Remarkable Activities In Tamale Make A Difference In The North...

The entire staff and students send greetings from Tamale to all servants in the vineyard. We thank the Almighty God for His continuous care and protection and pray that His divine blessings would be showered on all His servants as we enter into a new year. 

The year 2015 was full of activities and blessings. Remarkable among the activities was the Women’s Fellowship which is to be an annual activity to be organized by some selected women in the three regions of the northern sector of the country in collaboration with the Institute. In the maiden meeting, a lot of lessons were learned, and also some pertinent marriage issues were discussed among the elderly women and those who were encountering marriage problems. In all, women were empowered to take up challenges in their various congregations.

Other very remarkable issues which occurred in the past year were donations of a vehicle from the coordinator, brother Steven Ashcraft, to the Institute and also 5 sets of electronic equipment from the sponsors to the congregations in the Northern Regions of Ghana.

The vehicle is to be used for the conveyance of students and equipment to communities we are to evangelize and also to monitor the work of past students. The 5 sets of electronic equipment were also given to the congregations to enhance their evangelism drive. The Institute wishes to thank both brother Steven Ashcraft and our sponsors for their love and support for the Lord’s work. 

In addition to these, 36 bicycles were shared to past students of the Institute to enhance their movements, that is, to evangelize and to pay visits to the brethren.

Another activity was the visit of brother Ebenezer Udofuah of Healing Hands International, who traveled from Kenya to teach preachers about drip irrigation. We thank all who made his trip and activity possible.

It is the hope and prayer of the staff that this year will provide all of us the opportunity to serve our Lord with all that by His grace have blessed us with.

Baah Joseph Okyere
Director

Healing Hands International Assists The Work In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and from Jesus Christ, the hope and strength of the saints.

Brother Ebenezer Udofia of Healing Hands International arrived at the Ibadan airport on Monday around 10:45 am for the two day Agricultural seminar of January 12-13, 2016 and was picked up immediately by me and the driver of a chartered car to the venue of the seminar, BVBIN/ SWSE campus Butubutu village via Badeku / Jago, Ibadan.

Brethren began to troop in from different towns and villages of Western Nigeria for this Food Security workshop / Poverty  Eliminated workshop. On Monday evening, January 11, and by 9:00 pm fifty-eight brethren and friends registered for the seminar that commenced on January 12 by 9:00 am through 5:30 pm. By 12:30 pm on January 12, our records indicated 101 people as participants: twenty-three woman and seventy-eight men. Over 60% of are graduates and undergraduate students of SWSE / BVBIN, while the remaining were brethren, friends, community people, and three agricultural officers from Oyo and Ondo state.

Brother Ebenezer Udofia taught us about compost manure on day 1, and brother Ayobami Ogunjimi served as his interpreter. He taught us on the drip irrigation system-water conservation on day 2, and brother Abiola Joseph Olusoji interpreted into the Yoruba language to make the lessons clear to all participants.

101 participants from 14 congregations of our Lord Jesus and from nine states (Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Kwara, Ekiti, Edo, and Abia) of the Republic of Nigeria witnessed this two day agriculture seminar initiated by Bear Valley Bible Institute International of Denver, Colorado aimed to alleviate poverty among the brotherhood in Nigeria.

The participants were fed twice daily with Nigerian food. We also fed the fifty-eight participants that arrived in the evening of January 11, 2016. At the close of the exercise on January 13, 2016 brother Ebenezer Udofia, our guest instructor presented the Certificate of Achievement to the one hundred and one (101) participants assisted by the director of the school, myself (brother Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi)

Beloved, the two major problems we all encountered during this two-day seminar were insufficient water for the participants to bathe and watering the garden. We were heavy hit during the afternoon session since we are yet to have a way to cool the Doug Wheeler event hall. We, therefore, humbly request for financial supports for digging a water bored hole on the school compound and cool the roof before March 2016 to make the hall a comfortable place of learning.

We need the sum of N1,200,000 ($6,200) for digging the water bored hole, plumbing materials, and the sum of N600,000 ($3,100) for cooling the hall.

We deeply appreciate you all for your support over the years and we always wish that godly people, such as you, would come to our aid and lessen our burden, help save lives, and give hope to the hopeless.

In conclusion, we appreciate Healing Hands International for sending brother Ebenezer Udofia to come over here and teach us more on how to eliminate  poverty through food production. We also appreciate brother Steven Ashcraft and the Bear Valley Bible Institute International for organizing this program for us in this tough time. We also appreciate brother Bill Pennell for his great concern for African churches and Christian schools. We appreciate brother Doug Wheeler (SWSE Patron) for his great dedication for the cause of Christ in Nigeria. Lastly, we deeply appreciate you all for your partnership. May the Lord of blessing keep using us for His glory is my fervent prayer in Jesus Name, AMEN.

Your fellow laborer in Christ,
Brother Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Minister)

Children And Adults All Grow Through The Word Preached In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

We continue to wish you happy new year. We trust God that this new year bring something new in your life and that of your family. We are doing well here. We experience new things in our lives and the ministries under our care.

Every week we make significant progress in all that the Lord has entrusted in our hands. The students in the Bible college grow daily and that brings great satisfaction to me who stays with them daily, who saw them when they came into the school, and how they were almost empty as compared in the scriptures and the organization of the Lord’s Body. Many thanks to God for the privilege to be there to serve these students and prepare them for the work of the ministry which Jesus said, “The field is ripe and the laborers are few.” Thank you for all you do to make sure we prepare men to send into the field for the harvest.

We continue to thank God for the providence of means to always send our students out on weekend evangelism to gain practical experience in house to house evangelism. This week we were in 6 locations, with Bole village having the highest number of students because the van could take us right there. Even though the road was not the best, but we thank God we made it there and back safe.

We entered the van in Bole village after the work for us to return to Wotutu. Some staff were part of this evangelistic efforts. Thanks to all for the providence of the van; it makes evangelism easier at times now.

I love moving with the students because they continue to learn some practical ways of handling the scriptures from classroom, like in Bole village. I spoke in an open air forum. They will also learn some ethics in public speaking. It was great.

Our kids in the Wotutu congregation this morning worked on their studies. Sister Tabeson Alpha taught them to have a small sketch or drama, so she gave them roles when I came in and one child, refused the role they gave him. He was going to act the role God. The little boy said, “I will not be able to act God” because they are told that God is spirit and knows everything. That caught my attention. We are not wasting time to teach our children in Wotutu. That is why many children from Brightland Christian Academy keeps coming to our worship even though their parents are not members of the church of Christ,. The future of this congregation is sure, as we see children loving the Lord, rushing to get a sit in their hall to study. Tt gladdens my heart to sit and watch little children running to carry their teachers bags and books because they know the teachers will teach them something. What a mission we have here. Come be a part to make these communities turn totally to God.

Brother Otte, our student, opened the Bible to show a prospect, not only to hear the truth, but to see the truth. It is part of our lives to always point the truth to many.

God blessed us today with the adding of sister Diale Helen, as brother Otte baptized her into Christ. She keeps smiling throughout. It is a strong sign that in Christ there is joy. Keep her in your prayers that she grows to make known the truth to the husband. She smiled as she put on Christ.

I took a picture with the kids on the first of January 2016. It is 17 days old now, but these are children of the Brightland Christian orphanage. Wow! I am always happy to see the children run past my house as they rush to the church hall for Sunday activities. I am always happy when I enter into a home and they will all rush to welcome me with smiling faces. This is what God has done to turn their story around again for their good because back in their homes after they lose their parents their hopes are dashed into the air, not knowing what life can give to them. That is why I doubt if I was not a Christian what I would have been. These children owe no explanation to any one why they are orphans. The youngest, who came into the home less than 2 years of age, can now talk, run around, look up into someone’s eyes and say mom and grandma as they called their nannies. With tears in my eyes I am happy that God saw something in me and entrusted this great work into my hands with my wife to give hope to the hopeless and activate what was deactivated. What a God we serve. Keep it in your prayers. How wonderful will these children turn around and see you getting into the hall and you will feel the way I am feeling and you will have that experience of love coming to you from these children, always smiling. They cried maybe all day long before God opened doors for them to be admitted into this home. Their tears are dried up because I doubt what can ever make them cry again.

The Batoke congregation meets in a brother’s house. The church is growing as you they gather in a brothers sitting room. He does not have space again. Pray for these Christians.

Brethren sit outside on the corridor for whatever number of hours the service will last because there is no space inside. Pray for this congregation. In our last mission work, a sister was baptized alongside the daughter. The husband said he did not know more about the new church, but he will not stop them from attending. He will take his time. When our students take him back through the history of the church starting AD 33, he wondered where the church was all this while. Wow! Many will always ask these types of questions. That is why in BVBIC-Wotutu we are not sleeping as long as we have the means to go to make sure we go and expose the truth about Jesus and His church. The husband was handed the tract from Mission Printing about AD 33. This week, he called the student and showed him a space in his compound where the church can erect a temporal place of worship with wood, zinc, and concrete floor. They will worship there until they secure their own land and they can dismantle it and go to their permanent place. Wow! He has not been baptized, but he started feeling for the church. Doing this will cost us about $2000.

The Batoke congregation is our mission field, as our students go there every weekend to conduct Bible classes, prayer meeting, and worship. This is the first congregation and the only congregation along the west coast of Cameroon.

Plans
​1) We shall have all the graduates of Wotutu come back to Wotutu on the 6th of February for a retreat and discussion how it has been since they left us. Keep that program in your prayers.

2) We are still making plans for another mass evangelism in Lebialem. We call it now Lebialem Mission, to evangelize and nurture the congregations there.

3) Please keep in prayer our end of the year programs in Wotutu, which will start with the annual Bible lectureship, valedictory night, matriculation, graduation, and the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Wotutu congregation. Please, if you are interested in attending, tell me so that I can include you in one of the programs.

Appreciations
God bless you and watch over you. We keep you in our prayers daily for all your love, concern, prayers, and support to make this work be what it is. Without you, we doubt the possibilities of this work. Thank you, and may God continue His blessings in your life, that of your family members, and your congregation.

Do your best to share with others what is making news here. Make a great week.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

An Exciting Year-End Report...

PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for our dear friend, brother, and fellow-worker in the kingdom, Cy Stafford. While continuing to fight leukemia, he also faces additional health issues that threaten his life. We ask you to fervently pray and ask others to do the same in these difficult times for Cy and his family. Thank you.

The months pass by so quickly and reflecting on the previous year is always an exciting and encouraging part of the work. At the end of the year, Keith Kasarjian accumulated information provided from each of the schools within the extension program. The report below was written by Keith and highlights the results of the information provided over the last few weeks. We pray you are encouraged by the report.

It is hard to believe, but 2016 is here and at Bear Valley, we have just finished an outstanding year! This past year has truly been wonderful in the history of the Bear Valley Extension Program and we want to share some of the excitement with you - our friends, partners, and supporters. 

There are now 18 extensions, in 15 different countries around the world, with 264 full-time, preacher training students! This year has also witnessed 120 men graduate with their degree or certificate from Bear Valley. Just think of all the potential in those men and their families in the years to come, especially since the vast majority of them are serving in the most fertile parts of the world. This is truly exciting! 

But at Bear Valley, we know that we aren’t doing this alone. We depend on partners and supporters to help us train preachers and church leaders around the world. In addition to our all-important supporters, 72 different local teachers taught in Bear Valley extensions this year and another 45 men made the journey to an extension to teach a “short course” to our students. This truly is a team effort at every level. 

In addition to teaching these men how to preach and live, we want to instill in them a passion for soul-winning. This is borne out in the many studies, campaigns, and gospel meetings that they are involved in throughout the year. As a result of these efforts, we know of at least: 

1,979 baptisms
61 new congregations
173 campaigns and gospel meetings
10 restored churches

To God be the glory! 

This has truly been a remarkable year, but we are not resting on our laurels as we look to an exciting future. There are already many new students set to enter the program this year and more new extensions are in the works. 2016 promises to be the most exciting year yet! 

At Bear Valley, we thank all those who support us and partner with us to carry out the mandate of 2 Timothy 2:2. What you are doing is making a difference and we literally could not do it without you. Thank you for the confidence you have placed in us and we look forward to continuing to serve together as long as the Lord allows. 

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

The New Year Already Sounds Forth Plans For Evangelism: As the leadership in Cameroon plans for the year ahead, evangelism in several locations, including Nigeria, are considered.

The Outreach In Nigeria For 2016 Begins With Souls Added: The news from eastern Nigeria is exciting as souls were added to the Lord’s church through the preaching of the gospel.

Reflecting On 2015 And Planning For 2016 In Nepal: Several exciting events occurred in Nepal last year and the new class of 2016 promises to bring more exciting events.

The Year Begins With Plans For A New Class Of Students At ACSOP: The growth of the work in Arusha, Tanzania is encouraging and the new class for 2016 introduces more to the program.

Final Thoughts
Thank you for your continued trust in Bear Valley to train men to preach the gospel. Without you this work would not be possible. You are a blessing to us and thousands of others who are influenced through the people trained in the extension program. We cannot express enough how much we appreciate each of you and what you do to make this program successful.

God bless
Bob

The Year Begins With Plans For A New Class Of Students At ACSOP...

2016 just took off…
The year 2015 existed and ended marvelously. My Gospel ministry and entire mission work was amazing, especially working with my fellow preachers and faculty members at ACSOP.  We have been able to accomplish much for the Lord and His kingdom for the past year. Many reports have been written in detail to show the success we experienced over the past months.

As we were closing the year, the Arusha church of Christ was privileged to invite all the congregations around the area for a fellowship meal and singing worship. This time, more than 260 attended this event. Together, with singing and preaching, a special prayer was made by the men of the congregation on behalf of our brother Cy who is very sick, and he is still in need of your prayers. At the end of the worship service, 12 faithful souls out of 18 who were baptized within the year stood up and greeted the congregation. We still have 56 good Bible classes in different places and within the area of Arusha. It is our hope and prayer that many souls will be added to the church this year since many members involve themselves in outreach programs.

ACSOP STUDENT REGISTRATION
We continue to receive application forms from different congregations in east Africa. This time many have shown a great interest of joining a Swahili program. And out of 32 applications, 18 sent all their requirements for school. Soon the faculty will have a meeting and finalize the process so that we can be in a position to send a letter of acceptance. The school will begin its first quarter on February 8th. Men of God: Michael Lesotwa, Charles Heberth, Ahimidiwe Kimaro, Daniel Gaines, myself and others are ready to train these preachers. Our call here at ACSOP, “…entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” 2 Timothy 2:2 (NASB). 

Thank you again for your support and prayers as we all continue working for Him and the Kingdom.

In Him,

Godfrey Mngoma
Dean of Students, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school
Arusha, Tanzania

Reflecting On 2015 And Planning For 2016 In Nepal...

The past two months have seen the beginning of a number of new things associated with the Nepal Center For Biblical Study [NCBS].

Monday, November 30 - Our new class of 12 students began their two year program of Bible study.

Monday, December 14 - Gajendra, NCBS Director, was married.

Sunday, December 20 - Gajendra and Regina returned and moved into their new home at NCBS. Welcome to Regina.

Friday, January 1 - Our 12 new students went on their first campaign out of the Kathmandu valley to help deliver over 1,000 blankets and $450 to Christian families in remote villages. Earthquake damage to homes, loss and/or damage of personal items, and the cold weather have caused a great deal of problems for our brothers and sisters. We divided into three groups to make the best use of time and encouragement.

Monday, January 11 - Arun Rijel and Ajay Pariyar left for the western District of Humla. One of our September graduates, Dhan Bahadur, has established the first congregation in the whole District. It takes two days by bus plus three days walking to get to this remote area. They will help evangelize new converts, teach and mature 6-8 new Christians, and deliver printed materials for Bible knowledge and spiritual growth.

A new class of students presents a special challenge… along with a special blessing. To see them grow in knowledge and understanding, to experience their progress in service and attitude, and to see the gospel blossom in their hearts is always a motivation and encouragement to all of us at the school. Their spiritual growth and development also has a huge impact on their local congregations.  

2016 is off to a great start. Please keep us in your prayers.

Jerry Golphenee    jrgx21958@gmail.com
Gajendra Deshar    gagendra_deshar@yahoo.com

The Outreach In Nigeria For 2016 Begins With Souls Added...

Beloved in Christ Jesus,

Compliments of the season to you all! Another sixteen souls were added by the Lord to His church between January 4-7, 2016 as the result of World Bible School seminars conducted by WBSFUW, where our beloved brother Doug Wheeler and brother Sylvester Imogoh were the guest speakers while I served as their interpreter.

The WBS seminar of January 4, 2016 at Kute congregation in Ibadan was attended by about fifty people while that of January 5 at Kuede village via Butubutu was attended by 99 people, and that of January 6 at Odosida in Ondo town was attended by 88 people, and the Igbotako WBS seminar was attended by over 120 people.

Four souls were converted at Kuede, two at Ondo town, and ten at Igbotako town. To God be the glory.

Brethren, all is now set for the two day Agriculture seminar organized by BVBIN-Ibadan where brother Ebenezer Udofia of Healing Hands International, in conjunction with BVBI International will be lecturing the graduates and undergraduate students of SWSE / BVBIN,preachers and community people,both male and female on how to sustain themselves in this hard period through Agricultural products on January 12-13,2016. Most of the participants will arrived our campus on Monday evening and left on Thursday morning Lord's willing  .

We thank you all for inspiring us;may the New Year 2016 be as special as YOU are to us. We remain committed to our promise to always put God and His church first. Happy New Year To You All.

Yours in His Grace As a Servant,
Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Minister)

The New Year Already Sounds Forth Plans For Evangelism...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the brethren here. The phrase Happy New Year is still sounding in the mouth of many here. We give it to you and we know this new year has come with lots of blessings and challenges along the line.

The Wotutu congregation is healthy as we entered the second Sunday in the new year. Our Christians are okay and expecting to do more in the Lord’s service this year. We today was great and our lesson today was the The Power of Determination.” We are making those in the worship hall and those that can hear us further away through our horn speakers to draw near and get the truth.

Over the weekend our students went to 4 locations for weekend evangelism. There was another mass evangelism in Tole village that involved some current students and some ex-students. It was amazing to see some of the brothers again and move around sharing from the word. The news in Tole is good.

Memories of my stay in Nigeria: This is very important for me as we look upon the history of the church this semester. I was in Nigeria in a village where the very first congregation of the church of Christ was established in Nigeria and the rest of west Africa.

The congregations in Nigeria are growing rapidly. One congregation is 12 years old, but they are growing in number and they are sound. I was asked to preach a sermon there. I saw love and they were eager to see if some of our students have the possibility of coming over to their community to evangelize and also see other brethren. That will surely be a welcome gesture, if the Lord wills.

Our current students and ex-students went to Tole village on house to house evangelism. The Lord added 4 souls to the church there.

The early Christians shared everything in common. Wow! It is just what we are practicing here, as we shared lunch all together. We are one in Christ. BVBIC-Wotutu has the spirit of sharing together and giving respect to whom respect is due.

A cross section of Wotutu congregation witnessed growth in number. Please keep our Christians in your prayers this 2016, for us to impact through the word, growth and more growth in all aspects of life. The population of children continues to increase as many enjoy the way they are taught in Brightland Christian Academy. Daily, the kids in Brightland continue to receive the truth into their young minds. Keep this school in your prayers as children are happy to be part, but most parents find it difficult to pay fees that help in the smooth running of the school.

Our students continue to grow as they have ample avenues that can help them grow. Our congregation is a good ground for them to put their training in class into practice where they are in front of many eyes that will give them correction if they slip off a little. Today, brother Abanda Edwin was teaching with his father in the pew who traveled all the way from their village to come and drop his application form. He told me in my office, “I am eager to study the word also, so that I will join with my son to reach out to many in our village.” It was amazing to me. Remember, brother Abanda is the young man who was sent packing from his uncle’s house because he obeyed the gospel. He said, “It is better for me to stop, even the circular education. My uncle was using it as a gift tied to a string, that if you failed to worship in my denomination, then you will go out of my house and I will not sponsor you again in school.” Edwin accepted to leave and not to study circular education because of Christ. Today, he is doing amazingly well in his Biblical studies. Our God has many ways He can call people to Himself.

God started with us. He added brother Ashu Leroy today as brother Lawson baptized him into Christ. The little brother is in Form 4 Secondary School and he said, “I am happy to have finally obeyed the truth.”

Brother Damasius baptized sister Elange Sylvia into Christ today in the Wotutu congregation. Keep her in your prayers. She is fortunate because the husband also obeyed the gospel today. I am saying that she is fortunate because most married women will always face persecution with their husband when they obey the truth and leave their husbands behind.

Brother Gladson baptized brother Elange Cyril into Christ today. They studied with us for the past three months and they also continue to benefit as they listen to the program, “Back To The Bible,” every morning. Keep them in your prayers to grow to maturity, so that many will come to know God through them. Our ideas for our new converts is “You have known Christ today, make him known to others in your life.”

Plans
1) Please pray for the following programs that will be our end-of-the-year program in Wotutu congregation and the Bible college: Third batch graduation, Fourth batch matriculation, Annual Bible Lectures of the Churches of Christ in Cameroon, and the 10th Anniversary of the Wotutu congregation. All of these will start on November 24th 2016, and go through November 27th. Please, if you desire, come show your interest. Let us know how we can fit you in one of the events. Pray and see how you can help us realize them. It is not going to be easy on us alone as we are expecting about six thousand people to be in Wotutu feeding. Accommodations and other logistics will be a target for us to make our guests all over Cameroon a bit comfortable.

2) We are finalizing our trip to Likomba for the establishment of a new congregation. We have many demands to come over and help. It is true that the field is ripe but laborers are few.

3) Lebialem mission is coming up in the months ahead. Last year we planted new congregations that started with 27 people in two congregations. This year, we deem it necessary to go back and nurture and spread the truth again. Our students go there on weekend evangelism, but not all weekends because of the cost to make it there from Wotutu.

Appreciation
God bless you. Thank you for all your help. If not of you we doubt this work would be possible. Please, as we plan for the future events, please, please, stand with us for the events to be successful for the glory to go back to the Author of all things.

I got a call from a village in Diongo regarding the tracts we sent to them. These tracts are helping them expose the truth about polygamy. Two polygamists came to the church of Christ in that village for proper explanation of the effects of what they did many years ago and what must they do now. Wow! It is great to see the power of God in the writing papers. They were told to go and assemble their wives and invite the leader there, who called me because he will not be able to handle the situation. He requested that I should either come or send a mature student to go there and help these families. This weekend we shall send students and we wait for the other part of the story in next week’s report. This is just the issue, as many congregations are dying because preachers are not there, people are not committed and devoted to serve in the capacity of a pulpit, and evangelize because there is no motivation. Pray for us here. 

Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Beginning The New Year By Looking At The Past...

Students return to Denver this week to prepare for the beginning of a new quarter scheduled to kick off Monday, January 11th. This date also marks the start of a new class of students who begin their journey in preacher training. We continue to ask for your prayers on behalf of the new and returning class of students who begin their studies in a week.

Every week we highlight a number of great reports that share information about the progress of each school as they grow week to week and month to month. Next week’s report will provide information about the results for 2015 compiled by Keith Kasarjian regarding the work of students in each location of the extension training program. A couple of the reports below share some of the initial results, but reflecting on the whole is exciting. We look forward to sharing the incredible news.

After enjoying a little time off from the classroom, returning to a routine for the students helps keep everything focused on the purpose. Preparing for the work of sharing the gospel makes a difference in how they approach the future of their ministry in the kingdom. Their preparation enables them to go forth into the world proclaiming the greatest message ever entrusted to an individual. Reading about their progress makes the report worth sharing.

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

Preparing For Another Year, A Year Of Determination In Cameroon: The theme for 2016 in Wotutu, Cameroon is one of determination for the church and the school.

Praying For Military Actions In Ukraine To Cease In 2016: The country in Ukraine hopes for peace, while BVBIU and the church seek greater stability in sharing the gospel of peace.

The Church Grows In Togo As Students Reach Out With The Gospel: The recent outreach in Togo indicates God’s increase as a number of souls are brought to the Lord.

One Great Year For The Work In Asunción, Paraguay: Troy and Andrea Spradlin look at 2015 and focus on the ways God blessed the work, while looking ahead to another year.

The Light Shines As The Tanzania Christian Camp Influences Young People: The report from Arusha regarding the TCC explains the difference made through teaching young people.

Starting 2016 With Great News In Arusha, Tanzania: Sean Hochdorf shares exciting news about the beginning of the year and a special prayer request for Cy and Stephanie Stafford.

The Maynard Report Shares News About Farming And Evangelism: The Maynard family continues to influence the development of the work in Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
We begin the new year as we closed the last by expressing our gratitude to you for supporting the work of training men to preach the gospel. Your dedication to the Lord’s work and trust in Bear Valley to continue the extension program is a blessing. We are encouraged daily by your generosity and appreciate your willingness to support our efforts to glorify our God.

God bless
Bob

One Great Year For The Work In Asunción, Paraguay...

The year 2015 has been an absolutely outstanding year and we give God the glory for all the things He has done here in Paraguay. Andrea and I feel so very privileged and honored to be able to live and serve in South America and we give thanks to our Lord for our many wonderful supporters who make it possible for us to be here. We have seen many amazing transformations taken place in people’s lives as they have opened their hearts to God’s Word. We’ve witnessed exceptional landmarks being reached and we have rejoiced in seeing the fruit of many years of labor by our former, fellow missionary teammates start to really bloom before our eyes. It is a marvelous time in Paraguay and we pray the Lord’s kingdom continues to flourish for many years to come. Thank you for the part you have in this work! May God bless you all

Developments at the Avenida Sacramento Iglesia de Cristo

LOOKING BACK ON 2015
There were eight baptisms! Javier Arce, Alan Suarez, David Salvionni, VictorSalvionni,Juanjo Salvionni, Sergio Jara, Cynthia Medina, and Mario Artetta

Two brethren were restored! Gustavo Aguero and Paulo Roshol

The Asuncion Bible Academy (ABA) graduated its first class of students! William Arzamendia, Ramon Paredes, and Karen Gimenez

The Beta class of ABA began classes with: Sebastian Garcia, Natty Osorio, Letty Riveros, Elvira Paredes, and Alex Valdez

We had six guest teachers for ABA: LuisCamacho, EnriqueMorales, Darvin Alvarez, Gary Fallis, Dan Owens, and Osvaldo Rodriguez

The Trent Kennedy Family served as missionary resident/interns for three months.

Pablo Yuri and Italo Rocha from AME Brazil arrived for a one year internship.

There were 12 new students for our “Study English Using the Bible” program.

There were two Men’s Retreat, a Ladies’ Retreat, eleven Ladies’ Teas, and a Congregational Camp.

We had two Short-Term Mission Trip Campaigns with Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ and Margaret Street church of Christ sending groups.

We had 10 visitors/guest speakers: Stan Crowley, Karen Bennett, Josh Blackmer, Phil Porter, Gary and Sarah Fallis, Preston Silcox, Ed Temple, Dwayne and Lance Spradlin.

There was one wedding!
This past month, December 19th, our missionary to Ñemby, Eliezer Perez, “tied the knot” with our sister in Christ, Raquel Franco. Ike Yegros led the spiritual ceremony.

Indeed, it has been a wonderful year with many things for which to rejoice! We ́re looking forward to seeing what God will do in 2016!

Personal Development and Activities
I don’t believe Andrea ever stops moving. I think she puts even the famed Energizer Bunny to shame! Why? Well, (1) she baked almost 1,500 cookies in less than two weeks time, (2) roasted a turkey and prepared all the trimmings for a traditional Christmas dinner, (3) organized events for the Las Amigas club, (4) she teaches English weekly to several students, and (5) works out regularly. What do you think?

I had a nice study with Juan and Natty Candia and hope to continue the study in the weeks to come. They want to know more about what the Bible says regarding baptism, worship, and many other doctrinal questions.

We have purchased our plane tickets for our 2016 Furlough Trip home! We will be in Denver, CO on March 21-25; in Austin, TX from April 1-7; Bossier City, LA on April 10; Poolville, TX on April 17; Valdosta, GA on April 24; in West Palm Beach on May 1; in Milton, FL from May 3-20; and Jay, FL on May 22. We are so excited to see everyone! We can’t wait!

Mother nature strikes again! Heavy rains, combined with years of intensive deforestation have created a dire situation in Paraguay. The river has risen to unprecedented levels, displacing thousands from their homes, destroying precious crops, and threatening to create an environmental disaster if it reaches a toxic waste, sludge pool along its banks. Andrea and I are blessed to live in one of the highest areas of Asuncion, so we are not directly affected by the flooding. Please pray for all the flood victims.

My recent reading has included:
Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul’s Path to God by Gary Thomas
Planting Churches Cross-Culturally in North America and Beyond by David Hesselgrave
La Expansión Espontanea de la Iglesia by Roland Allen.
Tiempo de Misión: América Latina Y La Misión Cristiana Hoy by Samuel Escobar.

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

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

The Maynard Report Shares News About Farming And Evangelism...

Farming
First, I would just like to say that I am sorry you are just receiving our December report. Lots of great things have happened this month but,as a result, our days were slammed. Thank you for your patience.

December was the first month since we arrived that we could step back from the farming (a little) and focus heavily on other areas (such as evangelism). Our 1-acre plot that we planted the rows of beans in is growing nicely, thanks be to God and His provision.

We have continued with the laying hens and growing out broilers every month. This month we processed 180 chickens and had a buyer waiting. He, along with others, would like us to increase our numbers. We are working out all of the plans to be able to do that and add to the farm work here (pigs in particular).

It was nice to be able to step back and see those whom we have taught step up for the month and manage the farm well. Mungu nwema (God is good).

Evangelism
This month the Lord’s servants have been working hard for His kingdom as visitors from all over the U.S. came to serve here in Tanzania. Many souls have been added to the Kingdom. 

The first week of December visitors flooded in and we had a full home and school. The Storks family, who if the Lord wills, will be joining the TZ2000 team in August of this year came to survey and help. Neil Richey and his son Payton, from Atlanta, Georgia, came to do personal evangelism, the Future Preacher Training Camp, and help with the Tanzanian Christian Camp. Joseph Burns, Augusta, Georgia, came and helped with the Children’s Seminar and the camp. Ben Thompson’s family and John Rice also came in to help with the Tanzania Children's Camp. Jay and Renee Galloway spent several weeks here and returned home the first week of December. While they were here they were able to serve the Lord in so many different ways. A new sister was added to the body of Christ, Dorcas. After Renee spent several days studying the bible with her.

The first Sunday of December Justin preached to the congregation at Magi ya Chai and Anna taught the children’s bible class. We were surprised when Anna’s bible class had 22 children! 

The Future Preacher Training Camp geared up at the beginning of December and there were 45 young men who came to learn how to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Justin spoke to these young men twice. Once on obedience in the mind of a preacher and a second time on stewardship in the mind of a preacher. Please keep all of these young men in your prayers as they devote their lives to the Gospel.

While all of these December visitors kept us more than busy, we are grateful for their help and service. The Storks family joined us for our December Children’s seminar. This one was held
in Karatu, a very small village more than two hours away. We had been told to prepare for much smaller numbers but the Lord had other plans. While the children started wandering in that morning an mzee (old man) came and sat among the children. Desdery, one of the locals helping with the seminar, began talking to the man. He told Desdery he was there to study the Bible. Since the entire Storks family was with us (3 men and 2 women) the men took him aside to begin a Bible study. Soon there were more than 20 adults wanting to study with the Storks family. While Anna and Samantha taught the more than 120 children who showed up (wow!) the
Storks family evangelized to the adults. The result? 6 adults put the Lord on in baptism! We are thanking the Lord for these children’s seminars and the way they are touching lives every month. Thank you to all of you for sending supplies and helping us financially! They are a big endeavor but well worth the effort. We are looking forward to January’s seminar. Please let us know if you would like to help with the expenses. 

We also had the Tanzanian Christian Camp this month. Ben Thompson and his family and John Rice came in to help run this as they do every year. Every year they have held steady at around 80 campers. This year there were 135 campers! Samantha taught the youngest girls group (12-15 years), Joe Burns and Payton Richey taught the youngest boys group (12-15 years), Anna taught the middle girls group (15-18 years), Justin taught the middle boys group (15-18 years), and locals taught the two oldest groups (18-22 years). All of the Bible teacher’s classes were themed around having hearts on fire for God. We discussed why we were created, who we were created for, what He did for us, and why we should want to share what He did. By the end of the week 18 youth put on our Lord in baptism! 

This month has been overflowing with God’s goodness and riches. We are tired but filled. We want to personally thank every one of you for your prayers and help. Please keep it all coming! 

We have one last request, as many of you may already know, Cy Stafford left here at the beginning of December due to health problems. Last week he was diagnosed with leukemia. All of us here are heartbroken but we know that we serve a great God and that He is the Great Physician. Please keep Cy and his family in your prayers. It is thanks to him and the Lord God almighty that we are able to do what we love and serve the people here in Tanzania. Cy and Stephanie love this country and this country and its people love them. Pray that they are able to continue to serve the

Lord in this mission field.

Maynard Family

Starting 2016 With Great News In Arusha, Tanzania...

Let's start 2016 off with some great news! A few years ago we decided to make an attempt at gathering data from the Andrew Connally School of Preaching (ACSOP) Alumni concerning their work in the kingdom. From the graduates we could reach the results for 2015 are as follows: 

71 Congregations Established
1 Congregation Restored
71 Campaigns / Gospel Meetings
679 Baptisms
210 Correspondence Courses
156 Active Bible Studies

We praise the Lord that so many lost have come to Christ and that the kingdom is flourishing in East Africa. We also want to thank you for your continued support and we hope that these encouraging results confirm that your financial sacrifices have been well used.

MORE PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR THE STAFFORD'S
Our dear friend and mentor Cy Stafford, 20 year missionary to Tanzania, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia. It was news that has shaken everyone that knows Cy and no doubt there has been innumerable prayers offered up on his behalf. It appears that the chemotherapy is doing what it should and killing the disease. It's a small step in the right direction and we'll take all the good news we can get right now. Cy still has a bone marrow transplant and all the other things that go along with his treatment so please, please, continue to pray for him. We also want to solicit your prayers on behalf of Stephanie, Cy's wife. Stephanie is juggling care for her mother and for Cy. If you know Stephanie, you know she is one of the most tenacious and capable people you have ever met. However, even the most tenacious person can only take so much. The stress and concern she is enduring is immense and we hope you will join us in praying on her behalf.

KEEPS YOUR EYES PEELED
In the next few days Keith Kasarjian, the assistant director of Bear Valley's extension school program, will be releasing the end of year report for the BV extension schools. We look forward to sharing, what we believe will be, impressive results with you.

In addition to the extension school report we will be sharing our plans and goals for 2016. If we can accomplish everything that we have been asked to do we will definitely have an extremely taxing, but fulfilling, year.

THE NO FUN STUFF TOWARD THE END
Over the past few months we have lost a few supporters and we were recently informed that we are going to lose a couple more in February. We do our best to try and stay calm and prayerful during these times but when our budget is so tight we do get a little anxious. We ask that you would pray for us as we try to raise the rather large shortfall we are facing. If you know of a congregation or an individual that you think might be willing to support us in this work would you pass along their contact information to us? If you'd rather not send us the information could we ask that you forward this report or our information to them? We would really appreciate it.

CONCLUSION
We are very excited about the upcoming year and we are thrilled that we are able to labor for the Lord this way. We are so very grateful for your encouraging words, financial support and prayerful petitions to our Creator. On behalf of Anita and me we hope that 2016 will be a year where you enjoy good health and your most productive in the kingdom to date.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

Yours in Christ,
Sean & Anita

The Light Shines As The Tanzania Christian Camp Influences Young People...

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

We all as Christians are commanded to live our lives in a way that many may come to know Christ. This is not optional, but rather a command. Through our actions and speech people will know us as those knew Peter in the days when Jesus was being persecuted.

This statement is true then and now. As we finished the year 2015 the Lord surprised us with great gifts of adding 19 new souls to us through the Tanzania Christian Camp. 

This is the Camp conducted by ACSOP with the collaboration of brothers from the States. In this camp, youth invite their fellow youth who are not Christians. Through the week of studying, playing, and showing Christ through our actions and speech to those who are non-Christians, then they will want to be like us, and that is possible only through the washing and the renewal of their souls by baptism. This past year, 2015, we had around 136 campers. 

The main target of this camp is to teach youth at their early age, so that they can have more time to serve God. If a person obeys at the age of 13-14 years, he or she has a better chance to teach more people in his/her life than the person who obeys when he/she is in his 60’s.

All these and many other things have been possible only through your prayers and support. May the Lord continue to bless you beyond measure in this new year.

Please keep praying for our fellow soldier and father of many in the faith, Cy Stafford, as he continues with his treatments for Leukemia. 

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT.

Your servant in His Kingdom,

Charles Mwanga
Andrew Connally School of Preaching
P.O. Box 14041
Arusha – Tanzania

The Church Grows In Togo As Students Reach Out With The Gospel...

Five Converted In Aveho Church Planting Exercise
Tubli Aveho is a small community in the Kloto Region a few kilometers from Kpalime. Our church planting exercise yielded much fruit with five people responding to the gospel message. The preacher here is Clement, a graduate of BVBI-Togo. Activities during the campaign included: tract distribution in the high school, Bible study, and open air preaching at night. 

BVBI-Togo In Class With Rodrigue
Rodrigue has been one of the instructors of the school since the inception of the school in 2005. He used to preach for the Avetonu Church of Christ about 30 minutes drive from Kpalime. Though he moved to Lome, about an hour and half drive from Kpalime, he has remained committed to BVBI-Togo. 

Eleven (11) Baptized In Kpalime
Our tract distribution exercises, radio program , daily community outreach with the evangelism van, and personal house to house evangelism are making impact. Our newly constructed baptistry is facilitating baptism, even at night when prospects request to be baptized. 

Two Involved In Accident
An instructor and a student were involved in an accident while returning from Tugbli Aveho on a preaching assignment. The motor bike they were riding ran into a sheep that jumped from a nearby bush into their path. The accident victims were rushed to the Kpalime Hospital with minor injuries where they were treated and discharged. They later went in for an x-ray to be sure no bones were broken. The two have since resumed their normal duties and the bike has also been repaired. 

BVBI-Togo Vegetable Farm Project
BVBI-Togo plans to go into commercial vegetable production. In view of this plan, we appealed to Healing Hands for funds to put fence wire around the farm for protection. As soon as we complete the fencing project, we plan to hire a farm manager for the day to day management of the farm. Some of the harvested crops will be given to the students and the excess will be sold to the public. 

Report by:
H.Willie Gley

Praying For Military Actions In Ukraine To Cease In 2016...

Dear brothers and families,

Usually in December people summarize the passing year and make plans for the year to come. All people in Ukraine hope that in the next year the military actions in the east of the country will finally cease. The military actions look like a swing for kids: it gets silent, and then suddenly they come shooting from both sides. No one can guarantee that the trip to DNR will be safe for sure. 

With God’s help in the middle of December, a preacher from Bila Tserkva and I visited the towns close to the frontline to help those who are need with humanitarian aid. We finally got an opportunity to transport wheelchairs into Donetsk area to people who are need of help. It helps building contacts with local congregations and gives an opportunity to minister to the people who were left on their own. We had an arrangement with local preachers who will help distributing the wheelchairs and will have Bible studies with those people. Also it helps the Institute to have closer relationships with the ministers of the local congregations. During this trip we brought a wheelchair to Gorlovka for our sister in Christ Raisa Fadeevna. We went to Artyomovsk and Kramatorsk. In Artyomovsk together with a local preacher who is also a BVBIU graduate, Alexander Seliverstov, we visited a family that had attended the church before. They have a problem; their child has cerebral palsy and can’t move. We already sent them the wheelchair. The last Sunday their family came to church. 

Ministry at the Institute
In December the students had the following courses: the first-year class studied Pentateuch and Matthew, and the second-year class had Denominational Teachings and 1-2 Corinthians. Each time I teach 1-2 Corinthians I see what problems the early church had. Together with the students we try to find lots of lessons for us in order to avoid such problems in our period. There are six students in the program and one person auditing classes. There are two students in the first-year class and four in the second-year class. In December another student joined our program, Sergey Kurinskiy. He is 54 years old. He is from Zugress. He was baptized 8 years ago. His life before coming to Christ was very unlucky. However, recently he has been very active in God’s field. Teaching at the Institute gets back to normal gradually. Many of the teachers come to teach classes in person, thus, showing their respect to the Institute and the students. At the end of the school year, we had a fellowship meal to end the semester, which has become a tradition. Students and some teachers get together. We prayed for the peace in the country and thanked God for all the blessings and the churches that support our ministry. 

We keep actively looking for the new students. In this month Alexey Mitskutis made two trips to Poltava and Dniprodzerzhinsk. We want to show that we try to be stable, and the school is looking for new students. We made good contacts with preachers and the church members in these towns. Unfortunately, it’s still early to say who will be able to start a new school year with us. However, we try to be active to the most of our abilities in this area even now. 

Also in December I organized a meeting of the preachers from Central Ukraine. There were representatives of 8 churches of Christ at that meeting. We discussed the topic: “Unity Based on God's Word.” We plan to have such meetings regularly. I think it's a good opportunity to support churches in the spirit of soundness and truth. 

Ministry in the Church
Every Wednesday the students and I go out on the streets of the town to evangelize. As I mentioned before, the major objective for this ministry is to spread the true doctrine about Jesus and to teach students practical activity. During the last time of our joint effort we used a tent made especially for the evangelizing activities. I was surprised to see how people were eager to come to the tent and get the information they needed about the church, Bibles, and Christian literature. There were more than 100 people who visited our tent, based on our count. It might be because salespeople often use similar tents, and others got interested may explain why there were so many people there. The very same day a young man came to an evening Bible class, but unfortunately, nobody came on Sunday. Yet despite the result we’ll continue fulfilling God’s commandment. 

In the Bible school for kids that my wife teaches there is distinct growth. Now we have about 6 to 10 kids coming to Bible classes regularly. As we can see, the kids are more open to the word of God. On the last Sunday, we organized a celebration for kids after the church service. And that was a wonderful time for the whole church.

We greet you with the coming new year. God bless you and your families and the churches where you serve Him. Thank you for your prayers and support of our ministry.

Your brother and coworker,
Dennis Sopelnik

Preparing For Another Year, A Year Of Determination In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

It is our joy to say Happy New Year from Cameroon. We do believe you all entered into the new year with joy, by His grace. We are doing fine and God is faithful. He is still very faithful to us here. Our congregation in Wotutu is healthy.

Last year came and went, and we are starting the training of men to preach the saving message from tomorrow till the end of the year, where we will be sending our third batch of students off, the Gamma batch.

As I type this letter all the students who were out for mission work made it safe to Wotutu, looking strong and ready to start the last lapse of their studies in BVBIC-Wotutu.

We thank you for all that you did to make sure things happen in Wotutu, Cameroon the way they happened. We give glory to God for all of that and we pray that you will stand by us in 2016 to do even more for the glory of our God.

Students came back from mission work with great reports of having the highest number of baptisms throughout their first year of stay in Wotutu.

My trip to Nigeria was also great as I had opportunity to visit more than 10 congregations. I was a guest at the Obong Christian youth forum, where the Lord added 31 souls at one time during a morning devotions.

2016 My Year Of Determination: This is the general theme we are going to work with. We pray every member of our congregation to be determine to meet up with our plans and goals.

Our students were in 21 different locations in many villages serving the Lord with joy and serving Christians with smiles. It is always good for us to get pleasant reports from congregations about the growth of our students having the servanthood spirit. Brother Edube baptized a soul in his mission work. Brother Mendel spent time in house to house evangelism.

Many of our congregations still struggle with worship halls. Many find it difficult to motivate their preachers to serve with love, but most preachers serve with tears because they are unable to meet up with the needs of their families from preaching.

House to house evangelism is our mission, reaching out to souls is our sole business at BVBIC-Wotutu.

Doing house to house exposes our students to many kinds of doctrines. They stand firm with the truth as they see many getting lost with their errors. Brother Hilary baptized a soul in Kombene village.

Let me give you a summary of the year 2015
Total number of students - 21
Congregations established - 6 (2 new congregations on this last campaign)
Total restorations - 125
Congregations restored - 4
Number of baptisms - 245 Souls
Campaigns - 6
Lectureships monthly - 12
Seminars - 3
Weekend evangelism / Weekly Tract Distribution - Millions of tracts were distributed from Mission Printing. Most of the converts in Wotutu and that of many other congregations are a result of the distribution of tracts and follow up. Many thanks to all who help us get the tracts through Mission Printing.

The external work resulted in 31 souls in Nigeria from my three-week visit.

Appreciations
God bless you. Thank you for all your help. Your kind heart has made us realize all of this. God alone will bless you. Please, please continue with us as we still have this year to train these men to preach.

Plans for 2016
1) More evangelism to new virgin lands.

2) Recruiting more students for 2017 -2018.

3) Graduation will come up either ending November or early December 2016.

4) We have annual Bible lectureship of the churches of Christ in Cameroon in Wotutu, November ending or early December.

5) We shall celebrate our 10th anniversary. Come join us, as the Wotutu congregation will be 10 years old by this June. We shall join all in the celebration in either November ending or early December. Keep all of these in your prayers and also see how you can make your presence in Wotutu for these events. Please pray and think on how you can support us get it done.

6) The Lebialem mission is coming up again in February. Last year God blessed us to penetrate the heart of the Roman Catholic influence with the truth, and God added 27 souls. We sent students to nurture all this. We are planning another mass evangelism in the area with both current students and ex-students to explore more and sow more seeds. Please pray for us.

Do your best to share our reports with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Saying Farewell To Another Year In Extension Training...

This report concludes a year of reports for 2015. What a great year this was for extension training. While this was a shorter week for reports due to the end-of-the-year holidays and planning for 2016, the power behind these reports exists nonetheless. Students in Denver are enjoying a short break from classes, but plans for January include new courses and a new class of students. Please pray for the year ahead and all it holds for the work of training preachers.

As we close out 2015, we look forward to the potential of what the new year brings for the work of training preachers. One of the primary areas we anticipate in the year ahead involves the simple concept of growth.

We plan to help bring about personal growth for all the students who participate in the program. Looking into the potential of improving curriculum development, we are excited about preparing a stronger, culturally adaptive, and more in-depth approach to curriculum for each location. This approach will provide students with greater opportunities to learn in ways that will lead to the next area of growth.

We want to assist local congregations in numerical and spiritual growth in moving towards the biblical design set forth by God. As students complete training in each location, they will be equipped in a knowledge and application of God’s word in ways that enable them to help local congregations where they serve to grow in ways that model the plan God established. 

We also desire to see the overall program grow by adding new schools. The direction of the future is exciting as we plan and develop new schools in locations around the world that provide the type of training that continues the cycle above. We ask you to pray with us that God will continue to bless the direction of the program, all to His glory.

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 Chad Wagner can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports

A Year-End Greeting To Everyone From BVBIN-Ibadan: Brother Makinde and his wife send holiday greetings and express gratitude to everyone from the work in Nigeria.

The Year Ahead Holds A Few Changes For The Work At CBI: With repairs to buildings on the Chimala Mission, a few staff changes for the year ahead ensure continued growth for the work.

Final Thoughts
Closing out the final report for 2015 provides us another reminder of how much we appreciate all you continue to do for extension training. Thank you for blessing this work with your support, time, and abilities, all bathed in prayer to our Father. We know that the opportunity we have to continue working together will produce fruit with eternal benefits.

God bless
Bob

Wagner Report - December 2016

Wagner Family Settling In
On October 14, 2015, we boarded a plane in Memphis, TN and headed toward Tanzania. In fact, this is the 2nd time during October that my wife and I flew to Tanzania. We left the first week of October to fly to Dar es Salaam to go and help Cheryl Bode. She is a fellow missionary at Chimala. She fell at her home in Chimala and fractured her L1 vertebrae. So, we flew to Dar es Salaam to help her. We took her to a special hospital in Kijabe, Kenya before returning back to the US. We then turned around a few days later and flew back to Tanzania, this time along with the family.  

After returning, we have been quite busy getting settled back into life in Tanzania. We quickly had to buy some food for the house, clean up/air out the house from being shut up for so long, and repair some issues regarding the house that occurred while we were away.  

The kids have already started in their studies for the new school year. Rena is spending a lot of time studying with the kids in their home-school material.  

Of course, being away for so long, many people wanted to come and greet us upon our return to Chimala. One of those was Situmai. If you remember, she was the girl who escaped forced labor and we were able to help her get into our school. 

Situmai continues to need help. She will start back to school in January and will need $600 for the entire year of school fees.

We will also need assistance with Amani's school fees. Amani is an orphan child that we have been helping with your support for the past two years, as both of his parents are dead. His sister is helping all she can but can barely provide for herself. Amani will be starting back to school in January and needs $800 for the year. If you can help any of these, please let me know. We thank you for helping Isaiah the last few years with student support. He has now graduated. He wants to attend medical school and is now awaiting his test results. Thank you for all of you who contributed towards his education.

Visiting the Church At Mengele
We were able to visit the small church near a corn field in western Chimala called the Mengele Church of Christ. We were able to help the congregation with windows and a door for the building to provide some security. It was good to see that the church has finished the windows and door.

CBI 2015 Graduation Ceremony
On November 6, 2015, the Chimala Bible Institute celebrated it's 2015 graduation ceremony with seven graduates. We are grateful for this hard work at the school and pray for their future success working and serving the Lord's church.

Starting in January 2016, we are going to have around 35+ students at the preacher school. We are busy doing some clean-up work around the school in preparation for the upcoming school year.  

Starting in the new school year, I will be teaching Jeremiah and Lamentations. It is shaping up to be a great year as we train me to teach other also (2 Timothy 2:2).

Thank You
We are grateful to God for allowing us to live and serve at the Chimala Mission in Tanzania. We have lived here since 2012 and we could not be here without your prayers and financial support. I echo the words of Paul in Phlippians 1:8-11: "For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Our goals for this next year are to visit and encourage more congregations and reaching out to a much wider area. The Chimala Mission works with over 100 churches of Christ in SW Tanzania and we will do our level best to visit and encourage as many of those as we can.

Thank you for partnering with us in this work.

Chad Wagner

A Year-End Greeting To Everyone From BVBIN-Ibadan...

Beloved in Christ,

Good morning from Nigeria! Our end of the year program that commenced on December 12 resulted in the conversion of fifteen souls and restoration of twelve so far. To God be the glory!

Brethren, all year long you inspired me, my ministries, and co-workers in Nigeria to stay ahead because you believed in us. Now, we wish you the the very best this season and always. Thanks and God bless!

May the good Lord, Jesus Christ, continue to strengthen you and your associates with wisdom to lead, knowledge to teach, and good health to live a fulfilled life.

Compliments of the season and a prosperous New Year in advance. Our regards to all the saints there.

Brother Makinde Ebenezer & family

The Year Ahead Holds A Few Changes For The Work At CBI...

Classroom Roof Repair
Due to the generosity of brethren in America, we have been able to do some much needed roof repair to our buildings at CBI. We had several problems with leaky roofs which was causing our ceilings to fall in. However, now we have been able to patch up our tin roof, fix the ceilings inside the classrooms and get the tin painted which will not only help it look better, but help to seal any other holes in the tin. 

Staff Changes
CBI will be going through some staff changes for the 2016 school year. For several years, Remmy Mfaume has faithfully served as the director of the English program at CBI. He has also been preaching for a growing congregation at Chang’ombe. He will be shifting to our Herring Christian Secondary School in January to head up the Bible Knowledge program. In Tanzania, we are blessed with the opportunity to teach the Bible in high schools. Students at this age are very receptive to the Gospel and we are hoping to capitalize on this opportunity. He will be replacing Ezekiel Mwambogolo who will be moving back to CBI in January. Ezekiel will become Dean of Students at CBI. Both men are very eager for their new positions as they both strive to teach and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Large Class in 2016
Classes start on January 18 and we are looking forward to a great year. We have a large incoming Swahili class this year. In fact, we are going to have a total of 30 students. We had to put a limit on our number of students due to a lack of student support. 

We are blessed to have the ability to purchase new mattresses and mosquito nets for our students. It is due to the generous Christian spirit of people like you that we have these abilities. May God continue to bless you in 2016.

World Bible School
Lord Willing, we will be blessed with a visit from Philip Palmer of World Bible School. He will be coming to tour Tanzania promoting and launching WBS’s new program called “God Bless East Africa.” He will be visiting several churches throughout Tanzania. We are excited about partnering with WBS in this new program.

We will also be launching a new program alongside WBS’s “God Bless East Africa” where we will be inviting new students to study through WBS lessons starting in the larger cities of Tanzania. In many of these larger cities, we have little to no presence of New Testament Christianity. We find that starting with WBS lessons, we will be able to build a student base in these cities. Then, later, we will be able to hold seminars to reach these students. God is doing great things in Tanzania!

Chad Wagner