Five Day Trip Brings Updated Reports From Nepal...

Gajendra returned Monday from a five-day trip to the high mountains to the north. You can read his report and see the pictures that should all be part of this package. He and the two men that went with him [helicopter both ways] gained a great deal of information that is valuable now and even more needed for making wise future plans. They also delivered disaster relief materials. The spiritual needs of the people were not forgotten.  Gajendra humbly says “encourage them,” which is certainly true, but it includes daily Bible studies and evening devotionals.  

As I write this note Gajendra, Parsuram, and Surya are in south Nepal. They left in two trucks loaded with the following materials for 11 villages in Makawanpur, Chitwan, and Tanahun districts. They will deliver ……………

400 Blankets            440 Mosquito Nets
10 Tarpaulin               210 Bibles                        
220 Song Books        180 Children Bible Story Books

They will deliver all the materials to church leaders in the various areas on their way out of Kathmandu. As they return they will visit the villages and have Bible classes, and certainly lots of “encouragement.” 

This will be a 12-day mission. Much of the terrain is difficult and muddy because of the monsoon rains. Some ladies, including teen-young adults, from Kathmandu will join them for the last four days [Friday-Monday] for encouragement, Lady’s Bible classes, and Children’s Bible classes. 

A number of villages are reporting that their worship services are being attended by neighbors who have shared in receiving the relief materials provide by donors in the USA and delivered by the Church of Christ in Kathmandu. Spiritual fruit will be the result of our joint effort and labor of love.

Jerry

Gajendra’s report is below.

Dear respected brothers in Christ,

Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the grace of God, love and peace always be with you.

I (Gajendra Deshar), brother Mencha Tamang (Christian leader from last 20 years) and Jitu Tamang (young man living at Kathmandu from Dhading district) recently visited Dhading district of Linjo, Pouru and Labdung villages on the 8th -13th of July 2015. It takes one day by bus and another two days mountain trials walking to reach Tipling village from Kathmandu. Our intention was to take some food materials and blankets with us to distribute our brethren. We were thinking about going by local transportation, but we have to fly by helicopter due to damage to the land, mudslides, cracks in the land, and for time saving.

We spent five days of our time with three different local congregations. There are 547 houses in Tipling Village Development committee of Dhading district where we have 3 different congregations at Linjo, Pouru, Essip, Fayang and Labdung villages. There are 167 Christian families in those villages. All of their houses were damaged. All of their houses look good from an outer appearance. Government officer and engineer verified that people can't live in their houses. All people are living in the tarpaulin tent. We have provided 1,200 kg. of salt and cooking oil and 1,800 kg. of rice on the month of June. This time we have taken 300 blankets, 200 kg. of cooking oil, and 100 kg. salt with us. We did morning and evening Bible studies with our Christian brethren. In the day time we discussed with our leaders regarding distribution of relief materials and future plan.

All of them are living in a tarpaulin tents. 60 people shifted from Linjo to Dhading bensi.  23 families shifted from Essip and Fayang to Pouro village. They have to build new houses after the monsoon. They are going to build houses in the same location. Few stones, metal sheets and woods will be usable. They have good water resources for drinking. They are using wood for their cooking. Some of their cooking vessels, pots, and kettles were damaged. 150 sheep and goats, 40 cows and 10 yaks died in our Christian communities. They have wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, and beans for crops. All schools are closed due to monsoon holidays. All school buildings are destroyed. Children don't have stationery and most of the people don't have clothes to wear. I saw they were wearing the same dress for five days. They have huge mud slides, damaged and cracked land. Villages told me that the government officer will give sample for the new house in the month of August.

Once again thank you for your love, support, and spiritual encouragement. May God bless you all.

Brothers in Christ,

Gajendra Deshar  gajendra_deshar@yahoo.com
Nepal Center for Biblical Study
P.O.Box 25999
Kathmandu, Nepal

Graduation Brings Joy To Christians In The Northern Sector Of Ghana...

Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies has been going through a lot of activities for the past several weeks. These activities have brought some joy among the entire Christians in the Northern Sector of Ghana.

The main activity was the graduation of the third batch of students. Out of the fifteen students who were admitted for the 2-year Certificate in Biblical Studies, ten were able to complete the program. Therefore, by the grace of the Almighty God, ten young and energetic men have been added to the preaching fraternity. It is our prayer and hope that these men would further extend the boundary of the Kingdom of Christ.

To this, the Board Directors, Staff and Students wish to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors, coordinator Steven Ashcraft, Bear Valley Bible Institute, all instructors and everyone who has in one way or other contributed to the success of the training.

We also wish to thank all those who spent their time with the Institute on graduation day to grace the occasion. Special thanks go to Kwame Amoah- Denteh (Elder- Bomso Church -Kumasi), Brother Afranie, Brother Eric Adjei , Administrator of Church of Christ Clinic, Seth Larbi (Principal) and all who represented the Southern Institute of Biblical Studies (SIBS), Accra. The greatest appreciation goes to our Christian sisters who prepared food for all who attended the program. May the Almighty God continue to bless our dear sisters for their remarkable activity in the program of the Institution.

Furthermore, family members of graduating student preachers traveled from their hometowns to be part of the memorable day in the lives of their beloved relatives. Also present at the function were members of the two local congregations in Tamale. 

Another group of personalities worth mentioning were all the past students of the Institute. They were in also to see how the present group was to be initiated into the field of preaching.

At the end of the activities, prayer was said asking for the protection, strength, and blessings for the new preachers.

Baah Joseph Okyere

Powerful Reports Demonstrate The Hand Of God...

Summer break for the students in Denver will soon end. As they return to Denver, they will be joined by a new class of students preparing to begin their journey through the program at Bear Valley. Several of these students are in the process of moving to Denver now to find a place to live and rest for a few days before their studies begin. The two years ahead of them will be one of intense study, both in and out of the classroom. Presently, we are looking at fifteen students, and potentially a few more in the new class. Please pray for those who are finishing last minute details to begin July 31st.

As the list of reports indicates below, this was a busy week in the program. The reports below, although there are many, each indicate the powerful hand of God at work. Several locations share news of students returning from campaigns and personal evangelistic work. The outreach results are nothing short of wonderful. News about the number of souls added to the kingdom and those restored to the family is encouraging.

Please continue praying for the work as current schools continue to grow and reach out with the message of Jesus. Pray about the beginning of new schools in several locations. We look forward to sharing news about these schools as they begin classes in the months ahead. We also ask you to pray about the future of this program as potential locations are considered for the establishment of new schools. 

God continues to bless this work and we ask you to share the report with others who will be encouraged by the development of this 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/

The latest report from Steven Ashcraft can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Students Transported For Weekend Evangelism Share News Of Growth: As students visited eight locations in Cameroon, God gave the increase as the gospel was proclaimed.

The Future Is Bright For French Cameroon: Progress over the last quarter and current development with the new school in Mbanga, Cameroon is encouraging.

A Quarter Behind With The Future In Mind: Knowing the challenges ahead, director of BVBIC-Mbanga, brother Ititi, encourages students to take their studies seriously.

Addressing The Present And Preparing For Winter Relief In Nepal: The latest report from Nepal shares news of the current situation and needs to prepare for a harsh winter ahead.

Seventeen Baptisms And Seven Restorations Makes For A Nice Campaign: Staff and students return from a break in Kenya and the news of God’s hand is exciting to read about.

Southern Institute of Biblical Studies Prepares For IT Training: Among the news of progress in Ghana, SIBS is working to help students prepare for their work after graduation.

Eleven Baptisms Recorded With The WCSOP In Ghana: Several sections of progress are seen at the West Coast School of Preaching, the most significant of which is God’s increase.

Special Workshop And Study On Baptism In Paraguay: After returning from furlough, the news from Paraguay indicates spiritual and numerical growth in the church.

Students In Practice Teaching Prepare For Ministry In Nigeria: All the students at the Southwest School of Evangelism are involved in practicing their learned skills.

Good News Is Key To The News In Tanzania: Reports from local evangelists near Arusha, Tanzania indicate a number of baptisms and sixty new Bible studies.

Final Thoughts 
The only thing needed to conclude a report like this is to say “thank you.” We pray you are encouraged by the development of the work around the world. Souls are saved, the church is built up, and the future of the program is hopeful. We are blessed by God and you are a major part of that blessing. Thank you for making extension training part of your service to the Lord.

God bless
Bob

A Quarter Behind with the Future in Mind

    Calvary greetings. We had a great worship today in Mbanga and in our newly established congregation of the saints in Mujuka. We pray that it will grow into a large congregation.

   The week had its challenges as some of our students were very sick  but are starting to show signs of improvement. Please pray for Michel who was diagnosed with Yellow Fever and for Benjamen who has Malaria. The local doctors know how to treat these diseases but it is not easy for the students to struggle with these challenges and continue their daily study work.

   We published the first semester results this week. It was a good beginning but I am still admonishing them to improve and take their studies more serious even with the many challenges of health and  family difficulties. We know that the coursework and evangelism demands will be more challenging in the future so we are giving them encouragement to press on.

   The grades points are ranging from 4.48 to 1.15 out of a possible 5 points. The top two places are Madjibe Datoudji with a 4.48 and Kalda Michel with a 4.29. Albert, an older student, is struggling with prostate problems and has missed much of the first quarter and is home with his family now. Please pray for him. The student with a 1.15 grade point was removed from the school was encouraged as a brother and given a last month of support to travel home and get things in order for his future work. Please pray for him and his wife that they will remain strong in the Lord.

                                              Thank you for your support of this work,

               Director: Ititi Benedict Nimending         and     Coordinator: David Gene Ballard
 

Students Transported For Weekend Evangelism Share News Of Growth...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here. We do hope you are doing great. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. As I type this report, my health condition is better.

The week went on well, but I missed my time in class with the students because of my ill health. My wife has given me another week to rest and refresh myself before I could go back to class. I am teaching the course “Life of Christ 2.” It is a great course and I am happy to expose the life of Christ to the students who will intend in due season to teach many to live like Christ and make heaven.

The rainy season is up on its peak. Because of such a climate many tend to get sick. Keep us in your prayers. Many cannot even afford to go see the doctor now. There are lots of challenges, but our God is alive and will help us.

Our weekend evangelism is going on well. Our evangelism van can transport students now out of Wotutu to different destinations. This weekend students went out to 8 locations.

More students can be transported at once because of the presence of the van. God is faithful and we send our sincere appreciation to all those who put resources together. God will bless them and replenish from where they took to give to the work here.

Today’s visitors stayed after worship to study some more with our students. I could not attend to them all because of my bed rest. More tracts from Mission Printing are coming our way and demands from other congregations are already coming to my office.

The memories of our visitors are still very strong in the lives of the beneficiaries. Minister David visited the sick, the elderly to pray, and share with them.

Brightland Christian Academy, the Christian school with a difference, keeps making waves in our communities as many see the importance of Christian education. Their excellent result this year in external exams shows God’s hand at work. Keep praying for the school as we started admission for more kids.

This weekend took students to 8 locations and it yielded 2 souls, and 3 souls were added in Wotutu, one of them a French lady. French speaking people continue to gain the message through our “Back to the Bible” program. The new Divisional officer of Buea just stopped the church of Christ Wotutu not to preach again early in the morning. It is a joint effort of some denominational leaders who are against us as we expose the truth on daily basis. With tears in my eyes and the eyes of our congregation, pray that God opens doors for us as we plan to send a delegation to meet the chief for mutual reasoning on the issue (Rom 13:1-3). 

Brother Martin baptized sister Ruth Ngum. Brother Chu Elvis baptized sister Eunice in the Wotutu congregation. A total of 5 souls were added to the Lord’s body this weekend.

Plans
We are still making plans for the Idenau evangelism.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you strong. Thanks for your love and deep concern for the work here. God bless you for your time, prayers, thoughts, and support. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
​By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Good News Is Key To The News In Tanzania...

Greetings Fellow Servants;

We hope and pray our God is blessing you all in all the right ways. Because He lives, we also live and have hope for better days in eternity. As His family we share in the greatest blessing we could ever know, salvation in Him through His love and grace. 

The “Good Will Tour” is in full swing. Four of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching leaders are traveling throughout Tanzania and Kenya. They are meeting and visiting with many of our students and their home congregations. The purpose of this tour is to better connect with the future evangelists and their home congregations, in hopes of finding out better, how we can help them beyond their schooling here in Arusha. Please pray for Ahimidiwe, Charles, Godfrey and Michael as they move about the dangers roads of East Africa on God’s mission in furthering His Kingdom. 

Good News from Yusuph: “We had two baptisms today here at Lulembela.” 

Good New From Josephat: “We thank God for His goodness and protection during the Tanzania Christian Youth Seminar. We had more than 150 youth, who came together to study how to keep the faith and be steadfast in the work of God….We thank God because six precious souls were added to the Lord….The youth helped set up more than sixty new bible studies here in Moshi. Amen”

Good News from Godfrey: “Through the cooperative efforts of many Christians from all over Tanzania, God has given the increase, blessing His church here in Arusha with four new souls, thanks be to God, His is all powerful and always good.” 

We are grateful for Sean’s return. He is here working with Daniel and me as we continue our planning and development of the ACSOP. We three miss our wives dearly, but are thankful for the time together as we plan the future of God’s work here in Tanzania. 

In our last Short Report we requested some help for the church at Babati. A couple of inquiries have been made as to where we stand in raising the $2,500 needed. As of this writing, no firm commitments have been made. We trust and hope this opportunity will be seized and that the Lord’s work might continue in the huge area of lost souls. 

We close with hearts full of joy and thanksgiving for the life we share in Him. We thank each of you for your prayers, support and most of all, your love for the lost of this world. Till all have heard…

C.W. (Cy) Stafford III
Director - Tanzania Missions
601-310-6170 (U.S.)
255-754-628-830 (Tanzania)
www.WeTrainPreachers.com
2707 S. Lamar St. - Denver, Colorado - 80227
303-986-5800

Addressing The Present And Preparing For Winter Relief In Nepal...

Dear respected brothers in Christ,

Loving greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May grace of God, love and peace always be with you.

As you all know that Nepal had 7.9 earthquakes on April 25th of 2015 and many more aftershocks. Many people lost their lives, thousands of houses were destroyed and many are in hospital. We give thanks to our Almighty God who is protecting us from all kinds dangers and perils from this natural disaster. We express our thankfulness toward all of your generous love and regular financial help and spiritual encouragement. We are writing this as an earthquake report on behalf of all Nepali Christians.

All brothers and sisters from Kathmandu valley are always busy after earthquake. We could not be able to meet all of us in one place. We have invited Christian leaders around Kathmandu valley on Friday, July 3rd, 2015 at Brother Jerry's house: six Nepali men and six Nepali women attended and had earth quake meeting. These men and women are the prominent active Christian leaders of the Kathmandu valley who are working together for the growth of the Lord's work in Nepal. We discussed almost four hours on earthquake related subjects. We talked in the below mentioned outline:

A.   Review of past 10 weeks:
We have accomplished much good and needed work. Soon after earthquake we sent five Christian leaders at Rasuwa and Dhading, Himalayan districts where most of the houses were totally destroyed. This is in Northern part of Nepal. They returned after 11 days of survey and immediate relief work. We have 12 congregations and nearly 400 Christian families' lives in those districts. We have provided food materials for 600 families. We are going to distribute more tarpaulin, blankets and zinc roofing in coming days.

Another group went to distribute relief materials at South-west and midst of Nepal called Makwanpur, Chitwan and Tanahun where we have 12 congregations and 235 Christian's families. Most of our graduated students and other preachers are actively working in these areas. We have provided food materials like rice, lentils (Daal), cooking oil, salt, tarpaulin, general medicine, and blankets to the Christians and nonChristian families.

We did similar relief work at Kathmandu valley. All of our preachers, Nepali Christian men and women, All of our students and many adults have helped us in medical camp, food distribution.

We believe that we have made big improvements among ourselves in Nepal. But still we have little gap and problems in communication. Many outside people were willing to come and help. We have sent our reports to share our priorities and plans. But most of the outside groups who want to come and help hesitate to share their proper plan. At the same time we can't tell them not to come. We found like these little problems in proper communication. Now we learned our weaknesses and strengths. This kind of relief work is really new to us. We all are learning new experiences.

B.   Current Priorities …… Monsoon Season:
We are searching and purchasing metal sheets for weather protection. We have provided some of them at Kathmandu and Southern part Tanahun. We will provide zinc roof or metal steel for people. We have purchased 2000 pieces of blankets and mosquito nets. We will purchase some more dried foods that will not perish like rice, lentils, beans, cooking oil, salt, clothing and mattresses. We will supply them in greatest needs of Makwanpur, Chitwan, Rasuwa and Dhading and other affected areas. We contacted metal sheet manufacturing and will purchase 300 bundles of them. We found problems in transportation and delivery due to monsoon. God's grace and guidance is always with us. We can do all things through Jesus Christ, who strength us.

C.   Current Financial information:
God has opened the hearts of thousands of people around the world for our needs and help. We are thankful for your generous love and kind help. We are receiving financial help from many individual people and congregations.

I (Gajendra) have      Cash Nepali Rupees        Rs. 2,862,531.0
Bro. Parsuram        Cash Nepali Rupees        Rs.    411,000.0
In our bank         Cash Nepali Rupees        Rs. 3,967,957.0

D.   Spiritual Ministry:
Every time we travel to deliver relief items, we also plan to have Bible classes and devotionals for adults and children. Our ladies want to be active in this ministry with the women and children in the villages. Some of our young adults will also be active. We are already hearing stories about how the attendance at some worship services has increased because our brothers and sisters have been sharing the items we deliver to them with their neighbors. We have decided to re-visit again for spiritual encouragement to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have already purchased Bibles, song books and Children Bible story books in a large quantity to distribute for spiritual encouragement. So that our Christian brethren will be encouraged and nonChristians will have opportunity to know God, Jesus and His people on the earth.

E.   Foreign Groups:
All foreign groups have their own motives toward earthquake relief work. We are very much worried about their time, money, labor. We are learning that many groups have complicated and have ulterior motives for what they do in Nepal.  Some of them come more for Fund Raising Publicity than to help the local people.

One man came at 9 AM, took pictures of destroyed building, pictures of him giving a few bags of rice, and left KTM at 3 PM the same day. One man has been here twice. We don’t know of any good he has done. Some groups request information from us while they conceal their plans. Other groups have been extremely helpful with advice, good with communication, and generous with financial support.

F.   Future?
The job of restoring some form and degree of normal life for the people will be a very long, labor intensive and financially costly work of love.

Our goal of the future or after this monsoon will be rebuilding homes and repairing homes of our Christian brothers and sisters. These must begin small for the first winter. Then, hopefully, they can be made larger and better over 2-5 years.

If the Lord is willing and we have sufficient funds we will try to replace farm animals that were killed. These are needed for sustaining daily life. We will consider them to provide cooking pots, pans, knives, beds and essential furniture and school supplies.

I (Gajendra) am going with two Christian brothers from the 11 day May trip to the mountains, back to the remote mountains by helicopter on Wednesday and returning on Monday. We will visit a number of villages and get information of current conditions, priorities for the next 3 months. We will encourage the brothers to get organized for rebuilding, and come back with information that will help us use whatever resources we have in October for the greatest good. We will take food materials and blankets and mosquito nets with us to distribute them.

Most of the poor people in the villages cannot supply the money to meet these needs.  They will have to provide the hours of hard labor. Others outside their villages will also have to supply labor to deliver needed items. The money to meet these needs after the monsoon and extending for the next 5 years is nowhere to be found in Nepal.  

We need your help. We need the kind of help where there is clear communication, the actions match the words, and there is accountability from us to you and from you to us.

We are spending huge amounts of money for delivering relief materials. It has been suggested that we buy a used truck to help with deliveries. This could be useful now and also over the next number of years. Maybe non-financial providing organizations such as Mission Resources Network and others could establish cooperative communication with other groups so they could team-up for some special projects such as this. This would be just one item that we might put on a “wish list” were we to ever get bold enough to allow ourselves to think this way. This is all new to us. We are learning fast and with a fair amount of wisdom also.  We want to hear, and even plead for, your suggestions from your years of experience knowing what works and what may be non-productive.

Once again, thank you for your love, support and spiritual encouragement. May God bless you all.

Brothers in Christ,

Gajendra Deshar               gajendra_deshar@yahoo.com
Parsuram Sunchuri            psunchuri@yahoo.com
Jerry Golphenee                jrgx21958@gmail.com

Seventeen Baptisms And Seven Restorations Makes For A Nice Campaign...

Receive greetings from your Kenyan family, we pray you are doing well.

The training is off to a great start with quarter four, year one. We now have 19 students, after one left due to difficulty in the training. What is worth rejoicing is the fact that the student declared he will be faithful to God despite the failure to finish the training. Keep him in your prayers. We not only train preachers, but we also build there faith in the word of God to be able to walk the spiritual journey to the end.

During the three week break, I thought we, the faculty, were the busiest of all by leading the gospel campaign in Marega. We went door to door and later a gospel meeting in the evening for three days. The seed we planted lead to four souls later on obeying the gospel. Elias traveled over 200km to preach in the Kamato gospel meeting and we pray God will give the increase. I cannot forget two more invitations to speak at other gospel meetings which I could not attend due to lack of funds.  

When the students came back and reported what they were leading and part of, I saw men who are busy doing good. The majority were speakers at gospel campaigns and seminars that lead to 13 baptisms and 7 restorations. All of them during the period led worship. This is a message of confidence the church leaders has in them.

During this fourth quarter, Elias is teaching 1st and 2nd Peter and Church Planting, I am teaching the Gospel according to Luke, 1st Samuel through to 2nd Chronicles, while Joseph Ochola will teach Ezra to Esther. We will conclude by two short courses, The Gospel of John and Foundation of Missions that will be taught by teachers from the USA.

There is a great need for books, Bibles, tracts, Bible correspondence courses and Bible materials. We pray we be considered with those among others to help in the further training of preachers and spreading the sound gospel.

We are truly grateful for the roles everyone is playing that brings these fruits to God’s Kingdom.

God bless you more as you continue to pray and support this cause.

His servant and yours,

Charles Ogutu

Southern Institute Of Biblical Studies Prepares For IT Training...

May Report

Campus Church Re-Locates
Hitherto, the church here met on the school campus, Dobro. Since this place is a suburb and quite isolated from the main township, efforts were made over the period to move the church into the main town. Following an earlier campaign last year, a week’s follow-up was organized this time as a sequel to proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus

On this mission, a team comprising some older preachers and students at [SIBS] was raised for the work. Although we experienced some disruption by the rains, we remained defiant since of course, we are in the rainy season. The campaign mainly involved distributing large quantities of tracts, conducting personal evangelism in people’s private homes, work places and on the streets. While the majority of the people gave a good listening, they were rather hesitant in taking immediate decision to completely respond in baptism. Most of those studied with postponed the decision to be baptized. At the close of the campaign, there were three who came forward to be baptized. One main objective of this campaign is that, we were able to have the church start meeting in the centre of town, where the meeting place would be accessible to both people from the suburbs and the main town Dobro. 

ICT Training
The issue of students’ life after school was recently discussed among directors of the five Bear Valley extension schools in West Africa, in Accra-Ghana, among other issues concerning progress of the various institutions. The directors are: Willie Gley – Togo; Matthew Ackah, West Coast – Ghana; Baah Okyere, TIBS - Ghana; Seth Osae-Larbi, SIBS – Ghana; Eben Makinde – Nigeria. The meeting was hosted by Steve Ashcraft, West Africa regional co-ordinator of Bear Valley extension programs. While all agreed that the issue was a laudable one, we also thought of what possibly could be done in each school respectively, to alleviate new preachers’ support problems, after their graduation. With a couple of laptops at our disposal, [SIBS] has engaged the services of an IT person to offer basic training in computer skills to our students. This means, besides the students acquiring knowledge of computer to helping with their academic work, they could also possibly avail themselves of the economic potential of the training. In that regard, it would be a great help to receive a couple more of such used laptops. Continue to keep us always in your thoughts and prayers.

June Report

[SIBS] Making Steady Impact
As we struggle to make our presence felt in the brotherhood, and in the midst of already existing training programs, we admit it’s going to take much effort and dedication to keep our head above the waters.

Our students continue with the weekly campaign visits to area congregations which are yielding very positive results.

People in the neighborhood of where [SIBS] is currently located are gradually learning of the school and its mission. The school’s location is in the neighborhood of retired military officers and civil servants. One retired naval officer and his wife were recently baptized.

The good news this time is, we have a retired lady civil servant, who is also a strong Methodist member, who after hearing of [SIBS] developed such absorbing interest in the school that she requested to join the classes. Maureen Simpson, who is 61 years old, has since participated ardently to study the word of God. We also think turning her away would definitely close the door for our reaching her with the gospel. Besides her class studies, we are gradually preaching the gospel to her, praying that she would eventually come to the knowledge of the truth and embrace it.

Master’s Program
Besides the regular Preacher training program, is the Master’s program which is also on-going here. The recent class held in April was a tremendous success. There were eighteen students in attendance, but just two who attended on non-scoring basis. In the end, both students and the instructor had a very good and interesting learning experience, with the students in particular benefiting greatly with good exposure and great insight of the scriptures.

SIBS Registration
It’s also a great pleasure to note that [SIBS] has officially been registered with the Registrar General’s Department to operate as a religious institution in the country with the liberty to pursue our objectives of Preacher and Leadership training. Please, continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

In Christ’s service,  

Seth Osae-Larbi
Southern Institute of Biblical Studies

Eleven Baptisms Recorded With The WCSOP In Ghana...

May Report

Dear Brethren,

By the grace of God, another month of operation has gone past successfully. The school re-opened for the third term, the last on our academic calendar, on the 18th of May, 2015. As has been our usual practice, classes began immediately in the first week of re-opening. All the students and the instructors were on hand for an effective teaching and learning.

REPORT  FROM  STUDENTS 
The break was for one month and upon their return, the students gave an impressive report on how they used the break period to teach others. A total of eleven (11) baptisms were recorded.

POULTRY/GARDEN/GOATS
Again, we wish to express our thanks and appreciation for this project. The birds have begun to lay eggs. We are collecting few eggs as of this time since this is the beginning. We hope as days go on the rate at which they lay eggs would increase. Some of the instructors and the students have taken keen interest in the project and are monitoring the process of keeping and management.

BROTHER DANIEL AMPADU ASIAMAH
We continue to ask for your prayers for him.

June Report

Thankfully another month of operation has ended successfully. Classroom and other related works have been very successful. Instructors and all students were punctual to class.

POULTRY/GARDEN
The rates of which the birds are laying eggs have increased. We are trying to keep a record on how they are laying. Averagely they are laying about thirty (30) eggs a day. We hope as the days go on, all forty-eight birds would lay an egg each day.

BROTHER DANIEL AMPADU ASIAMAH
We again ask for your continuous prayer for him. His recovering rate has been very slow as has been said always.

Thank you.
Brother Charles Mensah

Special Workshop And Study On Baptism In Paraguay...

Furlough time is now over and we have returned to the work in Paraguay. We were blessed with an uneventful return trip home and walked into a house that wasn’t a complete disaster (like last year’s mold problem). I hadn’t been back more than a couple of days when it was already time to get back to work. We feel so honored to have this privilege of working in Paraguay. We hope this month’s report brings you a little encouragement from our little corner of the world. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support.

Andrea and I were blessed to get to visit with so many good brethren during our furlough this year! We always love getting to visit and we appreciate the many friendships that have developed over the years. This year I had the privilege of getting to visit my alma mater, Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin, TX. We also went to visit our brethren at Brown Trail School of Preaching in Ft. Worth, TX.

Developments at the Avenida Sacramento church of Christ
Trent Kennedy and his family have been in Paraguay now for several weeks and have adjusted quite well to South American culture. They have been very active in their time here! Trent has begun teaching classes in the Asuncion Bible Academy, preached one Sunday, and has helped in home Bible studies. He and his wife, Lisa, have picked up several students and have been teaching English using the Bible. We are excited to have them here and they are doing such a great job. You can follow their experiences on their blog at: beingwhatiwanttobe.blogspot.com

We were so excited to return to Paraguay to find the church just as busy as ever! They have carried out continued studies, made several new decisions, and are developing new plans. A missionary’s job is to work himself out of a job. That is what is happening in Paraguay! These brethren are growing in every way: in spiritual maturity, in leadership, and in numbers. Our goal is to develop a church that is self-supporting, self- governing, and self- propagating. The church in Paraguay is arriving at that very goal! Praise God!

Developments at the Asuncion Bible Academy
Brother Gary Fallis from the Bear Valley Bible Institute came to Paraguay to teach “The Godhead” in the Academy. He brought his wife, Sarah, with him who also took the opportunity to teach some classes to our ladies of the congregation. We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication to the Lord’s Kingdom that the Fallis’ provide.

This quarter had the students participating in a special workshop and study on baptism as part of the curriculum. They learned the fundamental principles of baptism and also how to physically administer a baptism. The ladies also watched and asked questions in order to understand the mechanics of a baptism.

Andrea and I had the opportunity to meet up with Luis Camacho, our BVBID Stateside Coordinator for the Academy, while we were home on furlough. We were able to finalize more plans for the Academy and develop a few new ones. We always enjoy our time with Luis and are grateful for his service to the Academy.

Our local missionary, evangelist, Academy teacher, and beloved Panamanian, Eliezer Perez, has announced that he and one of our sisters in Christ, Raquel Franco, are engaged to be married! Eliezer has returned to Panama for a few weeks in order to get all his legal documents in order so he can apply for permanent residency in Paraguay. The couple hope to be married by the end of this year. He has also completed his initial two year agreement with the church, so a new agreement will be put in place upon his return.

God bless
Troy and Andrea Spradlin

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

Students In Practice Teaching Prepare For Ministry In Nigeria...

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

Greetings to you and your loving family from the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and Lagos Satellite Campus.

This afternoon, our 36 Students at Ibadan’s main campus and a  few from Agege-Lagos State campus traveled to their different stations for a month of teaching practice.

Below are their names and where they served.

(1) Akinade O. Akinleye - Church of Christ, Ore Ondo State
(2) Destiny Elijah Sunday - Church of Christ, Onikokoro-Ibadan Oyo State
(3) Benjamin Okon - Church of Christ, Owoedemeli, Imo State 
(4) Idowu Olusegun - Church of Christ, Isanlu Kogi State
(5) Ikechukwu Eze Collins - Church of Christ, Abusoro-Akure Ondo State
(6) Ikape Matthew Ikwe - Church of Christ, Ore Ondo State
(7) Isaac Philip - Church of Christ, Erinmo-Ijesha Osun State
(8) Isikwu S. Chukwunuike - Church of Christ, Abusoro-Akure Ondo State
(9) Nnamdi Blessing Eze - Church of Christ, Osisioma Nawa, Aba Abia State
(10) Nwaorji Emmanuel - Church of Christ, Ilisan - 2 Ogun State
(11) Samuel Omotayo - Church of Christ, Kube-Ibadan Oyo State
(12) Shotola Emmanuel O. - Church of Christ, Mile 12 Lagos State
(13) Victor Yiron Smasher - Church of Christ, Jalingos Taraba State
(14) Adedoyin Sola Rotimi - Church of Christ, Omuaran, KwaraState
(15) Amos Abana - Church of Christ, Aja, Estate, Lagos State
(16) Anthony Samuel - Church of Christ, Ijegun, Lagos State
(17) Augustine Odoh - Church of Christ, Asejire, Ondo State
(18) Gabriel Ishom - Church of Christ, Onikokoro- Ibadan Oyo State
(19) GodwinEde Edor - Church of Christ, Wasimi, Osun State
(20) Festus Ayoo - Church of Christ, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State
(21) Ilori Gbenga Dare - Church of Christ, Abusoro-Akure, Ondo State
(22) Makinde Emmanuel Anu - Church of Christ, Ogbomoso, Oyo State
(23) Matthew Odey - Church of Christ, Maryland, Lagos State
(24) Olofingorite A. Mayowa - Church of Christ, Ire, Osun State
(25) Optimism Onyeanulam - Church of Christ, Oporo Rd. Aba, AbiaState
(26) Tsado Jonathan - Church of Christ, Bashita, Kwara State
(27) Olorode Samuel Olu - Church of Christ, Asejire- II Osun State
(28) Zege John Tobi - Church of Christ, Ofada, Ogun State
(29) James Olaosebikan A. - Church of Christ, Agoro, Ogun State
(30) Nwachukwu Andrew - Church of Christ, Iyana-Ipaja Lagos State
(31) Faith Ohemu - Church of Christ, Aparadija, Ogun State
(32) Okpachui Emmanuel - Church of Christ, Ido-Ekiti 
(33) Victor Dominic Edet - Church of Christ, Omu-Aran, Kwara State
(34) Eno Edet - Church of Christ, Ipaja, Lagos State
(35) Isaac Adebayo Adewolu - Church of Christ, Iroko, Ogun State
(36) Ekundayo Akerele - Church of Christ, Ikeja, Lagos State.

Brethren, we are pleading with you all to please remember these soldiers of Christ in your daily prayers for successful outreach.

This one month teaching practice cost us the sum of $500, as usual, and we rely on God through your generous donations to enable us to pay back the money before I embark on a two week trip to Ghana with brother Isaac Olaniyan in continuation of our studies with Bear Valley Bible Institute International, Accra Graduate School from August 10th through 21st 2015 where brother Jerry Bates shall be our guest lecturer.

Those willing to partner with us in this one month student’s teaching practice should send their generous donation to us through brother Doug Wheeler (SWSE-Patron) or brother Steven Ashcraft (BVBI-West Africa Director) or brother David Ballard (BVBI-Cameroon & Nigeria Coordinator) or through brother Bob Turner (BVBI- Director of Extension Schools) before July 20, 2015 to enable me to get the money in the early week of August before I travel out of Ibadan to Western Nigeria Christian College and School of Biblical Studies, Abeokuta, Ogun State on August 6th-7th where I am to speak on “The Hope of The Crucified Life” (I Cor. 15) in their 16th Annual Bible Lectureship and to Ghana, by road, on Saturday, August 8, 2015 Lord’s willing.

Thanks so much for your brotherly kindness and love.  

May God, in His infinite mercies, continue showering His abundant blessings on all your undertaking is our fervent prayer. Stay blessed and be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your Fellow Pilgrims,

Makinde Ebens Olufemi (Director of Studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan & Lagos Campus, Nigeria.
For & Behalf of SWSE-Nigeria

The Future is Bright for French Cameroon

We greet you with the love of God. God is great and His love abides for forever.

The students enjoyed the first semester courses and most especially the short-courses. We are grateful of the the fact that with our few number in our school, most of them are proving to be very serious and are determined to see that they will become very strong preachers and their works show they will be in Jesus name.

We started with our next semester courses effectively and we pray the devil should not come to seize what God has put in place. We are also proceeding with our weekend evangelism and also with the new congregation that we started at Mujuka whereby about 14 persons are already worshiping there and students go there every week. God is torching the souls of people via our school. Please keep on praying for our student.

Ititi Benedict Nimending
Director BVBIC-Mbanga
 

Spiritual Growth To Maturity Highlights The Report...

As a part of the summer activities, travel is on the agenda for several among the extension program. Some are traveling to South Africa, while others travel to Cambodia, West Africa, East Africa, along with Central and South America. Reports from various locations continue to emphasize the work developing in the training of kingdom workers. We are encouraged by the ways the program is growing.

The reports this week indicate the spiritual growth of the church in East Africa, the move to a more permanent location for the school in Ukraine, souls added to the kingdom in various locations reporting, and the edification of brethren who are built up in the faith. As you take time to read through the reports, please pray about the various individuals enduring hardship in their endeavor for the sake of the kingdom.

We believe you will be greatly encouraged as you read through this week’s reports. The news is truly amazing. The growth, maturity, outreach, dedication, and sacrifice made by so many brethren around the world makes this partnership one of the best for the kingdom of our God and Savior.

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 at the following link, please click here.

Extension Reports 

Pray For The Health Of Elangwe And His Son: While the outreach continues to grow in Cameroon, please pray for the situation with Elangwe and his son.

Students Return With News Of Baptisms And Restorations: The evangelism demonstrated by students in the new school of Mbanga, Cameroon is producing fruit.

Adversity Brings Forth Opportunity And Reveals Maturity: The work in Cambodia demonstrates how the church and school continue to grow to maturity even through adversity.

The School In Ukraine Is Moving To A More Permanent Location: After months of conflict and turmoil in Ukraine, the school is moving to a better location for future development.

Help Needed To Keep A Congregation Working In Babati, Tanzania: Recent events created an emergency situation with a location congregation in Babati. Please read how you can help.

Reflecting On The Youth Seminar And Spiritual Disciplines Classes: A staff member at ACSOP reflects on the great youth seminar and the close of spiritual disciplines classes.

Surprise!!! Return To Tanzania Comes Sooner Than Expected: Sean Hochdorf was able to make a return visit to the work in Tanzania and surprised the staff and students.

The Backbone Of The Work At ACSOP Honored For Their Efforts: Those dedicated to the work of training preachers in Arusha were recently honored for their efforts.

Final Thoughts 
One final note of appreciation to each of you for your involvement in the extension training program. The development of this work and the results seen throughout the world are directly connected to your participation in this effort. Thank you. Our prayer is for your encouragement and God’s richest blessings.

God bless
Bob

The Backbone Of The Work At ACSOP Honored For Their Efforts...

Proverbs 3:27 says, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so." With that in mind, some of the men and women who form the local backbone of the work at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching were honored with an appreciation dinner last week. We took them to the Arusha Coffee Lodge for a nice dinner, then we presented them with some small gifts to express our gratitude to them. The work couldn't take place without men and women like this. Their efforts are critical to the present, as well as to the future of the work. Join with me in thanking God for them, and praying that He blesses them. 

The highlight of the evening was a surprise guest appearance by Sean Hochdorf (Sean now works with the mission from the US side, but he lived in Tanzania for several years). Everyone was delighted to see him.

Today, I introduced the Spiritual Disciplines seminar to the Manyire congregation. This was the site of a recent campaign, so it was good to have the chance to check up on them. I took along Ayubu (Job) with me.  Ayubu is the preacher at the Ilkiurei congregation. I'm training him to be able to take this set of lessons to other congregations himself. Next month he should be prepared to start the seminar at Moshi without me. The ladies of the congregation prepared some delicious rice and stew for us after church, capping off a very enjoyable visit.

Josiah Update: After his initial EEG, the neurologist has decided to do a 72-hour EEG and a sedated MRI. These tests are scheduled to begin on August 3. We appreciate your prayers and support. We especially want to thank those of you who have sent additional contributions. We'll keep you informed as information becomes available.

Daniel

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

Surprise!!! Return To Tanzania Comes Sooner Than Expected...

I love surprising people, especially those I consider dear. Since the doctor had cleared me to fly I made arrangements to get back to TZ as soon as possible. The brethren there did not expect that I would return until late November. Cy Stafford and Daniel Gaines agreed to keep my trip a secret and snuck me in after arriving at the airport Wednesday evening. For those of you who have been to TZ you know one of the most popular sayings is “there are no secrets in Africa”. This has proven true time and time again and we weren’t quite sure if we would be able to pull it off. Turns out we did a pretty fair job at keeping it on the down low. Cy and Daniel had arranged for a nice dinner for a number of the brethren and their wives to say thank you for their recent participation in the summer campaigns. Cy hid me behind a stand of trees until the group had arrived and taken their seats. Daniel came and retrieved me and it was great to see that they were genuinely surprised and, even better, glad to see me. It has been, and is, such a great privilege to work with these brethren. They have traveled so far in their spiritual walk and it makes all of the missionaries here swell with pride and joy to see how their faith has so richly matured.

This morning I had the privilege to preach at the Kisongo church of Christ. They didn’t know I was coming to worship with them so no translator was present except for our good brother Ahimidiwe Kimaro. Since I can’t translate or speak Swahili good enough to preach, I was elected to preach and Ahimidiwe translated. It was very encouraging to be with the brethren in Kisongo once again.

The Arusha church of Christ wrapped up their week-long campaign on Sunday. This campaign was significant for the church in this area for a number of reasons, namely, that the brethren organized and conducted the entire campaign without the aid of missionaries or U.S. campaigners. Also of importance was the tremendous support shown by fellow brethren from around the country and even Kenya. There were 75 brethren that participated in the campaign making the trip to Arusha from as far away Kyela, Tanzania (an 18hr treacherous bus ride). Aside from the exciting results of the campaign, we are thrilled to see the motivation and initiative of our Tanzanian brethren to place their trust in the Lord and successfully stand on their own to conduct such a monumental effort. God certainly blessed their diligent efforts and we give all praise and glory to Him for so doing. When it was all said and done the campaigners had conducted:

47 Bible classes
56 Bible correspondence courses
2300 tracts distributed
4 precious souls were added to the body of Christ. Pray for Sylvia, Rosemary, Angel and Lydia as they start their walk in Christ.
Numerous visitors were present for Sunday’s worship

I look forward to reporting more good news about the work in Tanzania in the near future. We are most grateful for your support. The results mentioned above most likely would not have happened were it not for faithful supporters like you. Thank you.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

In Christ,
Sean and Anita Hochdorf

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

Reflecting On The Youth Seminar And Spiritual Disciplines Classes...

It’s my hope that this short report finds you well. God is always great. I have witnessed how God’s providence works through His children. Last week there was a great youth seminar that was held at the Kilimanjaro Bible school building. There was at least one hundred and fifty youth in that seminar. I was scheduled to teach on Saturday morning on how the Lord’s church can be self-supporting. I taught a sermon that had many questions from the youth because they had seen a lot struggles in the church. This is a one week seminar which rotates among the churches of Tanzania each a year. These young men came from many churches in the country. The greatest news is that six young men who attended seminar were baptized, and one of them was from the Kisongo church. It was surprising to see a young boy from the Kisongo Church leading songs and praying while I have never seen his hidden talent. I met with various teachers and preachers from all over the country using their talents to help young men.

Also, last Sunday I was at the Kioga church teaching in the spiritual discipline seminar, while Charles Hebert ended the same seminar at Kisongo. As you may know, edification is necessary for the children of God. This seminar has had a big impact on the church, as there is big growth due to the teachings of this seminar. The efforts of individual Christians participating in various activities in the church is evidence of the growth. At the Kioga church, there are many older people and I was amazed with their great love and compassion. The people seem to understand the lesson by asking many questions after Bible class and after worship. 

These great efforts would not be possible without a great team which you are a part of. God is the great leader of that team. Please remember the ACSOP team in your prayers as they are planning things for the glory of God, also without forgetting the missionaries who are not sleeping thinking about this work. May the God of heaven be with you.

In His Work,

Ahimidiwe
Assistant Director, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school
Arusha, Tanzania

Help Needed To Keep A Congregation Working In Babati, Tanzania...

Greetings Fellow Servants;

It is a joy and a privilege to be called a child of God. To know we have a family without borders and a home prepared for us in eternity brings true peace to the soul. If it is true, and it is, that God desires all mankind everywhere to know Him and come to a knowledge of the Truth, then we as HIs family must know, He has chosen us to make known the “unsearchable richest of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8). Let each of us be a person who not only go to “church,” but the “church” who go to the world. 

Since May of this year we have been a part of no less than five “Safari for Souls” campaigns. Hundreds of souls, if not thousands, have heard the truth of the gospel and the Lord continues to give the increase. It is such a blessing to see our fellow Christians from America come and give sacrificially. To see the “light” go off in their eyes as they witness firsthand, some for the very first time in their Christian lives, the true power of the gospel in the lives of those desire to hear and know the truth. To be a part of God’s Kingdom growth here in Tanzania, East Africa, witnessing the nurturing of the various new church plants, well, it is simply amazing. 

The Arusha congregation is finishing their campaign. A campaign they planned and executed with 75 faithful workers. They invited evangelists (and their wives) from all over Tanzania. They have done a great work and in so doing, four souls were added to the Church, forty-seven bible studies established, 56 Bible correspondence courses set up, and more then 2,300 Bible tracts distributed. 

The Ushirombo congregation, where our brother Yusuph Mdaki ministers, just completed a week long seminar as well. They had elven congregations and 130 workers present. To see our graduates from the Andrew Connally School of Preaching grow and lead in the growth of the Lord’s church is so encouraging. 

I received a visitor this past week by the name of Thobias Lupagalo. Thobias is married with one child. He is a High School teacher at Babati (a couple of hours southeast of Arusha). Thobias was introduced to the Lord’s church at a young age here in Arusha. He moved to Dar es Salaam to complete his High School education as well as his college degree education. He is a strong servant of Christ, godly husband and father. 

Thobias came to Arusha begging for help. He, along with the Babati congregation, have worked hard to secure a location for the church to meet. The city of Babati is growing and now one of the largest cities in Tanzania. The congregation has saved around $1,000 to help purchase land. The place where they are now meeting has a small house where they can worship. The owner has given them to the end of July to either pay the balance of $2,500 or they will lose the $1,000 they have given and will be forced to vacate the property. 

This is the ONLY congregation of the Lord’s people in this huge city of lost souls. PLEASE consider this opportunity and help us help them help themselves. 

On behalf of the entire Tanzania Missions team, we say thank you to all who have played a part in making this work of God possible. Until all have heard…

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

The School In Ukraine Is Moving To A More Permanent Location...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches. 

Thank you for your prayers and the help that you offer for the work of the Institute and for my family. Last month, we ended our school year in Ternopil. And most likely we will start a new school year in a different city. We've had time to think about what place would be the best for the Institute. When considering different locations we had several criteria in mind: 1. It should be a big city with convenient transport connections; 2. There should be a sound church of Christ congregation there; 3. It should be convenient for Ukrainian teachers to travel to; 4. It should be convenient for American teachers to travel to (international airport); 5. It should be city with no language barriers for both Ukrainian and Russian speakers; 6. It should be safe for students and workers of the Institute. I’ve sought counsel from both American and Ukrainian brethren, and we prayed for the future of the Institute. As a result, we all had but one option, which was agreeable for everyone – the city of Dnepropetrovsk. There is a church of Christ congregation there, where BVBIU graduate, Alexander Rodichev, preaches. The congregation in Dnepropetrovsk is willing to provide us with a place to have classes and school events. I’m asking you to pray for our plans and the future of the Institute. 

The situation in Ukraine is still unstable. Unfortunately, the towns near the frontline suffer from shootings. Gorlovka is one of them. There are bomb explosions and shootings in town every day, and many people can get back to their homes. The only good thing is that the borders are the way they were decided in Minsk in February. Ukrainian army strengthened their positions all around that territory, and it seems it won’t be easy for the Russian army to move as easily as they did last year. 

It is summer vacation time at the Institute and the period of evangelizing practice for the students. Students received assignments for each summer month: they have to preach, teach Bible classes, evangelize on the streets, and visit those who got sick or left the congregation. 

My family and I are in Kramatorsk at our parents, and we witnessed how the church of Christ in Kramatorsk distributed humanitarian aid among the refugees. I have also preached at the Slavyansk church of Christ last Sunday. It’s so nice to be back to my hometown and have fellowship with brothers and sisters that we haven’t seen for so long. The atmosphere in Kramatorsk is peaceful. There are many soldiers and military machines on the streets. Right now there is a VBS at the Kramatosk church of Christ, which is the usual camp that Jeff Abrams and his team does. We are grateful for his ministry. 

We plan to move to Dnepropetrovsk in July. I will have to move the Institute’s and my personal belongings there in the time remaining. I will have to find a place for the students to live and continue looking for the new students for this school year. I’m asking you to pray for our plans to work out. 

My family, our students, and teaching staff sends you their greetings. We thank every person who prays for us and supports us financially. I know God has prepared the best for us. 

Your brother and coworker for the Lord’s cause,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

Adversity Brings Forth Opportunity And Reveals Maturity!

The wisdom that we attain through trials and suffering in our lives is such a wonderful blessing from God (Jas 1:2-3)! As we mature in our walk with God, we learn to see and adjust to adversity for the better. We trust that God is involved and that he is trying to grow us to be mature children of His. Whether it be losing your current job or the government unexpectedly demolishing your property unjustly just to spite you, you learn to take it in stride and look for the positive. Maybe losing our job opens up new opportunities to serve God in a different way. Joseph lost his job as a servant of Potiphar only to be second in command to Pharaoh and ultimately bring the children of Israel to Egypt. 

Do we have the same patience and forbearance as Joseph and trust that God knows what He's doing? When people in authority misuse their power against us unjustly, do we remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12 and of Paul in Romans 13:1-7? How we react to these circumstances demonstrates our maturity as God's children. I am pleased to say that the church in Siem Reap has met such adversity and responded with such maturity. We came together, encouraged one another, and showed our growth as children of God. We realize that sometimes we don’t see eye to eye with each other, but we can always look forward together in Christ. We are so thankful for the local work that's producing mature and capable leaders through the Bible school and orphanage. We are thankful for our brethren overseas who are supporting us both financially and spiritually. Please continue to support and pray for the work of Christ here in Cambodia.

Hout's mother finally putting on Christ in baptism. We are so happy for Hout!

The church in Siem Reap shared its blessings with the villagers in Sambu. Thanks to our brothers and sisters in Bear Valley, we were able to provide some food for over 100 people at a village where two of our future graduates will work at!

Phanat

To see Phanat’s report with pictures of Hout’s mother being baptized and the food provisions at Sambu, please click here.