Special guests in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon,

  I have gone some time now without sending my reports across the ocean due to many issues concerning internet receptivity in my area. We give thanks to God that we can have this opportunity to say hello, and to make known to you, what is happening in the vineyard here in Wotutu, under our care. We pray this report meets you in good health and in resounding faith as you do God’s business in your own area.

  God has been active with us here. Since December, as the students of the Bear valley Bible institute travelled to 20 different locations for mission work, and God gave the grace and the increase, even in some places amidst the crisis. We always sing, “Anywhere with Jesus I Can Safely Go.” All of them were able to return back to campus safe and sound with good news about souls being saved, but bad news about the ongoing crisis in our beloved country.

  The work here continues to be in progress daily and we give all the glory back to God. It can only be God! The year 2024 started well for us, even though many students returned back to campus sick. All is under control medically at this time though. Thanks for your daily prayers over the work here.

  The year 2024 started well, and have already received a special blessing by us having special guests, minister Denny Petrillo and minister David Wayne Jones from the main campus of Bear valley Bible Institute International in Denver, come to Wotutu to teach, observe, and visit. Our students formed a line to give them a red-carpet reception on our campus in Wotutu. It was a privileged to have such humble servants of the cross, here in Cameroon.

  These servants of God were in Cameroon for God’s business of training faithful men to be fully prepared to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of this country Cameroon. They had an agenda, to teach the book of II Corinthians. It was great for our students to have the opportunity to tap from these two vessels, who are full of the knowledge of God’s word. We continue to thank God for their coming, and for the way they helped our students to learn.

  These two great men co-taught the book of II Corinthians, chapter after chapter, from the introduction all the way to the end of the final chapter. We were really blessed by their presence, even though brother Wayne was sick for a couple of days. He bounced back though and was able to finish his assignment. This assignment took him across the ocean to Africa, for his very first time.

  We had a family picture with them in from of the Bible building to immortalized their memories with us.

We also had a joint meeting with the instructors from both the Bear valley Bible institute Cameroon -Mbanga, which is French, and those from the BVBIC-Wotutu which is English. The meeting was very good, as it was characterized with much appreciation, as well as appeals to upgrade the Bear Valley school in Cameroon to the level that it can issue out a BA in Bible. We keep praying to God to be with the authorities that be as they ponder and plan. We pray that if God will, it can come to pass during our time here.

During the last quarter’s mission work in December by our students, the Lord added 33 souls into His church, 12 Christians were restored to the faith, 1 new congregation established, and 2 congregations were restored.

PLANS

Evangelism is our mission and our mission is evangelism. Evangelism is always in our plans and is always top on our agenda.

APPRECIATIONS

 Thank you for your prayers, for your concern, and your support towards the Lord’s work here. They are contributing a lot, towards keeping the work in the space it is now. Please share our reports with others. May God bless you. Make a great week.

Elangwe and family

By His grace, director BVBIC-Wotutu

New congregations planted in Cameroon

We bring greetings from the Bear Valley campus in Mbanga Balong where the campus church of Christ do worship. The staff and students sends their greetings and also the congregation that meets at Mbanga Balong. Happy new year in advance, and also sincere greetings from my family, I pray the Lord sees us through these last few days remaining to end this year.

It is a great thing to report again about our mission work in the school and our activities in the campus.

Evangelism is our mission and our mission is evangelism. We do not relent our efforts with our weekend evangelism both in and around Mbanga and also out of the community of Mbanga. Congregational work is also ongoing, The church in Mbanga is also doing great spiritually, growing in number also and even in administrational measures. We have  been able to have different ministries in our congregation in charge of various domain such as evangelism, benevolence, organization, hospital etc just to name these few. Even though we still have financial difficulty, we have in mind to realize some need of our community such as hospital visits and even to touch the lives of some widows in the congregation and in our nearby environment. We beg on all to Pray and support the church in Mbanga for this work of the church to be realized. 

For the very first time that we experience over flood in our local campus due to too much rain fall and water table rising up to the point were some houses were affected right inside their sleeping rooms. Water was everywhere and our walls are still been affected till now.  

Because the water table rose up, our borehole was also affected due to the fact that the pit toilet also came up to the same level as the the wells or borehole. This needed serious intervention in order  to free the students and those who benefits from it also from our community. We did change some filters and treated all the water with white stones, chlorine, salt and some other elements.

Emerald complex is making great progress. Parents and the community now begin to see and feel the presence of Emerald schools in their community. We do chapel and devotional 3 times a week at 11 AM in the presence of both the staff and the students. This time around it was in the presence of the parents also. And it at the end of term occasion in our amphi open air. We pray that some day we should be able to have a hall that can contain a good number of people for chapelsIt is so great to speak out the word through Emerald bilingual complex. 

Our short course went on well very well with the help of bro Rufus and Arouna with the students and the wives of the students. It was great to have these men doing the Christian evidence for the students and evangelistic woman for the wives of the students.

We went immediately to the annual gospel lectuship after the short course. And the 2023 edition was in douala in cite de la paix. 

Our way to mission trip also followed immediately and our students left for various areas for a serious two or three weeks campaign. Tracts were distributed to all including those who were going to the north and to our newly created assemblies 

Two new congregations were established in Kribi and Buaka. 

The field is vast and our laboures are few. We are hitting the hinterlands and the town ship. 

Happy new year in advance 

In Christian love,

ITITI BENEDICT 

"A school without borders"

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the beautiful country of Cameroon, the land of our birth. God is good, and has allowed us another opportunity to share more good news about the work here in Cameroon that has been entrusted in our hands. We do hope you and your family are doing great and that God is at work in whatever you are doing in your corner, the space God has provided for you.

Our students are back on campus after spending time in 20 locations preaching, teaching, and nurturing congregations of the Lord’s church. They were involved in house to house. The house to house was more effective in some new areas as we were looking forward to establishing a new congregation in Mbanga mile 40 which is along the Kumba-Buea road. God blessed that work with 6 souls. There is now a new congregation there.

Another congregation was down to less than 5 members because of the crisis here in the English region. We went to that community and revived the congregation by preaching peace and being neutral during the struggle. We told those we met who carry guns that we are soldiers of Christ and God has sent us to preach the gospel free of charge to all who are willing to hear. Most of the time, security officers will ask us for authorization from the government. We just explain God’s government and commission from his word from Mattthew 28:18-20.

The Bear Valley Bible Institute in Wotutu has been looked upon by many and nicknamed “A BIBLE SCHOOL WITHOUT BORDERS.” The appellation is coming from “DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS,” who gets into the interior to save lives. Our students too are moving to save lives from eternal condemnation. The gospel is for all. It is for the old, the young, and anyone in between. These young girls happily listened to the gospel from our students and made a lifetime decision to follow Jesus. Keep them in your prayers.

The annual Bible lectureship of the churches of Christ in Cameroon, comes up from the 28th of November until the 3rd of December this year. I am one of the speakers there, and I will be teaching on “Future Leadership of the Church in Cameroon.” Please keep me in your prayers as I go there to do His work.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for all you do for the work that is going on here. Your prayers and support are the wheels that keep this work moving. God sees and He will reward. Do your best to share our report with others.

Make a great day in His presence.

Elangwe and family, by His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Cameroon students baptism more than 20 souls

Calvary greetings from this end of the universe. The church of Christ in Mbanga sends her salutation to the sister assemblies in the world. The staff and students of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon – Mbanga also send their warm greetings. The students are presently in class, sending their greetings as I send out this report.  

The 5th batch of students are already preparing to take exams for their second quarter and are also preparing for their second internship which will take place by the 2nd of September. While others in the country will be preparing for school to start back, we in BVBIC-Mbanga will be preparing for another soul winning mission to various villages and towns in the French speaking regions of our beloved country Cameroon. We need your prayers as we go out to win souls. 

After a long break of reporting due to a heavy charge of work in the field as the director, where some staff members and I have been moving up and down to attend to some Macedonian calls, we are happy to be able to send you a report of the work that has been going on since our last report. We want to assure you that the church, and the work that is done by the graduates and the current batch of students, is greatly impacting the church not only in French Cameroon, but is spreading her influence into more great works in other French African countries.  

Our students registered 15 baptisms during their first mission work and internship. Some others also registered baptisms during our weekly evangelism program to Mudeka, Banaberi and around Mbanga. 

Our mission last week ended in Buea where another 5 baptisms were registered during the summer youth retreat. My son, Ititi Precious, was one of those baptized. 

We are in the midst of the rainy season in Cameroon. This climate really disturbs our students with attacks such as influenza, cough, typhoid, and malaria. Due to the present rains, there is a lot of stagnant water that is helping to accommodate the multiplication of mosquitos. In the wake of this, most of our students are under severe treatment all the time. Our first aid kit is helping and also the school nurse is doing a good job. In some serious cases we send them for proper check up at the hospital. As of now though, we are doing great, because there have been some great improvements. 

We also concluded our VBS mission successfully as we handed our young ones, Bibles and certificates. Thank you so much to the powerful team that was made up of Bible instructors, Bible teacher for the kids, some nursery aids, and some with a good mind and desire to manage the kids. May God continue to give you all the grace you need to do His good works.  

Our congregation is also doing well. We had some lessons from our intern, brother Bigda Rufus, who is studying with Nations University at the moment. His lessons were based on leadership and eldership. We are growing and are introducing some ministry work in our assembly. The most recent is the hospital ministry and the prison ministry. We have prepared for the work and have sampled some hospital work as we are going to officially begin the hospital ministry by next month. One hospital has already given us a program for devotional opportunity and will soon allow us to commence with work every morning. 

Evangelism is our mission and our mission is evangelism. 

From your servant,

Ititi Benedict

Reaching Souls in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this far end. We do hope you are doing great. God is blessing us, and we and our families are all going well. It is now summer holidays in Cameroon and many local families have temporarily increased in size because children of brethren come our way to spend the summer holiday.

The past weeks, of the work, have gone well as we were involved in many activities. The Lord has provided the means. We do hope this report meets you in good health and sound in faith.

Our students keep growing in many courses, Biblical and non-Biblical. An example of a non-Biblical course is a class for church music. Minister Tah Lucas does a great job of preparing our preaching students to also be prepared to be good song leaders in their different congregations when they enter their individual works after graduation from school.

The new van has gone a long way to ease our evangelism efforts. We can now move all 20 students to a location for weekend evangelism without any problem. When I drive the van myself, then 21 of us will be able to invade a village. We will be like ants, as we share the gospel to as many as possible before we return sometimes even the same day. It is a great blessing, and we are lovingly, thanking God and the STC family, for such a timely gesture toward us and the work we are doing in the name of the Lord here.

Immediately when we arrive in various locations, we embark on house-to-house evangelism. This method is still very much alive and strong here, as it gives opportunities for the prospects to freely ask questions of personal or general interest concerning their faith. This opens the door for them to become Christians. Some communities are so muddy now that we are in the rainy season now in Cameroon. We are forced at times like this to put on rain boots, so as to make your movement, mess and stress free.

It is always refreshing to go out to other locations for evangelism, lectureships, or workshops. We always meet our graduates there, who are still very active in their respective congregations. Meeting with them, and visiting with them, gives us a picture of the work in the area where they are serving. It is always a time for us to pray with them, and to encourage them to remain steadfast as we know that the field of work and just life in general here is always difficult.

It is a blessing and encouragement to any preacher, when the Lord adds souls to the church as he preaches the gospel and evangelizes communities. It is also encouraging to any preacher, to see young men and women develop, and grow, and start thinking of getting married to build their own families. By doing so, the congregation has a better future. Please keep our brother and friend Jarvis and his girlfriend Georgian in your prayers,  as they walk in love,  potentially resulting in the raising of good Christian children.

APPRECIATIONS

May God bless you for all that you are doing to keep this work functioning. We are very grateful! Thank you so very much for your love for God, His church, His children, and most especially for us here in Cameroon. Please do your best to help us, by sharing our reports with others, who may in turn share them with others in due season.

Thank you very much! Make a great day.

Elangwe and family

By His grace, director of BVBIC-Wotutu

Special guests in Wotutu

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the great country of Cameroon. We do hope this report meets you doing well and of a sound mind. God is good and He is faithful towards us and the work entrusted in our hands. We do hope you are doing good in all that you do.

The last week here was a busy for us as we were engaged in so many good works for God’s glory. A total of 9 missionaries came from different places in the United States of America to work for the Lord in different capacities.

One taught in the Bear Valley Bible Institute here in Wotutu, others did one on one evangelism, some were involved in medical consultations, dispersing of medications to those sick, and the sending of some severe cases to a hospital for further treatments. There were also visits to the Brightland Christian Orphanage, and a Vacation Bible School. God stood with all of these programs and they went on without any problems. To Him be the glory and honor.

On June 2nd, I was at the airport waiting for Gods servants as they flew in to Cameroon to serve God. 9 of them arrived safe and sound and were received by the brethren in the Wotutu congregation with open arms.

Minister Michael Crowder, and his wife Ethel, came from the Northside Church of Christ in Nashville. He came to teach a short course to our students on “THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH,” while his wife, sister Ethel Crowder was involved in teaching the women during women’s class and was also actively teaching children during the VBS. Brother Michael is a great teacher of the word. Please keep this great couple in your prayers.

PLANS

From the 30th of June we have a mass evangelism in Mudeka village. Thanks be to God; we have a new evangelistic van that can carry 19 passengers. We shall storm the community with the gospel which is far more powerful than bombs. Keep this program in your prayers as God leads us to that community.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for your time and patient with us during the time of our delay. We thank you very much for your prayers and support which is the wheel that keeps this work going. God is seeing and will reward you in due season. Please share our reports with others who may share it even further.

            God bless you all.

            Elangwe and family

         By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

New students in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Calvary greetings from Cameroon and precisely from Wotutu. We are doing better, and we give thanks to God. The church is healthy, and all of the ministries going on here are rolling on well. God is still leading the way.

Last week in Bear Valley Bible Institute was good as our students were busy writing their first exams in Bible College. All went well. We give glory to God for making it possible for them to have a taste of what it means to be trained to become a servant of God in the 21st century. Keep our daily efforts in your prayers.

After final exams, it was time to travel to different locations for mission work. Some students are going far with tracts, a life straw water bottle with aqua tabs, and mosquito nets. Our students went to different regions in Cameroon for the sake of the gospel. Some will be passing through dangerous communities because of the crisis in Cameroon.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for all your prayers and for your time and timely support towards all the work that is going on here. God is watching and will definitely reward you in due season. Please share our reports with others.

Thank you very much.

We wish you a great day and a great time.

Elangwe and family

Wotutu, Cameroon attends leadership seminar

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon and from the brethren here. We do hope this report meets you in good health. We are doing good and God continues to lead the way. The new year is in progress and so are our different ministries which are making some significant progress.

Last week in Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon -Wotutu went on well as we were observant to see how our new students are growing. We are here to encourage them to be focused because we are aware that the field is ripe but the laborers are very few. We pray that God will continue to help us, as we add workers to the field every two years through the training of preachers in Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon - Wotutu.

The freshmen are getting used to the climate in Wotutu as well as the new lifestyle and new eating habits. These changes have caused some of them to get sick, but we are handling it by His grace.

Last week, because the students have stayed together since January 2, 2023, we deemed it time to form the student government for the present. The students elected a group from among their peers to be running their affairs. This is also a way to help them learn how to practice leadership among themselves. Please pray for them as they learn to lead others. We have a slogan in Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon - Wotutu that says, “LEADERS DON’T POINT THE WAY, THEY SHOW THE WAY!”

When you see students dressed in Black and standing under the roof of our Bible track building, then you know that they are gathering tracts and discussing how they can reach out to souls. We think souls, and it is awesome that our students love evangelism. It is a great opportunity for them to share the love of God with some lost souls. Please pray for our daily efforts.

Last week I had a great opportunity to be invited, by those in charge of secondary schools in Cameroon, to speak at a seminar on leadership as recorded in Luke’s gospel. It was a great opportunity for me to speak the truth about leadership, as much leadership in the world is in a mess. It was also another opportunity for me to expose the church of Christ to many who are in various denominations. My God help our efforts.

The seminar lasted 8 total hours. We had several working sessions which were personal discussions and question/answer sessions. It allowed us the opportunity to discuss many Bible subjects and not just stay on the subject of leadership. It was a great opportunity for me, and I pray that the seeds of the gospel that I was able to sow in some of the people, will bear fruits one day for the glory of God.

In academia, there is always a time for testing. It is a time for testing as well as a time for them to check themselves to know how much they have been able to comprehend during classwork and preparation. Please keep our students in your prayers. We can see their zeal to grow spiritually and academically so as to be able to help the church of Christ to grow here in Cameroon.

We are still in the business of handing durable Bibles to our new converts. Brother Martin received a giant print Bible that he will be able to read, even without glasses. “THEY NEED BIBLES,” is a common call and concern. I keep receiving calls from many parts of the country with requests for Bibles.

Last week, Brother Mathew, who is one of our new students, baptized Stella into Christ. Please keep her in your prayers as she walks with Jesus. God is too good to fail!

PLANS

From the 20th to the 24th of February, we will be attending the “Jim Corner Seminar,” on leadership, at the church in Douala. This will give our students the opportunity to meet other preachers. They will also be able to learn some new things there. This trip to Douala will only be possible if we have means of transportation. Our Van can no longer plough our roads because of its age and its mechanical issues. We are presently searching for a good replacement. Please pray for us as it is not easy for us with the current price of things. We will need to rent a van to transport our students to that seminar.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for keeping this work in your prayers and thank you for all the support you are rendering to keep it going. Your prayers and support are the wheels that move this work forward. Please do your best to share our report with others.

May God bless you, as you make a great day in His service.

Elangwe and family

By His grace, director BVBIC-Wotutu

Mbanga, Cameroon school baptize and restore 54 souls

BVBIC-Mbanga Report

Happy new year to these powerful people of God. He has done it for us again! May His name be glorified. The staff and students of Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon - Mbanga say glory to his holy name as we prepare to graduate and send out our 4th batch of students here in 2023. 

The month of March shall be a month of jubilation and congratulations as our newly trained, fresh for the ministry men, enter into the field both here in Cameroon and in our neighboring country of Chad. We are also joyful of the work done by the fourth batch of students especially during this December’s field work and internship. The interns went to about 10 different fields to work for a period of two weeks, but more for those who used their week of rest to stay in their mission ground.

The students shared the gospel with about 300 persons. About 2000 tracts were given out within this 2-week period to 14 different areas. Some of them traveled to a lecture ground and to some other villages to continue work there. One new congregation was established between the frontier of Cameroon and Gabon.  

About 23 souls were added into His kingdom during this evangelism campaign as well as about 31 souls being restored. This makes a total of 54 souls that entered into the kingdom of God. Let us continue to depopulate hell and populate heaven. Many are still outside and are looking for an opportunity to be converted. Who will come for us? Lord, send us! The Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon - Mbanga is ready to answer, “Present, and ready to go!” Let's put this young assembly into the hands of God. Let us pray for the new converts as well. 

Weekend evangelism is still part of our mission, as the students still go out every weekend to Kerunzo and Ewangelion to lead worship and continue to make connections with prospects.  

The mission to distribute Bibles to our suspects, prospects, and eventual converts is not left behind. We thank those who have supported this initiative. "They need Bibles." 

Short courses went well with a special one on “Pastoral Counseling” by brother Rufus. Brother Dafta also came to teach a December short course while brother Bigda taught the wife’s class their course.

The students of Mbanga and the staff also took part of the graduation ceremony in Wotutu last December before going for their internship.The sister school was sending out their 6th batch of students or the "Zentians.” It was great to be a part of the one big family. 

One of our students, by the name of Balobagne Vincent, lost his father. The burial took place on the 24th of December 2022 at Banessen village. The director and one other staff member represented the school during the burial. Two students, on their internship around that area, also took part in the burial. Also included were 3 other preachers who worked in that area. Let's continue to pray for our student and his family as he is now back in school.

A new class of students in Wotutu

Dearest in Christ,

We send a special new year greeting to you all over there in your various families. We do hope you have entered the year 2023 with joy from above and in good health. We are joyous and healthy here.  God is faithful to us all as we made it into the year 2023 without much problem.

2023 is here and 2022 is gone into the annals of history. For all that was done there in 2022, we give thanks and glory. We also give God in all that was not done when we were not able to meet up. We are alive and we have hope! We will do our best to continue from where we stopped off in 2022.

December 8, 2022 was another time for graduation. It was the 6th or the Zeta batch graduation. Eighteen students happily put on their academic robes after two years of studies and development, to graduate to join many others in the wilderness to preach the saving message. This is a picture of the graduates with their wives, as well as 5 missionaries from America and Cambodia, who witnessed the graduation alongside 1040 others who were in attendance. It was colorful, and it was also time to celebrate hard work. Keep them in your prayers as they are in 18 different locations preaching and teaching in congregations of the Lord’s church.

On the 1st of January 2023, the new students were already in Wotutu to start their classes on the 2nd of January. It is always a pleasure for us to welcome them in our home and to enjoy a first fellowship meal with them. They are in Wotutu, and the road is ahead of them to undergo their training. The road is a good one! Their choices to become preachers are good ones! God has given them to us so that we can encourage them and motivate them to stay focused toward their calling.

On the 2nd of January 2023, we started classes, and 22 of these freshmen started their journey with me teaching, “HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE.” Some of them have been preaching before this time, and it is our goal that they pay attention to the classes so as to learn more to add to what they already have known before this time. We have a very rich agenda for them for the first quarter. The courses are “HOW WE GOT THE BIBLE”, “OLD TESTAMENT 1”, “LIFE OF CHRIST”, “PERSONAL EVANGELISM”, “GREEK LANGUAGE”, AND OTHERS.

PLANS

We are starting our weekend evangelism by taking the students to different locations for them to know the terrain here, as some of them come from far away from the south west region.

 APPRECIATIONS

Thank you for trusting in us, and for the many ways you partner with us to keep this work moving. You have done well, and we pray for your continuation so that we can do more as we start up with the ETA batch. The 7th batch is rolling! Only God knows what the future holds for us and the work, as the global economic crisis deepens to affect basic commodities and services. We pray for God to help us here in Cameroon.

God bless you as you make a great day.

Elangwe and family

By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Todd Crayton visits Mbanga

The steadfastness of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end. They are renewed every morning. May the almighty God bless this day and new month. We pray that He also blesses the mind of the support team.

The work in Mbanga is going on well as we, the students and staff, are doing pretty well. At this moment we are making plans to attend the graduation ceremony in Wotutu. We will then move to about 14 assemblies for the final evangelism campaign and internship as this fourth batch of students in Mbanga will graduate in March. We commit them in our prayers, especially now as traveling these days is very difficult. Let us continue to pray for journey mercies for everyone.

This quarter has been very challenging as we have had plenty of activities. We also had the visitations of Elder Todd Crayton and coordinator David Ballard. It was good to have them in Cameroon again after about a 3-year absence due to Covid 19. We thank God for preserving their lives and the lives of many Christians both in Cameroon and abroad.

Their trip to Cameroon was motivating to both the students and the staff. It was a reminder of our formal slogan, “God is with us, we are never alone.” We know that God is always with us as well as our big Christian family abroad. Their mission was successful. You can see sister Mary, the wife of the director of BVBIC-MBANGA, putting on her smile. A lot of time was taken to observe how the instructors teach the students. Brother Todd and brother David were very happy with our staff. After that, it was time to observe how the students had received the transfer of knowledge.

Our last mission trip and internship was also great, as we sent our students to 12 different assemblies, including a congregation at Yaounde. It was successful as the feedback from the hosting preachers was encouraging. Most of the students were approved to go, and were ready to get to the field for zealous and religious work to be done.

God, through this mission added 12 souls, and 3 were restored back to the Lord. We seek for lost souls to bring into the kingdom of God. "Our mission is evangelism and evangelism is our mission." 

The Moungo Zonal Lectureship was also successful. The Mbanga assembly hosted the last edition of the Moungo Zonal Preacher’s Forum which brought up the idea of pulpit exchange. I therefore, was at Bomono preaching in a small, but very old assembly along the Mbanga Douala road.

The fourth batch of students shall be going out again for another internship and evangelism campaign after taking their short course on the book of Hebrews and also the women taking the course “Essentials Doctrine.” It was great to have these powerful instructors giving out their best to transfer knowledge to the students. 

Here is the combination of students and their wives after they had taken the last part of their short course. Some of them had new born babies and some are still pregnant. What a blessing it is to have these great people in our midst. 

The instructors of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon – Mbanga also paid a condolence visit to director Elangwe who lost his father in the month of October. We went officially, to comfort our own brother and colleague who lost his father, for we constitute one family.   

We shall resume classes in January and be preparing for the up-coming graduation   March 2023. May God continue to bless us all, as we promise to update you again.

The field is ripe but the laborers are few. 

 Remain blessed.

Your humble servant Ititi Benedict

Wotutu staff and students restore a congregation

Dearest in Christ,

I am sure everyone is doing great as we mark the last days of the year 2022. The year has been a fruitful one for family and for the work that has been entrusted in our hands. We continue to thank Him for His grace that we see upon us and on the work as we have witnessed much expansion of the kingdom of God here in our lovely country of Cameroon.

Welisane John is one of our students who has returned from his last mission work. It was successful! This brother had a great two-years stay here in Wotutu. He will be working in the congregation of Mbonge after his graduation. The Mbonge congregation is one of the oldest in Cameroon. The preacher there died many years ago, and there has been no one to help the congregation since. During weekend evangelism, and the end of quarter mission week, Welisane was sent there. They have now deemed it good for him to work with them full time. Please pray for him and that great spiritual things will continue to take place there.

 Our students are “fully baked,” and are ready to take the gospel to the ends of our country. They are ready to “rob from the strong man’s house,” they continue to “think souls.” Please keep them in your prayers. Be praying for them to have the zeal and courage, to do great things for the Lord everywhere they find themselves.

The last class for this batch was “Marriage and Family.” In this class, we allowed people in the community, and in the Wotutu congregation, to come and be in the class to learn. This always goes a long way in the building up of their families, which also helps to make our community a happier, safer, and healthier one.

At the end of the class, arrangements were made with the local government authorities to draw up marriage papers for each couple. They were very happy for us to pay some amount of money so that the students could have a legalized marriage certificate from the government.

We always round up the class with the famous, “CHOOSE YOUR MATE AGAIN BANQUET.” All of the couples were back in the Wotutu congregation for the joyous banquet which involved their families and many people from their communities. Many of our students considered the event to be their original wedding ceremony.

Part of the ceremony was the cutting of the, “CHOOSING YOUR MATE AGAIN CAKE.” The beautiful wedding cake depicted the beauty of the occasion well. This class, and the banquet that follows it, is always a turning point in the lives of many families.

Be praying for the Malende congregation in the Muyuka subdivision. The preacher that had been preaching in that congregation for over 40 years, died in his home country of Nigeria. I was part of the Cameroonian delegation that travelled to Nigeria for the funeral. Sadly, since then, the congregation has begun to collapse, as the sheep were all scattered because there was no one to preach for them. Our students have actively evangelized the village and some Christians were encouraged to stay faithful and others were restored. The congregation is presently alive and healthy again. Please, we need your prayers as we engage in these types of works.

Graduation bells are ringing! This year, graduation celebrations will be December 7th and 8th of 2022. Everything is almost set for the day. Some Christians are already moving towards Wotutu. For some, coming to Wotutu may feel similar to how the children of Israel may have felt as they journeyed to Jerusalem. The journey can be long, but the remembrance, renewal, and fellowship are much anticipated. Please keep our graduation events in your prayers, that all goes well, as we entrust it into God’s hands.

The smiles on the faces of the students, tell you how ready these students are to go out into the world to preach the gospel. Please keep them in your prayers, that God will continue the work He has started in their lives, as they see his grace and mercy working in their personal life, in their families, in their congregations, and in their villages.

APPRECIATIONS

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. We are very thankful to God for all His priceless support in our lives as we commit to doing all that is entrusted in our hands to do. Thank you very much for your fervent prayers and deep support that helps to keep this work going. God sees, and will reward in due season. Please do your best to share this report with others. We shall soon compile the end of year report, which will carry the summary of all what took place in BVBIC-Wotutu and the congregation here in 2022.

God bless you! Make a great day!

By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Wotutu, Cameroon school director mourns the loss of his father

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. We do hope this report finds you well. God is good! We are good and facing the bitter reality of life as we have lost a loved one in the family and in the congregation.

The students are still busy in the mission field covering different areas with preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ free of charge to many on their way.

Last week here was characterized with ups and downs as I was shuffling between my office in the Bible college, some classrooms in Brightland Christian Comprehensive College, and the hospital where my father was battling with a stroke and a serious blood infection. Thanks for all the prayers you rendered to God on behalf of my father. God has finally made the decision to call my father to stay with Him.

Last week, on Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach a sermon entitled, “LAUGHTER IMPROVES OUR HEALTH” from Proverbs 17:22. We decided on our sermon series on health, as many in our congregation are going through some difficult health challenges. The Bible is helping us greatly.

Please keep the Esowe family in your prayers in this time of mourning. God has called my father to glory. He has gone back to his Master. Many thanks to God for using me to lead my father to Christ after I graduated from the Bible College in Nigeria. I am happy that my father died as a serious Christian. He died at the age of 80 years, leaving behind my mother, 7 biological children, 18 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild, along with a host of many in the Wotutu community and elsewhere to mourn him.

Tchemi Giresse is one of the nurses who was helping my father. Because of my father’s sickness, I could not go for mission work with my students but we have souls everywhere. The gospel is always very sweet to share with people who have an open heart. Brother Tchemi Giresse has a servant heart. He obeyed the gospel and I was the one who was able to baptize him. When we left the water he said, “I AM HAPPY TO KNOW THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, I WAS TOTALLY LOST BEFORE THIS TIME.” Please keep him in your prayers as he will be a great worker in the church here.

PLANS

My father's funeral will take place on the 8th of October here in Wotutu. Please continue to pray for us.

Our thoughts and plans are beginning to lean towards the graduation ceremony that will mark the end of the Zeta batch and admit the new batch which will commence in January of 2023.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you! Thank you very much for all of your prayers and support that have been rendered toward this work. God is watching! Please faint not, because in due season your reward will come. Please share our reports with others.

God bless you as you make a great day.

Elangwe and family.

By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Technology training in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this part of the globe. We do hope this report meets you in good health. We are doing our best here in health and with the work entrusted in our hands. God is still on the throne! Even though we are being faced with many challenges, we have come to understand that life is not free from challenges. We know that Christians need to use the challenges in their path to be stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.

Last weeks in the Bear Valley Bible Institute here in Wotutu, and in other parts of the work here, things are progressing well. August is always a busy month in Cameroon, because it is the last month for children who have been on vacation to start making preparations to get back to school. It is also time for the youth in the churches of Christ to attend a retreat which is very spiritual. It is to help them empower them before they go back to their different classrooms.

Before exams for this quarter, the Bible students had a special day to learn how to use a computer and how they can do research online. They also learned how to prepare a PowerPoint. We are training 21st century preachers so we are trying our best to prepare them to fit into the society in which they find themselves.

We are left with 4 months until the graduation ceremony of the Zeta batch. Some have really grown to a good stage while others are still climbing to get to a higher level. It is normal! As we say here in Africa, “ALL FINGERS ARE NOT THE SAME,” but it is clear that all fingers have some sort of function in the body. Keep praying for the preaching students as many congregations are longing to see them graduate and start full time work in the vineyard of God in different locations.

We continue to send gospel tracts to different parts of Cameroon. Preachers who cannot afford to come to Wotutu, to come and select mission printing tracts that can aid their evangelistic work in their areas, can simply call me and I will ship them to their village using those big buses you see behind me. We are always happy to be able to serve others.

Weekend evangelism is a great tool in the work here because through weekend evangelism, which is expensive now, souls are being won. Any soul won into the kingdom is greater in comparison than any amount of money spent to bring that precious soul into Christ! Our weekend evangelism is doing a lot of nurturing, revival, and focusing as many congregations are receiving fresh exhortation from these young, but vibrant preachers in the Bear Valley Bible Institute. Most of our graduates are extremely willing and very happy to welcome our students to help in the work. Students went to assist in the village of Bolo Moboka, where our graduate minister Waka is serving the Lord.

This year’s Summer Youth Retreat was historic. As the crisis has calmed down just a little in the two English speaking regions in Cameroon, more parents are willing to allow their children to travel across the country to attend various programs. This year’s edition of the retreat had close to 400 youth in attendance. I was there, and spoke on the topic, “VIGILANCE.” This topic will go a long way to help our youth learn to take their time and concentrate in any endeavor in life.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you! Thank you very much for all the blessings of God’s grace that you are helping to make us be able to enjoy. Your prayers and your support are really helping this work. Please keep it up! God is watching and will reward you in due season.

God bless you as you make a great day!

Elangwe and family

By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Cameroon school evangelism campaign

We send blessings from Mbanga Balong. May the blessings of the Lord be upon you. May the will of God accompany the big Bear Valley family. The staff and students extend their gratitude to you. The month of June was a fruitful one even though we are in the heart of the rainy season here in the equatorial rain forest. Evangelism was fruitful both in and out of Mbanga. We praise God for the many journeys made by both the director, instructors, students, the members of the church who accompanied us to some destinations.

Evangelism is our mission and our mission is evangelism, door to door evangelism, public preaching at night and one on one talks with backsliding brethren. The campaign was rich as we use our precious God given time and talent to do His will. And the Lord added to the church daily as they were safe.

Our students also went out for a two week campaign to 15 different villages and towns in the given francophone zones with most of them being newly planted congregations. The work for two weeks was a great success. About 1000 French evangelistic tracts were handed out and about 300 persons could listen to the gospel for this period. Six souls were restored and fifteen souls were added to the church through baptism. Eight of those souls came from Sangmelema which is the stronghold and home of our head of state. We praise God for the great increase and we put them into our prayers.

The school has also been visiting other places and carrying out mission work to places such in Bekoko where they join the alumni in serious evangelism. Souls were also added in Susan at our monthly lectureship. We also cannot forget to mention the friendly congregation in Kotto mission where we assisted last month even though there were heavy rains. This is one of the successful work of planting work in French Cameroon.

Brother Ititi, the director of the school, carried out the preaching himself in the midst of graduates and students from both Bear Valley schools. It was during the funeral of the lady who had opened her doors to the church to worship in there for 6 months before she rented her own place. This is a fruitful ground for evangelism.

We feel so blessed by God to be able to do his work here in Cameroon and pray that He will continue to bless us through His Son Jesus Christ.

Reaching out in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this part of the world. We are doing good with all that is entrusted in our hands and we are appreciating God for His help. Things are going good even though we are all faced with the global crisis that is doing all things possible to dismantle our programs. It is more difficult now to meet up with many expenses as the prices of many of our things in the market have risen to very high levels. We are left with no choice but to continue the best we can. We are bound to manage what we have, as there is just no way for us to jump out of the ever-changing world.

We are thanking God for whom we put our trust. We are looking up to Him, the maker of the heavens and the earth. God is watching, and we know He will always make a way when there seems to be no way.

PLANS

Our out-reach efforts to souls in different communities is at the top of our daily and weekly agenda. Our young congregations and newly revived congregations need our weekly presence to keep the young Christians learning and growing. Please help us to keep this out-reach going.

 APPRECIATIONS

 God bless you, as we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the gestures you are making to keep this work going ahead. God alone will repay each one. Please share our news with others.

God bless you as you make a great day.

Elangwe and family

By His grace, director BVBIC -Wotutu

Gain and loss in Cameroon

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon and in Wotutu to be precise. I hope things are good with you as we pray daily. We are doing good, and we thank God for the grace and energy given to us to do what is entrusted in our hands.

Last week in Bear Valley was hectic as we were taking a short course in the Gospel of John while my wife was busy with the student preacher’s wives, teaching them during this end of quarter study period for the women’s program.

 As I type this report, all of our students are in the mission field in different locations far and near through muddy roads and fear of the unknown. The gospel calls, and our students and staff are answering it. I was teaching the gospel of John. It is a very interesting book to study as a short course. It was great, as we all continue to learn from the book.

 On the other hand, inside our worship hall, my wife was busy teaching the students’ wives on, “LESSON PREPARATIONS AND DELIVERY,” AND ALSO “THE ROLE OF A PREACHER’S WIFE IN A LOCAL CONGREGATION.” It was very rich, for the future of the church.

We lost a minister of the gospel that graduated from Bear Valley Bible Institute Wotutu. Minister Nguty Victor graduated in the class of 2016 and was doing very well in his home congregation of Nguty Town. The church in Nguty has lost a great man who was described as a bulldozer in the church around his area. That vacuum is there, and we pray that God will help us to fill the gap.

 The entire Bear Valley family in Cameroon came out in their numbers to bid him farewell. A very large number of our graduates and others, assembled to celebrate the life of minister Nguty Victor. Please pray for the widow and her children. I was given the opportunity during the funeral program to speak on testimonies, I cried out about how much minister Nguty loved the church.

APPRECIATIONS

Thanks very much for all you are doing for the work here. Please pray for the work we did in Tchad as the news that is getting to us shows that more beautiful things are still happening there. Make a great day.

Elangwe and family

By the grace of God, director BVBIC-Wotutu

Cameroon schools conduct campaign in neighboring Chad

Jesus is the way the truth and the life! True worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth! We bring greetings from Central Africa and from Cameroon to be more precise. We are happy to bring to you, our big family of Christians, a briefing on how the on-going work is, in French Cameroon and French Africa at large. 

Let us begin with the work of the Bear Valley Bible Institute that is situated in Mbanga Balong in the literal region of Cameroon. 

Our weekend evangelism journeys have taken us to some far-away places for the purpose of studies and for future implantation of the church. Tracks are being distributed on every mission trip. People are also willing to listen to the gospel being presented by our students and staff. On these various evangelism campaign trips, prospects are being made, and eventually some prospects become converts who are happy to wear the name Christian. 

We also take the students to various lectureships and seminar grounds where studies are being carried out and evangelism is abundant. Our students attended the last annual youth forum in Bonaberi Douala from the 14th to the 17th of April, 2022 where God added one precious soul into his kingdom. A cross section of our students were present in the youth forum with their fellow students from our sister school in Wotutu. 

Still with our bible students, classes are ongoing and the instructors are doing great. The permanent staffers like brother Ename from far away Bertoua will always make it to school in Mbanga no matter his distance. What a great sacrifice! We also have brother Mokou Bernard from Nkongsamba, brother Dafta Yakouba from Douala, brother Giress from Muyuka Peage, and myself, brother Ititi who also acts as the director. In addition to this, we also have brother Bako the school nurse, brother Stephane the night watchman, brother Emile the school Driver, and also brother Christian the speed test instructor and who is also in charge of discipline in the campus. Some others are always there to teach during short courses. With all of these instructors, we are already in the second year of our studies and very soon we shall be going out for another internship. 

Recruitment is also ongoing for the next batch of students as we have applicants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic who are interested to come and study in our prestigious institutions in Cameroon. We are praying for them as they are still searching for funds to establish their traveling documents.  Long live Bear Valley Mbanga as we have a mission to transform French speaking Africa.

We have had the opportunity to train over 11 Chadian who are in the field working and presently have others who are still in school. God has now given us the opportunity to train men and strengthen the church in other African French speaking nations. Let us pray for this work, for this mission, and for openings to these various fields of work. The field is vast and the laborers are few. The field is in need of human resources, for the Bible says, "How can they hear without a preacher?" 

As we continue with the growth and expansion of work in French Africa, my wife and I, along with the director and wife of the school in Wotutu, traveled to Chad early this month and spent two weeks over there. Our mission was to train the men and women on various aspects of church growth. It was revealed to us last year during our first missionary trip to Chad, that the sisters are in need of support in the way of teaching and training from the church in Cameroon and especially from the sisters in Cameroon. God has been the way. He has granted us the opportunity to travel again to fulfill not only this request but also to get involved in the preacher meetings and to go alongside the Chadian brethren on evangelism campaigns and public preaching. It was requested that we preach and teach in some congregations and strengthen them as a part of our mission. 

The French evangelism mission is on-going. For now, we are revisiting the new assemblies we have planted to strengthen and encourage them so that they will know that they are not alone. We have gone back to Kotto Mission where they are making great improvements. The room they were using has become too small and the aging owner of the apartment wants to use the room for a different purpose. So, we are thinking of getting a separate place for the church, and to provide them with benches and a table for their worship. It is the same with some other recently planted assemblies in other localities. They still worship in people’s parlors. This type of setting is not encouraging growth in these modern days as it distracts many from desiring to attend worship there or to visit the assembly there. 

It is time for us to begin the search for the next batch of students as we prepare our 4th batch to get into the field. The congregations in French Cameroon are fewer in number and smaller in maturity than those in English speaking Cameroon. So, most of the time, we must travel a long way to meet up with prospective students from various congregations like those in the North. We intend therefore to send two of our instructors or graduates at the end of this month to conduct interviews with these prospective students. This is to prepare for and to get ready for the next batch.

Our congregation in Mbanga is also growing in number as we have been meeting with almost 150 worshippers each Sunday. Things change continually with time as we have grown from the 5 members that we started with some years ago. Today we are reaping the fruits of patience and endurance. 

We offer a special greeting from the Mbanga assembly. Our building project is still at hand as we are asking the church to always think on how to meet up with all these needs.

Ladies Day in Wotutu

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this part of the globe. We do hope you are doing great and that God is actively doing great things in your life and in your ministry and family. God is faithful with us as well. Even though we are being pushed on every side, we are not yet crushed.

We are still very busy making sure that everything on our agenda is good. We are training men and their families, nurturing congregations, establishing congregations and also feeding orphans. I come to you with another exciting report of the work here. God is active in accomplishing His work here in Wotutu Cameroon.

We had a meeting with the instructors in the Bear Valley Bible Institute -Wotutu. It is great once in a while for us to come together and see how we can evaluate and reevaluate our work. We had a lot to talk about concerning sending out students for weekend evangelism and for their end of semester mission work week. We were also beginning to plan for the up-coming graduation ceremony which will be here this December 8.

The chief of Wotutu village visited the area of the Bear Valley Bible Institute -Wotutu and was impressed with what the church of Christ and the Bear valley Bible school are doing in this community. Keep the chief in your prayers as he is a friend to the church. We pray that one day he will become a member of the church for the glory of God.

Wotutu congregation organized a lady’s day. Hundreds of sisters made their way in Wotutu and it was a great time for the sisters to study and enjoy fellowship with one another, it was a moment of joy. The theme was, “SISTERS RESPONSIBILITY WITH ONE ANOTHER.” It was appealing to the sisters to take care, one for another.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for all you are doing for the Lord’s work here in Cameroon. God is seeing and will reward you in due season. Keep it up!

Elangwe and family

By the His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Wotutu school works to expand the kingdom

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this part of the world and a gracious and happy new year to you. We do hope you all made it into 2022 with sound health and a great focus to keep serving the Lord. We are doing well, and by His grace we are into the new year without many challenges.

This year is full of promise, as we see God taking us into another dimension in His work. We are ready, and we are prepared to do well in our calling in Him. We call on God for His help. 

Last year closed with our students out for mission work. My wife and I were also involved in the mission work of visiting and nurturing congregations around the Meme division in Cameroon. It was a great time for us as well.

I was privileged again to introduce the theme of the year 2022 in the Wotutu congregation. I also analyzed the theme, and we are trusting that God will bring a new resolve into the life of many who are under our voices.

The students are all back in school and two of our students, Lyambe Francis and Fon Ndinsang got married in the course of the vacation. We are set, and we are rolling in the first quarter of the second year. We have great courses to study which include, “Intertestamental History,” “The Book of Romans,” ”Minor Prophets,” ”2 Corinthians,” and “World Religions.” Keep us in your prayers as we invest our time in teaching and in transferring knowledge to the students who are very much ready to learn.

Many Brightland Christian Comprehensive College students keep coming to our students at BVBIC-Wotutu to learn more from the topics they hear in Chapel. We are blessed to have many avenues for our student preachers to grow. Speaking during chapel and speaking in the Wotutu congregation are added advantages to their learning. The Brightland schools are a fertile land for the gospel.

My wife and I were out of Wotutu for one week of mission work in the Meme division . Its aim was to visit our graduates around that area. It was great to meet them, and to see them being active in their respective congregations. To this same light, I am still planning, and eagerly hoping, to be in the country of Chad with my wife for the work we started doing there last year with brother Ititi. The country of Chad needs more motivation and encouragement. It is very barren spiritually. That is why I wish to travel there with my wife who will be very active in helping the women so that they can start helping other women and children. There is no women’s class in the entire country as well as no children’s class in any of the congregations.

Our students were busy in different communities during the last field work as they were evangelizing and nurturing congregations. Many people suspended what they were doing to listen to the word. It is good for the students to have these opportunities of preaching and teaching in different communities.

Congregations without preachers are always smiling as they welcome a preacher from our campus to their congregation. It is always good to taste how sweet the gospel is when it is presented from a sound angle. Our students do us proud with their zeal and love for the Lord who died for us on the old rugged cross.

Congregations in areas that have been highly affected by the crisis and who had closed their doors are being revived now as our students are entering there, and our God is causing great revival. Three new congregations were established in December 2021 during mission work by our students.

Even with her disability and advanced age, our dear sister will cook for our students and make sure they are safe in her village as they preach the gospel. This is some of the great faith we see daily from God’s children. Keep her and others like her in your prayers.

One of the congregations established last month meets in a new convert’s house. She offered her sitting room for the worship of God and the study of the word within the week. Our students can go there weekly to conduct worship and Bible classes. The landlord is mad at the sister for this. Things like this are some of the challenges we face as we establish new congregations in different places.

The Wotutu congregation is growing rapidly. Because of this, we have demolished the walls that set my office in the church hall apart. Now I don’t have an office in the worship hall, so all of my counseling and praying for people is done from a bench in the hall. Glory be to God for growth!

This Brightland student, Anita Welle, obeyed the gospel. She is now a part of the Wotutu congregation. Keep her in your prayers. Her grandmother is a Christian who will encourage her to grow faster.

One of our preaching students, Prinslo, went to the northwest area and preached in the community of Dunga Matung. While there, he baptized 35 souls within 3 weeks. This was a very strong indication that the field is still very ripe, even after we have graduated 5 different batches of students. Even now it is still true that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. Brother Denis baptized a soul in the newly established congregation in Kotto village. There is more work going on in many different places.

Sister Senge, our nurse who had a spinal surgery, is recovering. Please keep her in your prayers.

We will continue with our weekend evangelism every week. Keep our plans in your prayers.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for all that you do for us here. We are grateful.

Elangwe and family

By His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu