A Month To Be Thankful...

November is a month that provides an opportunity in the U.S. to celebrate Thanksgiving. Other countries around the world also celebrate a time of Thanksgiving, some earlier in the year and others near this time. Regardless, we know the value of expressing our gratitude. We also know that an attitude of thanksgiving is not a yearly event, but daily. During the next few weeks as we lead up to this special day, we will focus on a few areas where we are thankful.

We are thankful for the dedicated staff who serve in each location. Whether talking about BVBI in Denver or the eighteen locations where we are privileged to work along side those who serve in the extension program, the dedication of these staff members is worthy of emulating. Without them this program would not function at such a strong level. The time spent preparing for classes, teaching students, providing an evangelistic example, and working with local congregations to grow exemplifies the dedication to the Lord that demands our gratitude. We thank you and we thank God for you.

Students in Denver continue to plow their way through the coursework of all six classes and they near the mid-way point in the quarter. Students in each extension location also make their way through coursework as they approach the new year. Reports below indicate the level of activity they demonstrate in their work both in and out of the classroom.

With the approaching new year, two new locations will begin training preachers: Fiji and Malawi. Please pray for these areas as we work together to provide training for men who desire to share the gospel. We look forward to sharing news about the development and progress of the students throughout their journey. 

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

Taking The Gospel And Teaching Others To Read And Write: The past week was filled with evangelism in Cameroon, along with efforts to help others learn to read and write.

After A Trip To Gorlovka, BVBIU Focuses On Evangelism: After a heart-wrenching trip to war-torn Ukraine, staff and students spend time evangelizing areas in Western Ukraine.

First Year Student At ACSOP In Tanzania Is Filled With Gratitude: One of the top students at ACSOP expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to attend school and serve in the kingdom.

Thoughts On Inviting Missionaries To Speak At The Local Congregation: A wonderful article by Daniel Gaines highlights reasons for inviting missionaries to speak to the church.

Final Thoughts
Closing out the reports this week with a focus on why we should invite missionaries to speak to our congregations was encouraging. Our prayer is that each of us will see the value of the God-given role of helping brethren who dedicate themselves to go to various locations around the world preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus. According to scripture, we are to send them in a manner worthy of God, and by our support we are fellow workers with the truth (3 Jn. 6-8).

God bless
Bob

Taking The Gospel And Teaching Others To Read And Write...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. I am sure this mail will get to you late because it is already 10:30 pm in Cameroon. It was not easy for us to return to Wotutu from our different weekend evangelism mission fields because of bad roads, but thank God we are all here safe and sound even though with pains.

I am sure you are doing great and God’s blessings are evident in your life and that of your family and the church family.

Last week in BVBIC-Wotutu went on well. The brother who was sick returned to school stronger. Keep praying for brother Oponde Daniel.

We were set for mission work over the weekend. If you were to look around us well you would see that climate change has really affected us as now in November rain is still falling. That is why mission work is expensive because the roads are bad.

The news about reading glasses is still moving and evangelists from different congregations and different villages continue to come to Wotutu to get theirs, like evangelist Etah Edwin from Bekumu, which is about 2 hours on the Atlantic Ocean to Idenau.

The tracts from Mission Printing keep going out from Wotutu to different ministers in different places, which will go a long way to enhance their evangelistic efforts. I got a message from a village far away from Wotutu where one man read through our tracts and called to say he has seen the truth and has many questions to ask. His appeal has been directed to a nearby preacher who just opened a study with him. This will surely be an open door for that community to get the truth because the church of Christ is not located there. Keep this in your prayers. Three precious souls obeyed the gospel this week in the Wotutu area.

Education is the bedrock that will help the church in the future. In Wotutu we know the value of Christian education and we are doing all within our ability to make it known in the communities around Wotutu for many to benefit from it. We started with the very young and empty minds of the kids in Brightland Christian Academy and now we are taking it gradually to the parents with what we call Adult Literacy Classes. Some people know how to read and write. Through our visions we are teaching people for free to come and learn how to read and write in the evenings after they return from their farms. Many are eager to learn as you will see them running to the class after a busy day in their farms. It shows that they have interest. Through this media we are sure to penetrate those who believe in our visions and they are being part of it either through their kids who are attending our school or now through the parents as they get songs, prayers and Bible devotions, along side teaching the circular subjects. Please, I am confident this way we shall go far in reaching out to many.

Learning is great. I know that reading opens you to the world. One lady showed her exercise to my wife who is teaching them and once she said you are correct it provoked smiles and happiness for someone who has never had opportunity to write anything. Women and girls are really happy with this program because they have always been, in history, victims of no access to school because of either early marriages or their parents looked upon this as a waste of time to send women to school. Please, you can come and help us change their lives with the gospel as we improve on their intellect.

Plans
We still have mass evangelism in Bomaka congregation, as they have invited us to come and help in house to house evangelism.

I will also be in another far away village for weekend evangelism.

The school in Mbanga and the church in Mujuka are also inviting us to be part of house to house evangelism next weekend.

Appreciations
God bless you for all that you do for us. God will reward you in due season, so faint not. Thank you for your prayers, deep concern, and support.

Do your best to share this with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Thoughts On Inviting Missionaries To Speak At The Local Congregation...

There are some congregations that are reluctant to have missionaries speak during their worship services because they fear that attendance will go down for that service. I admit that I can't relate to that at all. I've always loved the days when missionaries would come to visit. We would turn off the lights and look at slideshows while hearing about the Lord's work with people in an exotic land. It always felt like an exciting change of pace that was greeted with the enthusiasm of a "movie day" at school. 

However, if the attendance is off some places, then why would that be? Who is indicted by that trend? I recognize that now days, multimedia sermon presentations are so ubiquitous that the audio/visual presentation of a missionary doesn't have the same novelty that it once did. In fact, we might sometimes be behind the curve in that area because it's not useful in our daily work. (I hear guys talking about using periscope in ministry and I assume they are submarine chaplains.)

It might also be the case that people have been exposed to poorly done missions presentations. Some presentations do have the random feel of flipping through a photo album while being told disjointed stories about the pictures that are happened upon. I've seen missionaries that seem just as surprised to see what's on the next slide as their audience is. Missionaries do their works a disservice if they fail to put together a well-organized presentation that thoughtfully and strategically presents the vision and reality of their mission. 

Or perhaps past presentations have been too lengthy. We missionaries tend to be passionate about our mission. We have to be. Otherwise we would have never set out on such a journey. Our passion might lead us to behave as though hearing about our work is more important than anything else you might have to do with your time. Many of us also work in cultures that are not nearly as time-sensitive as America. We become accustomed to taking whatever time is needed, and might forget that our home culture is not quite as forgiving of that. Or we might just get excited about what we're saying, and lose track of time. When we far exceed our time allotment, then we run the risk of diminishing the audience for the next guy. On behalf of my fellow missionaries, we're sorry about that, and we need to work on it. To my fellow missionaries, hey guys let's work on this. 

Could it also be that the leaders of the local congregation haven't properly emphasized the importance of missions? Have the members been given the impression that a missions presentation is an event to look forward to, or is it treated as an afterthought - almost a commercial interruption in the regularly scheduled programming? Consider how you might influence the culture at your congregation to be more mission-minded. 

Allow me now to suggest six reasons why you should invite missionaries to your congregations:

Reasons to Invite Missionaries to Speak to Your Congregation

1. For the Sake of the Children
Each time I make my rounds on furlough reporting on our work, several children of various ages will come up to me afterwards and express interest in becoming a missionary. I doubt that all of them will follow up on that desire, but perhaps some will. At least they will have given some serious consideration to the possibility. They will think about it because they saw a real-life, flesh and blood human being stand in front of the church and describe the work that they were actually doing. This wasn't somebody in a book or on TV. Mission work is something that actual people do. So maybe they could too.

The church has always needed missionaries, and it will always need missionaries. For that to happen, then we're going to need some of our children to grow up seeing that as both a desirable ambition, and a realistic possibility. If one child from your congregation grows up to be a missionary, then it will be well worth having yielded some time to missionary presentations. 

2. For the Sake of a Broader Perspective of the World
People tend to assume that their own experiences are fairly typical. This can lead to a narrow-minded view of the world. Many missionaries work in cultures and places that are unbelievably foreign to a lot of Americans. Hearing about these people and places can give people a better grasp of their own place in the world. Spending a little time reflecting on the "less fortunate" can increase a person's gratitude for their own life situations, and put a little perspective on some of those "first-world problems" that cause such aggravation.

For example, I tend to get very frustrated because we often have to go without electricity for 12 hours a day. Then I remind myself that 2/3 of Africans don't ever have electricity. Suddenly, I don't feel quite as deprived. 

3. For the Sake of a Broader Perspective of the Kingdom
The church as described in the Bible is a kingdom that cannot be plotted on a map because it knows no political boarders. Some Christians need to be reminded that they are citizens of that kingdom first, and of America second. The church is not an American invention, nor an American institution. 

It is vital that foreign mission works be regularly set before the eyes of the congregation to remind them of the interconnectedness that the body of Christ has. Each part of the body is important. When you strike your shin against the coffee table, your hand reaches down to rub the hurt away while the eyes helplessly squeeze shut in sympathetic agony. Likewise, what happens to Christians across the globe should matter to the local Christian. Whether he can offer help or just sympathy, he still cares.

4. For the Sake of Motivating Your Members
No missionary is perfect. They are flawed individuals, and are not necessarily "better Christians" than anyone else. However, despite their imperfections, most missionaries that I know are authentic Christians who are doing something bold in the name of Christ. 

Exposing your members to these servants of God and their stories just might motivate some of them to be a little bolder themselves. Impressed with the needs of the work, they might give more boldly. Inspired by something being done elsewhere, they might decide to serve their own local church and community more boldly. Reminded of the importance of evangelism, they might just decide to evangelize their own area more boldly. 

More than once, I've heard members say, "Why can't we do that here?" Well, you can. You just need the commitment and dedication to get it done. 

5. For the Sake of Being Biblical
After Paul's first missionary journey, he went back to his "sending congregation" in Antioch. Acts 14:27 says of this return, "When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles" (emphases added). There we see a biblical example of a church assembly featuring a missions report. Being the pattern-minded people we are, this provides ample biblical authority for the practice. 

Some seem to view missions presentations as unsuited for a worship service because they're not "real lessons" and must be relegated to a bible class setting or some other gathering outside of the regular worship service. Now I am very happy to acquiesce to the desires of local leadership in this area, and I find bible class to be a perfectly acceptable time to do a missions presentation. I only wanted to mention that it is just fine for worship services as well. The purpose of a missions report is to proclaim what God is doing in the world (i.e. to praise God). Also it would be almost impossible to give such a report without a real lesson coming through about the work of the church, evangelism, benevolence, discipleship, thankfulness, sacrifice, and yes, giving too. 

6. For the Sake of Connecting
Having missionaries that you support come to visit your congregation also helps to connect members with that work. "Oh, that's the guy listed in the bulletin." "Oh, that's the reason this work keeps showing up in the budget report." 

People need to know and feel that they are a part of the works they support. They need to know what things are made possible when they give sacrificially to their local church. It inspires confidence in the leadership and in the way they're spending money when members hear good reports about the works they are helping with. The reports help people to remember that their money is not going down some black hole, but that they are making a difference in the world through their support. 

Conclusion
None of this means that you need to invite every missionary at every furlough. That's neither practical for the congregation nor the missionaries, depending on the number of invitations and the length of furlough. Basically, this is just an appeal to you to ensure that world evangelism is being featured prominently in your congregation. It's good for the local church, and it's good for the world. 

Daniel Gaines

First Year Student At ACSOP In Tanzania Is Filled With Gratitude...

Let us today hear from one of our first year student

I found it necessary to share with you one of the exciting stories that comes from one of our continuing students in the first year class, and this is what he says…

“My name is Abraham Kiptum Tanui, I was born on April 14, 1974. I am a Kenyan citizen. Both of my parents were members of a denominational church because the church of Christ had not yet been there. As soon the church was planted, they were the first members to be baptized in the year 1988. I have also been a member of the church since then. This is the true New Testament Church that was prophesied by Isaiah and was established on the day of Pentecost. I knew that this was the church that Jesus purchased with his blood. So I keep on being faithful to the Lord until his return (Rev. 2:10).

I am married to one wife who is called Nancy Tanui, God has blessed me with three children (one daughter and two boys). I thank God for his blessings. I have been working with my congregation by teaching the youth. As time went by, the church saw a need for me to assist them in preaching. God blessed us, and we planted another church nearby. As a result I was sent there to preach. The congregation is called Usalama church of Christ. This is my current congregation where I am worshipping and serving as a preacher. Besides preaching, I am doing other works. For example, small-scale farming sustained my daily life. I also was able to show compassion to other people in need.

About my education: I attended my primary school from 1982 to 1990 at Kipkabus primary school. The following year I joined the Secondary school from 1991 to 1994 at Chepngoror secondary school. After completing the high education and preaching in my local church in the year 2012, I got an opportunity to join the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute, where I attained a Diploma in Theology.

I knew the school of ACSOP through a former student who trained there. He came from the same church where I worship. This student is called Kennedy Ngetich. He assisted me to apply and come to learn. This was a special privilege for me because I wanted to know more about the true New Testament church. I also wanted to help others to understand the doctrines of church. I thank God for this chance that he has enabled me to be here at school. Also, I thank the management of the school. Much more, I want to express my appreciation to sponsors who assisted me daily. May God bless you abundantly. The school continues to build my skills with biblical knowledge, so that I can evangelize within my entire community. I want to preach and to reach many lost souls in my local area. Thank you.”

I hope you enjoyed reading the story of Abraham Tanui. This is one of the best students we have in the class. He has given himself in studying and preparing to go back to preach in his local area. Your prayer and support are very important to our students and staff of ACSOP. 

In Him,

Godfrey Mngoma
Dean of Students, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute - International of Extension School
Arusha, Tanzania

After A Trip To Gorlovka, BVBIU Focuses On Evangelism...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches.

Yet again I’m grateful for your prayers. It’s a great blessing to be a part of God’s team and do ministry for Him on earth. October was full of interesting events. 

Trip to Gorlovka
After shootings in the unrecognized republic ceased, I decided to travel to the occupied town and encourage Christians there. The trip was safe; however, I’ve experienced some constant internal tension. Christians met me with joy and love and didn’t want to let me go. I was the first one to visit them after the long period. During my stay in Gorlovka I visited 9 Christians (i.e. all of those who stayed in Gorlovka). They send their greetings and thanks for your help and prayers. 

Situation at the Institute
During this month, we had Victor Semikoz, Albert Bagdasaryan, Vitaliy Rodichev, Terry Harmon and me teaching at the Institute. We are thankful for all of the teachers who make sacrifices of their personal time and comfort of home and come to teach at the Institute. They do a great job, because together we train future preachers for God’s Kingdom. Students are getting a lot of homework. Their schedule is intense. I hope that the knowledge they receive here they will use at the local congregations of their future ministry. 

Right now we have an evangelizing week at the Institute. This time we divided the students into two groups. One of them participated in a campaign in Bila Tserkva. Alexey Mitskutis guided their efforts. He is BVBIU graduate of 2014, and I recently invited him to be my assistant at the Institute. Alexey will also be responsible for recruitment at the Institute. The other group of students went to Dnepropetrovsk. They will help to start a new congregation there. 

During the evangelizing campaign, our goal is to invite people to come to Bible classes. During the week of campaign we host Bible classes every evening and try to provide the most important information, telling people about Christ and His plan of salvation. We don’t have any new visitors yet. We continue praying for the souls of those who are not yet saved. 

Last Sunday we continued the process of recruiting new students for the next semester. Alexey, Bogdan and I visited the Vinogradar church of Christ in Kyiv. It’s a nice cozy church. I preached there, and we also did a short presentation about the Institute. I hope that our search for the new students will be successful, and we will find people willing to study the Holy Scriptures. Please pray for that.  

We finally reached the long awaited moment when we sent a team of evangelists to the western part of Ukraine, to the city of Lviv. Three of BVBIU graduates: Bogdan Chigvintsev, Stanislav Kuropiatnikov and Dmitriy Kuropiatnikov decided to plant a new church at the biggest city of western Ukraine. They are very determined. Their wives will support them. Thus the church there would already have 6 members. And if they evangelize persistently, then the church would have a growth of prospects. Please pray for this young team that is willing to sacrifice their comfort to spread the kingdom of God. 

This week we have our Masters program starting their last course for the students. This year we have three students graduating from this program: Stanislav Kuropiatnikov, Ivan Skoleba and Vadym Tymchenko. Unfortunately, they had to study longer than was planned. As a result of military actions, we had to cancel classes for Masters program last year. And the students had to wait for another year. I hope that some of them will be teaching in the Bachelors program.    

The church in Bila Tserkva started growing. Some Christians who lost interest in the church now are gradually coming back.  The church schedule is getting full of events. There are classes almost every day. On Wednesdays we have Bible classes; on Thursdays there are classes of learning English through the Bible; on Fridays there are youth group meetings and classes for ladies; on Saturdays there is Bible school for kids, and of course there is a Sunday worship. 

We thank those who pray for us and support our work financially. I’m grateful for my family for supporting me in ministry to the Lord. 

If you have any comments or questions, please write to me. I will be happy to answer. God’s blessings! 

Your brother and coworker,
Dennis Sopelnik

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

Studying In Conflict Management And Problem Resolution...

Settling in for another quarter of studies might be one of the most challenging thoughts for the students in Denver. The intensity of the training in Denver cannot be overstated. These men work long and hard hours each day to learn the material and prepare assignments for each class. The organizational management required to keep the assignments for six classes straight is significant. We urge you to continue praying for these men and their families.

The week ahead is one of the school favorites as brother Dave Miller will be here to share his expertise in the area of conflict management and problem resolution. Dave teaches this subject for the police department in the Pennsylvania area. Each year he travels to Denver for the purpose of teaching this subject in the Leadership class and conducting a related seminar for the entire student body. We are always thrilled to host brother Miller who assists staff and students alike in a much needed field of study.

Reports from each location this week indicate numerical growth in the kingdom. Reading about the souls added and restored to the church makes this work exciting. We pray that as you read through these reports you will also find the news encouraging and up-lifting. Because of your efforts to help the Bear Valley Extension Program the salvation found in Christ continues to be preached around the world. Thank you.

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

For The Love Of Evangelism In Wotutu, Cameroon: Witnessing the growth of the church in Cameroon is exciting and this week’s report demonstrates their love for evangelizing.

Preaching In Cameroon Is Growing In Faith: As the gospel spreads throughout French-speaking Cameroon, the faith of Christians continues to grow.

First Semester Classes Come To An End And Evangelism Is Fruitful: Once classes were completed, staff and students in Nigeria see God’s increase as souls are added to the church.

Regeneration And Rejuvenation In Paraguay: With growth occurring in the Lord’s church, missionaries from South America came together for a special conference that encouraged all.

God’s Spokesman In The Lord’s Vineyard Of Tanzania: Students working in the fields of Tanzania conduct 56 Bible studies, distribute 106 correspondence courses, and more.

Evangelists Resume Their Monthly Meeting In Arusha: After a short break, local evangelists head back to various congregations to help strengthen the faith of Christians.

New Missionary In Tanzania Assists In The Plan Of Sustainability: Justin Maynard and his family now live in Arusha to assist the development of sustainability in the work.

Final Thoughts
We close each week with a simple note of gratitude. Even though the statement is not long, we wish the intent behind it could be magnified in some way to truly show each of you how thankful we are for the opportunity provided us to do this work. Without you, the program could not exist. Thank you for making it all possible.

God bless
Bob

Regeneration And Rejuvenation In Paraguay...

What a great month October was! Another soul was added to the Lord’s body. Praise God! Many missionary men from all over South America had an opportunity to come together for a special conference to be rejuvenated and encouraged. Also, Andrea and I celebrated 20 years of marriage this October. It’s been a month full of blessings and we give all the glory to our Creator! We hope you will enjoy reading this month’s report from the mission field of Paraguay. We appreciate your support, your love, and your prayers for us. 

Developments at the Ave. Sacramento Iglesia de Cristo
Baptism! Mario Atteta was baptized on October 4th by his father, Diosnel Atteta, who is our brother in Christ. Mario has been studying with his dad for several years and thinking about his baptism. He just wants to be pleasing to God and to be a good person. You might remember that in September 2013 we reported that Diosnel had been restored to the church after a very long absence. We praise God for the spiritual growth we see in both of them!

Every two years there is a special men’s conference, or retreat, that is offered to English-speaking missionary men who are serving all over South America. It is called

“Connections” (formerly known as “CCC”) and is designed for missionary care. A special team of elders, teachers, preachers, and counselors come down to a retreat site in Brazil, where everyone meets up to offer their services and support for these good missionary men. The idea is to help them develop better connections with:

(1) God, (2) other missionaries, and (3) the serving team. This was my third time to attend and each one has just gotten better. I come home feeling completely rejuvenated and excited to get back to work, laboring in the Lord’s vineyard! I would like to thank all those who made this retreat possible. It is a truly valuable service that is greatly appreciated!

We have started a new series of Bible study lessons focusing on “The Christian Home” and have divided the lessons among the brethren for teaching. The first few lessons went very well and, since we have several new families among the congregation, we pray these lessons will provide some necessary, spiritual nourishment that will help them grow.

The students of the Asuncion Bible Academy have been busy with several short courses this past month. We had our brethren Enrique Morales and Osvaldo Rodriguez teaching their classes from the USA via the video system, and Ave. Sacramento’s own, Ike Yegros, teaching “Romans” here in the classroom.

“Crime is pretty high here in Paraguay, but most of it has been relatively non-violent. However, the incidence of violent crime has been increasing and we've been getting reports that have been a little unnerving, including an email from our own US Embassy. Troy decided to teach me some self-defense moves, then word got out and it turned into a class for all the ladies in the church. We had our first class yesterday and it should last about a month. I look forward to practicing throwin' 'bows as my homework for this week!”

Contacts / Bible Studies / Activities / Opportunities
Andrea has continued her weekly “Searching for Truth” Bible studies with Rosa, Belén, Claudia, and Andrés, and with her “Learn English Using the Bible” student, Alejandra

She also had a special project helping Gabriel Desvars with the scholarship application and interview process for a university in Korea. He made it to the final round which included a personal interview in English.

I had the opportunity to preach at Ave Sacramento this past month on “The Church’s Responsibility Toward Her Missionaries.” It was focused mainly on how we can properly support Eliezer, our missionary for ASIDC, in his work that he is doing in Ñemby.

Andrea has started a fitness program to help one of our members that lives nearby. The idea was just to help with her physical problems, but spending 6 mornings a week together, it has also become a great time of spiritual bonding and encouragement. The two of them are also using it to evangelize a neighbor and have plans to reach out to others that visit the park!

Personal Development and Activities
We celebrated twenty years of marriage!!! I was in Brazil on the actual day, but we had already taken a vacation earlier in the year to celebrate. Then, once I returned, we enjoyed a nice dinner at one of Andrea’s favorite restaurants in Asuncion.

Andrea’s “Las Amigas” club - Andrea has been quite busy in her role as Vice-President, organizing several social and fundraising activities for “Las Amigas”, including a special viewing of the local Paraguayan film, “La Chiperita” to raise money for their projects.

Post from Andrea’s Facebook page: “Since going-out date nights never seem to happen for us (except for special occasions), we are trying to start a new tradition of stay-at-home-and-cook- together date nights. Last night was the first and we made Steak Tacos with Homemade Tortillas. We had SO MUCH FUN doing this!!! Crazy how cooking together is how we started out dating, then we never thought of it again in 20 years of marriage!”

My sweet grandmother, Aileen “Mimi” Spradlin, passed away this past month, on October 8th. She was 92 years old and was my last living grandparent. She was a wonderful lady - a loyal wife, a loving mother, a doting grandmother, and a successful business woman. She was laid to rest in Chandler, Texas. According to my Aunt Shara, the day she was buried was also the day she had married my grandfather, 75 years ago.

Discovering PARAGUAY - Local movies: “La Chiperita”
Andrea and I went to see one of Paraguay’s latest locally produced movies, “The Chiperita.” It was produced by Hugo Cataldo Barudi, the son of one of Andrea’s friends from the “Las Amigas” club. Here is a summary of the movie:

“In a small town in Paraguay lives a young lady named, Virgilia. She is a “chipera” (someone who sells chipa – a Paraguayan cheese bread) and she is in love with Walter, the cute kid who works in the toll booth in her town and who has been her best friend since childhood. Juanita, her best “girl” friend, lives in a world of soap operas and advises Virgilia that she should confess her love to Walter, but Virgilia doesn’t dare do so because she is afraid he will reject her.

Meanwhile, Virgilia's mother, Candelaria, is worried about her son, Anselmo, who is living in Spain. She hasn’t heard from him for quite some time and his disappearance has caused a lack of money that is needed to pay the bills, which he would send them monthly to help.

Virgilia decides that she must face reality, letting go of her illusions of love and recognizing that without the help of anyone else but herself, she must support her family.”

Personal Studies: Currently Reading/Have Read:
“Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl

“A Response to Grace: Putting Baptism in its Place” by Boyd Lammiman

Current Bible reading: Jeremiah, Lamentations, Philemon - Hebrews

João - Novo Testamento (Portuguese).

I have been preparing my lessons for classes for the next quarter: “1 and 2 Kings,” “History of the Church,” and “Church Planting.”

I am still working on reconstructing the Spanish workbook I wrote, “Fundamentals of the Faith,” with its newly edited pages, to prepare it for sending to the publishers soon! Hopefully by this January.

Andrea attended a fundraising luncheon for the Las Damas Internacionales to raise money for a place outside the city that helps children with cancer. The event was an Indian theme and Andrea was used as a model to demonstrate how to put on an Indian Sari.

“THANK YOU!” to all of our generous supporters!

God bless!
Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see their report with pictures, please click here.

New Missionary In Tanzania Assists In The Plan Of Sustainability...

Farming: 
We spent our first week becoming acquainted with our surroundings and learning about where we would work for the next year. We met with Rodrick, he takes care of the kuku (chickens), Abraham who takes care of the ng’ombe (cows), Ritchard and Kushumba who take care of the shamba (garden), and we had many meetings with Agustine, who is the local in charge of the farming project. We held many meetings with Agustine to discuss finances, nutrition, housing, and future plans. 

The first thing needing our attention was the situation with the laying hens. The 100 layers were in very good condition, but were not producing the way they should. We quickly noticed several problems and set out to fix them. The first thing we noticed was that for 100 layers there were only around 8-10 laying boxes (all of which were on the ground). There needed to be 1 box for every 4-5 hens and they needed to be off of the ground. Layers do not like to lay in dirty boxes and since chickens like to roost, they were roosting on top of the laying boxes creating a mess.  We quickly set about to build new laying boxes, thanks to the generosity of our brother, Sid Aultman.

I spent the time showing Roderick and Agustine how to build the laying boxes and why they needed to be built that way. What would have taken an hour in America – took all day. With no electricity everything had to be done by hand. It took a long time. The final thing we told them we needed to do was to put golf balls in each box. This is a trick we learned back in America if hens fight over one box or you want them to start laying in a new place. They think the golf balls are eggs and will begin laying there. The locals thought we were kicha (crazy), but the next morning when they had more than double the eggs – they were thrilled! We now get approximately 95 eggs a day! 

Many other things have happened this month; we sold a cow and are currently looking for another milk cow. We met with a man who taught us to make our own silage, so we will begin that too. Roderick has already grown out one set of a 150 broilers and slaughtered them for the school and is now growing out 150 more for the school. We hope to eventually sell the chickens. Already, in the month we have been here we bought all of the feed (layers, broilers, and cows) with the money made from selling eggs! We are moving in the right direction thanks to the Lord God Almighty.

Another goal we have while we are here is to substitute the food at the school with our shamba (garden). They have several small gardens planted and have been successful thanks to Healing Hands raised bed drip irrigation system. We helped finish get the 1 acre raised beds ready for Healing Hands to install the drip irrigation system! All of that was done this past week. We are so excited about the opportunity this presents and our hope is to get beans planted before the short rains start (which is soon). We then hope to plant corn and beans during the long rains.

Evangelism
I had the opportunity to speak at the Tanzanian Leadership conference. Brethren from all over East Africa, Cambodia, and America traveled to attend. God was glorified! To read more about that please see Anna’s blog: goatgirlgazette.wordpress.com. 

November 1st I taught class at the Kanisa La Kristo (Church of Christ) in Monduli. In December I will preach at Magi ya Chai. Anna will teach the monthly preacher’s wives class the first Saturday of November. Also, in December is the Future Preacher Training Camp for local boys 15-26 years old. I will teach during that week. The following week will be the Christian Youth Camp! Justin, Anna, and Samantha will all teach classes for the boys and girls. Lots will go on here and we appreciate your prayers. 

All three of us will work with Desdery and Jane Massawe the second Saturday in November and the second Saturday in December. We will help them start a children’s seminar. Every month we will go to a new town, spend the morning teaching children different Bible lessons and then Jane and Anna will hold classes for the local women on how to teach the Bible to children. This is a problem here. Children are just mini-adults and so the locals think they should sit and learn like they do. We hope to show them the benefits of story-telling, crafts (we have a small craft room for the local churches to use), and Bible songs. If you would like to help with any of this please let Anna’s mother know. We currently have members in the states providing Bible materials but we also need funds to feed the children and adults every month during the seminar. Depending on how many show up this could cost between $100-300. Ebeth Edwards 706-397-8358 or spriggie@aol.com. 

Samantha is working on organizing the library at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. It is a big undertaking but hopefully she can have it organized, color coded, and someone trained to take her place before she leaves in March!

There is so much going on here in Tanzania.  Please keep all of our brothers and sisters here in your prayers.

Justin Maynard

To see Justin’s report with pictures associated with the information above, please click here.

Evangelists Resume Their Monthly Meeting In Arusha...

Elections, Etc.
This past week, Tanzania experienced the most closely contested election in it's national history. The election came and went (relatively) peacefully in our area. The results were controversial with both candidates claiming victory. Many Tanzanians are feeling quite upset with the political process. The situation warrants keeping an eye on, especially in Zanzibar, but for now peace is reigning. Thank you for the prayers this week. Please continue to keep the country in those prayers. 

Wednesday Series
During the months of October and November, I have been asked to do a special series of studies on the books of Acts and Romans at the Arusha church. Attempting to survey those texts in that time period is proving to be an interesting study. I'm enjoying it, and I hope the congregation is as well. I appreciate the invitation.

Evangelism Meeting
After taking a hiatus due to a packed calendar, the area evangelists resumed their monthly meetings this week. On these occasions the brethren hold each other accountable for their efforts, and make plans for future collaborations. It is one of the things that I like most about how the churches here cooperate together.

4th Quarter
Meanwhile the 4th quarter of the school year continues. I'm teaching a course on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It has been a joy to watch these men grow throughout their first year of study. By this point they have a good idea of what is expected of them and how the school works.

Spiritual Disciplines
This week I have the pleasure of kicking off the Spiritual Disciplines Seminar at the Monduli congregation. This will actually be the first time that I've had the opportunity to visit with the brethren there, so it is an extra-special treat for me. Our new teammate, Justin Maynard, is coming along also. I'm training Justin to take my place in the seminar when I go away on furlough. During that time, he will have the opportunity to take the seminar to Maji ya Chai and Kwa Morambo.  

Furlough Schedule
Furlough is coming up soon, so if you would like a visit, then please contact me so that I can get you on the schedule. I'd love to tell you about the great things that God is doing here.

Daniel Gaines

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

God's Spokesmen In The Lord's Vineyard Of Tanzania...

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of the wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent like doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues.” (Matthew 10:16-17)

As Jesus knew that His disciples would be facing hardship, He sent them to the field so that they could learn what it meant to be “God’s Spokesmen.”  As they went out, He cautioned them that they would face hardship even if they were working for the Almighty God. That being the case, these people were ready to go out and practice what they were taught and what the Spirit would bring into their remembrance. Being disciples of Jesus, we learn that principle, apply it to ourselves and use it to train others to be better equipped as hard workers in the Lord’s Vineyard. The ACSOP started a program of sending out students, two by two (which is also biblical principle) to the surrounding congregations. We trained them and told them as the Lord did to His disciples, they should be shrewd as serpents and innocent like doves since the world is against us.

Through these efforts, the students have been able to conduct 56 Bible studies, distribute 106 Bible correspondence courses and convert to Christ 16 souls. The Lord is good always if we use and apply His principles. The ACSOP is greatly thankful to the Almighty God for His power and wisdom, which enables all these things to be in place. We thank Him always for you, our dear friends, beloved brothers/sisters for your selfless desire of sharing your blessings with others in supporting us spreading the gospel and bringing the lost to Him. THANK YOU so much. May the Lord continue to keep you under His protection.

Thank you for all that you mean and do in His Kingdom.

Your servant in His Kingdom,

Charles Mwanga
Assistant Director,
Andrew Connally School of Preaching

First Semester Classes Come To An End And Evangelism Is Fruitful...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you all from God our Father and from our great Sustainer, Jesus Christ.

END OF FIRST SEMESTER CLASSES: We finished all classes and tests for the first semester classes at BVBIN-Ibadan main campus on October 16, 2015 and started a month of vocational studies for all our students. Sixteen students now in year one and seventeen in year two successfully passed the first semester tests with 70% and above.

Second semester classes begin, Lord willing, on November 16, 2015 at BVBIN, Butubutu campus in Ibadan, Oyo State with thirty-three students.

WEEKEND EVANGELISM: This month, weekend evangelism took us to Laboro, Kuede, Asejire-Oyo and Osun State, Sooko and Moronfolu villages of Lagelu Local Government of Oyo state. The weekend evangelism of October 3, 10, 17 resulted in the conversion of a Pentecostal church at Kuede village with five of their key members and their pastor-Oladele, Mr. & Mrs. Sabitu Adeyemo, Mrs. Latifat Adekunle, Mrs. Oladele Deborah, and Mrs. Ishmael. 

I taught on Spiritual Challenges, October 4 at Mile-12 congregation, Lagos state and on the Communion with Christ, Oct. 11 at the Onikokoro congregation, Suffering of the Saints, October 18, and Does Christ Care…Part 1, October 25, 2015. 

WORLD BIBLE SCHOOL: Our campaign team in Oyo, Osun and Ondo states of Nigeria recruited over four hundred names for free WBS correspondence courses that will be posted next week to our WBSTC office in California, USA. As designed in the Great Commission by our Master, Jesus Christ, Christ 's church grows when we (disciples) make other disciples through the spreading of the gospel of our Lord Jesus! And one of the ways of spreading the gospel is through the WBS correspondence courses. Therefore, if you are willing to reach more souls with the pure and undiluted Word of God, please, feel free to contact brother Joel Coppinger of WBSTC or brother Ron Pottberg of WBS of Texas, USA for details.

REPORT ABOUT SOME OF THE YEAR TWO STUDENTS: Brother Emmanuel Nwarorji continues his service at the Ilisan -Remo congregation in Ogun state, while brother James Oseni continues assisting brother Rufus Shotayo of the Alagbado congregation in Lagos state. Brother Destiny Sunday Elijah and brother Gabriel Ishom continue serving with brother Makinde John (year one student) and brother Moses Abidemi Bamidele (year one student) as the youth ministers at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation-Ibadan, and brother Godwin Ede is still active as the village evangelist at the Wasinmi congregation in Osun state, while our young evangelist, brother Isaac Phillip is working hard to bring the church at Erinmo-Ijesha, Osun state to maturity, and brother Lucky Meya and Ishidaomen keep on working for the Lord at Edo state. Brother James Olaosebikan Akanni continues assisting the church at Agoro in Ogun state and brother Ozobor Godwin continues his service as one of the evangelists of the Maryland congregation in Lagos state. The Lord has been working wonderfully through these men to increase the numbers of the true believers and in edification of the saints.

CAMPUS CHURCH AND OTHER BVBIN INSTRUCTORS: Brother Abraham Idu Yeje assisted by brother Akinade Oluwaseun Akinleye (BVBIN-year 2 student) continue ministering at the campus church while brother Kayode Solomon Eniafe, assisted by brother Ishukwu Samuel Chukwunikwe (year 1 student), continue to nurture the just converted denominational church at Kuede village, and brother Shotola Segun, one of our year two students and brother Balogun Stephen, one of our year one students is assisting the Egbeda congregation and brother Olorode Samuel continues to assist the Asejire congregation in Osun state.

Reports from brother Adeyehun Raphael shows the conversion of two souls in Ayede and Igbotako of Ondo state, while brother Matthew Adeyemi, who is now assisting one of the old congregations in Ondo town, reported the restoration of four brethren, and brother Biola Joseph Olusoji reports the conversion of two souls at Agege, Lagos and restoration of one. To God be the glory.

Beloved, we thank you all for the hard work you are doing for the Lord in Africa, most especially in Nigeria. Keep on moving toward the heavenly goal!

Your co-laborer in Christ Jesus,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of Studies & Chairman of BVBIN Administrative Council)
Bear Valley Bible Institute Nigeria, Ibadan

Preaching In Cameroon Is Growing In Faith...

Greetings in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. Great is their faithfulness. We appreciate our Lord for another great week of nurturing souls. Evangelism is our Mission and our Mission is Evangelism.

Even though the rainy season has made mission work difficult, we still go around preaching the gospel from place to place. We are happy for brother Philip who returned safely from a far away village call Abang. The journey was not easy, but he made it even though late at night. He went on encouraging fallen Christians in which they finally worshiped with about 24 of them. We commit all of these into serious prayers for not go back in the world anymore.

The preaching in Mujuka is growing in faith, but will need a lot of follow up as fast as possible. That is why we mostly visit after studies at times since as it is really closed to us.

Two of our students will travel to Tonga this weekend in the western region and another to Bangante where a lectureship will take place in French speaking Cameroon. Assignments have been given to present. We appreciate your hard work in our country as the students are growing and advancing in their preaching and helping assemblies to be strong.

We are preparing to carry out a 4-day campaign in our young congregation in Mujuka that will begin probably by the 11th of next month.  

We beckon on you to commit the students into your prayers for them not to be discouraged as they face crisis with their families and their studies. By His grace we are going to train faithful men for a faithful work.

I am happy to share with you our weekly report and thank you very much for your great concern in the assembly at Frisco, Panttonville, etc. The work in our school is preparing faithful men for a faithful work of our Lord. The world mostly believes today in evolution and the world is really evolving, but the Word of God remains the same.

We had a very busy week with classes and mission work both in Mbanga and out of Mbanga, as some of our students are still on their way.

Whenever the dry season is approaching, Africans and Cameroonians rush to follow up most of their undone work from the last rainy season, that is why our congregation and school were invited to attend the lectureship program in three areas of the country, but the work is plenty the laborers are few as six of our students could not go to every where. But we did our best to do what we can do.

Above all, two precious souls were added to the congregation in Tonga where two of our students visited this week and it is really far off from our region. That is why they are still on their way home in which they be commencing with midterm exams by tomorrow. Please commit these in your prayers. I went to the Kumba zone and another student to Mujuka, but all was successful.

Worship with our congregation was great this morning as the number keeps on increasing. One of our young converts, by the name of sister Brenda, has been in prison for about 6 weeks and her file will be open for case studies by tomorrow. She is pregnant, about six months along. We wish to join our prayers towards this direction.

Brother Benjamin, one of our students, will go for a medical text tomorrow (Monday). He suffers for an illness we thought was malaria, but after taking some drugs from our first aid there is still to no improvement, so he will have to visit a physician so that he will pass through a lab and the result will tell us what to do next.

Let us build the world in Christianity, most especially the French speaking world. May the spirit of the Lord give us grace, long life, and to prosper in His vineyard.

Remain blessed in Jesus name,

Yours in the Lord
Ititi Benedict

For The Love Of Evangelism In Wotutu, Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ

Greetings from Cameroon, where your brothers and sisters are doing better in health and studies. We do hope you are doing great and God is blessing you for all that you are doing. Give our hugs to those around you now.

Last week in BVBIC-Wotutu went on well, even though some students were sick, but they were able to get medicine from our medicine box. Brother Oponde Daniel got sick seriously and we sent him to see the doctor and he was not getting better, so we decided to send him home to meet with his wife who will be able to give him more care at home. He is diabetic, please keep him in your prayers.

Students continue to grow in many ways. Thanks be to God we have many avenues in Wotutu where our students can continue to learn from classroom, like during our early morning radio program “Back to the Bible, Wednesday Bible class, Friday prayers meeting, and weekly evangelism within and out of Wotutu. Thank you for making all of these possible for the work here.

This weekend was great for us as we have more than one invitation for lectureships. The lectureships in Cameroon are characterized with evangelism and indoor lectures. We were ready to sit on motor bikes to travel to Munyenge and Manyemen villages respectively where our school van cannot take us because of the bad roads. We must go for souls are perishing.

In BVBIC-Wotutu we learned in leadership that leaders don’t point the way, we show the way. We do our best to lead by example. I was part of the house to house evangelism. Teaching people the truth from the Bible is amazing because many will confess their errors.

Our students are always happy when weekend is approaching because it is always a time to rob from the strong man’s house if God wills. Our students stood hours upon hours with these people who were ready to give them their time and ears, but have no seat to give them. They stood up and they were humbly sharing the good news which can transform someone’s heart and make the person a new person before God.

The lectureships were a time to meet other preachers and share passions and visions with them. They were also time for us to reason together over other issues which can help us do more for the Lord.

We grow our students with habits to point the word of God to a prospect who may later become a convert. One lady came around our church premises to study circular education because we open our doors for students to come and study as they prepare for their public examination. Our youth are doing same, so they are inviting their classmates and friends and this has turned out to be an open door for us, as they will be part of the evening devotions with our students. One lady took interest to learn more about the church of Christ and we gave her a tract: The Church of Christ, Who are These People.” She read through it and came back to us and asked a series of questions. Today she was in my office after worshipping with us for the first time. sShe thought we were poor, that is why we don’t have musical instruments, haha. I laughed and that paved the way for more studies. She was really impressed with our discussion and the simplicity of New Testament worship. Keep Sonita in your prayers as we study more with her.

Sister Odilia obeyed the gospel in Wotutu. She has been studying with our students for more than a year now. The Beta batch of students started with her and she continues with the Gamma batch. She is married to a brother who is my closest neighbor now. They can listen to the truth every morning and can ask questions to me or the students anytime of the day. Keep her in your prayers. She speaks both French and English, but she is from a French background.

Brother Gilbert is my neighbor. The wife studied and gave some English tracts to him, he read them, and allow the wife to start being closer with us in studies. “What Must I Do to be Saved” is doing great things in the lives of many and our evangelistic efforts are blessed by the tracts and many others. He obeyed the gospel at the same time with the wife. It was amazing to hear him say, “I know my wife cannot bring to me what is bad.” It was amazing to me to see deep confidence over his wife that made it easy for him to allow the truth to penetrate his heart. Keep praying for the work.

This couple obeyed the gospel same time. The ease of the church to grow without much problem. When we see couples obeying together it is great because no one will persecute the other. Lately, when the lady obeyed first, it led to persecution from the husband. We are blessed to have people obey the truth without any doubt or fear.

This weekend, the Lord blessed and added 6 souls into His church in Munyenge, Manyemen and Wotutu respectively. Many thanks to Mission Printing for the number of tracts that is helping do evangelism. God bless them and keep them strong.

Plans
​Our van continues to evangelize with the name church of Christ on it. In Likomba, we saw a brother who called us to come to the community to evangelize so that by the grace of God some souls will be added to His kingdom. Keep praying for us as we move for the mass evangelism.

Keep our first ever student-wives’ course, which comes up the end of this month, in prayer. Sister Robin Martin, with elder Randy come to BVBIC-Wotutu for the first class of its kind. We are excited to see that our wives will be trained to train others in women ministry. Keep the work in your prayers.

Appreciations
God bless you and keep you strong. Thank you for your help and prayers for us here. God alone will be the one to reward you for your deep love and sacrifice to make things happen here. We keep you in our hearts and pray daily for you. Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

An Incredible Harvest Sunday...

The last Sunday in October each year is an incredibly special day. One of the most mission minded congregations I know hosts their annual “Harvest Sunday.” Similar to what many refer to as “mission’s day,” Sunday, October 25, 2015 takes the concept to a completely different level. The Levy congregation came together on this day and achieved reaching a goal of $315,000 to support various mission works around the world. 

After attending the last seven Harvest Sundays, my appreciation for this beautiful congregation continues to grow deeper. Their generosity toward the work, commitment to the cause of Christ, and love for the Lord, His church, and the lost of the world, exemplify the kind of faithfulness to the work that is worthy of emulating by us all. Thank you Levy for the opportunity to share in this day and to learn from your example.

The first full week of the second quarter in Denver was encouraging. Students spent time adjusting to the new schedule and the work-load required, but they continue to excel in achieving the assignments. Amidst the challenges, these men demonstrate the character to finish the program and provide benefit to the Lord’s church.

Reports this week span the globe from East and West Africa to Nepal. The growth in each location reporting shows God’s providential work through the preaching of the gospel. We consider a privilege to work in partnership with these men and women of God.

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

Robbing From The Strong Man’s House To Reach The Lost In Cameroon: For the cause of Christ, the staff and students in Cameroon continue to reach out to the lost.

HHI In Togo, The 4th Graduation, And Souls Added To The Kingdom: Teaching in agricultural sustenance helps the program in Togo, along with growth associated with the work of the school.

Eleven Graduate In Third Graduation Of Nepal Center Of Biblical Studies: Amidst the challenges lingering from Nepal’s earthquake, NCBS held their third graduation.

Tanzania Chronicles Point To Successful Leadership Conference: Sean Hochdorf highlights the recent activities associated with this year’s Leadership Conference at ACSOP.

Getting Back To The Bible At ACSOP Tanzania: This week’s staff report from Arusha, Tanzania shares news about the work of staff and students from the school.

Alumni And Six Countries Participate In Leadership Conference: Graduates from ACSOP and men traveling from six different countries gathered to participate in this year’s conference.

Final Thoughts
Thank you for your time to read this week’s report. We always pray you are encouraged by the information shared from each reporting location. This work continues to move forward and experience success because of each of you. As you read this report, know that we give thanks each day for your contribution to the program. Thank you!

God bless
Bob

Alumni And Six Countries Participate In Leadership Conference...

This year's Tanzania Leadership Conference was a great success. Participants came from the United States, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and even Cambodia to be a part of this event. Speakers focused on how Jesus modeled 21 Laws of Leadership, and how church leaders today can emulate that example.  

With so many alumni present, we took the opportunity to have an alumni meeting and dinner together. Since its beginning, the Andrew Connally School of Preaching has graduated 120 students into the field, 35 of whom were in attendance at the meeting. Mike Hite gave a keynote address to the assembly. Then over dinner we were able to catch up on some of the great work being done across East Africa by our graduates. It was very encouraging.  

In other news, the 4th quarter of our school year is now under way. May God bless our students as they approach the finish line of this year's studies.

Daniel

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

Getting Back To The Bible At ACSOP Tanzania...

We hope you are enjoying your weekend. Ours is bright and sunny! Thank you so much for your interest in the TZ 2000 Mission Work. We appreciate you reading our report. This week is seriously busy in Tanzania in political arenas; the rallies have gotten a serious momentum as each party is trying to end up their campaigns with a big hope of winning the general election tomorrow, October 25, 2015. We need your prayers so that might go well.

Back to the Bible, My Lord said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 5:16). The best I can tell, there's no limitation to this. In other words, shining forth a good example is not restricted to the church building, or to Sunday service, or just when around church folks. Truth be told, where it's most important to let our lights shine is at home, on the job, at school, and even on social media sites. True Christianity radiates from within and is on display everywhere, and all the time. I mentioned all of these because most of the time I do feel more comfortable after encouraging others. 

On the other hand the studies are going well here at ACSOP. The first year class had a wonderful short course on the book of James taught by brother Mike Benson from the USA. The long courses are going on as usual. To the first year class I am teaching the books of 1 & 2 Samuel through 1 & 2 Chronicles, plus 1 & 2 Peter and Jude. Daniel Gaines is teaching 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and Godfrey Mngoma is teaching the books of Ezra through Esther. 

To the second year class, Ahimidiwe Kimaro is teaching a course on the Preacher’s Work, Josephat Massawe is teaching the books of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, Desdery Massawe is teaching Public Speaking [Advanced Homiletics], Godfrey Mngoma is teaching the books of the Minor Prophets part II, and Bernard Kulanga is teaching the book of Revelation. The first year will end up their courses on November 20th and the second year on November 13th.

I wish you a great weekend as well as a wonderful worship Sunday!

Losotwa Michael
Dean of Academics, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school
Arusha, TZ

Tanzania Chronicles Point To Successful Leadership Conference...

Over 150 attendees from 5 different countries
I wish there were some way to relay with words the overwhelming excitement and pride I experienced at this year's Tanzania Leadership Conference(TLC). The ACSOP faculty: Ahimidiwe Kimaro, Charles Mwanga, Losotwa Michael, and Godfrey Mngoma, planned, organized and directed the conference from start to finish. With each passing day, I watched like a proud older brother, the way each of them carried out their various roles in the conference. Brethren, it is such a thrill to witness the effects of all your years of support coupled with years of work by missionaries, both past and present. These four men selflessly submitted themselves first to the Lord and have since gladly received instruction on how to mature in Christ as leaders, teachers and administrators. The conference went off without a hitch.

As is the case with any successful program, the four mentioned above could not have carried out the logistical tap dance on their own. The staff at ACSOP did a phenomenal job of making sure that the campus was clean and that the guests had good meals, clean rooms, and clean laundry. Speaking of guests, there were over 150 in attendance and 5 countries represented - truly amazing. The speakers did a good job of sticking to their assignments and were a great blessing to all who listened. Overall it was a good week of fellowship, education and edification.

LEADERS HELPING LEADERS
En route I linked up with Bear Valley staffers Michael Hite and Wes Autry in Amsterdam. Wes is the coordinator for the work in Cambodia and was visiting Tanzania for the first time. Wes has worked closely with Phanat Ouch (pronounced panot ooch), director of the International Bible Institute of Siem Reap. Phanat traveled to Tanzania so that he and Wes could spend time observing how the ACSOP operated and to spend time interviewing the faculty. Wes, Phanat and Michael were speakers for TLC as well and did a fantastic job.

While Phanat is a native Cambodian he was actually raised and educated in America. In fact, he went to High School just outside of Austin, TX (my high school played his high school in football - who knew?) and then went on to receive a finance degree from Texas State University. He later decided to attend the Southwest School of Biblical Studies. Phanat's desire was to travel to Cambodia and work with his native countrymen, a desire he has been fulfilling for the past 8 years.

I can't tell you how encouraging it was to see the ACSOP faculty sharing their wisdom and experience with Wes and Phanat. Who could have ever imagined that brethren from two developing countries on opposite sides of the world would ever come together to help each other mature in their work?! What a super example of global, kingdom, cooperation!

CONCLUDING REMARKS
I apologize for the time between reports. I generally try to get a report out on a monthly basis however we have had some distractions in the form of illness and medical procedures. Anita continues to struggle with her back but we think there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Shehad a steroid injection that gave her some temporary pain relief. Since she received some relief the doctor believes he now knows the source of her pain, her sacroiliac joint, and will seek to sever the nerves that cause the pain by performing a rhizotomy. If successful, she could have pain relief for 2-3 years. We are hopeful she will be scheduled soon.

The future for the work in Tanzania, and the other Bear Valley schools, is very exciting. I am anxious to share with you some very ambitious plans that our Tanzania team is currently working on. Hopefully I can reveal them next month. Trust me when I say that, Lord willing, the future is very bright and there is much, much more work to be done.

On behalf of Anita and myself, we want to express our deep gratitude for your continued support. As we enter into the holiday season and enjoy the family time and the good meals together, let's keep our brethren around the globe in our prayers as they continue their journey toward heaven.

Until next time, take care and God bless. 

Yours in Christ,

Sean and Anita Hochdorf

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

Eleven Graduate In Third Graduation Of Nepal Center Of Biblical Studies...

Dear loving brothers and sisters in Christ,

Warm 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.

Graduation:  We finished our third group of classes last week and did our graduation service on the 13th and 14th of October, 2015. We had an audience of 100+ for our lectureship and graduation program. We invited all our preachers, graduated students, and family members of our current students. Almost all participated. Due to a shortage of petrol, diesel, and kerosene a few people and guests were not able to come. Eleven students graduated from this group. We have new applicants of students. We did entrance exams and interviews last week. We will select good and dedicated students for the new class. Thanks all of your help, regular support, and love toward God's people in Nepal. We would like to continue working together in the coming days.

Seminar:  We held three days of a Bible seminar from the 15th - 17th of October, 2015. Brother Mike Brooks from Highland Park Church of Christ, Alabama taught for that seminar. He taught us about the "Life of Christ.” Almost 80 people participated. People were really encouraged by his lessons.

Youth program is cancelled:  Due to a shortage of fuel, very light transportations are running on the highway. It is impossible to travel back and forth by our youth in this time. We have talked with our Christians leaders regarding the present situation of strikes and problems in Nepal. All preachers were in agreement to cancel our youth program this month.

Vacation trip:  Brother Jerry and Gajendra decided to revisit East Nepal and India from the 24th of October to 2nd of November 2015. We will encourage our brethren by God's word. We will concentrate our time with God's work and future plans. Brother Jerry will return back to Kathmandu on the 2nd of November. I will return back to Kathmandu one week later than Jerry. I will spend some more time in selection of good and dedicated students for the next class from other parts of Nepal where we have our graduates. If things go smoothly, we will begin our new class on the 16th of November, 2015.

My engagement: I will engage Rejina Thapa from India on the 1st of November, 2015. My marriage date will be the 14th of December. 2015. Please kindly remember us in your daily prayer.

On behalf of Nepal Center for Biblical Studies, once again, from the bottom of our heart we would like to say, "Thank you to all.”

Brother in Christ,
Gajendra Deshar

HHI In Togo, The 4th Graduation, And Souls Added To The Kingdom...

Bear Valley Bible Institute in Togo is in Kpalime, located about 2 hours from Lome, the capital city of Togo.

Togo is a West African French speaking country. This particular workshop provided me an opportunity to try out my “French language vocabulary.” It was a very interactive workshop for 78 people; most of them were preachers of the gospel; students at the Bear Valley Bible Institute; Agricultural Agency workers; church and community members.

Willie Gley, Director of the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Togo, and his team did an excellent work of putting everything in place for the workshop. We observed devotion times and shared knowledge and experiences in effective sustainable agriculture using Biblical principles. I can say that the participants comprehended the lessons based on their excitements and intellectual questions they asked. We also demonstrated all the techniques during the field demonstration seasons. At the end of the workshop, the participants formed an Association ready to go out to the communities and demonstrate the new techniques.

Ebenezer

Bear Valley Bible Institute Holds 4th Graduation Program
Eighteen men received certificates for successfully completing a two year program at Bear Valley Bible Institute Togo, formerly Center for Biblical Studies. Fourteen of these men started as denominational “Pastors” or church leaders in 2013. However, by the close of the second year, all fourteen men were baptized and added to the Lord’s church. 

The director of BVBI (H Willie Gley) used the occasion to tell the story of the institute- how it all started in 2005, where it is at present, and where it intends to be. 

The guest of honor was Samuel Ayim, a banker and a lawyer with Ecobank. He encouraged the graduating class to understand that leadership is influence. They were encouraged as preachers to influence their followers for Christ. 

Steve Ashcraft, on his part as the coordinator, used the occasion to speak on behalf of Bear Valley and Gabriel Oaks Church of Christ, sponsors of BVBI in Kpalime. 

This year’s graduation program saw the largest attendance of over 700. 

New Preachers Conduct Worship Service
The new preachers organized and conducted the worship service on September 6. The service was attended by over 250 worshipers. 

One of the students taught the Bible class and one delivered the sermon. One student is going to work with the chariot and another one will be working with the churches in Cinkase, Northern Togo. 

Joseph Weds Ellen
Joseph is a lucky man, graduated on Saturday and got married on Sunday. I had the opportunity to join Joseph and Ellen together immediately after the worship service. 

Final Word To Preachers
I spent a few minutes with the new evangelists to encourage them to always continue to preach the word in good times or bad times, with or without financial support. 

Leadership Seminar
One of our activities leading to graduation was a leadership seminar. We invited all our past students who are now preaching in different parts of the country, current students, church leaders and staff of BVBI. The two topics discussed included: “The Contrast of Leadership,” in which we looked at the leadership qualities of Moses from the book of Exodus and contrasted that with Aaron. The second lesson centered on “How Preachers are to Pay Attention to Themselves and Their Ministry” instead of forgetting about their own spirituality. 

As part of our tradition at BVBI, we always organize dinner for the graduating class and their families, preachers and church leaders. The occasion is used to encourage them and wish them well in their endeavors. We had time for optional speeches, too. Above all we enjoyed the company of each other. 

10 Baptized During Kpele Campaign
Though the work in Kpele Beme started a couple of years ago, it was faced with the challenge of denominational influence in the town. Several were baptized but due to modern day persecution, they quickly left the church. Beme is a predominantly Evangelical Presbyterian community. About two years ago, we had to move the church from Beme across the street to Tutu, which is more moderate and tolerant to the existence of other churches. We were fortunate to have a family head donate one building plot to the church. By God’s grace we were assisted to build a place of worship on the land which was provided. 

It is against this background that we decided to organize a three day campaign in Tutu and invited prospects from Beme and an adjoining town, Atime. During this campaign, 10 were baptized.

BVBI Receives Another Motor Bike
God has blessed BVBI in Kpalime with another bike. This brings to two the number of bikes the school has to facilitate, visitation, evangelism and other outreach programs of the school. Students use the bike on Sundays to visit local congregations. 

The French Version of Bear Valley Bible Institute: 12 Men Enroll at BVBI
Just after the graduation, another batch of 12 men started a journey that will take them between 2 and 3 years. There are plans to enroll this batch of students in an apprenticeship program to acquire some skill before they graduate. Should this plan work, we shall extend the duration of academic work to three years instead of the regular two years. The interesting thing about this group is that out of the twelve men, only two are not members of Church of Christ. However, it may interest you to know that one student was baptized after one week of classes. 

Report by:
H Willie Gley

Robbing From The Strong Man's House To Reach The Lost In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings in the name of Jesus. I do hope you are doing great in all that you do. We are doing better, although some students and Christians of the Wotutu congregation are sick. Keep many here in your prayers.

Last week in BVBIC-Wotutu went on well. Studies are going well and our students continue to grow. We can significantly see their growth from the way they handle the word now as compared to the time they came into the school. Thanks for your prayers and deep concern for the work here.

There are places that our van cannot take us because the roads are bad with much stones and mud. However, we walk happily as we go for souls. Robbing from the strong man’s house is our ultimate goal and that is the reason we exist, and that is why BVBIC-Wotutu was established.

As we preach Christ and Him crucified, we realize that many are still paying attention to their gods and ancestral belief. We traveled to the entrance to Wokoka village. They believe that a half-man half-stone image protects anyone that enters the village. If you have evil you will remain standing still. It was our first time to go there and the gospel penetrated the hearts of many as they compare the doctrine of Christ with their mixed denominational and traditional beliefs. When I see things like this with my eyes I continue to praise God because I can see our dream of training men to preach come true.

A young girl of 15 years could read and write among others in the community. Wase Pauline decided to obeyed the gospel and was baptized by brother Abanda Edwin.

She was buried with Him in baptism. Keep her in your prayers as through her devotions, many will continue to love the Lord and obey Him also. She worshiped today in Wotutu.

A brother traveled the whole night from Ndob in the Northwest region of Cameroon to Wotutu when their congregation heard about the coming of the mission printing tracts. He said, “Oh brother Elangwe, we are praying for you and those in anywhere who made these tracts possible t come to Cameroon. Many will import what brings them physical gains, but these tracts are amazing and will touch the lives of many in their community.” He was very happy and this is the first time we sent that quantity of tracts to that part of Cameroon. It will go a long way to boost the evangelistic efforts of that young congregation. Keep this work in your prayers because it is making waves.

Plans
​1) This weekend, we split our student body into groups because the invitation for weekend evangelism and Bible lectureships are more than one. Some of our students will go to the Manyemen congregation where one of our graduates, Evang Orock Yanick, will be organizing a Bible lectureship in that area. Our van can only take us to a certain extent and we continue the rest of the journey with other means of transport because the roads will not support the van. Only four wheel vehicle can do business on that road. Other groups of children will be going to the Munyenge congregation to help in house to house evangelism. Please keep these plans in your prayers as we go to rob from the strong man’s house.

2) We shall start training our student wives who are married, and we shall continue to do that at the end of quarter courses. The current students who are married are eleven, so by the end of November, their wives will travel to Wotutu to spend one week and have the maiden training with sister Robin Martin from our overseeing congregation. Keep this new program in your prayers that will help the church in Cameroon greatly. Preachers and their families are supposed to be part and parcel of the work, that is why I am happy because another dream is coming to the limelight for fulfillment.

Appreciation
Most at time we lack words to say, but we shall not stop to say thank you. Thank you and God bless you for all that you do to make things happen here in BVBIC-Wotutu and the work in Cameroon. God will reward you greatly in due season as you continue your work.

Do your best to share with others this report.

God bless you and family. Make a great week.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu