the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. These men will return to their home areas, excited, prepared and willing to do the will of the Father. These good men have given of themselves for the past two years, now they are ready to use their talents and knowledge to further the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To everyone who has made this possible, through your prayers and support, we say thank you and thank God for His abundant love, mercy and grace. Till all have heard.......

In Him, 

Cy, Stephanie & Granny