Lectures Bring A Soul To Christ In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings from Nigeria and the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan, Nigeria.

Brother Steven Ashcraft arrived in Nigeria the evening of March 28, 2014 and resumed work on Sunday at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan by teaching on “The True Worship” while I served as his interpreter as well as service leader and a student of the SWSE - Ibadan sermonized the saints . 

A WBS student of Kathleen Withers and Ken Heflin named Busayo Waleola was baptized after the Sunday worship.

March 31 through April 4, brother Steven Ashcraft taught on “Bible Geography” at the SWSE campus, Butubutu, Ibadan from 8:15 am to 6:00 pm with one and half hours break in the afternoon and the only student from Lagos campus named James Olaosebikan was baptized on April 3, 2014 at Osun River by 3:00 pm.

The five days intensive lectures was attended by 45 brethren (33 students, 6 instructors, 2 foundation members and 4 of the SWSE graduates).

Beloved, with total submission to the will of God, I'm using this medium to announce the passing unto glory of my beloved mother who was added to the Lord's church in August 2001. She passed into eternity at the age of 110 years of age. She was survived by an aged husband, five women and a young man (my self). She will be buried on April 26 at my compound while the service of songs will come up on April 25, 2014. 

Brethren, we thank the Lord for brother Steven Ashcraft’s visit to Nigeria in spite of the ugly news about our country, Nigeria.

Thanks so much for your brotherly love. Stay blessed and have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely His & yours,
Makinde E. Olufemi

When Did This Become Ordinary?

Today was a pretty typical Sunday. Tiffany taught the children's Bible class, then I preached. We visited with our friends and talked a little church business. Then we drove home. The day seemed very ordinary and natural.  

At some point in the past few months, a change has taken place. We are no longer going to church "in Africa.” We're just going to church. We are no longer driving around "in Africa.” We're just driving where we need to go. All of the children are still in the same Bible class, regardless of age.  The songs are still in Swahili. I still preach through a translator. People still drive on the left side of the very crowded road. However, the same sights and sounds that once seemed strange and exotic have become normal and commonplace. How did that happen??? 

Through time and repetition people can become accustomed to most anything. It occurred to me that sin operates in much the same way. Being surrounded by patterns of behavior, dress, and speech make those things quickly seem normal, even if they are in fact a perversion of how life ought to be. Once sin loses its shock value, then it is only a short journey onward to being considered acceptable. 

Of course the cultural differences that we face are pretty harmless because we are not dealing with right and wrong. However, sin is extremely dangerous, and our attitudes toward it are of great importance. Sin is INEVITABLE, but it is never ACCEPTABLE. This is true in society at large, as well as in our own lives. We must carefully guard our hearts to avoid becoming so accustomed to sin that it seems like "normal" behavior. As Proverbs 4:23 says it, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life."    

Taking a Break
School was out last week, as the students received a week off in between quarters. We have been very busy lately, and took the opportunity for some much needed time off ourselves. Mental and physical breaks are vital to longevity in the work of the Lord. Even God rested after a busy week of creation, and Jesus often withdrew for revitalizing alone time. We owe many thanks to Nathan and Jessica McVeigh for keeping the kids for us while Tiffany and I had some time to ourselves. Now we are refreshed and ready to tackle a new quarter.   

Prayer Request
I have a prayer request to share with you. We have a sister in Christ - let's call her "Naomi" (not her real name) - who is in great need of prayer. She lives in desperate circumstances with her small children and her drunkard husband who practices witchcraft. Her circumstances are having serious effects on her mental stability and her children's health and safety. Pray that God will help her family, and that if there is a way for us to offer real help that He will make it clear to us.

Daniel Gaines

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

Tanzania Congregations Are Growing...

Yes indeed parents do love their children dearly, but a mother loves her children in a very special way.

More than once when I was growing up I overheard a conversation among poor women back home: "You take marbles and boil them until children go to sleep when you don't have anything to offer for them."

A mother does that with tears in her eyes and heart. She reaches at such conclusion with a great pain realizing that she is lying to her own children whom she heartedly loves. Little children don't believe a mother or father that can ever be out of food, it is impossible for them!

Since I began preaching the gospel in 1993 I've seen this in the spiritual sense. Many babies in Christ put so much trust in spiritual parents. For them God works through the messenger in every case, which is true in some sense. But some of us are like the poor mothers who don't know what to do afterwards! We believe God can open up the door in many ways, however God always does so by using our hands, feet, etc. to help others in need (Gal. 6:9,10; Mt. 25:31-46).

Few instances here: I recently received a call from Sylvester who graduated from Andrew Connally School of Preaching in 2013 asking for a place to worship. He said, we can do as much as to contribute our effort in this, such as making clay blocks, etc. ($5000 will do much good for this group of 30 new babies in Christ). 

Below is a report from Congo. Theofilo is one of our graduates who became Christian in Tanzania as a refugee of the Congoleese civil war for decades now:

Christopher my dear friend,

Try to forward this report about the churches in D.R.C./CONGO to our brethren so that they may know what is going on in this part of the Lord's church.

We have planted 6 congregations at EAST of D.R.C. Namely:

1. UVIRA CHURCH OF CHRIST - 45 members

Our main task here is door to door Evangelism,seminars for edification of the members once per month and restoration ministry(here we choose one family every week where we will meet in evening for bible study,we invite neighbors to share the gospel and present the church of Christ. 

Other congregations are:

2. BARAKA CHURCH OF CHRIST - 35 members.

3.KIKWENA CHURCH OF CHRIST.20 members.

4. FIZI CHURCH OF CHRIST -21 members. 

5. LWEBA CHURCH OF CHRIST-17 members.

6. MBOKO CHURCH OF CHRIST-15 members.

- Our pressing needs:

1.We desperately need our own ground for the building of worship service since renting houses is very costly in UVIRA and BARAKA towns. 

2.Almost 3 computers or laptops and 1 printer will help us to speedly spread the Good News all over the country.

3.We need the visit of missionaries,teachers,and fellow christians from US and other countries for our edification and assistance since no support is noticed untill now in CONGO.

4. Swahili Bibles and other printed materials are so needed also without omitting your prayers which are the spin of our efforts.

Brotherly yours,

Theofilo M. Songie

The Beautiful Blessing Of God's Increase In Paraguay...

The Lord’s Kingdom in Paraguay is Growing! 
When the Lord provides the increase in His kingdom (1 Co. 3:6) it sparks such joy and gratefulness among the church that it is hard to compare with any other emotion. That is just how this month has felt as we have witnessed souls being added to His kingdom. Hallelujah! We pray that you might be encouraged and will rejoice with us in the great news of this month’s edition of our Paraguay Mission report! God bless.

Developments at Sacramento Avenue 
•Baptisms! Alex Valdez and Fabian Nuñez are friends who just walked off the street and into our worship services one day. They had been attending a local denomination and had become disillusioned with the lack of sound Biblical teaching there. They live nearby the church building and had recently received a flyer in their mailbox during one of the Bible Academy student campaigns. The flyer stated, “Did you know that tithing is not a command for the Christian?” It caught their attention, so they came to investigate. Eliezer Perez, William Arzamendia, and Ramon

Paredes studied with them until they each understood and then each decided to put on Christ in baptism! What a wonderful outcome for two souls searching for God and His truth.

•Because of the recent growth in the church over the past few months, the men of the congregation have decided to offer a “Fundamentals” class on Sunday mornings in order to reinforce our new brethren in Christ. It is so good to see them recognizing the need quickly and then providing for what is necessary!

Developments at Ñemby Congregation
•Baptism! Patricia Larrea is a childhhod friend of our brother, Raul Riveros. She has been visiting worship services in Ñemby and studying with Brittnea Yegros. We praise God that she made the right decision for the most important decision of her life!

•The brethren at Ñemby are sad to report that one of their families will be moving out of the area.

Guillermo and Mirian Sanchez are one of the original families that were part of the church plant last July. They will be moving to Ciudad del Este for his work. Who knows that perhaps God may be providing an avenue to plant a church in that city? We’ll certainly be praying!

Asunción Bible Academy Update 
•Year two has begun! We can’t believe it but it has! The students are doing well and are already accustomed to the study format, so we informed them that we will be “taking it to the next level.” They simply replied, “Very well, we’re ready!” Isn’t that a great attitude to have?! We pray that each one will finish strong.

•We are excited to report that the Beta Class (2015-17) is already forming! That’s right! We have five brethren that have indicated that they are making plans to attend next year. Two of them are international students! We would like to ask you to please pray for Isaac, Isabel, Jose, Leti, and Raúl and their decision.

Evangelistic Contacts / Bible Studies / Activities:
•Andrea is staying very busy with all her studies. She has continued studies with Oscar Parodi, Adriana Rodriguez, Andrea Caceras, Dina Aycock, and Sandra Duarte.

•I have two new English students, Sergio and Sebastian. They both are attending services, as well, so they are receiving a lot of Bible instruction in two languages!

•Sadly, I haven’t been able to study with Rolando Duarte this past month due to traveling or complications with his schedule. We’ll continue to try this next month. I did, however, get a book to him that is an overview of the entire Bible. I pray this will help him along with his desire to know more of God’s word.

•Christian Jourdain, my Taekwondo instructor, continues to be interested in our Bible studies. It is exciting to watch his growth.

•Gina Vera and Bryan Davis were married on March the 8th at the Hotel Paraguay with many from the church present. I was honored to be able lead their wedding vows and be a part of their special day. They were married in Paraguay on Saturday, boarded a plane to the USA on Sunday, arrived in Kentucky on Monday, were married there that evening with an American ceremony, and then took off to the mountains in North Carolina for their honeymoon. Whew! That’s a bunch of miles!

•I had an opportunity to travel to Meteti, Panama, this past month and assist our brother in Christ, Preston Silcox, in an “encouragement and planning mission.” We went with the intention to encourage our brother, Ruben Castro by bringing him some much needed teaching and preaching resources, and to make some plans for the upcoming mission trip in July. Preston brought him some WVBS videos to watch and he was so excited to have a Bible professor in his own living room that he can rewind and listen to over and over.

Personal Development and Activities
Personal Activities:
•Andrea hosted a baby shower for our sister in Christ, Mirian Sanchez, this month. She was only expecting about 15-20 people, but there wound up being 33 that came! Mirian and her husband will be moving to the other side of the country in April, so we’re praying for their faithfulness and for their expanding family.

•Andrea baked a cake for a sweet little missionary girl named Vivian Blackmer. The theme was “Frozen” and you should have heard all the little girls squeal when it was presented at her party!

•Andrea has developed quite a friendship with several of the children in the congregation, but especially, with Luis Fernando. She gives him her camera to take pictures and you would think that he was professional with the way he handles his subjects. He’s such a great kid, we believe he’ll be the pulpit preacher at Avenida Sacramento church of Christ someday! (BTW, his sister plans to attend the Bible Academy next year!)

•Our dear friends and brethren, Arsenio and Hermelinda were married on March 22. They had been waiting on some legal documents to allow them to marry. They finally arrived and so they had a nice, small ceremony in the home of our sister, Delci Enciso.

Personal study:
•I am currently reading / have read:

“The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today” by Everett Ferguson 

“Hablemos el Guarani” por Ortiz, Aguilera, y Marecos

•I have been studying about the deity of Christ and how “the Word became flesh.” We’ve had some questions arise regarding this centuries old debate and plan to address them real soon.

Preaching/teaching opportunities: 
•I preached at Avenida Sacramento using the title “A Purpose Driven Life? Glorify God, THAT’s Our Purpose!” based upon Ecclesiates 12:13 and 1 Cor 6:20.

•I have been teaching weekly classes in the Bible Academy on “Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther” and “Advanced Homiletics.”

•I recently taught the Sunday am class on the subject of “The Mission and Work of the Church.” I also taught one of our Wednesday night Bible classes on Romans Ch 13.

Paraguayan Culture Spotlight: “Chipa”
Chipa, which is a uniquely Paraguayan type of cheese bread, is consumed throughout the entire day in Paraguay. Just woke up? Chipa is the paraguayan breakfast of champions. Time for your mid-morning yerba mate? Chipa makes for a pretty good “tereré rupa.” Need something to go with your afternoon coffee or cocido? How about some chipa? It seems that it is always chipa time in Paraguay. Making chipa is a lenghty process that is most often done in a dome oven called a "tatakuá," which is why most people just prefer to buy chipa. So, every day chipa vendors make their way through the neighborhoods with large wide baskets on their heads full of chipa to sell. Chipa vendors are called “chiperas” and many have a fixed route with a loyal clientele while others work for chipa businesses known as “chiperías.” For more information on this and all things Paraguay, visit this website: http://discoveringparaguay.com/home/tag/chipa/

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see their report with pictures, please click here.

Challenges Continue, But The School Grows...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches.

The situation in Ukraine is still very tense. We ask you to keep praying for God’s church in Ukraine and for the Bible Institute. Usually when the economical situation in the country gets worse, people start thinking more about God. Maybe the current events in our country will provide us with more opportunities to share the pure gospel with the lost souls. 

In the first part of March, there were the following teachers teaching courses at the Institute: Dennis Sopelnik taught Daniel, Alexander Rodnayev taught Galatians, Johnny Mack Young taught Personal Evangelism and Wisdom Literature via Skype. The schedule at the Institute is stable, and despite the events in Ukraine, teachers try to assist as much as possible. There was an ocean between Johnny Mack and us, but he tried to encourage both students and teachers continuously. We are grateful for his help and ministry. Now another brother from the US, Garth Hilton, teaches via Polycom system. I’m sure they are more than willing to be here; however, in order to avoid unnecessary problems, this method of teaching is the best for American teachers at this point. In April we’ll have teachers from Ukraine teaching courses. 

In the second part of March, we had evangelizing campaigns planned at the Institute. All students were divided into 4 groups, and each group helped local churches of Christ to put their plans into practice. That way we were able to have evangelizing campaigns in Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Gorlovka and Dzerzhinsk.  At some places the results were quite vivid. For example, there were new people who visited the Sunday services in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. I hope that it would encourage the church to further actions. 

Last month I was able to visit congregations in Gorlovka, Illovaysk and Kramatorsk. Our graduates of various years minister in each congregation. On March 30, there was a wonderful service in Kramatorsk, and there were representatives of 15 congregations of the churches of Christ in Ukraine, Russia and the US. We were talking about unity and prayed for the future of Ukraine. 

We continue working with the orphanage. Kids are very fond of us, and many of them want to have more opportunities to study God’s word. We still have Bible School for Kids “The Gifted Child”, which cooperates with the church.  Our students make a huge impact in its work. Many of them receive a good experience of working with the kids and their parents. Perhaps, we can’t drastically change all the society around us, but it would be bad if we don’t use the opportunities that we already have. 

We continue supporting the church in Amvrosievka. Bogdan Chigvintsev, our brother and youth minister of the Central church of Christ in Gorlovka, preached there last month. The church is greatly encouraged when new brothers visit them. We’ll pray for this congregation to find a full-time preacher of God’s Word soon. 

My family, students and teachers send you their greetings and thanks for your help. We need your prayers. 

Your brother and co-worker,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

Weekend Evangelism Yields Fruit In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

We praise God it is another new week in a new month. We thank God for His great care and providence to us through many hands. We do hope you entered into this new month with lots of blessings from above because we serve a faithful God.

All our students who went out for weekend evangelism are all back on campus. They came with great news from the all 10 locations we assigned them to reach out with His word. Dikome continues to witness increase now and the congregation will be adding more benches in the near future. Koba congregation is healthy and the work of their wooden building is in progress. Many thanks to God for His providence. We shall share pictures in future.

The first week of this quarter in CBIW has passed without any major problems, meaning this quarter had a smooth take off. Keep it in your prayers so that as we teach and instruct the students, those courses will provoke growth as we prepare them for full time ministry after their graduation in December 2014.

As the students return on campus here in Wotutu, our motto is still on: Evangelism is our mission and our mission is evangelism. There were many smiles on the faces of these young men as they listened to the truth that helped three of them in Bayai Panya village obey the truth.

One of our former students, who is now a full time evangelist in Mbanga congregation of the church of Christ, the lady who sat next to him was his lovely wife, during the traditional marriage yesterday in the girl’s village in Mukonje. It was great to see young men making that very important decision in life mostly for those in the ministry. Keep brother Ititi and his wife, sister Mary, in your prayers.

During the traditional marriage it was also a time to meet with former students who are now evangelists in different congregations and they are struggling to do well with their calling to preach. Keep our former students in your prayers. God is using them a lot.

Brother Mbappe Guy and wife sister Lum stood for the congregation in Wotutu to offer a prayer to God on their behalf for a new baby girl that God blessed them with a few weeks ago. The baby is named Paulina. Keep this family in your prayers.

Brother Rene Meboka, another keen listener to our early morning radio program Back to the Bible, where we expose the truth to the population in Wotutu and other villages. It prepares them to start their day. We usher them into every new day with God’s word. Keep brother Rene in your prayers to grow to maturity.

It is also very important to me and our entire congregation that brother Eboli Samuel comes to our congregation when we have some work to do, like construction. By doing so he will listen to what we are saying. He developed interest to send his wife to start worshipping with us. The wife obeyed the gospel two years ago and she is growing well. She started encouraging the husband who claimed that every church is the same because he was attached to his Presbyterian denomination. He wore a white baptismal gown and this morning he obeyed after worshipping with us for the past two Sundays. Keep him in your prayers.

Plans
1) The first part of our entrance exams into CBIW will be on the 26th of April. Keep it in your prayers so that the Lord will help us select before December where the new Gamma batch will come in.

2) The Ediki congregation will host the Bible lectureship. We have invited others to come so that they will also help is reach out. By doing so many other congregations in the Kumba area will know about the existence of the Ediki congregation that is now revived.

Appreciation
We give our thanks to God for His providence in all that we do. We cannot do anything by our own. We thank you for obeying God and for standing with us to make this work be what it is. God bless and reward you in due season.

Do your best to share this report with others. God bless you and watch over you, your congregation and your family in Jesus name.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

International School of Theology In Haiti Begins In August...

Few announcements are more exciting than the beginning of a new school. We are thrilled to share with you the establishment of the International School of Theology in Haiti. There is a special and unique quality that exists with the beginning of this new school; we are partnering with Freed-Hardeman University in the establishment and operations of IST in Haiti.

Larry Waymire will serve as the coordinator for this new work and classes are set to begin in August. The first class is planning to have 24 students who will begin full-time preparations for preaching the gospel of Jesus. The Broad Street Church of Christ in Lexington, TN will serve as the overseeing congregation for the work.

We are excited about the new school and the partnership with one of our brotherhood universities. We know this will show a powerful sign of unity to the brethren in Haiti and in the U.S. of our working together in the strengthening of the church in Haiti. We ask you to be praying about this opportunity and the development of the work.

Other news from the extension schools is also exciting as God works through each school in spreading the news of Jesus. The news of God giving the increase is always encouraging and keeps us focused on the purpose for the work we are involved with in each location.

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 

Campaigns See 31 Obey The Gospel In Cameroon: The power of the gospel is fruitful as students return from their campaigns and report of God’s blessing the work.

Worship Of The New Testament Church: This is the theme of a lectureship in Ibadan, Nigeria and the staff and students continue to proclaim God’s word.

God Has Been Good In Uganda: An accident, the blessing of fish, pigs weaning, and reaching out with the gospel, God’s goodness is seen in Uganda.

The Gospel Is Going Forth In India: Students at the Visakha Valley Bible College are sharing the gospel throughout the Andhra Pradesh State in India.

Mosquito River Bible School In Arusha Graduates Students: As a part of the TZ2000 work, the church at Mosquito River completes the courses offered to students in the community.

Final Thoughts
As we end this month and prepare for the month ahead, we constantly give thanks for all you do in the support and development of extension training. The program continues to grow and we look forward to the development of future locations where faithful men will be trained to go and preach the gospel to the lost where they live.

God bless
Bob

Campaigns See 31 Obey The Gospel In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Wotutu. We do hope you are doing great as you read the report coming from us. God is faithful and He helped us in all our travels for campaign in different locations.

Thank you for your prayers to God on our behalf for traveling mercies to 26 locations for mission work, house to house evangelism, and nurturing congregations. The church of Christ in Osing had problems that caused division. One of our students, Ebang Micheal, went there and brought the divided congregation back on track. We praise God for His love towards His people.

As I write this mail, our students are back on campus for the second quarter of their studies for the second year. How time flies. One of our students who was on discipline during the first batch repented from his ugly ways and his congregation recommended him to come back and continue his studies. Keep brother Muofo Bernard in your prayers and his family for God’s guidance. Classes commence tomorrow with long courses: Major Prophets, Homiletics-Public Speaking, The Gospel of John, The book of James, English language, French, and Church Music.

Keep us in your prayers.

My village congregation is in total transformation. The brethren are in the new building, still under construction, but it is better than the one I shared with you some months ago. Thanks very much for your help.

The Christians in Koba carried planks that will be used for the walls of the building. They do this with all amounts of happiness. From the forest, both men and women did the work to wipe out shame that the villagers who were laughing and mocking at the church of Christ, because of their exceeding poverty. God is good.

They are now secure from rain, but more needs to be done to get the walls set up and concrete on the floor and the doors and windows set up to fully secure the building.

One of our students, Julius Wamo, was there to reach out to the community with the truth. God blessed his effort with a soul, brother Zamor obeyed the gospel in Koba. The congregation will witness more growth as we continue to send our students there every weekend. Keep praying for the work.

Brother Mokwe baptized brother Zachy in Muyuka congregation. The Lord added, but we cannot share all the pictures from all the students. A total of 31 souls were baptized in those locations and 19 who had fallen away came back to the Lord. We praise God for using these men to reach out and help His church growing. Keep praying for these souls as we continue to do severe follow up on a weekly basis to help them grow and be mature.

Sowing seeds in new locations to plant a new congregation in Isokolo village went on well, but no souls obeyed the gospel. We shall continue to sow more of the seed and water the ones we have already sowed so that God will give the increase in due season. Keep this work in your prayers.

Plans
1) More invitations continue to come for outreach to many communities.

2) We shall go to the village where our student was beaten to organize house to house evangelism and open air preaching for four days within this month. We do hope this will help many know the truth and come closer to Christ and His church. Please keep this in your prayers. The gospel is for all and that exercise will help do more in the hearts of many in that community.

Prayer Request
One of our students who was arrested is still in prison custody. We suffer for the gospel. He is doing his best in prison preaching to some inmates. Today he called me to come and give him some tracts so that he can give it to many to study. What great faith and courage I see in my life. Keep brother Vincent in your prayers. Last Friday, March 28 2014, the court granted a conditional bail to them that they should make a deposit of 250.000 frs in the court treasury for him to be release on bail. Please, please pray for our brother so that he will be out very soon to continue His studies in CBIW.

Appreciation
Our hearts are full with joy as we convey our sincere appreciation for your deep love towards us and the work here. Many congregations who welcome and work with our students will always thank God for you because of the great revival and transformation that is happening in their lives because of you and your efforts towards CBIW. CBIW is a tool of blessing in Cameroon. We thank you for standing with us. God bless you and keep you all in good health. You are in our daily prayers. Keep standing so that more will be done for the glory of our God. He deserves our praises all the time. Do your best to share with others this report.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Mosquito River Bible School In Arusha Graduates Students...

The Mtu Wa Mbu (which means "Mosquito River") congregation began an intensive Bible school last year. Don't confuse that term with the way it is used in America to refer to Sunday morning and Wednesday evening Bible classes. This Bible school requires students to study for 8 hours a day, 3 days a week, for 1 year. Such Bible schools are used with great effects in our area. Similar schools have existed in Arusha, Moshi, and Kisongo for years. 

These schools are open to the general public and are tuition-free. They are a great evangelistic tool, targeting those who have a serious thirst to know more about the Bible. They also accelerate the maturation of new converts by giving them more organized Bible study in a single year than many Christians might get in 10 years of church attendance alone. This also better equips the graduates for the tasks of teaching Bible class and of sharing their faith with others.

Julius Gasper, the preacher at Mtu Wa Mbu and director of the Bible School, invited me to be the keynote speaker at their inaugural graduation. I was honored to be a part of the event. The program also featured a local government official who offered his support to the new school, pointing out that such institutions improve the community. He is quite right. Truly, righteousness exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to any people.

After the graduates received their certificates, then their well-wishers hurried forward to congratulate and decorate them with various brightly colored items to drape around their necks. It added a very festive flair to the occasion. Afterwards, we were treated to an authentic African lunch which is always one of my favorite parts of any event!

I wish the best for the school as it gets off the ground. Right now their facilities and resources are extremely limited, but hopefully it will be able to advance with time. In the meantime, I pray this group of graduates will be useful in the service of our Lord.

Daniel 

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

The Gospel Is Going Forth In India...

Dear Brethren in Christ,

Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. By the grace of God and by your prayers we are all doing great. We are excited about sharing the wonderful news about the growing Churches in our state.

Besides all the difficulties, we are coming across due to bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh, and we are able to carry out the gospel to several places. As a result several preachers are uplifted and going forward to strive for the cause of Christ.

In an economically growing country like India, among the common encounters and problems, one of the most serious problems is finance. Usually a preacher stands at the category of common man only. In other words preachers face a great financial difficulty, especially those who just begin their ministry and are totally dependent on this ministry. There are some avenues to help those preachers that would uplift them financially. One of them is a Tailoring Centre; this is a place where the local preacher’s wife would teach how to stitch clothing. For this to be established, there must be one lady who would be able to teach. Since this is purposed to help the preacher’s family it would be wonderful if a preacher’s wife could teach. 3-4 sewing machines will be there in each center. Depending on the convenience of the time, they will hold the classes. So, this would become a place for the women to gather. We anticipate that the preacher’s wife would get a great opportunity to teach them, but also to know them better and teach them about Jesus. These centers would also establish new friendships that would help increase the attendance at the Church.

These might appear like just an effort except that through this kind of programs so much can be accomplished: a) If they charge little money on each student as a tuition fee, this will be an income for the preacher, b) Also if the preacher’s wife can stitch clothing and she can make some earning too, c) A preacher’s family gets the greatest opportunity of meeting new people who come to learn tailoring; teaching them about Jesus and inviting them to Church would an awesome thing to start with. This may be the greatest things we can ever accomplish, because through this we gain souls for the Lord, and d) Also in the local community the preacher receives a good name for helping the women to learn tailoring for the expense of little fees and helping them to live on their legs, certainly there is a scope for all the above things mentioned.

With the help of some fine ladies from the Duffee Church of Christ, they have come up with helping two of our graduates. Upon our request, brother DVS Prakash (first batch of graduates 2009-11), Anakapalli and David Raju (second batch 2011-13) from Ramagiri, were blessed to have these centers established. They are so excited about these centers. Certainly these have given them an opportunity to extend help, education and Christian love. Brother Irven Skinner and Chris Shilply represents the Duffee Church of Christ and we thank them for their concern towards the preachers in India.

We had visitors from USA: brothers James Gilliam, Jimmy Gilliam and sister Joyce Gilliam who admire the school program so much. We are grateful to God first and then to our sponsoring and supporting Churches. With all our love and concern you are making it possible to reach the unreached millions through this program of training effective evangelists. You have a great role in this great effort. We appreciate your prayers towards us, which strengthening us to be steadfast in working for the Lord, besides all kinds of circumstances.

We had brother Jerry Bates teach for a couple of weeks this month. We will post that information soon. We sure did have wonderful Master’s Classes. They have been very productive with much learning….!!

Results of our Mission work in last two months:

Number of people obeyed to the Lord - 18
Number of doors knocked: 3,870
Gospel Tracts Distributed: 9,600
Gospel Meetings Conducted: 6
New Congregation Established: 1

In Christ,

John Dean M
for Visakha Valley Bible College

God Has Been Good In Uganda...

Dear brethren,

The Uganda School of Evangelism is doing fine here in the Lord. We are very busy with our last quarter. The long course will end on April 25th and we expect to start our short courses on April 28th, 2014. The Lord is very good to us. My vehicle  was involved in an accident, but through God’s grace and mercy no one was hurt, although it turned upside down. It happened about one kilometer from the school. We managed to pull it up to the school.

We are busy preparing the way for the water to come into the fish ponds. We have fish ponds ready to stock 800 catfish and 1,600 tilapia, a total of 2,400 fish. In the month of April, when the long rain begins, we will need 1,600 tilapia at the cost of 300 shillings per juvenile, that is 480,000/= or $200 dollars. The cat fish will cost 500/= each which will total to 400,000/= or $165 dollars. We lost the other stock we had put in due to the draught. The reserve pond is being deepened from one meter to two meter, and if possible next year we will deepen it more. We are also repairing an old pond which was used by the village people a long time ago. It is also going to supply this pond and this will supply the ones where we will put fish.

I have harvested my Busia town fish ponds and I sold some to Margaret for her use at the school. She prepared them for parking and put into the deep freezer. We thank the Lake Jackson brethren for this help.

We need more room for the piglets which will soon be weening. We have employed some one to work the building. He started the foundation and within two weeks the walls will be completed.

The total cost for the pig house will cost 2,798,600/= which is about $1,143 dollars. Next to it we need a poultry house which will cost  4,836,900/= which is $1,950 dollars, which will be built next.

The first big pond is ready for stocking 600 catfish and 1,000 tilapia. The small ponds each are 20m x10m and will hold 400 fish: 100 catfish in each and 300 tilapia.

The rains will come soon and these will be full so we need to stock immediately.

Report from Congo Churches
FIZI CHURCH OF CHRIST - The church has now eighteen members: 8 males, 10 females and 8 children. Those who have falled away are eight. The reason that contributed to their leaving the church is because they have no proper place of worship. The church has no development. All these are contributed to lack of proper teaching of the Lord’s word.

Challenges facing the church: (a) not having a place of worship, (b) the church desires to have visitors from other countries visiting them, (c) the congregation is too young to take care of their preacher, and (d) members do not have Bibles and song books.

Future Plans: (a) visiting the backsliders, (b) evangelizing areas surrounding, and (c) starting ladies and youth classes.

As reported By

Imata Mkoko
Bichingini Ponga, on Behalf of the Fizi  church of Christ

LWEBA CHURCH OF CHRIST - DRC. The church has total of nineteen members: 11 Christians, 5 male and 6 female. There are 8 children: 3 boys and 5 girls. There are 5 who have fallen away: 3 males and 2 females. There has been 1 male and 1 female restored. The weekly contributions are 1,000 - 2,000 F.C. which mean about 4,000 - 8,000 F.C. monthly.

The problems facing the church: (a) lack of a meeting place, (b) need for visiting preachers from other countries, (c) need for song books and Kiswahili and French Bibles, (d) the church is unable to support the preachers, and (e) the church is surrounded by denominations.

Future plans for the church include: (a) Spiritual - evangelism and making classes for teaching the word of God and a ladies’ Bible class, (b) Material - helping the needy in the church and helping the sick, and (c) Projects - rearing chicken and hot culture.

Sent By:

Mtumbe  Abwe Safania
Ferdinard  Asukulu

KIKWENA CHURCH OF CHRIST —DRC: The church has 15 members: 9 males, 6 females and 7 children. There were three baptized recently: 2 male and 1 female. There have been 6 who have fallen away: 4 male and 2 female. The reason for their backsliding is the desire of denominational ways and the lack of a place for worship.

Some of the problems facing the church: (a) lack of a place for worship, (b) the government taking the plat they had given to the church, due to a lack of funds to pay, (c) lack of song books and Bibles, and (d) the church not having an ability to stand for their preacher.

The future plans include: (a) visiting those who have fallen away, and (b) start a Bible class every Sunday.

Sent By:  Esube Mlondani
Mtumbe Miambo

CHURCH OF CHRIST  BARAKA - DRC: The church has 34 members: 16 males, 18 females and 16 children. There are 12 who have fallen away. The reason for their backsliding: denominationalism, immaturity, lack of strong Bible classes, and a lack of visitation. There have been 5 recent baptisms.

Problems facing the church include: (a) lack of a place to worship, (b) majority of young Christians, and (c) the church cannot take care of their preacher.

Plans for the church include: (a) if God can bless us to get a place to worship, (b) start middle of the week lessons, (c) visit those who have fallen away, and (d) send Christians to Bible schools.

Sent By:
Mmbehumo Embamba
Mtendjwa Kipimo, who is planning to come to school this year.

Report provided by Francis Wechesa

Worship Of The New Testament Church...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from students and staff of Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and Lagos campus-Nigeria.

Some students and staff of SWSE-Ibadan evangelized Ogunbunmi and Laminni villages on the weekend of March 22, led by brother Abraham Idu Yeje, our campus minister and one of the year 2 students of SWSE-Ibadan main campus, while the remaining students and staff attended a marriage ceremony at BCOS-Ibadan.

On Sunday, in continuation of our indoor lectureship which centered on “Worship of the NT Church,” brother Lawrence Olawale Dada, one of our year 2009 graduates taught on “Giving” at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan, while I admonished the church from Matt.6:25-34.

Brother Jojn Zege Tobi, one of our year 2 students taught at the campus church on “Think on These Things” on Sunday, March 23, while brother Eze Ikechukwu, a year 1 student admonished the church on the “Life of Cain.”

Three of our students currently attached to three congregations as a student-preacher at Oyo and Osun state named brother Ilori Gbenga (working with the Egbeda congregation Ibadan), brother Akinade Oluwaseun (working with the Jago congregation, Ona-Ara L.G.A.) and brother Segun Idowu (working with the Asejire congregation, Osun state) taught on “The NT Church” on the Lord's day of March 23, 2014.

Brother Godwin Ede, a year 1 student of SWSE-Ibadan, as well as the evangelist of Wasinmi congregation in Osun state taught on “Casting All your Anxiety on Him” from 1 Peter 5:7, while brother Olorode Samuel Oluwafemi taught on “Be Strong in the Lord” at the Asejire-Baale Ayo congregation, Osun state and brother Oladapo Ishamael Alabi admonished the church at Jago from Isa. 41:8-20.

Brethren, the school is now preparing for the visit of brother Steven Ashcraft of Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, Colorado from March 28 through April 5, 2014.

Please, keep praying with us for him to have a successful outreach to our country, Nigeria. Thanks for your love and concern.

May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint effort in Christ name, amen.

Sincerely in Christ,

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

Vision For The Future Of God's Kingdom...

What vision is there for the future of the Lord’s Kingdom? The answer might depend on who you ask, but from the perspective of extension training, the vision for the future is excitingly bright. Not only are we excited about the development of each location where we are privileged to share in the training of preachers, we are also excited about the plans for developing new locations in this process.

The power of vision is built upon the faith we have in God. Seeing Him who is unseen through the eyes of faith is how the men and women of the Bible are identified. The nature of their character and what they were able to endure stands as a credit to their relationship with God. As God guided their paths in His service, we trust He is guiding ours also as we labor together for the cause of His Kingdom.

This week’s report shares some of the news about the development of the locations reporting. Two reports from coordinators and several from specific locations provide information about the ways God continues to guide the development of training men in the “foolishness of the gospel preached to save those who believe.” Thank you for joining us in this great work. Together we are making a difference for our God.

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 Mike Reese can be read by going here.

The latest report from Luis Camacho can be read by going here.

Extension Reports 

Challenges Face Campaigners In Cameroon: As the students work to share the gospel, at least two are being persecuted. Read more about their efforts in Cameroon.

The Valley Of Decision: This is the title of a lesson taught in Nigeria. The staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism continue to preach the word.

Working To Spread The Gospel In Tanzania: Jimmy Gee’s report shares news about the spread of the gospel throughout northern Tanzania.

Nesta Hochdorf Naduwangi - Please Read More: To keep from spoiling the title, we encourage you to read the great report from Sean Hochdorf.

Making Dreams Come True: Witnessing men fulfill their dreams in finding a place where they can prepare themselves in the word of God is incredible.

Final Thoughts
We close with a word of thanks to you for your love for Kingdom work. When God’s people labor together in the work of the Kingdom, awesome things happen: God is glorified, His people are built up and encouraged, the gospel is proclaimed throughout the world, and people who are outside of His Kingdom are delivered from the world, being transformed into the likeness of His Son. Now that is a work worthy of our participation. To God be the glory!

God bless
Bob

Making Dreams Come True...

Preaching Student Spotlight: 
Kelvin Yasin Myombe: Kelvin is a first year student in our Swahili program at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. He comes to us from the Uzinje Church of Christ in Mbeya, Tanzania. Kelvin became a Christian in 2009 and had dreamed of finding a place to have formal Bible training since that time. In his words, ACSOP is a dream come true!

Finals Week
The first quarter of the year is drawing to a close. The students and I have broken each other in, so to speak. They’ve had to adjust to my accent and teaching style. I’ve had to adjust to their backgrounds and capabilities.

Some of the students are older men, who haven’t been in school for many years, and have had to learn how to be students all over again. Others are young and fresh out of secondary school. Some are married and have children at home. Others are single and looking forward to starting a family one day in the future. Some are from Tanzania, but many are from the surrounding nations. All have come together with the aim of deepening their Bible knowledge and being better able to share their faith with others.

I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers as they finish writing papers and taking exams. Then they will have a week off, followed by an intensive one-week short course. Afterwards we’ll be ready for the second quarter to begin.

Team News
Our team is about to shrink drastically. The McVeighs, a young couple here on a one-year missions internship from Bear Valley are approaching the end of their commitment. They will soon be returning home to continue their service to the Lord in the U.S.

Also the Gee family is reaching the end of the foreign missions portion of their lives and are preparing to return home after around 10 years of service in Tanzania. Jimmy has been a tremendous asset to the school and leaves a good legacy behind.

We are deeply grateful for the service rendered to our Lord and for the friendship given to us by these families. We will miss them greatly and wish them the very best of fortune in whatever their future holds.

Tiffany’s Thoughts
If you have seen the ever popular movie The Grinch or read the Dr. Seuss book, you know all about Whoville. Well, that’s where I live. At least that’s where I live in my head. I live in a place where I don’t know the language and everything feels and looks different to me. When I am in worship I often feel like the Grinch at the end of the movie when they are in a circle singing the Who song and he just makes up words, i.e. “fa who ra moo...” to still be singing along. When I am at someone’s home eating or even at a restaurant the food is different, although not all bad. It reminds me of the Grinch as he is judging the food events as the Holiday Cheermeister. There are people everywhere in the streets rushing too and fro in vehicles that are strange and unfamiliar to this Alabama girl. The dress and hairdos are normal to them but make this Mzungu (white person) mama stand out like a sore thumb. I am the Grinch in a foreign country. I do not fit in. I talk different, look different, and act different. But, unlike the Grinch throughout most of the story, I am trying. I am slowly learning the language. I eat what is offered. I am adjusting to the crazy traffic and vehicles.

Although everything is so very different here in Whoville, I mean, Arusha, there are thousands of souls here that need Christ. When I see others I see a soul, not a skin color or strange dress. Underneath the different language, dress, hair, and lifestyle is a soul in need of the gospel. That’s when I realize I DO fit in. I too am a soul in need of the gospel and the saving grace of our Lord. We are all living different lives heading to the same ultimate ending. I want to go to Heaven and I want to take as many of these Tanzanian Who’s as I can! I want to sing “fa who ra moo” at the top of my lungs as we praise our Father. Because although we are different in so many ways here on earth, in Heaven we will all be one in the same.

DUE TO AN INTERNET GLITCH on the U.S. side, there are two reports from the Gaines family this week. The second, and most recent, is below.

Welcome to the Family Brother!
It has been a great day here in Arusha. This morning on our way to church, we were stopped by the guard at a security gate that we have to pass through each day. He has been filling out Swahili correspondence courses that I have been giving him. I thought at first that he was wanting the next lesson in the course. But he excitedly proclaimed that he wanted to be baptized after work today. We rejoiced together over the decision. After finding out when he would get off of work, we went on our way.  

We were there promptly when work was over to take him to the school to be baptized. We introduced him to the students and to Ahimedewe (the evangelist at the Kisongo congregation), who warmly received and encouraged him. Then we watched as he reenacted the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ by being baptized. He then returned home with the bounce in his step that comes from knowing that his sins have been washed away! Praise God for making moments like this possible by His grace!

To see Daniel’s report with pictures and a video clip of the baptism, please click here.

Daniel Gaines family

Nesta Hochdorf Naduwangi - Please read more...

Anita and I send our greetings from Tanzania and hope that this short report finds you healthy and busy in your labor for the Lord.

I’m a little late getting this report out as our in-laws came to see the work and experience the beauty of Tanzania. We have enjoyed watching our nieces' reaction to the culture and their interaction with the Tanzanians. They are fortunate to have been exposed to such a different way of life and we are grateful that we are part of a memory that we hope they will cherish for life.

I finally finished the Arusha Bible School work islands for the new resource room. Jessica McVeigh and Tiffany Gaines did a great job of getting everything organized and set up. We hope that local congregations will take advantage of this valuable source of written and visual bible material. You can see some pictures on our Tanzania Missions Facebook page.

Our next edition of the TEAM Magazine is shaping up nicely. Most writers have already submitted their work and Charles Heberth and I will soon begin our editing and translation work. The TEAM magazine reaches thousands of souls in East Africa and is a great tool for edification and evangelism.

GREAT NEWS!!!
You might recall that in our last report that we made a request for contributors to assist the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in paying for some very nice video equipment that was offered to us at a deep discount. We also requested help for the remaining funds that we need to finish the planned ACSOP recording studio. Shortly after we sent out the letter I received word that some generous brethren have covered the remaining balance of the camera equipment!! We thank God for such a wonderful blessing. In addition to the camera equipment we have also received several contributions toward finishing the studio. We could use another $3000 to wrap it up and get busy producing material specific to our East African culture. If you know anyone that could lend us a hand perhaps you could forward them this email or put in a good word for us - thanks in advance for so doing.

Anita is primed and ready for her exegesis class on 1st Peter coming up in a few days. She has really put a lot into learning how to properly exegete the scriptures and, from all accounts, is really helping the more spiritually mature Tanzanian women learn to do the same. If you have never taken the time to learn the basics of biblical exegesis let me encourage you to reserve some time to do so. It is very hard work but is worth every headache you may get from the mental exercise. There are so many treasures waiting for all of us in God’s endless biblical mine; so, dig in and enjoy the spiritual growth and fulfillment that’s waiting for you to discover.

Nester and Esther, our close friends, recently welcomed their daughter into the world. Nesta Hochdorf Naduwangi made her grand entrance on March 11, 2014 and weighed 11lbs. Nester and Esther payed Anita and I a great honor by including our surname as one of her names. We solicit your prayers that she will grow up healthy and enjoy the benefit of living in a Christian home.

As I close I want to share a quote with you from a book I am finishing up. As Christians we sometimes fall into the trap of being influenced by the world into thinking that we are less than what we really are. I hope this snippet will encourage you as it has me.

…We believe we are just fat, ugly creatures who will never grow beyond what we are now, when God knows He created us to be something else entirely. A lot of the time, we simply look at our circumstances and replay the negative messages in our heads that tell us we are failures, we don’t measure up, we will never be good enough. 

What we have to do is purposely retrain our thoughts to line up with what God has already said is true. You are what God says you are. You can accomplish what God says you can accomplish. You have the same spirit in you that raised Christ from the dead. This is the life-changing Holy Spirit who lets you talk one on one with the Creator of the universe, the Lover of your soul, the Alpha and Omega. Meanwhile, Satan desires to destroy you with lies—lies from which, as Jesus said, the truth will set you free. Do you want to be free from the emotional distress that consumes you?

…The truth is that if you have accepted Christ as your Savior [and put Him on through baptism, Rom. 6:3-4, SH.]  you are forgiven, pure, holy, and lovely before God.1

As God's children let us do our best to reflect the joy, comfort, and hope that is ours through Christ that we may positively influence the society around us.

Until next time, take care and God bless,
Sean and Anita

1Nelson, Tommy; Leavitt, Steve (2012-10-01). Walking on Water When You Feel Like You're Drowning: Finding Hope in Life's Darkest Moments (Kindle Locations 1252-1263). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Working To Spread The Gospel In Tanzania...

Dear Supporters, Family and Friends,

We're enjoying a beautiful warm day...one of the few we've had lately. Rain has dominated our days these past few weeks. Our routine has centered around trying to catch a little sunshine in which to dry our clothes. In the morning, Stuart runs out to the clothesline to hang items. Then, in 2-3 hours when the rain starts, we all run out to gather them before they get soaked again. In another hour or so, we take the damp clothes back outside, hoping for a little more sunshine. Then, a little later its out to the line again hoping the items are nearly dry, before the rain starts again. If still damp, then the clothes are strung out in the house.

Most of you already know that our 14-year-old daughter Candace was baptized on March 10 (just happened to be her Grandma's birthday). It reminds us of the verse that states, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (III Jn 1:4). That definitely sums it up!

Ralph and Cindy Williams arrived last week. Having lost count of their trips to Tanzania, we cannot call them guests anymore (they do not like that term even when it means they get to eat first! ha/ha). One is blessed simply by being in the presence of this sincere and dedicated couple who work diligently in spreading the Gospel in many areas. The Williams’ are working here for 3 weeks doing various things. Some of their work will be at the new church plant in Njiro Chini (the first baptism was a couple of weeks ago). Ralph is also teaching a class in the ACSOP and Cindy is speaking at the ladies' seminars being held at Usa River and Njiro Chini. These seminars are a special project of the Williams' to help the Tanzanian ladies increase their Bible knowledge. Cindy spoke on the danger and sin of slander, laying the foundation by teaching about love first.

Yesterday, Ahimidiwe preached to a packed church building. He announced what most people now know: our daughter Abigail is engaged to be married to Adam Rymon, who has served as the pulpit minister at Coventry Hills church of Christ (Pottstown, PA) for the past four years. Their plans are to be married in Tanzania in April, return to the states for a summer of fund-raising to finance their work in Tanzania for approximately 5 years. Adam and Abigail's efforts will be focused on building and operating the Parker Memorial Library for the purpose of improving lives in matters secular and spiritual (many evangelistic out-reach opportunities will be offered by the library).

Working to spread the Gospel in Tanzania (or any foreign country or even in the states) is always a combined effort of the talents, skills and financial means of many people. Just like a hospital involves the efforts of each doctor, nurse and staff member in order to help people physically. Thank you for all you have done to make the TZ 2000 work a success.

Another $1000 has been contributed to our travel funds to return to the states. We are grateful for the financial sacrifices that many have made in order for us to serve in Tanzania. Thanks are due to each and every one of you for considering our needs as we prepare to begin another chapter in our lives.

With Love from Africa,
The Jimmy Gee family

The Valley Of Decision...

Beloved,

Greetings from Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and Lagos campus.

We evangelized Ikoyi town, Osun state on Saturday, March 15 with brother Kayode Eniafe and the brethren of the Asejire and Ikoyi congregations.

On Sunday at the Onikokoro/ Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan, I admonished the church on “The Valley of Decision” (Joel 3:14-21 cf. John 6:60-69) and two of our young girls, of about 15 years of age, named Glory Makinde (my first daughter) and Comfort Oyekanmi were baptized.

At Kute congregation-Ibadan, one of our December 27th prospects named Korede Lawal was also baptized.

At Egbeda congregation via Ibadan, brother Kayode Eniafe, one of the SWSE-Ibadan instructors taught from Gen.11.

Brother Olofingorite Mayowa (SWSE year 1 student) taught on “The Righteousness of God,” while brother Festus Ayoo, another SWSE year 1 student admonished the brethren at campus church on John 15:1-10.

Brother Segun Idowu, a year 1 student attached with the Asejire congregation, Osun state taught on “Christian Maturity” at the Asejire congregation while brother Godwin Ede, a year 1 student of SWSE and the evangelist working with the Wasinnmi congregation, Osun state taught on “Be a Good Example” at the Wasinnmi congregation, while another year 1 student named Ilori Gbenga, who is working with brother Kayode Eniafe in the Egbeda congegation via Ibadan, admonished the church from Mal.3:1-3.

Brother Shotola Emmanuel, a year 1 student of SWSE-Ibadan main campus also taught on “New Testament Worship” at the Felele congregation, Ibadan on March 16th, 2014.

All our year 2 students were actively participating in either teaching or preaching on Sunday, March 16th at their respective local congregations.

Brethren, we thank you all for your partnership and care. May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all our joint effort in Christ name, amen.

I remain your fellow laborer in Christ,

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

Challenges Face Campaigners In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings and love from your brothers and sisters here in Cameroon. We are doing better in health as many continue to suffer from different health conditions which are being provoked by the weather conditions now.

We do hope you, your family and the entire congregation are healthy. We praise God for you.

Our report today is short but it shows growth in one angle of our labor, which is a dream come true.

CBIW students in the mission field are doing great in their efforts to reach out to souls. The one I visited among different congregations is doing well but with a few problems which is normal with mission.

One of our students, Nitua Vincent, was arrested along side many young men in the village in which he was suppose to transit to another village to do campaign. There has been an uproar in that village since January 2014. The government officials came to make peace, the villagers brutalized them, so they went and sent for the police to come and arrest people in March. That was the same day that our student was suppose to pass through that village to another. He was arrested and he awaits trials. We have done all we have to do to meet with high ranking government officials. All these efforts seem abortive. We have to allow it into God’s hands. Please keep brother Vincent in God’s hands and for justice to prevail. The case will come up on the 28th of March 2014.

On the other hand, brother Konlack Patrick was harassed and beaten with sticks by another man who is a strong pagan and worships stones and treks around his compound. He met our students preaching to his family who are all followers of his gods. One of his daughters, 28 years of age, obeyed the gospel with the mother. Along the line the mother withdrew her declaration because of fear of her husband, but the young daughter moved on and was baptized. She was happy and decided to follow our student away from the home when she saw how the father beat the student preacher. She said I must follow God in heaven. It is a surprising thing to me that in this 21st century we still have remote villages in Cameroon that still behave like that, but I lift up my hands and say thank you God for bringing CBIW who will train men that will penetrate the hinterlands and souls already in bondage will be liberated. Thank you for standing by us (Rom. 10:13-15). The students will return on campus this Saturday and we shall share with you the details of their campaign. Keep all of them in your prayers.

My wife taught a lady who had never been the school, who is my mother. We started another program in the Wotutu congregation which we call Adult Literacy Class. The classes are divided into two, one is made up of those who have never been to school, since they were born like my mother who is above 65. In their days it was useless and a waste of time to send a girl child to school. This gesture will bring many closer to us, as their teachers for circular studies and the gospel will also come closer to them, as we reach out to their children in the elementary school. It is also an opportunity to reach out to their moms also. Keep this in your prayers, as it will bear fruit. Many keep coming. It starts in the evening after they return from their farms from 4 to 6 pm, now that we don’t have electricity. If we have electricity in the near future, it will exceed more than 6 pm. Keep the work in your prayers also.

A hand full of girls, mostly who went to school can read and write but they are not perfect in that because they were either dropouts for a lack of money to continue, or they were forced into early marriages by their parents. You should see how eager they are to learn. More keep coming. When the electricity is there, it will help many.

Plans
1) Reaching out to many is top on our agenda. Many communities need us to come.

2) Touching lives in many ways is our dream. Many need the touch of God.

Appreciations
We shall not stop thanking you for all that you are doing. Without you we would not have been able to do all this for the glory of God. Thank you. Thank you for your prayers, love and help. God alone will reward you. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

The Kingdom Of God Is For The Brave...

The statement that titles this report is one made by a graduate from ITL, Eliezer, who spoke in the Sunday morning lesson at the Linda Vista congregation. He said this in the invitation to his lesson as he appealed to the 300+ gathered for the last session of this year’s lectureship. Four responded to be baptized and one for prayers. It was an amazing event to hear the lesson and witness the response.

The fifth annual ITL lectureship provided a great weekend of lectures from several speakers. The lectureship was attended by 18 congregations around Guatemala and members of the church from four different countries. The focus of the lectureship this year was “End Times, A Study of Eschatology.” Lessons addressed every facet of the subject and provided participants opportunity to learn the depths of God’s word on these matters.

Events over the weekend began Thursday night with the Presidential banquet. The excitement of the evening was the pinning of students who have completed their first year of studies at ITL. Additionally, Saturday’s events were capped off with an acknowledgement of past and present students of the Saturday program and the full-time program at ITL. One of the joys of witnessing these events was to learn of the faithful service of every student and graduate from the program.

Apart from the incredible activities of the weekend, other locations share news about God’s blessing the work of the staff and students around the world. 

Now on to the other reports...

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

Extension Reports 

Students Are Away On Campaign: All students at the CBIW in Cameroon are involved in campaign work. Initial reports are encouraging and more will be shared next week.

Students Are Actively Preaching In Nigeria: Several year 1 and year 2 students, along with staff members of SWSE are spreading the gospel in Nigeria.

News Out Of Togo is Exciting: The activity of students at CBS in Kpalime, Togo grows and the church benefits from their studies.

Spiritual Warfare: ACSOP: Director of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, Christopher Mwakabanje, shares news about the work in Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
A last word of appreciation: Thank you for providing such a blessing to the work. All the ways you contribute to the areas of extension training make this work exciting to participate in. Together, the team work we are a part of is making a difference eternally. This is the joy of kingdom work. Thank you for all you do.

God bless
Bob

Students Are Away On Campaign...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. Your brothers and sisters here are doing great. We praise God for health even though some of our members are sick.

My report this day will be short without pictures because of the nature of things now.

All CBIW students made it to their different destinations for mission work safe and sound. Thank you for your prayers.

They are doing well, as they called me to relate how God is blessing the work that they are doing in those locations.

I will relate and report in detail about the work upon their return before the month runs out.

The congregation in Wotutu is healthy. Today the worship was great as the attendance was 107, with many of our brothers and sisters who failed to come for worship because of the windy night and rains.

This past week, on the 13th of March, was my son's birthday. Ray is 4 years old now. Keep the young man in your prayers. He stood on a stone in front of their school. My prayer for him is that God will help him trample on any stumbling stones on his way as he grows up to become a soldier of Christ to reach out to many souls.

Plans
1) Many villages need our students and our efforts to come and help reach out to the community, and also to see the possibility of establishing a new congregations.

2) The entrance exams for the GAMMA batch into CBIW will be coming up April 26 2014. Please keep this date in your prayers so that God will send only those He has called to preach so that they will come and be trained.

3) The Koba congregation still needs our help towards their worship hall, as I shared with you the picture of their building last time.

Appreciation
We thank God for you, for all that you are doing with us to advance the kingdom of God here on earth in Cameroon. Thank you for loving the Lord. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW