Introducing The Daniel Gaines Family Report...

This Classroom Exists Because of Your Support
A couple of weeks ago we let you know about some needs that the Ilkuirei congregation had, and your response was resounding. You came through with more than we asked for to build a partition and install windows! The congregation has been touched by your generosity and has asked me to convey to you their sincere gratitude. It is wonderful to see brethren reaching across oceans to help and connect with one another.

One of the members, Emmanuel, is a fundi (carpenter) and was able to provide the labor in building the partition. You can see his handiwork in the pictures above. The members have taken pride in the addition and are very excited. Work should begin on the windows this week. Thanks to your kindness, I expect there to be enough money left over to possibly provide curtains which would further dim the outside noise. We will be sure to keep you up to date on the progress being made.

A Church is About to be Born
As I have mentioned before, the Arusha congregations are working together to plant a new congregation in the Njiro Chini neighborhood. On Saturday, I joined a group of evangelists and local church leaders to survey the area and make plans for the month. Each congregation is "adopting" a day of the week for the whole month of February to go door to door in this area. Ilkuirei's day is Fridays. A new church being planted by the purposeful, combined efforts of other congregations rather than because of splits and discord - what a concept! God and His people never fail to amaze.   

Ladies at Work
Last month all of the preachers' wives in the area got together for fellowship and Bible study. They were edified so much that they decided to make it a monthly event. This month's meeting was Saturday.  Anita Hochdorf taught an exegetical study. Agnes, one of the local women and one of the best cooks in town, taught the other ladies how to make communion bread (no Matzos crackers here!). Then Tiffany put her teacher skills to work doing a "make and take" session to improve the very limited Bible class tools that each congregation has. This month she helped them make a poster to teach the names and divisions of the books of the Bible (in Swahili of course). You can read Jessica McVeigh's excellent article about the day here.    

Thank you for your continued interest and support. It is thrilling to be partnered with you and God in working for the kingdom.

Daniel Gaines

To read Daniel’s report with pictures, please click here.

Back to School!
We are looking forward to this being an incredibly busy, but wonderful week. The first quarter of the year begins this week at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. That means we will be welcoming in a new class of Swahili speaking students, and advancing our existing class of English speakers to second year status. I can't wait to get to know the new students. I'll spend twelve hours in the classroom this week teaching "How We Got the Bible" and "The Intertestamental Period.” Both are fascinating and challenging studies.

The new church plant in Njiro Chini had their very first worship service today. It is exciting to see a church being born! We will continue to help there as opportunity permits throughout the month.

A couple of weeks ago, Tiffany started her own blog entitled "Choosing Gladness.” Tiffany is a talented writer and I always enjoy her perspective on things. Her post last week has been particularly popular and a number of people have expressed that it was encouraging to them. You can read it here.

This month is our turn to host in our home the weekly devotionals for missionaries. With Valentine's Day right around the corner we have chosen to focus on love for the entire month. We began our study looking at 1 Corinthians 13 and reminding ourselves from verse 3 that any sacrifice we might make or work we might do is useless without love as our motivation. We also observed that love is an "eternal" virtue. When we get to heaven we won't need hope because our hope will have been realized. We won't need faith because faith is the evidence of things unseen, and then we will see God face to face. Yet love will still remain - love for the Lord and for one another.

Team leader, Cy Stafford, shares the following story that is worth repeating: Last week a fellow came up to the Arusha Bible School introducing himself as; “Reverend Nicolaus Shayo.” He inquired as to what the school was doing and how might “his congregation” be involved. After it was explained that anyone could come, tuition free, and study the Bible four days a week for two years at no cost to them, he said: “I want my whole congregation to join.” He took applications for each member and some have already joined the new intake.

It is so rewarding to see the ways that God is constantly at work here! Thank you so much for partnering in this work with your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Daniel Gaines

To read this week’s report from Daniel, please click here.

An Entire Denomination Registering For Bible Study...

Greetings Fellow Servants;

We pray everyday for all of our friends and supporters, making God’s mission work in Tanzania all it has become. Over the years, many of your have come and joined us in our outreach and edification of the good people of TZ. We have had many missionaries come, work, and return to their home land of America. I am a firm believer that each and every soul that has come has done some good in the lives of the good people of TZ. We say thank you for going the extra mile, leaving the comfort of your home and country, coming and making an eternal difference in the lives of many.

Our perfect example, Jesus Christ, made it very clear to His disciples, giving each of us an example to follow: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, …..” (Matthew 28:19a-KJV); notice He never said, “Stay.” Now, you might be asking yourself, “what do you mean?” Remember what Jesus told his disciples earlier in Matthew’s account, “…whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet” (10:14).

As good Stewards of God’s resources, should we not consider the receptivity of the people as to where we “stay?” Tanzania is not one of those “places” where the general population is not receptive to the hearing of the Gospel. On the contrary! Last week a fellow came up to the Arusha Bible School introducing himself as “Reverend Nicolaus Shayo.” He inquired as to what the school was doing and how might “his congregation” be involved. After it was explained that anyone could come, tuition free, and study the Bible four days a week for two years at no cost to them, he said, “I want my whole congregation to join.” He took applications for each member and some have already joined the new intake. Yes, this is a good place to entrust the blessings God has bestowed upon you, to His glory and to the saving of many souls.

God is indeed good. Yusuph Mdaki writes, “Hello brother, God has added two souls at Ushiromobo and at Kahama we have a promise of one baptism on Tuesday or Wednesday from a denominational Preacher.”

David Bayi writes, “We had a good worship today, one who was backsliding was restored, thanks be to our living and most Holy God.”

Stephanie and I thank our good church family for all your prayers, support, kindness and what you mean to us. Our plane tickets are covered thanks to our good friends in TN & AL. So far we have appointments at Sherman Drive, Denton, TX, Edgefild, Dallas, TX, Henderson, TX, North Brandon and at Madison, Jackson, MS, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii. We still have some openings, so let us know soon as we will book out quickly. If the Lord wills, we will leave TZ next Sunday, arriving in New Orleans late on the night of the 17th. We solicit your prayers and thank God for each of you. Till all have heard…..

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

The Gee Family Will Be Returning To The US...

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."  Ps.  119:105

Dear Family, Friends and Supporters:    

Thank you so much for your interest and support of our family these past ten years as we have worked with the TZ 2000 Mission Team (2001-2002, 2005-2014). As you may imagine, there have been the normal adjustments/challenges that all missionaries face plus many fulfilling and rewarding moments as people respond positively to the Gospel. However, after months of prayer, we are planning to return to the states on a permanent basis as soon as Jimmy secures a position.    

There are several reasons a missionary (or anyone in any vocation) may decide it's time for a "new chapter" in their lives. Some missionaries return due to family issues, difficulty adjusting to the culture, illness, problems with their mission team or the church, or their term of commitment has ended. Although there are many positives about living and working in a foreign land, the biggest challenge for most missionaries has been and remains to be, fund-raising.  Many more might go into the mission field were it not for the overwhelming stress of securing/maintaining funds. This fund-raising issue is the reason we are returning, and NOT because of any problems with the mission work, whether it be the direction or doctrinal stance of it. The TZ 2000 Mission work remains strong. 

Many have given very sacrificially and have made this work "your" work. Our appreciation cannot be adequately stated in words. However, many times congregations and/or individuals find it necessary to discontinue their support...even if they are still in great favor of the work and the fruit it bears. Congregations may face many financial problems and feel they must take care of needs at home first. This is very understandable. During furlough last year, our family of 11 traveled 15,000 miles reporting on the work and trying to make up the deficit in our support. However, very little monthly support was raised.

For your loyalty and devotion, we thank you immensely. Our family has been privileged to have been a small part of the great success of TZ 2000. Our work has mainly centered around the Andrew Connally School of Preaching and the Kisongo congregation (Jimmy has served as Dean of Academics and continues to be an instructor and director as the new director is transitioned into the position). More than 130 men have been trained to preach and have graduated from the ACSOP. Numerous Bible classes, sermons, and seminars on Bible subjects have been taught to many people. Our family has also engaged in personal evangelism, encouragement and benevolent work.

Currently, the TZ 2000 Mission team consists of three other full-time missionary families (plus one intern couple) who will continue the work. Also, numerous Tanzanian evangelists work diligently to further the Kingdom in East Africa. It has been rewarding to see God raising up the Tanzanians into leadership positions. This work was not begun by the Gee family and will certainly not end with our leaving.

After ten years of service in Africa, a part of our hearts will remain with the Tanzania 2000 Mission work and hope you will continue praying for it. However, we are literally "taking our work home with us" in that four precious Tanzanian souls were adopted into our family and we will continue teaching them for a lifetime. While still waiting on obtaining immigrant visas, our hopes are to arrive in the states in mid-May of this year. If each of you could continue your support until the end of August we would be most grateful for your love and loyalty (while we find a job and settle into a new home). 

Our daughter, Abigail, will be returning to Tanzania in the fall/winter of 2014 to continue her work of establishing a library (with an emphasis on Bible teaching) in Kisongo. With God's help and that of the brethren, this eighteen-year-old has obtained a sponsoring congregation, over 1,000 books and the use of two acres on the ACSOP property on which to build this library. An article concerning her dream to further educate Tanzanians has been submitted to the Brotherhood News, with hopes of publication soon. 

Concerning the happenings for the past three weeks: Gary Fallis taught two short courses for the Masters' students ("The Gospel of John" and “Hebrews"). A new area is being evangelized this year (Njiro Chini) and the Kisongo church participated in "knocking doors" yesterday. Abigail held two Bible studies as the group worked to introduce this community to the church. Today, the very first worship service was held in that area. The new church plant for last year was White Rose and they continue meeting, worshipping and gaining new members.

Jimmy returned last night after teaching for one week ("The Gospel of John") at the Chimala Bible Institute in Chimala, Tanzania. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Dennis Dickey and daughter, Mariah. Dennis will be teaching the Gospel of John to the bachelor level students and Mariah will keep busy with other projects that the missionary women have for her.

Kisongo Bible School just enrolled students in their new quarter. This school, designed for the person in the pew, accepts non-Christians but has a specified number of slots designed for Christians only (giving them first priority for a seat in the classroom).

Thirty-two new Swahili students have enrolled in the ACSOP and will begin classes this week. Jimmy continues teaching the Bible class at the Kisongo congregation on I, II, and III John. Last week, in Jimmy's absence, Edwin Kashumba (Master's student and valedictorian of his bachelor's class) preached on the subject of "Christian Service" as it pertains to helping others. He said that long ago, due to conflict in a congregation in Dar es Salaam and, simply on the basis of some complaints, he and some other church members were arrested and put in a jail cell early one morning. Other cell-mates in the jail were asking why Edwin was there. Being scared of all the criminals there, he said he momentarily thought about lying and saying he was a murderer in order to gain their respect. However, he realized he should tell the truth. One of the men asked if he would study the Bible with him after Edwin was released (later that evening). Long story short, Edwin kept in touch with him after the man was transferred to a maximum security prison. When the man was released, he was baptized and became a student at the Tanzania Bible School. Edwin was encouraging us to help and serve everyone in whatever situation we find ourselves in because great results can come!

Thank you again for your participation with us in the work of teaching and reaching lost souls in Tanzania and all of East Africa (where the ACSOP students return to their homes). We have enjoyed this journey with you and are looking forward to introducing you to those in heaven whom you helped hear the Gospel. What a wonderful day that will be!    

With Love from Africa,
The Jimmy Gee family

Training In The Midst Of Turmoil...

Dear brothers, families and churches.

This January in Ukraine was full of events both politically and in church. It's the first time in 24 years of independence when Ukraine was standing on the verge of a civil war. In cities that are regional centers the authority shifts from government officials to opposition. There are many killed or wounded people. We keep praying for stabilization of the situation in our country and for peaceful solution of all these problems. I’m sure God is in control.

Things are going quite well at the institute. Howell and Mary Ferguson, Denton Landon, Alexander Rodnayev and Victor Semikoz visited us in January. They all give up a lot in order to teach and share their experience with students. We are especially grateful for our American brothers, who continue showing us their care and dedication, traveling over a thousand miles every time they come here. Next month we are expecting a new student from Dnepropetrovsk. He wanted to get a quality Bible education for a long time, and now that he’s retired, he can pursue his plans. In two weeks, our students, Aleksey Mitskutis and his wife Alina, will travel to city Ukhta in Russia. The Church of Christ there is in need of a preacher. It’s more than 2500 km from Gorlovka to Ukhta. It means that we started training preachers for the former USSR countries too.

There is some good news in the churches in Donetsk area. In the last month there were 5 baptisms in one congregation in Kramatorsk and 1 baptism in another. The church there is actively working with children and there parents. Also summer camps and winter outings with the church to Svyatogorsk play a huge part. Jeff Abrams and his team, Vitaliy Rodichev and Vladimir Paziy are the people who have been working in Kramatorsk for many years, and the results of this cooperation are already visible. 

There was an important event in Gorlovka Church of Christ. Bogdan’s (our graduate and the youth leader) grandmother Lyudmila was baptized. She has been studying the Bible with Bogdan for a long time, even though she wasn’t so eager to do that. Nevertheless, Bogdan was persistent, and his reason for that was the fact that his grandmother attended Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thank God she made the right decision, and we hope that Bogdan will be encouraged to achieve new spiritual victories. 

We continue visiting the orphanage. I started taking students with me there, involving them in this work. Mostly it’s Katya Kadenko. She is an active and devoted Christian and expresses willingness to work with kids.

We thank everyone who supports the work of the BVBIU and its students. We know it’s a huge sacrifice, but the results of this work are already seen. Churches in Ukraine are in need of sound doctrine and strong preachers. 

Your brother and co-worker,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

A Focus On Missions...

Sunday was a very special day, as I had opportunity to visit with the Greenbrier Church of Christ. This congregation has been home for many years. I always enjoy the time to visit and participate in their annual Mission’s Day. This Sunday was no exception. I was privileged to hear one of the best lessons I remember hearing on the subject of giving. The response of the congregation in their contribution was incredibly generous. The love expressed by the family at Greenbrier is always a welcome encouragement. I love and appreciate all of you and look forward to seeing you again soon.

The Freed Hardeman Lectureship is on the agenda for the week ahead. The opportunities to learn from some of the most sound men in the church abound for the week. The week will conclude with the annual Extension staff meeting in Jackson. These meetings afford us the time to visit about the various areas of need for developing a stronger program. As we mentioned last week, we ask for your prayers as we discuss the development of extension training.

Additionally, the week ahead opens a door of opportunity to share the work with others. We will visit a couple of congregations to share the latest news about the most recent developments in the overall program. The good and bad, no matter how challenging it is, helps others see the realistic nature of this work. Even though these challenges exist, the work of extension training continues to grow and provide a powerful approach to fulfilling the Great Commission.

The news of the week is filled with information about growth and development in the kingdom. There is news of sadness with the passing of Hawatthia Jones’ mother, but there is joy in the victory she has gained in an eternal reward. New souls were brought to the Lord this week, the church was encouraged, and our God was glorified.

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 

A Busy Weekend Yields Souls For Christ: The evangelism over the weekend in Cameroon brought souls to Christ. The news is exciting.

Cambodian Goals Worth Considering: The development of a 20 year plan at the International Bible Institute of Siem Reap reaches the second phase.

Going Home And Making Changes: Training at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies continues as Tony Johnson returns to the work.

Please Pray For The Jones Family: Hawatthia Jones lost his mother this past week. Her victory is a celebration of the Christian life she lived. Please remember this family.

Classes Set To Resume In Nigeria: Students at the Southwest School of Evangelism will begin another quarter of classes on Monday, February 3rd, as they prepare for ministry.

Church Building Collapses, Help Is Needed: The recent rainy season in Tanzania caused a local congregation to lose their building. Read how you can help.

Final Thoughts
We express our gratitude to each of you for continuing to believe in the work we are doing. Our efforts to participate in the training of men to preach the gospel is a blessing on every level. We know that it would not be possible without your help. Thank you for sharing in the work of extension training.

God bless
Bob

Church Building Collapses, Help Is Needed...

Greetings Fellow Servants;

We thank you for all you mean to the Kingdom and to the Tanzania 2000 Mission effort. God and heaven alone truly know of the good being done, the lives being changed and the true number of souls being saved day by day. Your part will be remembered by our Lord for eternity and the souls that are saved in Heaven one day will be the true testimony to your care and generosity. 

We thank our dear brother Gary Fallis for his coming and teaching in the Master’s program. We strive, with the Lord’s help, to develop a sustainable Church growth program. The training of good men at this level is vital and with full confidence, we know the godly men of Tanzania will continue to carry the “Good News” on to the generations to come.  Thank you Gary, and thank you Bear Valley for a good work that will help in taking the Gospel to all the world. 

The congregations of Arusha, now 7 in number continue in their outreach. Saturday, members from each of these congregations came together to reach yet another area of Arusha with the saving message of our God. Each congregation has committed one day a week to the outreach and new church plant in the Njiro Chini area. This is part of a five year plan to plant five new congregations in five years. Please join us in this effort through your prayers and continued support as we strive to glorify our God through our good deeds. 

A note from Josephat Massawe: “We rejoice with the Angels in Heaven today as two precious souls were added to the Lord’s Body. Pray for Teresia and Maua as they grow in faith.”

A note from Yusuph Mdaki: “Yesterday we had a debate for one hour with a group of Seventh Day Adventist. The good result is one evangelist has promised me to call for baptism at any time. We continue to spread Bible tracts and invite others to study. Please we need more bibles and tracts, these people are starving for God’s Word.

Amos had two to obey the Truth and were baptized for the remission of their sins, being added to the Body of Christ. Due to heavy rains the church building collapsed. We really need to help these good brothers and sisters, helping them with a roof. They have done their own bricks and just need our help with $400. Please the heavy rains are upon us.”

The preacher’s wives met yesterday to study God’s word. Anita is teaching them “how to” study the Bible. They engage in other learning activities and are able to fellowship with each other, encouraging one another in the work of the Kingdom. Thank God for godly women, even more so for the wives of Gospel preachers who give that others might live. 

God is good all the time and we live in a time that allows us to truly take the saving message of the Gospel to all the world. God cares, He cares for your souls and each and every soul on this planet. Let each of us influence one another unto good works that the world might know of the love of God and His desire that all mankind know Him and His will. Till all have heard.....

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie and Granny

Classes Set To Resume In Nigeria...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from students and staff of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan .The SWSE-Ibadan main campus end 2nd semester classes and tests tomorrow, January 28, 2014 Lord's willing, to enable the students rest for five or six days before the commencement of 3rd semester classes on Monday, Feb. 3 through April 11, 2014.

On Sunday, January 26, my second son-John Makinde led in songs while brother Destiny Elijah, a year 1 student of SWSE-Ibadan taught on “Kinds of Worship” and I admonished the church on “What Kind of Worshipper are You?” (Psalm 15) at Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan. We are 55 in attendance with total collection of N2,600=

Brethren, two of our students are now working with brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe on weekend since last two week due to the conversion of thirty souls at St. Anthony High School, Ikoyi, Osun State during the WBS seminar where brother Doug Wheeler was our guest speaker. This now cost the school additional N5,000=monthly to transport this two students who now help the church at Asejire - 1 and Ikoyi, Osun State while brother Kayode work with Egbeda congregation in Oyo State. We thank brother Doug for assisting us with N10,000= for this exercise!

Beloved, Lord's willing, we (SWSE - both Ibadan & Lagos campus staff) shall be traveling tomorrow morning to attend this year’s Great Workshop 2014 at Cross River State for evangelists in seventeen Southern states of Nigeria and some Northern states such as Kwara, Kogi, Kano and the Federal Capital-Abuja.

We, therefore, humbly request for your prayer for this nine to ten hours journey from Ibadan to Ikom in Cross River State.

The SWSE appreciates your support towards the continued survival of the school since 2003 and we sincerely solicit your continuous partnership to make our dream a reality! Thank you for your love for Nigerian brethren and churches.

We deeply appreciates your labor of love ! Stay blessed and be strong in His grace for your labor in the Lord is not a labor loss (1 Co. 15:58).

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

Please Pray For The Jones Family...

Dear Family and Friends,

May the goodness of God be upon each of you. 

Yesterday, January 31, at 7:30 a.m., Hawatthia's mother, Cynthia Jones, who Byron considers his mother as well, passed from this life to her glory and rest in Jesus. Mom had been struggling for some time with various health issues, but as a strong woman, kept recovering and moving forward. Yesterday, however, her body succumbed to her failing health. We are both thankful that we were able to speak to her briefly and express our love and appreciation for her in her final moments on this earth. God is good. We are now thankful that she is in our Lord's care and enjoying the many wonderful promises He has given to His children. 

The funeral services will be held at the Broad Street Church of Christ, 131 North Broad Street, Lexington, TN, 38351, this coming Saturday, February 8. The time has not been set, but we will send out another message as soon as we know. Please keep the whole family in your prayers so that God will comfort and console each heart during this time. We are confident she is with the Lord, but we still feel the sorrow of her departure. 

Thankful for your prayers. God bless you!

Hawatthia
Byron

"Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!"

Going Home And Making Changes...

As most of you know I was back in the U.S. during the month of December and first part of January to take care of a minor medical issue. I find it interesting that when I return to the U.S. I always say that I’m going home, even though I don’t really have a home there anymore. When I’m there I live out of a suitcase and whatever I can carry around from place to place in my truck. I go from place to place to talk about the work we are doing here, and rarely stay anyplace for more than a week at a time. But it’s still home and it’s still close to my heart. What makes it home is the many special people that invite me to be part of their family for a short time. Over the past couple of years there have been many of you who have taken me in, fed me, worked on my truck, even traveled with me, and provided the love and support that is what family is all about. Special thanks to those who gave me a place to stay on this trip and made me feel like family - Del and Love Hines (and Foster, who gives up his bed for me) in Greenbrier, AR; Jack Wilkie in Pritchett, TX; Chris and Shirley Brill (and Haden, who also gave up his bed) in Talala, OK; and Brian and Deann Wilkie in Golden, CO (who are truly my other family). And thanks to my brother Ken in Council Bluffs, IA, and of course my mom, Virginia Hielen in Gilbert, AZ who always takes good care of me.

I was blessed to be able to visit and speak at a number of congregations during my travels, including some congregations which I was able to visit for the first time. Thanks to the Guy church of Christ in Arkansas, Pritchett church of Christ in Texas and the Morton St. church of Christ in Denison, Texas. It was also great to have the chance to visit and speak with old friends in Mesa, Arizona; Lone Tree, Colorado; and at the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Denver Colorado. My greatest joy though comes from being able to spend time with my home congregation in Greenbrier, AR, even if it is just for a day. I look forward to making it back soon to visit those of you I missed on this trip.

Speaking of my next trip, I’ll be returning home on June 6 in order to be a counselor once again at the Bear Valley Future Preachers Training Camp (FPTC). This will be my 5th year helping at the camp, which I believe is one of the great works in the church today - encouraging teenage men to become preachers and leaders in the next generation of the church. One of the changes I’ll be making this year is to begin returning to the U.S. every six months instead of the originally planned every 10 months. It has been pointed out to me that I was running myself a little ragged and that I needed to take a little better care of myself, and hopefully this change will allow me to recharge more often in order to continue working here as long as possible. After FPTC I will be in traveling to Arkansas and then Arizona before returning to Ghana around the 9th of July in order to start our new school year at the Bible Institute.

Another change this year will be in the way I am reporting on the work here. It was also pointed out that my reports last year tended to be a little long as I tried to talk about everything we are doing in each report. So this year I’ll try and keep each report shorter, focusing on just one of the areas of ministry we are involved with. But for those who still want more regular updates I have created Facebook pages for Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies (https://www.facebook.com/TamaleChristians) and Kingdom of Hope Children’s school (https://www.facebook.com/KingdomOfHopeSchool) where I will be posting pictures, short notes regarding the work, and even some videos. If you have Facebook I hope you will check them out and like the pages. For those without Facebook I am working on how to post the same information on the T.I.A. blog page so it can be accessed by anyone. Hopefully by next month’s report I’ll have a link for this (if I can figure it out).

The work here continues, and I want to thank all of you who make it possible. Special thanks this month to the Guy church of Christ for supporting me for the coming year, and to the Mesa church of the funds for Kingdom of Hope to purchase a grain mill that will assist the school both in preparing their own food as well as becoming more self-supporting. I also want to thank those congregations who have supported me throughout the past year - Colony church of Christ who have supported me since I was a Bear Valley Student, White Oak church of Christ, Leiper’s Fork church of Christ, and Broadway church of Christ. A very special thank you to the Greenbrier church of Christ, who has been beside me every step of this journey. Going home will always mean coming back to you. Next month I will highlight some of the individuals who make this work possible. Until then, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24- 26).

Tony Johnson

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

Cambodian Goals Worth Considering...

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ. Happy new year! I pray the Lord's blessing upon all of you who support the Lord’s work here and elsewhere in the world. May you continue to have opportunities and the privilege to support faithful works around the world. May you set higher goals to achieve for our Lord in the year 2014. 

As I begin the new year, I can’t help but look at my long term goal and reflect on my 20 year plan for the work here in Cambodia. I am in my 6th year in Cambodia and, according to my plan, have transitioned from the "Foundation Period" (2008-2013) to the "Growth Period” (2014 - 2018). By the end of 2018, the local church should be able to support 50% of IBISR's monthly expenses. As of right now, we are supporting 10%. If we continue to increase at 10% each year from now until 2018, we will hit our 10 yr goal! 

Some who read this report might be wondering why it seems like I'm stressing money, money, money and percentages, but please don't misunderstand, there's a reason for it. It is the same reason that Paul gave to the Corinthians in 2 Co. 8:5 and to the Philippians in Phil. 4:17. If you read the context of those passages you will find out that the reason why the Macedonians were able to give above their means was because they gave themselves to God FIRST. It was the result of their faith. The same thing with the Philippians, they were able to support Paul when no one else did, and Paul said that their giving was the fruit of their faith. 

If the church in Siem Reap is able to support its own work, it will indicate their level of faith and trust in God. That's our goal. We want to be the church that's found in the Bible and we are striving to produce fruit! Within the first five years, we've built a strong foundation of faithful Christian families that are here for the long haul. From here we want to grow, not only numerically, but financially, and ultimately, spiritually! We are confident that with God’s help we will accomplish our goals that we've set for Him. We ask that you continue to pray for us and our endeavors.

In order to meet our goals for the next five years, the leadership (Chann's idea) has come up with the idea of personal mentorship of the staff and male students. We have 6 men and 4 staff mentors (myself, Chann, Darat, and Piseth). Every weekend for the next 3 months, the students will have personal one on one time with their mentors in the field. They will learn how to talk to people, how to set up a Bible study, how to build relationships, how to follow up, how to prepare, and, most importantly, how to get back up after they fail. After each quarter, we will rotate the students to a different mentor so that they can gain knowledge and experience from all of us. This will avoid preacheritis (1 Co. 1:10-13) from forming. By the end of the year, they would have learned from all of us. I am the mentor for Sopheak and Sovannara in the first quarter and so far we were able to go to the local prison in Siem Reap to try to get our foot in the door, but it so happens that there is already a group there (I think 7th day Adventist) who apparently have the rights to the whole prison because we couldn’t get a Bible study request in. Anyway, it was a good experience for the students and myself. We are excited to go out in the field on the weekends to implement what we learn/teach on the weekdays! Please keep the school and this program in your prayers!

Phanat

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

A Busy Weekend Yields Souls For Christ...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. We do hope you are all doing great over there in the congregation and in the family. Life is going on well by His grace, but some are not sound in health. Three students missed weekend evangelism and the Bible lectureship in Mudeka village because of ill health. They were sent to see the doctor because our drugs could not help them on campus. Keep them in your prayers.

Last week was good for us as our students keep growing in the knowledge of God. They are excited that the choice the made to attend CBIW was a nice one and are looking forward to full time ministry in different villages after their graduation this December.

The weekend was also very busy, but exciting as we were reaching out to souls in 7 locations, however, the mass of the students and staff were in Mudeka village for house to house evangelism and many indoor lectures to nurture souls already in the kingdom of God.

Some CBIW students arrived Mudeka village for Bible lectureship. It was great as souls were touched.

Without any waste of time the students and staff started moving from one house to another hawking the bread of life free of charge. Many opened their doors for these men to share with the them.

Our students stood for hours upon hours, as long as the opportunity was given, to share the saving message. House to house is good to me and I am happy that our students are gaining lots of experience on the practical part of their career as they are opportune to meet people weekly which helps strengthen them before they graduate from school.

This weekend was great because my wife was part of the house to house evangelism in Mudeka. My wife worked along side others sharing the gospel to these young people who were nurses in that village.

Brother Ebage baptized brother Obi John along side his wife, who obeyed the gospel the same day what a great moment. Keep them in your prayers.

Brother John Nkemnkeng baptized brother Chia in Mudeka. Keep him also in your prayers.

Brother Orock Yannick baptized sister Nchini with her pregnancy. Through out our stay in Mudeka the Lord added 6 precious and energetic souls to labor for Him as he kingdom keeps increasing. Keep this congregation in your prayers to help nurture and follow up these young babes to grow and be mature.

On this sad note, brother Tom Eyong, a preacher whom we revived in the young congregation of Ediki, died last week Wednesday at the age of 79 after suffering with diabetes for many years. He was active in the things of God. Keep his family in your prayers. His village does not have the church, but in his will he said we should bury him in his village. This will be another great opportunity for us to see how we can reach out to villagers with the gospel and introduce them to the New Testament church and her ways of worship. Please keep this mission in your prayers.  Transportation to the village is far from where our brother was a resident.

I went to my village congregation in Koba last week for the funeral of my aunty and I realized that among the 7 villages there, 5 had a congregation of the Lord’s church and among these five only this one is still struggling to stand. Please, with tears I write this report to you making an appeal to come and let us go help this congregation which will in future help revive the other dead congregation. Please, precious souls are perishing. How can I do a lot and my own people are not having the light of the truth which I preach and train men to preach. Please, please come to my aid to keep the congregation going. For now we can send our students on a weekly basis to preach and teach. It will cost us 15.000 frs, but the urgent need now is to get the roof of that house erected with iron sheets. It will cost us 3000.00 USD to get that house up and wooden walls nailed to it and secure it from rain and stray animals. Please, please I have never been so touched with situations like this one in my own village. Please help me evangelize my people who are so receptive to the gospel. If we start the work I will be sharing the report and you will see what God will do in that place. Please share this with others who may love to be of help.

Plans
This weekend, part of the students and some staff will carry the remains of our brother to the village while part of the students will go to the Bomaka congregation, a young congregation not too far from Wotutu for evangelism.

The Dekome work keeps witnessing an increase and oh what a work to the glory of God for those standing by us to make sure these souls can eat the word of God, which will enable them to grow. It is really far from CBIW into the forest and hills, but God is making it possible for our students to reach there every week so that souls will be touched with the word.

Appreciation
Many thanks to God for His great care over us and the encouragements he is according to us to meet up with the work entrusted in our hands. Thank you so very much for all your prayers, deep concern, comments and support to make this work a reality. Continue and do not faint because in due season God will reward you all.

Do your best to share this report with others. God bless you all and watch over you all.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Chosen Vessels Preaching The Gospel Globally...

New reports this week continue to share the incredible nature of God’s hand at work in blessing the efforts of staff and students involved in the extension training program. The diligence put forth by each individual provides an example for all of us. The Lord is making a difference through His chosen vessels that are preaching the Gospel on a global scale. It is exciting to participate in this work.

The week ahead is a special week for the staff of the extension program as we will travel to the Freed Hardeman lectureship, which will conclude with our annual staff meeting. The opportunity to hear great lessons from God’s word, the fellowship shared among Christians from all around the country and world, along with talking about the work of extension training in each location where Bear Valley is privileged to share in the work of training men to preach, is a combination for one awesome week.

A real blessing is found each time the staff comes together because we take small steps that continue to improve the program overall. Please pray for us as we discuss matters related to the growth and success of this work. 

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/

Keith Kasarjian’s latest report can be found here.

Extension Reports 

Transforming Souls, Gaining Consciousness Of God: Weekend evangelism in Cameroon continues to see souls transformed as they gain a consciousness of God.

Fourth Term At Tamale Is Underway: Tony Johnson is back in Ghana and the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies began the fourth quarter of studies last week.

Baptisms And Restorations Characterize Break Activity: The work of students during the end of the year break from the Kenya School of Preaching yielded baptisms and restorations.

A Need For Prayer: Recently, Darvin Alvarez lost his sister, Ingrid. Darvin is a teacher at ITL in Guatemala and would appreciate your prayers for his family.

Evangelism Is Yielding Fruit In Nigeria: The past week of evangelism near the Southwest School of Evangelism witnesses the new birth of souls obedient to the gospel.

Consider Adopting A Congregation In Togo: Graduates in Togo are working with congregations near Kpalime. They could use your help.

At Every Turn, God Is Growing The Church: Reports from graduates of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching demonstrate the ways God is working in Tanzania and Uganda.

Final Thoughts
Thank you in advance for your prayers. Please pray for the safety of everyone traveling for the meeting and for the discussions we will have about the work. We also want to thank you for your partnership in the work of training preachers. You are a blessing to us and every soul that is touched with the gospel around the world.

God bless
Bob

At Every Turn, God Is Growing The Church...

Greetings Fellow Servants,

We hope and we pray the Lord is blessing you all in the right ways, that in turn you can bless others. We thank you for your prayers and support, making this mission effort possible. Every month the Lord gives the increase. See the short reports from various men of God.

Emanuel Peter (Tanzania): The church of Christ, Chamwirio Ikulu, Dodoma was started by brother Andrew Connally and Lenkos Mkwama in 1978 on their way to Arusha. The church stopped meeting for some time, but was restarted by brother Elias who would begin a second congregation. Such a sweet story of the power of the Gospel and the generational influence of godly men like Andrew and Lenkos. 

Raymond Mwero (Uganda): Last week we baptized three. Yesterday was a good day in that the Lord added another three souls to HIs church. This year has started with great wonders on the side of the Church here, four others were restored. 

Theofilo Songie (Congo): Here is our report from the churches in the Congo: 1. Uvira congregation, 45 members. Two families restored this year. 2) Baraka congregation now has 35 members, four baptized this year. 3) Kikwena congregation now has 20 members. 4) Fizi congregation has 21 members. This congregation is 70 miles from the Uvira congregation. 5) Lweba congregation is 17 members. 6) Mboko congregation has now grown to 15 members. We thank God for the over 150 saved souls He has added. We need your help if the church is to continue to be fed and grow in the Lord: 1) I need $80 per month for house rent (including power and water). 2) My family and I need $180 per month to eat, for medical, house needs. The ministry could use some help with transport funds and a laptop to develop, translate and provide good Bible lessons and tracts. Can you help me, so I can help my people, the people of God?

Josephat Massawe (Tanzania): I was invited to visit Bwawani (meaning “in the dam), a small village surrounding the man made lake. One Christian sister invited me to conduct worship, she invited 10 others. We now have 2 new congregation towards Magadini and 1 more in Rombo. Last Sun. one obeyed the Gospel, we rejoice with the Angels in Heaven. 

Gasper Julius (Tanzania): Two of our members went home for a visit, taught and baptized three souls. Now they want us to come and start the Lord’s Church in their village. We are planning to go and hold a three day evangelistic meeting in the coming days. 

Cy, Stephanie & Granny (Tanzania): If the Lord wills, we will be coming your way Feb. 16th, arriving in New Orleans, LA on the 17th. We sure could use your help. We have already received a large donation from our dear TN friends, but we still need $1,600 just for our airline tickets (Granny pays for her own). 

We thank you all for your continued prayers and support that you sacrificially give, making our work of love possible to the good people of Tanzania, East Africa and now the Congo. Till all  have heard....

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Consider Adopting A Congregation In Togo...

God is using our new preachers in wonderful ways in the kingdom. Since September, three new congregations have been planted and our recent graduates are preaching there.

Congregations up for adoption
1) Agou church of Christ - 4 baptized members and the preacher is Agnala Essodinam. (Outcome of September campaign)
2) Agoe Vakpossito Church of Christ - 6 baptized members and preacher is Sodohume
3) Klime Church of Christ - 18 baptized members and preacher is Atikama
4) Zomayi church of Christ - 9 baptized members and the preacher is Yovo Yao Mensavi.

The Zomayi Church of Christ started as a breakaway group from the Life Celebration Church, the denomination where Yovo used to be a member.

He tried to share his new found faith with the church, but met strong resistance. However, those who gladly received the word were baptized. They have since left and are now worshiping in Zomayi. Since Yovo is a new convert and a student, he is being guided by Cephas, the principal of CBS and assisted by one recent graduate.

Urgent Need: 
We need $500.00 each to build a structure for each of the new congregations.

Two more students baptized
1) Joseph Asiki is from the New Apostolic Church.
2) Mathias Komou is from Deeper Life Ministry

YEAR IN REVIEW: Statistics
1) Total Graduates in 2013: (15)
2)  Present Students (20)
3)  Total Present Teachers: (7)
4)  Visiting instructors(1) Barry Baggot)
5)  Total lectureships in 2013 (3)
6)  Total campaigns in 2013(2)
7)  Total churches planted in 2013(5)
8)  Total baptisms in 2013 (73) 

NYIVEME CHURCH OF CHRIST
Wife of preacher Atta returns Pelagie, the wife of Atta a recent graduate left her marital home and threatened to divorce the husband if he did not return to the Catholic Church. We all prayed for her hoping that she would one day understand why the husband took that decision to renounce Catholicism and accept New Testament Christianity. All attempts to get her back yielded no positive results; however, we never relented in our prayers. On my recent trip to Kpalime, I was shown a picture of Pelagie in the watery grave of baptism, also renouncing Catholicism. Our God is a prayer answering God. Pelagie has since re-united with the husband. When asked why she took the decision, she responded “I now understand what my husband did.”

5th Annual Northern Volta Bible Camp
The theme for this year’s camp was “ Marriage and the Christian Home”.

Topics discussed included the following: Preparation for Marriage, Marriage Rites in Ghana, Duties of Husbands and Wives, Duties of Children, Couples Relationships with In-laws, Marriage Divorce and Remarriage, How to Resolve Marital Conflicts and How to Manage the Family. I had the opportunity to speak on “How to Resolve Marital Conflicts and Couples Relationships with In-laws.” There was a health talk on diabetes by Dr. Prosper and water, sanitation and health talk (WASH) by Nathaniel Adams, the CEO of Rural Water Development Project of the Church of Christ.

Activities at the camp included: fasting and prayer, singing competition, indoor and outdoor games and Bible quiz competition. This year’s camp was graced with the presence of Doc Turk and the wife Passy. Doc delivered a lesson on Preparation for Marriage while Passy taught “How to Prepare the Communion Bread.”

The camp was climaxed with a worship service on Sunday December 29th with a sermon delivered by Ben Fulks from Dangerfield, Texas. The attendance during the worship was 515 and we were blessed with three baptisms.

MARS HILL CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS BUT NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
The first phase of the expansion project has been completed. We are now left with the partitioning and a frame to cover around it with wood. We have already moved some of the kids from the church building into this new shed.

Should you be interested in partnering with us to give these little ones a Christian education, you may contact me or send donation to the Blanco Church of Christ, address below.

Mars Hill is already planning to raise $5,000.00 to purchase one acre of land where permanent structures will be built in the future. This is a long term goal. Several offers of a parcel of land have been made to me for my consideration.

MISSION PRINTING SENDS ANOTHER CONTAINER TO GHANA
The container arrived on December 31st, off loaded and placed in storage at the Ghana Literature Center in Saiperman, Accra. We have since started distribution to churches and individuals involved in personal evangelism. The youth of the church are involved in a massive tract distribution and evangelism exercise as part of program marking the 46th bi-annual Youth Day.

GHANA-TOGO MISSION
Dear Brother Gley,

Believing in your efforts in Ghana and Togo, I/we propose as the Lord enables, to donate generously to support this worthy cause. Enclosed you will find $....................
H. Willie Gley C/O Blanco Church of Christ P.O. Box 866 Blanco, TX, 78606

Tel: 830-8334884

Name....................................................... Address.................................................... City/State/Zip...............................................

NOTE: Please make cheques payable to the BLANCO CHURCH OF CHRIST and earmark for Gley/Ghana & Togo Mission.

World Bible School, Gospel Chariot Mission and Mission Printing
What do these three groups have in common? I am privileged to be working with them. My work has become more exciting with the coming in of the Gospel Chariot last year. Our campaigns with the truck are yielding much fruit in terms of the baptisms and the student enrollment.

This is how it works: there are two WBS workers attached to the truck wherever it goes. During the day, the truck visits the schools in the area to enroll students and also set up a WBS booth to enroll students while at the same time distribute tracts and conduct bible studies.

This January 15th 2014, we embarked on a nationwide evangelism tour with the Gospel Chariot. Our first stop will be Prampram then into Dawa and finally to enter the Volta Region, conducting a three day campaign at each stop. We shall be visiting several congregations preaching the word, distributing tracts and enrolling students. Teachers who have students in the Volta Region should contact me by email, text message or telephone call.

GOSPEL CHARIOT & WBS STATISTICS, 2013
16,863 new students enrolled. Four out of the ten regions have been visited. 133 baptisms have so far been recorded

World Radio Report
Another year has come to a successful end and these are some results of our activities. 

1) Baptisms - 46
2) Home bible studies - 10
3) Restorations to fellowship - 1
4) Average of two phone calls each week
5) Four prospects currently studying

GHANA
P.O. BOX AN 19611 ACCRA-NORTH, GHANA
Cell Phone: 00233-244509169

USA Contact
Blanco Church of Christ P.O. Box 866

Blanco TX. 78606 Tel:830-8334884

Report By: H. Willie Gley
williegley@gmail.com

Evangelism Is Yielding Fruit In Nigeria...

Beloved,

Greetings from staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and our Lagos counterpart.

The staff and students of both Ibadan and Lagos satellite campus divided into three groups for last weekend’s activities of January 17 & 18, 2014.

The first group was led by brother Dairo Joseph and brother Matthew Idowu to Abeokuta where they attended a burial ceremony of the mother of one of the board members of West Nigerian Christian College (WNCC) named brother Moses Enilolobo Oluwalogbon on Friday and Saturday.

The second group was led by brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe to evangelize Ikoyi town, Osun State, while the third group was led by brother Abraham Idu Yeje (SWSE campus minister) to evangelize Arikusa, Ogunbunmi and Butubutu village of Ona-Ara Local Government, Oyo State.

On Saturday, January 18, I joined the first group at the burial service of the mother of brother Moses Enilolobo at Abeokuta, Ogun State.

On Sunday, January 19, brother Lawrence Dada, one of SWSE graduates in 2009 taught on the “Object of True Worship” at Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan while brother Gabriel Ishom admonished the church from Ecclesiastes 12.

On January 11 & 12, sister Faith Ohemu, one of the SWSE students at our Lagos campus and brother Abiola Joseph Olusoji and the staff and students of the SWSE-Lagos campus and some evangelists in Lagos and Ogun States evangelized Aparadija-Ota area of Ogun State with the hope of planting the Lord's church in that area and thanks be unto the Lord that the church met for first worship at the compound of brother & sister Ohemu in Aparadija-Ota on January 12, 2014. The Saturday evangelism was attended by 207 brethren while the first Lord's day worship was attended by 230 brethren.Four soul was added to the Lord's kingdom during this two day exercise, to God be the honor!

Brethren, another two souls were converted on Sunday, January 19, 2014 by brother Matthew Adeyemi, one of my co-WBSFUW in Western state of Nigeria.

Brother Doug was in the midst of the baptism in action with 6 converts at Efon Alaaye,Ekiti State on January 14, 2014

Brother Doug taught during the first WBS seminar at Festac-Ijegun congregation on January 10, 2014 while brother Mak and brother Doug attended the two day Christian Workshop at the campus of SWSE-Ibadan on January 13 & 14, 2014.

Thanks for your partnership!

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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

A Need For Prayer...

Greetings beloved Family and Friends!

Our prayer to God our Father is that this message will find you well and enjoying good health. 

A little while back, we sent an e-mail requesting your prayers for Darvin Alvarez’s sister, Ingrid, who was battling cancer. This message comes with a tone of sadness, as we must inform you of Ingrid’s passing. She died last Monday evening, January 13, leaving behind two children, Sergio (16 years old) and Sophia (13 years old).

On Sunday, the 5th of January, Ingrid was brought to the capital city for a doctor’s appointment she had scheduled for the next day. However, the doctor did not see her until Tuesday afternoon. It was at that moment that the doctor determined that she needed to be admitted to the hospital. The following Saturday, the 11th, she went into a coma. It became apparent to Darvin that her state was not going to improve so he and his family decided to take her home to Coban so she could spend her last moments at home. On Monday, with the help of some of Ingrid’s coworkers, they contracted an ambulance to transfer her to Coban, but minutes after completing the paperwork and placing her in the ambulance, Ingrid died. Darvin thanks God that her death did not take place minutes before because it would have meant delaying getting her body by about two days and an increase in the cost for the family because of the hospital paperwork that would have been involved. By 10:30 p.m. that same Monday, they were back in Coban. Her burial took place on Wednesday afternoon, January 15. 

We are encouraged by Darvin's attitude and faith in God. He says that he did everything he could to teach his sister the Gospel. We are witnesses of this because we, too, were among those who studied with her. Sadly, she never became a Christian. Now, Darvin says that his primary concern is the welfare of Ingrid’s children. They are currently working on paperwork and legal matters to make sure that they receive the attention and care they need as minors. Please keep Darvin, Ingrid’s children, and the whole family in your prayers during this time of mourning and adjustment.

God bless you!

Serving Jesus,
Hawatthia
Byron

Baptisms And Restorations Characterize Break Activity...

My dear brethren,

Receive my greetings and that of the faculty and students of the Kenya School of Preaching (KSOP). We pray and trust that the Lord has kept you all safe, Happy New Year!  

KSOP students are back from the December break. This is the sixth quarter and graduation is coming soon, August 23, 2014. May I take this early opportunity to welcome you to the first KSOP graduation in Kisumu, Kenya.

During the December break, a lot of activities went on in different places. I visited four churches, and spoke in two gospel meetings where four were baptized as a result. All the students were actively involved in evangelism in their respective congregations and even beyond, 9 baptisms and 16 restorations. One student led other men in restoring a church back to worship in Spirit and truth from errors. The church was deep into liberalism, using instruments and insisting/teaching one cup. In attendance, when they met the group, was 26 members and they all accepted the truth shown from the bible.  

The other good news to the students and the school is the opportunity we had last Sunday, Jan 19 to send the students to the local churches around to help with evangelism, bible studies, follow ups and preaching, among other duties as assigned to them by the leaders. This is very useful in helping the students put the knowledge they acquire into practice.  All the congregations they visited were very excited with the program and appreciated the work done by the school.

May I thank the brethren and churches who believe the preaching students should be sent out to preach and meet the many challenges in the field before going out of school. Through your generous support, we are sure of sending the students out for four Sundays till Feb 9. We pray other brethren and churches will come to our help so that we keep on sending these men out to preach till they graduate.

This year is going to be very eventful with the graduation and another intake of new students in October 2014. Keep us in your prayers always as we work towards reaching the lost with the gospel and edifying the saved.

Fellow Lord’s servant,

Charles Ogutu
Director KSOP

PS. Feel free to contact me or the KSOP coordinator, Mike Reese for any information.

Fourth Term At Tamale Is Underway...

Greeting from Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies. I arrived back in Ghana on January 18th and met up with brother Steven Ashcraft in Accra. After greeting some of the brethren in Accra and Kumasi we arrived back at the Institute on January 21st.

Students reported for their fourth term on January 13th and are currently immersed in their study of Worship in the Book of Acts, Old Testament 3 (Divided Kingdom), and the New Testament Church. Steven will begin teaching a short course next week on Bible Geography, and then I will teach the Book of James during the final two weeks of the term. Currently there are 15 students in class as one has decided to leave the program and one has remained at home due to medical issues. Please keep Jacob Mabikiya in your prayers that he will be well enough to rejoin his classmates quickly.

This term also marks the beginning of the students practical application of the information they are receiving in their classes by conducting evangelistic campaigns. All of the students will be traveling to the village of Zamzugu for a 5 day campaign with the church that meets there. TIBS graduate Bilam Philip is the preacher in Zamzugu and has been asking for a school campaign since last fall. We are looking forward to working with Philip, our students, and the church to reach out to as many as possible from February 5th -9th.

It is almost planting time again and we will be looking for better results out of the school’s small farm. Last year was the first attempt at growing some of the food that could go towards feeding the students. While the corn yield was adequate, our yam crop was less than desirable. We will be trying some different vegetables this year to see if we can do better. We are also very thankful to have some successful farmers from the church who are willing to offer their guidance concerning what might grow better in the soil conditions we have here in Tamale.

All the students send their greetings. May God continue to bless you in your support of the church in Ghana.

In His service,

Tony “Wintima” Johnson
TIBS Coordinator

Transforming Souls, Gaining Consciousness Of God...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept greetings from your brothers and sisters here in Wotutu in particular and Cameroon as a whole. This 2014 is on good footing as we can see God working in our lives in many ways. Souls are being transformed and souls are gaining consciousness about God, which is good.

We do hope that life is going well with you over there. You are always in our prayers and we do appreciate you for doing same to us.

Last week in CBIW went on well as students continue to grow as they study the word. They are becoming more committed as they are in their final year to fully prepare themselves to face the challenges that they must face as slaves, or better still, servants of Christ. It is always my joy to see these men when they get here into CBIW, some have been preaching for many years in different places, but still lack some basic knowledge, that is why they came to be fully equipped for every good work. CBIW is there to help many trace their divine calling. Many pulpits will be filled and many souls will be won for Jesus because of CBIW and you who are standing by us. Many thanks to you, as communities without the church by His grace can have a congregation that will impact the entire community. Thank you for thinking souls and for standing by us. Our efforts shall never be a waste, 1 Cor 15:58.

This weekend, our students went out to 6 villages for weekend evangelism. God continues to bless the work with souls. The Dikome work is going on well as a young dynamic man obeyed the gospel this week. Keep brother Sakwe in your prayers. He was an assistant (pastor in their denomination), but was fast to identify the truth. The truth is so powerful. Praise God for this new soldier.

Ediki, and all the other young congregations where we are doing follow up on weekly basis, are all healthy. Keep praying for them and for the efforts to reach out to many.

The students on Friday moved with hymns to different locations for weekend assignments and also to help congregations sing from the hymns. We are still praying for the flow of tracts to be available, as many desire to read more about the study in our absence to get more informations as it takes them back to the Bible. Many thanks to those who donated those hymns to us. Many congregations are appealing for hymns and tracts. We are comforting them with hopes that very soon we shall have some more. Only God knows when that will happen.

A young man, Edube Andrew, the son of an elder obeyed the gospel over the weekend, and it brought trouble to the father. According to him, it disgraced his personality as an elder quoting from the Bible that an elder must keep his house well. This young man quoted from same Bible where the Bible teaches about a man of one wife, but the father is having more than one wife. Please keep brother Edube in your prayers. He can be the one God will use to deliver his family from errors.

Plans
The Mudeka congregation is inviting the entire school for a four days of house to house evangelism in their village. This weekend, by His grace, we shall be there while some will be in our usual place of work.

Appreciations
Many thanks to God for His great care and work over us. We thank God for calling you to be part of this work here in Cameroon. God bless you and keep you and your family safe. We love you and you are all in our prayers.

Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

A New School, A New Opportunity To Change Lives...

We are excited to announce that Bear Valley is connecting with a new school in Ghana. The Southern Institute of Biblical Studies (SIBS) begins classes on February 12, 2014. This new school is located in Nsawam / Doboro. Administration is reviewing applications and students are preparing to begin classes next month. Plans are to host 20 students in this first class.

The opportunity to further train students in West Africa is a blessing to the Lord’s Kingdom and we are thankful to partner with the men at Nsawam / Doboro in this task. Please pray for the staff and students in this new school. Pray for the growth of the program and that God will abundantly bless the efforts of this work. We will share more details in the weeks ahead as we move closer to the beginning of the school.

Classes in Denver are now in their second week of this quarter as a new class of students enters the program to prepare themselves to preach the gospel. The last two quarters of this year for the seniors is also exciting as they make plans for their respective areas of ministry. Most of these men will serve congregations around the United States. One student plans to work in Malawi, which we will share more about at a later date. Remember to pray for these men also as they finish their studies.

News from around the Extension Program is always powerful as we see lives changing. The students studying and preaching the gospel, along with reading about souls brought to the Lord, brings a level of excitement to the work that is worth sharing. Please share the report each week with other individuals and congregations who are interested in knowing more about the growth of the Lord’s church.

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 

Students Keep Evangelizing Cameroon: Another campaign trip in Cameroon produces fruit as God gives the increase to the word planted and watered by these men.

An Encouraging Visit To Graduates In Nepal: Gajendra takes a grueling trip to visit graduates of the Nepal Center of Biblical Studies to encourage and help them in the work.

Seminars Bring Souls To The Lord In Nigeria: Doug Wheeler is working with the staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism and souls are being saved.

Coming To America, From Tanzania: Several staff members in Arusha, Tanzania will be coming to America to record material in Ki-Swahili to reach out to more people.

A Year-End Report From Tanzania: Sean Hochdorf shares information about the results of 2013 in his year-end report about the work of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching.

Final Thoughts
A final note of thanks to you for every area you are involved in this work. Without each one of you this work would not exist, and we never want there to be a moment when we do not express our gratitude. Thank you for being friends of the Bible Institute and the work of Extension Training. We love and appreciate you, always.

God bless
Bob