The Lord Has Done A Special Thing In The Arusha Congregation...

Greetings Fellow Servants;

We rejoice knowing your prayers are offered up to our God and that He gives an ear to His Saints. In answering your prayers, He is adding to His Kingdom daily in East Africa. We thank you for your support of this amazing work of God. 

I am often asked; “What are the people of Tanzania like? What are their struggles and hardships? What is the Lord’s church like? What struggles and hardships do they have?” The best answer comes from a very wise man; “…there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc. 1.9b). The struggles and hardships of the church family in Tanzania are no different than that of the church family in America or any other place on this earth. 

This recent report from the Arusha church says it all: “The Lord has done a special thing in the Arusha congregation. Six brethren have come back to the church after making open repentance. This is Gumbo and his wife and an additional four souls. Glory be to God who has enabled me to talk to them by showing them the correct way.” We praise our God and we rejoice in the repentance and return of our brothers and sister who had strayed from the family of God, yes, God Himself. 

The church of our God is growing by leaps and bounds. The spiritual growth is so amazing. The numerical growth is also amazing. This is made possible by God, through the power of His Word and yes, through the faithfulness of his Church. Thank you all!

Update: Our prayers have been answered and the funds are now available to purchase a passenger van for the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. The purpose of this vehicle will be to propagate the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ throughout Tanzania. The student body will be able to go out each week to conduct Bible studies and also work and worship with various congregations throughout the Arusha area. There will be transportation for our short-term workers who sacrifice so much to come, assisting us in the ministry of God. Thank you, each and everyone, who made this a reality. 

Update: Through the generosity of many, we are about to make our second purchase of Bibles in preparation for the upcoming Safari for Souls campaigns. We will also be printing tens of thousands of Bible tracts and Bible correspondence courses to also be used during and after the upcoming campaigns. Thank you so very much for making this a reality and for the many souls who will become New Testament Christians through the sharing of God’s Word. 

Update: Thank you to our good brother and sister in Christ in South Mississippi who helped Stephanie and I with our recent loss of support. With their $200 per month commitment we are now only $300 per month short in our support. We still lack the medical support needs. 

We solicit your prayers as our campaigners prepare for their journey to Tanzania, and for church in Tanzania as we all prepare for this year’s Safari for Souls campaigns. Our good brothers Dennis Dickey and Rod Minor are leading two small groups and will be coming in the very near future. We also have a group from Elk City, OK and Hoover, AL that will join us in June. There are others as well and we all need your prayers and God’s blessing that many will hear and many will obey. 

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie and Granny

A Remarkable And Historical Week In Wotutu, Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the brothers and sisters in Christ here. We do hope you are doing your best in health and otherwise.

We are doing better here and God is blessing the work. Some of our students are doing okay while others are sick, maybe because of the climatic changes now.

Last week was great as students keep growing with the studies. The Homiletics and Hermeneutics courses will play a great role in making them handle the words.

Our brother Mote Daniel, 86 years of age, was baptized less than 3 months ago. He is sick, Jesus said, “I was sick and you visited me.” He is having prostate problems. Keep him in your prayers as we search for medical attention or herbs that may help him be okay.

This week was a remarkable one also as we see again the history of this congregation in Wotutu, where a husband and wife have been studying together with us. It took them time to understand because both are French speaking, but thanks be to God that we have students who can speak both French and English. They helped them to know the truth and they both accepted the word.

Sister Emilie is the wife of brother Cedric, and entered into the water pool of baptism. Keep her in your prayers. Their son attends Brightland Christian Academy. Wow, this young school is a great tool for us to pass through the children to reach their parents. Keep praying for the work here.

Brother Cedric obeyed the gospel as well with great joy and smiles. They are very happy to be a part of the Body of Christ. Pray that we be the source of encouragement to help them grow to maturity.

We had time to sing to the glory of God. What He has done as we are living witnesses to the fulfillment of His word. We prayed with them and we appealed that you keep this couple in your prayers, so that many in the family who have very strong satanic belief, will come to know the truth and come out of that error.

Plans
We are still planning to move to Idenau for the establishment of the second congregation on the West Coast of Cameroon.

Pray for the Ladies class that we are planning for its start in BVBIC-Wotutu. Many sisters keep coming to be to be part of the class. We thought from the onset that it will be only for preachers wives, but some sisters asked me, “does it mean because we are not married to preachers, we don’t need to have a good knowledge of the Bible?” It was not easy, but I told them you are all suppose to have the knowledge. We may not be able to accommodate all at this time because of finances, to keep ladies for the whole week is not easy and at times it is difficult to manage ladies than men. 

Our students keep going to places for weekend evangelism. It is working well. Lebialem, which is the youngest congregation, is growing. Two of our new Christians who were facing persecution, one of them had a balance this weekend with one of our students. The family accepted that she will stay in the home, but as long as she continues to worship with the church of Christ they will not sponsor her in school, feed her, clothe her and if she is sick it will be the responsibility of the church. They are just shy to send her out of the house. But the other young Dorothy continues to be mocked, humiliated, and denied of family rights as long as she worships with the church of Christ. Continue to pray for them as it is not easy.

The deeper life congregation that we baptized in Belengh, all continue to enjoy the way the New Testament congregation is organized. The number is increasing, as there were 23 who worshipped today. Keep the work in your prayers.

In other for the work to keep moving smoothly, we need to keep sending students there till we graduate this batch in 2016. If we relent our efforts, it may kill the congregation.

If I have the financial means, I will travel with my wife to Ghana to witness a graduation ceremony of the Bible school in Ateiku and also to visit other works of the Lord there. That will help us apply with the ongoing work here.

Appreciations
We shall continue to use our mouth to appreciate you as God continues to use you to accomplish His work here. Thank you for allowing yourself to be used by God. God alone will reward you. Thanks and remain blessed.

Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Power-Packed News From The Extension Schools...

Each week moves the Denver campus closer to graduation next month. The seniors are excited about the possibilities waiting for them in the various areas of ministry ahead. All of these men and their families are prepared to enter the work and they will move to specific areas upon completing their courses this quarter. The exciting part of their ministry involves the locations they will serve from the West to the East Coast of the United States.

Reports from the extension schools this week also include a recent graduation in India, an incredible story of God’s providential working in Tanzania, souls reached with the gospel in West Africa, and a little bit of fumigating humor. Reading each report reveals additional layers of how God continues to bless the work and give the increase at every level of the program.

We have a few less reports this week, but the news packed into each one is worth the time to read. The development of preacher training at the Bear Valley Bible Institute grows and every day that passes opens new opportunities for growing the kingdom. Your attention to the needs that exist does not go unnoticed and it is appreciated.

We could not do this work without you. Thank you for making the Bear Valley Bible Institute part of your mission outreach in the Lord’s church. You are blessing in every area of the program. 

Now on to this week’s incredible 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 

When Part Of Our Physical Family Becomes Part Of The Spiritual Family: An event such as this is exciting for everyone and the report from Cameroon shares the awesome news.

Nine Baptisms And Two Restorations In Recent Campaign In Ghana: Staff and students at SIBS participated in a recent campaign that yielded powerful results.

Making A Pulpit Out Of An Ant Hill In Uganda: One never knows where the best place is to proclaim the word of God, but this report shows you can do so from about anywhere.

A Special Graduation Day At Visakha Valley Bible College: Students work hard for two years to reach this day and the experience in India is special as these 12 men complete the journey.

An Ethiopian Experience At The Andrew Connally School Of Preaching: The providential working of God is amazing and the report from ACSOP shares such working.

Learning To Sing Bible Class Songs, Swahili Style: The Gaines’ family shares their experiences in learning to sing in Swahili. Video’s are attached to this link.

Sometimes The Funniest Things Can Happen In The Mission Field: Different terms and their use in other countries can bring a smile to our faces and this is no exception.

Final Thoughts 
On a final note, we thank our God each day for your support of preacher training. Your involvement in this work is making an eternal difference in the lives of wonderful people around the world. To God be the glory!

God bless
Bob

When Part Of Our Physical Family Becomes Part Of The Spiritual Family...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings to you and family in the name of Jesus Christ. We are doing better, even though many are sick here. It may be because of the climate change  moving from the dry season to the rainy season. We do hope your family is doing fine. You are in our prayers.

Last week was good to students in BVBIC - Wotutu because they received their very first quarter results which gave them ample opportunity to assess themselves and their growth on paper. We are encouraging those who are weak and we know they will make it as they work harder. Keep praying for them.

Our students continue to do their practical and grow. The Wotutu congregation continues to give students opportunities to preach and teach and also do house-to-house evangelism every Saturday for those who will not travel out for weekend evangelism. Brother Mendel spoke during today’s worship.

Brother Otte Daniel did a good job preaching today. Keep the students in your prayers, so that before the two years are over they have grown well.

The Wotutu congregation continues to be blessed with new born babies. Today was the turn of sister Bernice and husband, as they brought their little boy, Gene, for prayers. Keep them in your prayers to bring forth this son in the fear of God.

This weekend was another weekend full with joy as I saw another graduate, evangelist Orock Yanick, getting married. It was awesome for me to be part of the life making event. In Mamfe, sister Mabel was very happy to be part of the ever growing BVBIC - Wotutu family. She is eager and interested to travel to Wotutu to study during the preacher’s wives class which will come up, the first of its kind, in few weeks, or next month as long as we have resources put place.

It was a time for us to meet with the Alpha and Beta batch of students. Our family is growing.

One brother started studying with me; he is my cousin. Since October 2014. He argued a lot about his denomination, but today he accepted the gospel and was ready to make a confession of the sonship of Christ. Keep brother Romanus Botekela in your prayers, so that he will teach the gospel to his wife.

He was buried with Christ so as to live a new life. Keep brother Romanus in your prayers. One individual, who stood by the side of the river was surprised and asked a lot of questions. We are already studying with him now.

We are making more effort to teach music to our students because music will help many of them in congregations. We want to make sure our students are complete before they leave school.

Students returned from mission work and congregations continue to send letters of appreciations. Weekend evangelism is doing a lot of good for the church in recent times.

Our young convert, Dorothy, was not a part of worship today because her parents soaked all of her clothes in water early this morning. She said if that is the case, she will still not attend Roman Catholic church. She was in tears, “what shall we do now?” They are ready to throw her out of the house. If it were here in Wotutu, we could give her accommodation. The Menji congregation is made up of young converts. Oh God, help your daughter.

Plans
Another Macedonian call is ringing bells to my office for evangelism in Idenau, so as to establish a new congregation. This will be the second congregation on the west coast of Cameroon. We shall go there for a survey. Keep praying for us.

Appreciations
God bless you. We thank you for all that you are doing. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Request
Please pray for me as I wish to travel to Ghana for a visit to some Bible colleges and orphanages to add to our learning.

Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
​By His grace director of BVBIC - Wotutu

Sometimes The Funniest Things Can Happen In The Mission Field...

Greetings Fellow Servants, 

We hope and we pray our God is blessing your lives in a very special way. We thank Him for you, your prayers, and your partnership in the “seeking and saving” of the lost of this world. It has been a busy and blessed week in His Kingdom’s work and in my travels here in States. 

Last week, I was blessed to share God's mission work in Tanzania with two new congregations of the Lord’s saints. First, I was at the Ashville Road congregation in the Birmingham, AL area. The second was with the Boiling Springs, SC church family. The interest in God’s desire to have the whole world “be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth” always brings hope and joy to this missionary. Thank you Ashville Road and Boiling Springs church families for this wonderful opportunity. 

I will be with our Westside church family this Sunday. The Westside, VA church family has supported the Tanzania mission effort from day one. We struggle finding the words to fully express our thanks for their partnership in this amazing work of God in Tanzania. As it is said; “Westside, is the Bestside.” Amen! 

The reports from our co-workers in Tanzania continue to bring forth good news of souls being taught and souls coming to Jesus in repentance and faith. The work at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching is in full swing and with the new outreach program is producing much fruit. Mission work always brings its challenges and can be illustrated by this recent note from our brother Ahimidiwe: “I hope you are doing well there Babu (grandfather). We are in this part of the world, scratching our heads on the followed things. First, we have an emergency need for the fumigation people to help us, all rats from the field have come to school eating everything and now are running in the roof like pikipiki (motor cycles).” Now that’s funny! 

Last week, I reported Stephanie and I’s need. We lost support from one supporter who helped for many years with our health insurance needs and another who has been a part of our mission efforts since 1992. The bottom line is we needed to make up $1,900 a month. We were blessed by a bother and sister in Mississippi who have committed $200 of this short fall. We are humbled by their sacrifice and we thank God for them. We are looking at options to hopefully get our health insurance costs down, praying we do not have to drop it completely. Your consideration in this matter and prayers would be greatly appreciated. 

We close with thanksgiving for each and everyone one of you who pray, support and engage in God’s outreach where you are and in Tanzania. We love and appreciate your sacrifice and commitments, making God’s work possible. Heaven is growing in numbers because you care, thank you. Always remember, God loves you!

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Learning To Sing Bible Class Songs, Swahili Style...

For those of you who might visit Tanzania, and plan to help with a children's Bible class while you are here, we thought we would provide you with a little tutorial on how to sing a few Swahili songs. If you learn a few of these, it will put you much more at ease in front of those sweet little faces. Even if you're not coming to Tanzania, maybe your Bible school class might enjoy some of these songs. Hope you find these videos interesting and helpful! You can download the lyrics HERE.

Daniel Gaines

To see video of the songs, please click here.

An Ethiopian Experience At The Andrew Connally School Of Preaching...

There came a woman of  Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” (John 4:7,15)

This is the occasion whereby Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman there at the well. She came to draw water as one of her daily activities, but she found Jesus, the Man with the living water. 

The Gospel has the power to bring people to God through many ways we cannot imagine. This week I had two visitors at my office here at the School of Preaching, Angelina and Luke. They both work as gardeners who go around town looking for somebody with a garden or backyard that needs to be cleaned and decorated. As they came to my office, they asked me if there is any job that they can do. We did not have a place for them to work. Angelina started by asking, what are we doing as the school in this area. That is a good question, which opened the door for more preaching. I spent two hours studying with these two gardeners. Luke knew some about the Lord’s Church, but Angelina did not know anything. After much discussion with them, as we have heard from the Samaritan woman, Angelina asked the most important question which has ever been asked, “What must I do to be a Christian who is following just what the Bible says?” I was thrilled to hear that question because it sounded like the one that the Philippian Jailor, Jews on the day of Pentecost, and the Ethiopian Eunuch asked. We continued with the study on one faith (Ephesian 4) as taught by Jesus and Paul in the Bible. We have planned to meet next week and continue with our study. I believe Angelina is one of the good soil the Lord spoke about. 

This is but one event done through the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. Many lost souls have been in contact with the blood of Jesus just because the school exists in this place. Thank you for making this possible.

May the Lord of Peace bless you beyond measure as you strive daily to support this school through your prayers and finances.

Your servant in His Vineyard,

Charles Heberth
Assistant Director
Andrew Connally School of Preaching
An Extension of Bear Valley Bible Institute
P.O. Box 14041. Arusha- Tanzania

A Special Graduation Day At Visakha Valley Bible College...

Dear Brethren in Christ,

Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. Hope this message finds you all well.

We are extremely blessed to work with the preacher training school in Visakhapatnam. It is such a blessing to see our men who has a desire to learn and preach the word coming to the school and willingly go through the school for two years in order to receive the diploma for successfully completing the course.

‘Go into all the world’ is an authoritative command issued to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus sent His 12 equipped apostles to fulfill this ministry. Likewise, we are able to introduce the 12 preaching students who completed their two-year course of study and ready to sow the seed of God’s word. These men are effectively trained both to be evangelists and for doing every good work, as every man of God ought to be.

“I can do all things in him that strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

Our association with Bear Valley Bible Institute International has been our strength.  Actually, standard of teaching  and training methods are strengths of our school, but our strength has been increased as our faculty that has enhanced their biblical knowledge by completing the MA course offered by Bear Valley Bible Institute.  Also, there was a tremendous development in our teaching system since some teaching aids were brought to use in the class room.  Noticeable strength is our teamwork attitude; our combined efforts with a proper guidance through the director of our school has provided some inspiring results. Together, we were able to share our ability and strength in a great capacity to educate these young men and equip them to be effective evangelists. Our greatest strength of all is the output of our efforts which is the 12 graduates who successfully completed the course and are going to be effective instruments in spreading the Good News across India.

Words cannot completely express our thankfulness and gratitude towards the brethren at Lake Houston Church of Christ for their continued trust and confidence in the work we are doing with the school. We are grateful to them for continued support and other encouragements. With their encouragements we did a massive Hurricane Relief Program helping over 42 preachers and a couple hundred other individuals. This act of charity was published in the newspapers, helping the people of our city know that we, as Christians, care for others by sharing what we have.

At this time, we must mention the great leadership behind the oversight of the school, the elders of Strickland Church of Christ. Through helping brother Jerry Bates, they often check on the things at the school, which has been a great encouragement for us. We are so thankful for their great interest to oversee the school. This is certainly a blessing for us.

We do thank brother Jerry Bates who provided the majority of funds for holding the graduation exercises and for buying bicycles, lanterns, Christian literature etc. We must also mention sister Connie Barden who was instrumental in providing the rest of the funds for the same cause. We appreciate the elders of Colony Church of Christ for being there during the need.

We thank the elders of Bear Valley Church of Christ for taking up the challenging mission of establishing extension schools across the world. We are privileged to be part of this.

Our preaching students are doing some amazing work. So far 41 graduates have been sent out from the school, almost every one of them is involved in the Lord’s work at their capacity. We had most of them attend this graduation ceremony.

Thank you very much brother Bob Turner for your encouragements, also to the faculty who come and teach the short-courses in the school. Please continue your prayers as we also do for you. Attached pictures showing the graduation ceremony, also our students baptizing the believers of Christ. Kindly pray for their success.

Thanking you all.

In Christ, 

John Dean M
for Viskha Valley Bible College

Making A Pulpit Out Of An Ant Hill In Uganda...

Blessings from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who died for His church. On the 12th of March 2015 Churches of Christ from Busia and Namayingo District went to the Bulukuyi church of Christ for a gospel campaign.

We had to use a big lorry because of the load we had  to carry. We had to carry the chairs, mats, pans, and firewood for the camp. The gospel campaign started on Friday the 13th of March 2015. The nine congregations which participated  were (1) Nandwa (2) Bulukuyi (3) Junge (4) Bugati (5) Bukalikha (6) Namungodi (7) Buswale (8) Bwoya (9) Namagenge. Each congregation contributed beans, maze, and money to be used during those three days. The day began at 7:00 am when we all went for breakfast. After breakfast we went for the first lesson which was 45 minutes. A second lesson ended at 15 minutes to 10:00 am. From that time we went in groups of two or three from house to house or door to door and came back at 1:00 pm for lunch which ended at 2:00 pm. From 2:00 pm  we continued with classes up to 5:00 pm and went for open air preaching using a public address system. This ended at 6:00 pm and we went for supper. At 8:00 pm I started teaching the slides which I converted into powerpoint translated into Lusamia language, which was spoken in Eastern Uganda and Western Kenya. The Bulukuyi congregation was planted in 2010. The whole of 2014 they were not meeting. The Nandwa congregation just sent Joel Kizito to revive them. During these three days we reached over 300 hundred people. Please pray for these works so that some may obey and become members of the Bulukuyi congregation.

We were not able to build a platform, but God is great. He provided an anthill which was improvised and it served very well. We discussed this with brother James Olendo and he agreed to plant some grass on it so that it may be our permanent platform for future use.

The truck helped us with a place where men slept. We just connected power from the generator and it served from 7:00 pm to  2:00 am when it ran out of petrol. For me, I slept in the cabin. The speakers were placed on the top of the cabin.

Part of the group listened to the open air preaching. The theme was “Know the church of Christ from the Old Testament Anti-types.” Our sisters lodged for three days sleeping on the mats. In my February report, I spoke about the need which these brethren have. We have not received anything. They still need $5,000 dollars to construct their small church building. We are appealing to any God-loving Christian who can sympathize with these brethren.

After supper, when it was dark enough, I started teaching by powerpoint through a projector. I have been down loading images from creation to the birth of Moses. By this time I had not finished all, but now I almost finished this work. I am getting the idea from Jule Miller slides. I taught this in the Lusamia language. I nearly completed the Patriarchal  Age. I will continue to compile the Mosaic Age, Christian Age, God’s plan for Redeeming man, and last, Church History. This will take me some time but I am determined  to finish wit God’s help. In total, I will make about 500 slides. For two days  I had about 300 people at night. Pray to God so that I may have strength to finish this project.

My wife, Margaret, with her team helped us with the cooking. She has been feeding two hundred people including children at every meal.

After our Sunday morning service, we had our lunch and left. Some people left on Saturday to go back to their congregations.

The second large pond is now finished, with the remainder of shaping and stocking the fish. The water has started coming and we will be stocking at the end of April.

The two old small ponds, which we did not stock last year because of their shallowness,  this time we are going to stock them with fish and rice. The deeper area is 5m x 18m by 1m deep. It is where we will stock 200 tilapia and 70 catfish. On the higher side which is a half a meter we are going to plant rice. This is called a fish and rice culture. When the rice is up, water will be filled to cover the rice.

Our garden has not been doing well. There has been a lot of sun, and all our vegetables  dried up. Our water is salty, it does not work well with drip irrigation. We plan to dig an under ground tank where we can harvest water from the roof and use it for irrigation.

Rains have started and these brethren will soon lose the top of their building the day the storms pass around that area.

We need to buy our own public address system. The one we use we are charged 50,000 per day. This is very expensive.

It is our hope that you will read this report prayerfully and respond positively. May our God bless you and your work.

Yours in Christ

Francis and Margaret Wechesa

Nine Baptisms And Two Restorations In Recent Campaign In Ghana...

At [SIBS], our emphasis is practical training of ministers to preach the gospel of Christ. Throughout the two-year period of training, the board ensures that students not only involve in weekly campaign visits to nearby congregations, but also extensive weekly campaigns in each term.

Campaign – Akim Akropong

In the month of February, some of the students from [SIBS] traveled among a team of preachers to Akropong in the eastern region of the country. The objective was to start a church in not only this strategic small town because of its location, but also its history. This campaign meant so much to us because, besides the fact that it is located in a predominantly Calvinistic district, the Presbyterian church was first established here in the late twentieth century. Two chiefs in the town both welcomed us, and pledged their support to our mission here, provided we have come with the gospel of peace.

The campaign involved a week of personal evangelism – studying with prospects from house to house, in the market square and along the streets. Abundant tracts were distributed to as many people as could read. In the end, the campaign resulted in nine baptisms and two restorations. As a means of follow-up, an old and mature brother from a nearby congregation was charged to visit the new congregation on weekends to assist them in teaching and preaching. The seed has been sown here, and we pray that it grows to bear much fruit.

Meanwhile, the infant church now worships in one of the Presbyterian primary school classrooms. This new church needs your prayers, first to relocate and then to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.

The [SIBS] students were unusually ecstatic and encouraged.

Hope you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Seth Osae-Larbi

New School In Mbanga, Cameroon Begins Monday...

Classes begin tomorrow with the new school in Mbanga, Cameroon. This school will operate in the French-speaking section of Cameroon. Brother Ititi is a graduate of the school in Wotutu, Cameroon and he serves as the director of the new school. We anticipate hearing about the ways God is working through the staff and students at Mbanga in the weeks ahead. Please pray for this new work and the men who are part of the program.

Beginning a new month brings several reports from schools throughout the program. The exciting part of incoming reports is learning about the ways God continues to bless the work of these brethren. Students are not only diligent about their studies, but they spend numerous hours each week reaching out to others with the gospel.

The past week in Denver afforded an opportunity for returning students to share information about recent campaigns in Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, and Grand Cayman. As students spoke of the camaraderie among themselves, they shared a common thread of congregations that were encouraged, faith strengthened through gospel meetings and seminars, as well as, five baptisms and one restoration. Please remember to pray for the progress of their efforts throughout these locations.

Based on reports received this week, the news is just as encouraging around the world. Information from each location speaks to the ways the Lord’s kingdom benefited from the work done by staff and students. Pictures that accompany these reports speaks volumes to the the progress made this week in spreading the gospel.

As we work together throughout the world, we glorify our God through participating in the great task of training preachers, missionaries, youth ministers, and kingdom workers. The opportunities are unlimited as we expand the program throughout the years ahead.

Now on to this week’s incredible 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 Howell Ferguson can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Persecution Reported With A new Convert From Lebialem Campaign: News from Cameroon emphasizes persecution for one of the young ladies who recently became a Christian.

Positive, Enthusiastic, Infectious, And Motivational Staff In Nepal: The report from Nepal shares descriptive words concerning a new staff member to aid in the work at Kathmandu.

A New Brother And Sister In Cambodia: As the third class at IBISR approaches graduation, a new brother and sister in Christ plan to be part of the next class set to begin later this year.

Graduation Nears For the Visakha Valley Bible College, India: In just over a week, the next class of students will graduate from VVBC and enter the ministry of preaching the gospel.

ITL Graduation: By clicking on the link in this post, you will find an host of pictures from the recent graduation event at ITL in Guatemala City. 

Precious Sound And Need For Peace In Ukraine: Although the fighting has calmed, to a degree, peace in Ukraine does not exist, but BVBIU continues to share true peace in Jesus.

We Be The Voice Of Nigeria: Recent elections in Nigeria send a positive sound for the voice of Nigeria, but the true voice of Nigeria is sounding forth from the staff and students at SWSE.

Good But Difficult Month: Troy Spradlin’s report shares the good and the challenge parts of living on the mission field. Please remember Troy and this work in prayer.

A Glimpse Of Graduation Scheduled For Tamale, Ghana: Another graduation in the program is scheduled for July 2 at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies, plus additional plans for growth.

“The Only True Church Found In This Area,” Please Read This Report: Recent help to a local preacher made a powerful impact on the community concerning the church. Please read.

Spiritual Disciplines’ Seminar Continues With Each Congregation In Arusha: Daniel Gaines reports on the continuation of a SD seminar, along with other activities in Tanzania.

Incredible News Of Kingdom Growth And A Brother In Need: The news from Tanzania is encouraging and we ask you to consider the need of our brother Cy Stafford.

Final Thoughts 
A closing note of gratitude. As we consider the incredible opportunities God gives each of us, we remember each of you. Thank you for your confidence in Bear Valley to share in the training of faithful men who will teach others also. We appreciate the blessing provided to participate in God’s great mission.

God bless
Bob

Good But Difficult Month...

March was a good month, but it was also a rather difficult time to be in the mission field. There were some great events and activities that constituted positive advancements in the mission work, yet these were rendered bittersweet for me due to the loss of a loved one. Being so far away from home presents many challenges for a missionary, but I believe the most difficult is the separation from family when a crisis strikes. We’ve now experienced that twice during our tenure here. Praise God that the focus for His children is not on this life, but the next. We hope you’ll understand that this month’s report is a little shorter and to the point than our normal publication. 

SPRADLIN FAMILY NEWS
As many may have heard or learned by now, my mother, A’Gatha Spradlin, passed from this side of life last month. She had been declining in health for the past four years due to a series of strokes. Last September, she suffered another stroke and was completely incapacitated, then on March 15, 2015 she went on to her reward. My mother was a faithful Christian. She grew up in the church (her father was a deacon), she converted my dad to the Lord, and she raised her children to fear God. She rejoiced in our work in Paraguay and understood well the sacrifices made by a missionary.

I was unable to attend her funeral due to complications in our schedule, but the wonderful truth of being a child of God is knowing I will see her again one day. We would like to say “Thank You” to so many who expressed a tremendous outpouring of love and encouragement during this time. We are especially grateful to our sponsoring congregation, the Margaret Street church of Christ, for providing the means for me to be able to return home and be with my family during this time.

DEVELOPMENTS AT AVE. SACRAMENTO CHURCH OF CHRIST
Annual Congregational Retreat. More than 60 precious souls gathered together in a rural campground called “Arapy” last month in order to sing, lift up praises, study God’s word, and enjoy quality Christian fellowship.

The theme for camp this year was “The Example of the Church at Antioch.” We studied the characteristics of this faithful church example in order to help us try and emulate the same thing here in Paraguay. The camp was, once again, a very encouraging and uplifting event.

We also had a guest preacher, Stan Crowley from the Shertz church of Christ in Texas, extend one of the lessons for us and then preach on Sunday morning on the subject. Stan also taught a lesson for the new students at the Asuncion Bible Academy while he was here. We appreciate Stan taking time out of his busy schedule to come and visit us in Paraguay.

DEVELOPMENTS AT ÑEMBY CHURCH OF CHRIST
The brethren at Ñemby are starting to receive lots of visitors at their services and several new contacts have been made as a result. We are praying that these will turn into new converts and the congregation will begin a new season of growth for this young congregation.

ASUNCION BIBLE ACADEMY
The “Beta Class 2015-17” has finally begun classes in their two-year commitment of studying the Bible.

The new students are: Sebastian Garcia, Alex Vargas, Natalia Osorio, Leticia Riveros, and Elvira Paredes. They seem extremely eager to learn and they have already demonstrated a pretty good study/work ethic. It looks like it is shaping up to be a great class! Please keep them in your prayers.

God bless
Troy and Andrea Spradlin

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

Spiritual Disciplines' Seminar Continues With Each Congregation In Arusha...

Our morning began just before sunrise with a few short moments to prepare for the day while watching the rising sun. However, quiet time was quickly cut short by eager little boys who had discovered their Easter baskets. Tiffany does an excellent job of trying to preserve our family holiday traditions as best she can. She has always tried to make these days special, and the family is blessed through it.

Just like back home, we had to take time before church to snap a few pictures in Easter clothes. Of course this has to be done as soon as they are dressed because within moments they will be covered in dirt, candy, and mysterious substances that we just don't ask about.

Case in point, before we even get out of the driveway, Levi has taken his shoes and socks off. Josiah has then put Levi's socks on his hands like puppets. We don't know why they do all of the things they do.

Then we arrive at church. Today we are visiting the Kisongo congregation. I am introducing the Spiritual Disciplines seminar to this congregation. Over the next 3 months, evangelists from all over the area will visit to present lessons on different spiritual disciplines. It is a terrific study and a great way for the churches to build ties with one another.

People sometimes ask us to share more pictures of everyday life. We did more of that when we first got here, and everything seemed novel. Having lived here for a year and a half, those scenes have become commonplace now. Often times we just don't think about the fact that you might be interested in seeing things that would be uncommon sights in America. So here are a few things that we saw this afternoon as we were driving.

We had reservations at a local restaurant to eat lunch and join in an Easter egg hunt. It was very nice and got off to a relatively good start, BUT then it came time to hunt the eggs. The boys had been hunting for just a couple of minutes when several of the children started being bitten by ants. Not just any ants, siafu (here's the wikipedia link).  Siafu have extremely powerful pinchers and have been known to swarm and kill small animals, even the occasional human. The Maasai sometimes use them as emergency medical sutures by allowing them to bite a wound, then breaking the bodies off. The heads can remain clamped for several days as the wound heals. 

These ants were marching right through the area where the eggs were hidden. Our family suffered a few bites, but nothing major. Needless to say, we cut the hunt short.

Never fear. We had another egg hunt all planned with our neighbors for later in the afternoon. This was much more successful and the kids had a great time. All in all it was another full, but wonderful day in the life of the Gaines family.

Daniel Gaines

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

Persecution Reported With A New Convert From Lebialem Campaign...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. We continue to stay safe in Christ through His grace. Last week went on well as the beginning of a new quarter for the Gamma batch students. We do hope you are doing great and all is working for good where you are.

I am sorry that I don’t have pictures to share about the work this week because my camera is not with me.

Most of the students are sick, maybe because of the work last week in Lebialem or so, but we praise God that all who were doing fine in health went out for weekend evangelism. They returned safe and sound with glorious news about the growth of the Lord’s work in their different locations.

One of the converts in Lebialem is facing great persecution. She is the sister that was baptized and renounced Catholic doctrine whose family was waiting for her to enroll into the sisterhood. She told them NO and today the report reaching us is that the entire family came to fight with the preacher and all the other members. She ran and stood behind the preacher. It was not easy as they were ready to harm the preacher. You know this congregation is a young one and all the members are new converts. They did not know what to do. The family has given her the option to choose either to remain in the church of Christ and they will disown her, stop paying her school fees, or she can stop attending the church of Christ and go back to the Catholic denomination and enjoy rights in the family. Please pray for sister Dorothy and the young congregation, so that they will be able to handle this situation with care.

The Lord added two souls in His church. Keep the new converts in your prayers.

Plans
1) We have an invitation to come to Idenau communities to preach and see the need to start a new congregation. We shall study this and make a move in the near future.

2) The Mudeka congregation invited the staff and students for a Bible lectureship in their congregation by the end of this month. Keep all of that in your prayers.

3) Remember we are sending our students to Lebialem and other places for weekend evangelism, which will be of great importance.

Appreciations
God bless you. Thanks very much for all you are doing with us. God alone will reward you and replenish your source because we doubt if you were not part of this work what would happen. Do your best to share this with others. I will use this email to send my report. The other email is having problems and I do not have access to it again.

Elangwe and family

By His grace director of Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon-Wotutu (BVBIC Wotutu)

Incredible News Of Kingdom Growth And A Brother In Need...

Greetings Fellow Servants,

Your prayers and support are making it possible for us to teach and preach the Word of God to the lost and dying of Tanzania. We are also able to “entrust to faithful men the saving message of the gospel that in turn they may teach others.” The evidence of this is seen in the recent notes received by our fellow laborers: 

Charles Heberth: “This week, our first year students did not have class, so I took them down to Kwa Mrombo. They have helped so much in setting up 13 new Bible classes. Through that effort, the Lord added three souls to His Kingdom.”

Gasper Maurice: “This last two weeks we have been blessed with the help of our good brother Ralph Williams and his wife Cindy. They were very helpful setting up 20 Bible studies, one soul being baptized.”

Fariji Paul: “I would like to inform you about the report of the Usa river church. In March, we had 16 studies, one soul baptized into Christ, by the name of Amos.”

Godfrey Mngoma: “This month we had two baptisms; brother Joel Haule and Peter Alley who was a Pentecostal preacher at Karatu. Please pray for these brothers who have obeyed the Truth of God’s Word.”

Much more has been reported and so much more is being done to God’s glory and the saving of countless souls. 

We need your help: Stephanie and I have been and continue to be blessed beyond measure. We have had a couple of financial setbacks of late and are requesting your help in getting the word out that we might find the help we need to continue in God’s work. 

One congregation who has faithfully supported us since 1992 has notified us they will no longer be able to continue their monthly support of $500 because the congregation has simply become to small to continue. 

Another financial set back came from good friends and supporters who have supported us over the years by paying our health insurance premiums (and countless other ways). They are not able to continue paying the premiums, leaving us with either raising the monthly need of $1,300 or dropping our health insurance. 

Please remember our good bothers Gene Davis and Cotton Box in your prayers as they face very serious health issues. Please remember Stephanie's mom in your prayers as well. She was admitted to the hospital with a possible very serious infection. They hope to reconfirm on Monday and, if so, she will begin 14 days of IV antibiotics. 

Thank you all for all you do and please know, we are grateful to be a part of this amazing work of God and to partner with you in this soul saving mission effort. Thank you and may our God bless you richly in your service to Him and to His world. 

In Him,
Cy

Positive, Enthusiastic, Infectious, And Motivational Staff In Nepal...

Dear Christian Brothers,

The month of March has been busy and productive in Nepal. Arun Rijal graduated from Nepal Center For Biblical Study [NCBS] last September and went to Chennai, India for a year of graduate work at the Masters level. He returned to Nepal in March and is helping at the school. His report to us was very encouraging. He said that the level and clearness of our teaching was higher than what he found in India. He felt he was better prepared when he started there [Feb '14] than most of the students were when they completed their studies with him a year later. It is always encouraging to hear that our efforts are effective and helping to prepare others to share the gospel. We hope to have Arun join our NCBS staff. His positive and enthusiastic manner is infectious and really motivates the students. He is a good translator and also a solid teacher. His value in personal work and campaign missions is beyond description. The school has been a huge blessing in his own life, and that of his family, and now he brings those blessings back to us.

Rusty Dawson also came and taught for a week. This was Rusty's forth trip to Nepal. He taught the book of Galatians. Before coming he prepared a work book, sent it to us by e-mail, and also taught it to the local lady's class in Little, Oklahoma to fine tune his presentation. Rusty teaches in a way that involves the students, even challenges them to reach a little higher and seek a little deeper, and their response exceeds what they thought they were capable of achieving. His classes are always high energy and full of smiles.

Last Thursday was the last day of classes and the students returned home for a three week holiday. This is the Nepal New Year season and a natural holiday time since the public schools close for 2-3 weeks. Gajendra, the school Director, and Arun left with four students from Darjeeling, India and one from east Nepal to do two weeks of campaign work in India. These students will be teaching and working with their own families and friends. It is beautiful to experience this series of a variety of daily teaching and fellowship activities. Gajendra and Arun will take a full week visiting other congregations, and other graduates, as they return to Kathmandu.

Sunita was also invited to join them in India and to continue the teaching that she did with the Christian women in January. She leaves today and will return next Monday. The program of WOMEN TEACHING WOMEN is growing and producing wonderful fruit.

The students will return and classes begin on Monday, April 20. This is their last holiday [two each year] until they graduate in October. We will begin our next group of new students in early November. This graduating class will be our largest, 12 students, and it will be out third group [2011, 2013, 2015]. The progress of the church in Nepal has been much greater in these last six years than in my 19 years working with the church and living in Nepal most of the year. God has blesses us greatly. You are one of our great and very appreciated blessings. Please pray for the church in Nepal.

In Christian service, 

Jerry Golphenee jrgx21958@gmail.com

A New Brother And Sister In Cambodia...

I am humbled by the experiences that I've encountered thus far in my work for Christ. I appreciate the help and encouragement from my brethren, but most importantly, I am thankful for the support from the Word of God! As I think of IBISR and what we are currently doing, I cannot help but be proud of it! Not because we are a top notch professional Bible school in the brotherhood, but quite the opposite. It is in our weaknesses that God's strength is shown (2 Cor 12:9-10)! 

I'm thankful that we have faithful men, who may or may not be well educated, teaching at the school. I am also aware of my shortcomings as the director of IBISR and, yet, when I look at how far we've come, it's so obvious that God's fingerprints are all over it! I pray that God continues to direct and guide the school through His word and not my pride and wisdom (Pro. 3:5-7). May we learn from the Israelites’ mistake in wanting a king just to be a "professional nation" like the other nations around them and "kicking" God out as their ruler. (1 Sam. 8:5-9).

To keep us from such foolish and prideful thinking, our school's theme for next year's students will stem from John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease." We will be emphasizing and teaching for this life-changing principle, exalting God instead of ourselves. Please continue to keep the work here in Cambodia in your prayers.

Vanlam, our new sister in Christ, will begin as a first year student at IBISR in September! Please keep her in your prayers.

Makara, our new brother in Christ, also will be joining us at IBISR as a first year student, furthering his knowledge of God's word! Please keep him in your prayers as well.

Pros, one of our students who is in charge of the Safe Water Raft in Kompong Kleang will distribute safe water that we cleansed and purified on the raft to the nearby schools, providing safe drinkable water to hundreds of students in the surrounding area, at the same time introducing Jesus and the Bible to them via the Bible verse (in Khmer) that we selected to put on the label.

"Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 NASB

Phanat

To see Phanat’s post with pictures of the baptisms, please click here.

Graduation Nears For the Visakha Valley Bible College, India...

Greetings to you in Christ’s name. Hope this message finds you all good. Thank you very much for the money that was donated for buying bicycles and other gospel tools for the graduates. We are going to have brother Jerry Bates with us for this occasion to distribute the diplomas on behalf of the Bear Valley Bible Institute.

As you are aware, on the 10th of April we are celebrating the graduation exercise of our 3rd batch two-year undergraduate students for the successful completion of their course. We are so excited about this. Students are getting ready to take their final examinations early next week. They have to write a comprehensive exam before they receive their diploma.

We are so thankful to God first, and then to you for your encouragement. Thank you very much for looking into all the matters to run this successfully. We are excited about the 13 Graduates who shall be receiving their diplomas. We are getting things ready for that auspicious day.

I am here updating you with recent developments that have taken place at our school premises. We are thankful to brother Bob Turner who recommended our school for a one time gift. With that we were able to acquire some tools for the school, one of them is a projector and screen. This is an advanced piece which can be accessed through laptop wireless accessibility. We have started using this already in the class room by displaying a couple of my lessons which I did at World Video Bible School in Texas.

Thank you, brother Jerry Bates, for bringing the set of maps for the school. These are a simply beautiful and wonderful instrument to teach the classes. We are hoping to receive the other books very soon.

Other latest developments are, repair work, painting of the school facility, and building a new baptistry. We are thankful to the brethren at Lake Houston who are supporting our school, also who helped us so much during the severe hurricane 6 months ago. 

Thank you very much for all your encouragement. Kindly pray that this occasion would be held successfully.

Please give our greetings to all the brethren who care for the Lord’s work across the world. May God continue to bless you all.

In Christ

John Dean M

Precious Sound And Need For Peace In Ukraine...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches. 

May our Lord Jesus Christ grant you peace. This word “peace” has become very precious for us. There are still sounds of shooting in Eastern Ukraine, though it is obvious that they use heavy artillery not so often now. Nevertheless, this area is still dangerous to live in. For the last 3 months, there were more than 60 children killed in that area. We urge you to pray for Ukraine and for the future of God’s church. 

Bear Valley Bible Institute in Ukraine 
In March, we had brothers in Christ from the US, Johnny Mack Young and Garth Hilton. They had been teaching at the Institute for two weeks. It was a wonderful time to visit with old friends and good teachers. These brothers visit Ukraine every year and share their experience with our students. 

Also, we had a planned evangelism campaign; students and their families participated in it. We were divided into several groups. One group of students went to spread the gospel to Dnipropetrovsk, the second group went to Chernivtsi, and the third group stayed in Ternopil. We used different methods to reach the hearts of people. In the city of Chernivtsi, our students and BVBIU secretary, Oksana, stood by the table and spread Christian literature, inviting people to come to the church. There was one baptism during the campaign there. In Ternopil, we had been inviting people to evening Bible classes, spreading Christian literature and posting announcements for 3 days. Unfortunately, there were no new visitors during the time of the campaign. I think though that any work for God won’t be fruitless. It might be that we were sowing God’s seeds in some people’s hearts. 

This week is the Spring Break, when students have to finish their written assignments, and starting April 6, classes will resume. 

We continue looking for a better place for the Institute. It’s not easy. Due to the military actions in Gorlovka, terrorists took our building there, and we had to move to the territory of Western Ukraine, though many of our teachers stayed in Eastern Ukraine. This school year we had many classes taught via Skype. We are looking for such a place that would be a good and convenient location for both teachers and students, being close to the main roads and an airport. That’s why I visited Bila Tserkva at the end of March and discussed the possibility of cooperation with the local congregation, considering moving to their facility. I ask you to pray for the future of the Institute. 

Institute Church of Christ 
For the last three weeks we have been blessed with visits of guests not only from the US, but also from different parts of our country. We had services when attendance would be 28 people. Maybe some would consider this number insignificant, but believe me, for a war-torn Ukraine, suffering through economical and political crisis, this number sounds very inspiring. 

Now we are working in different spheres trying to attract more people to God and to His church. My wife and other ladies from the church organized a workshop for kids and their parents at the beginning of March. Such classes are quite successful, and we had 12 new visitors at our building. Johnny Mack Young gave a brief introduction, telling about the church and its purpose. We have also continued the program of teaching English via Bible. Right now mostly, our students attend these classes, but we hope that soon we’ll have new people. 

We continue meeting during the week at Christian homes and encouraging one another. In April, we plan to have a one-day youth conference and invite Christians from local congregations. 

Thank you for supporting the Institute and my family. If you have any questions or suggestions, please write to me. 

Your brother and coworker,
Dennis Sopelnik 

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

We Be The Voice Of Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings and appreciation to you for your prayers for us in Nigeria. Thanks to God for granting us a peaceful election on Saturday and Sunday (March 28 & 29). We hope the result will be favorable to the suffering masses of Nigeria or to rightly put it, “We be the voice of Nigeria!”

Yesterday at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan, brother Destiny Elijah, one of the SWSE year-1 students, taught on “Love One Another,” while brother Emmanuel Makinde, a year-2 student of SWSE, Ibadan interpreted for him and I admonished the church from Luke chapter 1: “How to be a vessel unto honor.”

At the secondary class, one of our year-1 students. named brother Moses Bamidele, taught on “Remember the Lord Now that You are Young” (Eccl.12) and brother Emmanuel Makinde taught on “How to Develop a Sermon” at the youth development class after the morning worship.

At the campus church, our campus minister and one of the SWSE Ibadan instructors, brother Abraham Idu Yeje, taught on “God's Plan to Redeem Mankind,” while one of our year-1 students, named Benjamin Okon, admonished the church from Gen.3:1-9 and brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe taught on “The Kingdom of Christ on Earth” at the Egbeda congregation, Ibadan.

Sunday morning, brother Adeniji Joseph of the Asejire congregation in Osun state and brother Matthew Adeyemi of the Igbesa congregation in Ogun state phoned me to inform me of a convert each in their area. To God be the glory!

At the Southwest School of Evangelism, Ibadan main campus, brother Isaac Olaniyan taught early Monday morning during our morning devotion on “The Divine Call,” brother Augustine Odoh spoke on “Walking in the Light” at the Tuesday morning devotion. Brother Ilori Gbenga spoke on “Bearing Fruit for Christ” at the Wednesday morning devotion, while I spoke on “Growing in the Grace” at the chapel period at the Thursday morning devotion. Brother Nwaorji Emmanuel spoke on “Arise and Shine” and brother Tsado Jonathan spoke on “How do we Quench the Spirit?” at the Friday morning devotion, and brother Abraham Idu Yeje spoke on the “Wrong Reasons for Following Christ” on Saturday morning before the staff and students embarked on the last weekend evangelism of this semester.

Brethren, we appreciate your love and partnership and we are praying for you all. May the Lord continue to bless all our joint effort in Christ name, Amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,

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