Posts tagged #Malawi

43 more baptisms in Malawi

Bear Valley Bible Institute

Ekwendeni - Malawi

Introduction

We are of great joy to be back at school again after a long holiday. The students are happy to start their many assignments, memory work again and many quizzes . 

It is amazing to hear from the students how their holiday never enjoyed as a holiday. With the reports they have shared, no one seems was just resting. Everyone was busy, preaching, teaching and more to this farming making sure they have food for their families. But the good news is that they have reported 30 souls restored during holiday and 43 baptisms. We are proud of them for the good work they are doing. This makes the school to be recognized by those who hears them teach and preach.

Teaching

We are in our second year, and at the end of this year this class we are having will graduate. The work of teaching is at its boiling point. This being the final year for our students we are making it possible that they are taught the remaining courses in time. In this month of February, 2 courses have already been done.

Evangelism

As stated in the introduction part, the students have been preaching and teaching during their holiday session which resulted into 43 souls being added to the Lord's church and 30 more restored. We had 21 students and now we are having 17. The 4 students have dropped out of school due to other issues about their families, which we couldn't get involved for them to stay at school. But we pray that one day they will think of coming back to finish their studies. The report about 30 restoration and 43 baptisms is from our 17 students home congregations and places where they have been going preaching and teaching.

Prayers needed,

We ask your prayers as our country Malawi is experiencing dry spell in many areas which gives fears of having hunger this year through next year. Our students being bread winners in their homes they are deeply worried. But we hope God will not allow His people to starving . We need to approach Him in prayers .

We are thankful to the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and the Hillcrest church. We appreciate the love, support and many prayers you offer for this work! Your partnership with Hillcrest church is helping us greatly. We always need your involvement in this work of saving souls to Christ and training men become faithful preachers. As long as there are people who cannot find their way, we have the responsibility! Eternity Is Forever Think Souls!

Your fellow workers in Christ;

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on March 12, 2024 .

First ever graduation in Lilongwe!

Power-Packed Potential

Standing before you is the Class of 2023, the school’s very first graduates!  For at least 1,500 hours, the men have been immersed in the Word of God… searching, studying, and seeking to grasp its true meaning.  For over 350 hours, the women have done the same while also cooking, cleaning, and caring for their families.  They will never be the same!  Prayerfully, with the addition of seven more families in ministry, Malawi will never be the same!

Every Rose has a Thorn

The rose was in full-bloom as the students sat for final exams, took class pictures, and walked through the graduation ceremony.  Relationships were being knit together more and more tightly as everyone realized our time together was coming to an end.  

Dale’s final chapel talk was about building a R.A.F.T.  This acronym that stands for Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewell, and Think Destination is a healthy way to leave.  It makes sure any hard feelings can be mended, those embarking on new territory as well as those who would remain behind could be encouraged, the painful goodbyes would be said, and all could look forward to being together in heaven again once our work on earth is done.

Immediately following graduation (Saturday), one family needed to leave.  In order to register their child for school, they had to be back in their home village the very next day.

The largest group of 5 families left together early Monday morning on a private bus that would take them to the largest city in the North.  It was a mass exodus of 22 people who had come as strangers but left with part of our hearts.

The final family stayed until Friday morning.  After receiving public school grades, they too packed up their things and left.  

This was the goal.  Students would come, grow as individual Christians, make life-long friends they could lean on in ministry, and then go home.  All of that has happened.  

What we didn’t fully anticipate is that with the curtains gone in the 10 houses, the lights that don’t come on, the jungle gym unoccupied, and no one meeting under the mango tree, we feel not only a sense of accomplishment but also a sense of loss in many areas of our lives.  We belonged in a village, as part of other people’s lives, and a part of something much bigger than we could have ever done.  

Please pray for our family as we feel the thorns that come with every rose.  We will need to grieve the loss of the departure of these 33 people in our daily lives in a healthy way so that when the next group of students comes another rose will bloom and fill our lives with its beauty.  

Supporting the Students

As we are between groups of students, we have two sets of people on our minds. One set includes those we know dearly, have walked beside, and are waiting to hear how God is going to use them to grow His kingdom.  The other set is the next student body whose names are unfamiliar and the mere mention of them doesn’t bring a flood of memories because we have yet to meet them.  Both need our support.

The recent graduates have returned to their homes and planted their farms and/or started back up the businesses they had before coming to the preaching school.  Every man had a job before he came to the school and was providing for his family so financial support is not what we mean when we say “supporting the students”.

Prayer is the best way to support the recent graduates.  These families are doing something even Jesus struggled to do… be effective in their own hometowns (Mark 6:4).  They have moved back to the same places they came from initially.  They are working among people who have known them in some cases since birth.  They need our prayers to keep studying and to keep growing spiritually so they can accurately handle the word of truth in each situation that presents itself (II Timothy 2:15).  The graduates also need our prayers as they strive to be the pillar and support of the truth as we learn the church should be from I Timothy 3:15.

The student applicants also need our support.  They have taken the first step by submitting an application which expresses their interest in being a student at the preaching school.  Like all of us, they don’t know what the future holds.  They don’t know the sacrifices it may take to transition well or what it will require of them to stay for the duration of the program. 

Next month we will begin student interviews.  We will be looking for the ones who are already working in the kingdom, have hearts characteristic of a servant, and seem most able to thrive despite whatever obstacles may arise.  

Please pray for the student applicants in these ways:

Honesty - telling the truth during the interview process

Transparency - identifying the foundational reasons they want to attend the school

Pliability - being able to adapt to a new culture (both physically and spiritually)

Humility - willing to put others before themselves

Teachability - accepting the truth even if it differs from their original understanding

Competency - showing whether they understand English (men) or Chichewa (women), respectively

Thanks for joining us in prayer on behalf of both types of students:  those who have just graduated and those who will be the next graduates from the Bear Valley Extension School - Lilongwe.  

Dale Kastner

Posted on February 12, 2024 .

Graduation in Malawi

Hello Everyone!

The graduation ceremony was a success!  Fourteen individuals received certificates acknowledging their attendance and numerous hours of effort at the school.  

Everyone has returned to their home villages.  The campus remains with 8 people (as it was before the 40+ people arrived in October, 2022).  

We have a special prayer request.  One of the children, who is less than 2 years old, is very, very sick.  Notification was sent last night, and we read the message this morning.  All day we have been trying to get a call to go through so that we can find out more.  Please pray for this little guy!  

Love,
Dale, Leann & Alyssa Kastner

Posted on January 4, 2024 .

19 more baptisms in Malawi!

Hello!

Greetings from BV school in Ekwendeni Malawi. We all the joy we want to share with you the good news that have been received in this month of November from our students. 

When you think of holiday, you mean resting but this not with our students. The holiday for them means working, "we will rest when we die" I quote from one of the students. This month of November, alot have been done in the village congregations where our students are staying during this time of their holiday - 22 souls have been saved(19 baptisms and 3 restored)!

December plans!

The teachers have agreed to have some few trips to villages, checking on how the students are doing in their home congregations. It is one way of encouraging them.

Bibles in our local language

We are so thankful to brother Dale for the contribution towards they purchase of Tumbuka Bibles. We managed to buy 89 based on the funds we had.

We always appreciate the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and the Hillcrest church for the partnership that makes our school move forward. God continue to blessing you all.

"Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls

In Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on December 11, 2023 .

Marriage class conducted in Malawi

The Family Unit

A full week of intentional focus on marriage and the family just ended.  This was a capstone class that will prayerfully help these 7 families to submit to one another through obedience and love.  

Topics covered included but were not limited to biblical marriage, definitions of love, establishing healthy boundaries and fences in relationships, communication, conflict resolution, parenting, budgeting, differences in sets of needs, intimacy, anger management, and lust.   

There were cultural difficulties in teaching the class even for a long-term missionary.  Things like clearly defined roles in the local culture made it challenging to teach things like showing love through acts of service. When cultural discrepancies presented themselves, the biblical principle was restated, and the students were encouraged to find their own application to that principle. 

Each day was balanced with godly principles and fun to remind the students of the joy in marriage.  By the end of the week, the husbands and wives seemed more relaxed around each other.

It is our desire for the students to continue working on their own marriages as well as to begin sharing this information with others once they return to their villages.

What about the children?

Great question!  If both parents are in class for 30 hours (spanning over the course of four full days and a partial day on Friday), where are the children, and what are they doing?

From 7:45 until noon, Leann and Alyssa cared for the children who were not yet old enough to attend primary school.  There were officially 7 of them, but one school employee’s child who lives on campus also tagged along several days.  At the beginning of each hour, we had an activity ready.  We went from building houses and cars with blocks to picture cards, snacks, and then a game.  At that point, the little ones were fading fast and rest time often took us close to noon (especially for those who were slow to wake up).  We did our best to keep everyone with us, but one or two were not quite old enough to be away from mom for long.

Throughout the afternoon (1:30-4:30) the older kids trickled in from school, ate lunch in their homes, and then joined us.  We brought out Bible coloring pages, games, and ended with picking up trash in exchange for a sucker.  Homemade games (even meaning hand-sewn by Alyssa in some cases like bean bags) included giant tic-tac-toe, bean bag toss, and bowling. 

As we are six to eight weeks away from rainy season, keeping the kids hydrated was important.  We served rehydration drinks daily.

Meet Your New Sister

Although the waters are receding significantly as we near the end of dry season, there was enough in the creek to immerse Labeka on October 1st.  She was buried in the water and came out a new creature (Romans 6:4, II Corinthians 5:17).  Labeka attended class without fail as Dale took the congregation through an 8-week study of Bible basics including God’s plan of redemption and salvation.  She also fully understood that changes would be needed to comply with Biblical teachings on an on-going basis. 

Posted on November 29, 2023 .

Lilongwe, Malawi school perseveres

We have been operating on reduced power since two batteries have been sent back to the manufacturer for factory defects.  As the factory is in another country, it is taking months to get back up to full power.  

The students have adjusted to getting up early instead of staying up late since the lights in their houses and in the study hall have been going out at 8 p.m. (right after they have finished eating supper and spending time with the family).

As the company was working to install one battery as a “loaner”, we moved chapel outside so we could stay on schedule at the preaching school.  Things like those, which could derail everything, instead are viewed as opportunities.  It was nice to meet outside for a change… a reminder of church camp!

Loss & Sickness Plague the School

A third student wife has lost a parent in less than a year… that’s almost half!  Yet, they are persevering! 

A 1 1/2-year-old contracted a bacterial infection and needed transport to and from the hospital for 3 days to get daily antibiotic treatments intravenously. She is recovering fully!

Meet the Bodwin Phiri Family

The seventh and final student family we would like to introduce is the Bodwin Phiri family. Bodwin is 36 years old, and his wife Doreen is 27. They were married in 2017. Bodwin and Doreen have a daughter, Anjellina, who is six and a son, Onesius, who is two. They are what one would call a cross-cultural family as Bodwin is from Northern Malawi and Doreen is from the Central Region. Bodwin grew up attending the church and was baptized in 2005. Doreen was baptized in 2016. 

Before coming to Bear Valley Lilongwe, Bodwin and Doreen farmed a little and ran a small grocery shop in their village. In addition, Bodwin was a brick layer. Both Bodwin and Doreen are very hard workers. They want to put their great work ethic to use for the kingdom of God. After school, they plan to return to their village near Karonga and continue in their prior professions. They also want to plant new churches and spend more time evangelizing lost souls. 

As a director, I find myself noticing little things about each person on campus. It’s interesting to see the significant changes in their lives during the relatively short time they are here. Doreen came quite reserved but outspoken when the time was right. It was easy to see she had great potential. This especially came to light when in a matter of weeks she lost her mom, sister-in-law, and Bodwin about died from cholera. Now, her intelligence, confidence, and godly determination are shining brightly. Bodwin came as a wallflower. It was not until the second hermeneutics class that I heard his “loud voice”. He has come out of his shell and is revealing a deep desire to learn. They are going to do great things for the kingdom. 

Please join us in prayer for this wonderful family.

Dale Kastner

Posted on November 6, 2023 .

Donnie Estep visits Malawi

Hello Everyone!

We are grateful to God that we have reached this far in the year 2023. We have just ended our second semester and all the students have gone home for their practical work. We expect them back in early February. We were also excited to have Donnie with us for a short course. This month of October a lot has been achieved and good news from our former students is always encouraging. More in the details below!

Teaching

So far so good a job has been done. We have done more than half of our curriculum and next year will be the final for this class and then graduation. Before the close of the second semester we hosted brother Donnie who was teaching the book of "Hebrews". Donnie was excited to see how quickly our students are growing in knowledge. The first year class is always challenging especially in the first semester but as they go along they improve and their understanding becomes Joy to every teacher.

Evangelism

We have received news from some of our former students like brother Saliwa, Takesure, Shadreck, Mateyo and some men who are working with the school; brothers Abishai and Kennedy. They have reported of souls being saved totaling to 46 in the months of October and 14 more souls restored. This always puts the school on the map when we hear from our graduates. We pray that God bless their families physically and Spiritually as they continue doing this noble work.

Holiday

Our students are now gone for a 3 months holiday. It is a long holiday for them to have enough time to preach, teach and encourage congregations. And also, we in Africa depend on farming as a source of finding something to put on our tables and the rains starts in November whereby everyone is needed to be working on his field of crops. The school will open in the first week of February, 2024.

We are always thankful to God for the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and the partnership with the Hillcrest church in Missouri for the every month support. Our currency has been devalued 2, if not 3 times this year putting everything rocketing up high in prices. Life is not the same. But your support and prayers make us move forward. Keep helping us and you have your reward hereafter. Many men have no biblical education and many souls are not saved. Let's join hands to fulfill the ministry. Your involvement is still needed.

"Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls"!

Yours in Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on November 1, 2023 .

Guest teacher in Malawi

Hello everyone!

It is amazing to see how days are ending so quickly. We have almost 3 months before the year ends. Many good things have happened this year and we wish they could continue and the year shouldn't end so soon. However, we respect the seasons given by our good God and Lord Jesus Christ to us.

During the past 2 months lots have happened and we sometimes fail where to start because we are so excited about good news we are receiving from our former students who are doing good work in their respective homes. Within these two months 35 souls have been added to Christ and 18 more restored! We always thank God who works in us all for this course of winning souls to Christ. We also had a short course teacher from our sister school in Gweru - Zimbabwe. It was a blessing to have him teach and he too was excited to receive a warm welcome in Malawi which is rightly nicknamed as "The warmheart of Africa"!

Teaching

As we all are aware that the purpose of our school is to train men become faithful preachers of the sound and health doctrine, we have covered a lot of course since we started our second semester in July, this year. Brother Ishmael Mutichu from Gweru taught the "Synoptic gospels" from the 18th through 22nd of September. This is a good thing as it does strengthen the relationship between the sister schools within central Africa and beyond.

Evangelism

We have had lot of preaching campaigns in August and September. The results of these campaigns is that 35 souls saved and 18 souls restored. We have brothers who are our graduates and are doing a good job of winning souls to Christ. Brothers Saliwa, Takesure, Mateyo, Shadreck just to mention but a few. The other campaign will be from the the 28th through 1st of October, 2023. This campaign will be in the district of chitipa near the boarder of Zambia and Tanzania. Our students are looking forward to going. We ask for your prayers . 

We are so thankful for the support we receive from the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and also from the Hillcrest Christian family. The bold between us is beyond our imagination. We pray that God continues blessings your families as we still need your involvement in this work of training men and winning souls to Christ. As far as we have souls still not saved, we have the responsibility of reaching out to them - 2 Timothy 2:2!

"Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls

In Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on October 2, 2023 .

Malawi student helps church correct error

Meet the Pundi Family

Since we introduced the oldest family on campus last month, it is only fitting we introduce the youngest family this month. Matthias is 28 and his wife, Charity, is 24. They have a 1-year-old son, Chance. Matthias was baptized at age 15, and Charity was also baptized at age 15. They were both born and raised in Mpherembe which is a village in northern Malawi near Mzuzu. Before coming to school Matthias was a reed farmer.

Matthias met Charity in 2020 at the local market. He is one of the few students we have who graduated high school. Charity finished her sophomore year. After graduating, he was not sure what to do. He wanted to continue his education but was not sure how he would be able to afford more education. In the spring of 2022, he received an application to our school from a friend who had attended a meeting. Matthias immediately applied. 

Even at a young age, Matthias was very active in his local church. He preached, led songs, and was also the church secretary. Here at school, he has maintained his desire to participate and grow in knowledge. Following graduation, Matthias and his family will return to the village and continue to farm and work in the church. If an opportunity arises, he will further his Bible education. 

I am excited to see what life holds for the Pundi family. Matthias has the gift of critical thinking. He will ask 70 percent of the questions in class and a fair number of them will require me to postpone the answer until I can do further research. He is a thinker. Both he and Charity are consistently towards the top of the class. Please take time this month to pray for the Pundi family. 

Sad News from the Bible Society of Malawi

One of the works the school is involved in is purchasing Bibles and selling them for 10% of the original cost or giving them away if the interested individual can say all the books of the Bible from memory. Not only do we have this program here in Lilongwe, but we also work with the Bear Valley School in Ekwendeni. Recently, Mbano, the director in the Ekwendeni school, went to purchase more Bibles from the Bible store. He was told they were no longer printing the “old” Tumbuka version as it was outdated, and they could not make any money with it. They were now printing the “new” version. At a glance this would not seem to be a problem. However, the “new” version includes all the apocryphal books. Mbano decided to purchase Chichewa Bibles which have 66 books. It is very sad our Tumbuka brothers and sisters will not be able to learn from God’s word in their their mother tongue. It is funny to mention that while Mbano was in the store working through a solution, five other customers came in requesting the same “old” version. Let’s pray the Bible Society of Malawi changes their mind about the Tumbuka translation. 

Great News of Multiplicity

One of our students has returned a week early to make up a course he missed due to chicken pox. Upon greeting him and his family, I learned of the great success he had while in the village. He was given the opportunity to teach Bible class for two weeks. They asked him to teach on the Lord’s Supper which is one of the most disputed parts of worship in Malawi. Many congregations have divided over the Lord’s Supper. George carefully taught what he had learned from 1 Corinthians and the gospels. He made sure to only teach the text and not tradition or opinions. George also included the entire context of the relevant passages and not just a few verses here and there. I am excited to write that the congregation immediately corrected their worship service that Sunday. It was through George’s careful presentation of God’s words, and only God’s words, that the congregation was taught. 

My dear brother and sisters, this is what Bear Valley International is all about! Teaching others to teach others to teach others. Multiplicity of efforts at its best. I am so thankful Bear Valley has provided a great way to spread the pure word of God to changes lives. Please make time to lift up those at Bear Valley to our Lord and Savior. Have no doubt that your financial assistance is making a difference in Malawi!

In Him,

Dale Kastner

Posted on September 7, 2023 .

32 Baptisms in Malawi

Hello everyone!

It is our hope that everyone of you is doing well. July has been a good month for us. We have had busy time preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ. As it is; some were good recipients and some were slower than others. But the good news is that we have a report of 32 souls saved and 47 more restored. We are thankful to our Alumni for working tirelessly preaching and teaching the sound doctrine!

Teaching and Preaching

As a preaching school of training faithful men become preachers, we are so excited to train as many men as we can. The Ability and Opportunity will always give us Responsibility to action as we preach and train men - 2 Timothy 2:2!

We are in our second month since we resumed the classes after holiday. Much have already been achieved so far. It is always a move from the low lever to a high lever of understanding and getting used to memorizing, research writing, essays. Students are growing to understanding things every day which is encouraging. 

Evangelism

It has been a good month of preaching door to door. Brother William Tembo invited the school for a 3 days preaching campaign where the church has been established. The place is called "Kajivi" in Mtwalo area of Mzimba. It was all joy as the church has started with 31 members. We ask you to remember them in your prayers. Again, we received good reports from our allumins who have been busy preaching and winning souls to Christ.

Brothers Saliwa, Takesure, Abishai, Shadreck and Mateyo have reported a total of 32 baptisms and 47 restorations. We thank God for these men and the big difference they are making in the Kingdom of Christ. We are always proud of them. This shows the work of training men to become preachers is fruitful.

We are thankful again and again to the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and Hillcrest church of Christ for the good work you are doing. You always think good of us and without your support things could could not be as it is right now. God keep on blessing your families.

Your fellow workers in Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on August 8, 2023 .

Meet Khembo, a student in Malawi

Meet the Mwale Family

Khembo was born in Malawi in a little village called Kasiya. At seven, his parents moved to Zimbabwe which at that time was called Rhodesia. Khembo returned to Malawi with his mother when he was fifteen. He found Malawi very strange, and it was difficult for him to make a living. Due to the hard life, Khembo was not able to go beyond an eighth grade education. Through instruction from his mother, he learned to grow the food they needed to survive. Before coming to school, Khembo farmed 35 acres to provide for his family. At one point, he tried a small business but was not able to keep it working.

Khembo met his first wife in his twenties, and they had five children. In 1996, she died leaving Khembo with the children and hard burden of care and food. In 2000, he married Falesi to whom he is still married. They have six children together. Of the eleven children, eight have married, and the youngest three are still at home in primary school. 

After the death of his first wife, Khembo was baptized in 1997. Khembo believes he has a great responsibility to work for the Lord. He is very thankful to be here at the school and learning as much as he can. At age 64, Khembo is the oldest student. As would be expected, Khembo struggled when the classes began. It had been almost 50 years since he had been in school. However, through hard work and a determined mind, Khembo has been able to do very well. 

Falesi has been a tremendous asset to the student body. In addition to caring for her own children, she is the campus “grandma”. If the other mothers need to leave campus for food, she is more than willing to watch their children with the same nurturing heart she has for her own. When a little child gets upset for one reason or another, she is more than willing to hold and wipe the tears away. 

A Dedicated Group

At this point in the program, we are over half way through the classes. Even though the schedule is very rigorous and the classes are getting harder, all the students are keeping their noses to the grindstone. The students will have a longer break at the end of July, and then they will return for the last 16 classes. Please pray for these families to continue to stay focused and finish strong. 

Dale Kastner

Posted on July 27, 2023 .

Souls are being won in Malawi!

Introduction

It is always good to hear people being saved from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of Christ. Preaching is always a difficult work when it comes to making someone leave his or her wrong belief, and come to Christ. But since we do the work and the good Lord change the hearts of people, it becomes joy to us when many lost souls are being saved. We praise God

We are looking forward to the end of the holiday in 2 weeks time when students will be coming back. Students are on holiday, but the reports coming shows they are not resting. They are preaching and teaching the gospel, and the results of the work they are doing is outstanding.

Baptisms

We have received good news from our students in Karonga, Ntchisi, Mzimba and Kasungu that the Lord has added souls to Christ. The number of baptisms which has reached us is karonga wovwe 4, kasungu 8, ntchisi 3 and Mzimba 5 giving us a total of 20 baptisms. Apart of this good news we have another awesome news! New congregation established at Chazgovu village in Euthini Mzimba district.

New congregation established!

On of our former graduate, who is also helping us distribute world bible school lessons in villages, went to euthini where we have more than 100 WBS students registered through our school BV Ekwendeni. He was called to help some get into Christ last month and he found that the distance from where people are to a meeting place is far, a suggestion for the new congregation to be established was given. I helped Saliwa organize the campaign and we called preachers to go and preach. The campaign stated on the 22 to the 25 of June. The Lord did wonders in a period of 3 days that 15 souls were saved! The new congregation is established! Keep them in your prayers . The chief has said will give land to the church to build a church building, but has also given the church a nursery room for kids that  temporarily should be used as a meeting place for the church. He has asked us to go again and preach since the area is big and many have not been reached. We plan to go with the students this second semester!

Word of thanks!

We always thank Bear Valley Bible Institute International and the working hand in hand with the Hillcrest to help us teach and reach out to the lost souls. Without your support and prayers nothing we could be able to do on our own. There's still a wide door open for us to reach out to the lost souls - Matthew 28:18-20! We are ready to go!

Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls.

Your brothers in Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on July 8, 2023 .

Great progress in Lilongwe!

Here in Lilongwe, the month of May was busy and full of excitement. As always, there were classes, students encouraging one another, and plenty of hard work. But, this month was special. It was the first time in 10 years that both the Kastners and the Mayfields were in Malawi. 

Daniel Mayfield, a classmate from Bear Valley, accompanied Leann and I on a survey trip 10 years ago when we came to Malawi. At that time, Daniel was engaged to Miranda who is now his wife. Daniel and Miranda are now working in Kingfisher, Oklahoma and have three lovely children. Don Garms, who is a deacon in Kingfisher came with Daniel to help out wherever he could on campus.

Daniel did an amazing job teaching the book of Romans. His deep knowledge of the book as well as his endless energy showed through in his teaching. He exegeted many passages which helped the students know how to apply the principles they learned early in their education. Daniel spent many hours discussing the major themes of the book as well as some of the hard spiritual concepts. Even after Daniel had left for northern Malawi, the students were still talking about how much they had learned from Daniel. 

In addition to teaching, Daniel connected with the students on a personal level. After class, he would change clothes and go play soccer with the guys. One afternoon, he went on a run with several of them. It was a blessing to have a man who can connect with the students on a spiritual level as well as a personal level. 

While Daniel was teaching, Don and I took some time to catch up on some projects around the campus and the church. We spent three days painting my house. It was one of those things that was important but not urgent. Having an encouraging man like Don come just to work was what I needed to get it finished. After painting the house, we went to the church building and made the provisions in the brick wall to hang the doors. From talking to Don I could tell he had experienced a lot of things in his life. But hanging a door on a mud-brick building was a new one for him. He later said that he had been very blessed from the experience. Have no doubt, Don was not the only one blessed from his time here. Daniel was right when he said Don was a true Barnabas. 

Two weeks after Daniel and Don left, the students and I gathered up the needed supplies and headed to the church. In a matter of a few hours, we had hung the homemade doors, patched a few holes in the wall, and plastered the pulpit with cement. It was eye opening to see some of the students who are quiet and reserved in class shine brightly in a different environment. I could not ask for a better bunch of guys to start this school off. Please continue to pray this Bear Valley effort. 

In Him,

Dale Kastner

Posted on June 9, 2023 .

Guest teacher in Malawi

Bear Valley Bible Institute

Ekwendeni – Malawi

May, 2023 Report

Introduction 

Holiday is here again as we end up the first semester with good news! It has been a very productive semester with good news and visiting teachers than ever before. We always say it is holiday time but in reality it is not as the students work tirelessly in their home congregations. The students will be out of school for one month 2 weeks and will be doing lots of door to door preaching and teaching.Some of our former graduates are reporting good news too from the good work they are doing. This month we were also blessed by the visiting short course teachers from the USA. The former graduates have reported 21 baptisms and 67 restored. Out of the 21 baptized, 4 of them are those they are studying with us through world bible school. We have 301 students registered and some who have already finished the 7 series of courses have received an ESV Bible. To God be the glory!

Teaching 

This semester has come to an end and students have gone for holiday after spending 4 months of classes work. The semester ended with the course on Romans taught by Daniel from the USA. Daniel was accompanied by one of the deacons from where Brother Daniel is preaching. Both of the two are good Brothers with the great zeal to help Malawi grow in the knowledge of the word. We hope they will come again to help us teach.

Evangelism

Some of our former graduates have reported good news to us and we are also glad to share with all who read our monthly reports. Brother Shadreck from Pharombe reported that 5 souls were added last 2 weeks as a result of his preaching door to door; Brother Takesure reported 9 souls saved and 67 more restored; brother Saliwa reported 4 souls being added to the church and also Brother Mateyo reported 3 souls baptized. We are very thankful to hear that our graduates are doing what has been planted in them. This is always encouraging news to every teacher locally and internationally. We are also praying daily for the WBS students who are registered through BVBI- Ekwendeni. We have witnessed many souls being baptized out of 301 total registered. Only this month 4 have been baptized. Praise God!

We are so thankful for the BVBI-International for the strong bond with the Hillcrest church in Missouri, this has brought a change in the school here in Malawi. We pray that the fellowship will continue for the betterment of the school progress here in Malawi. We pray for your families to prosper as this work still needs your help and support. Working as a team will easily destroy Satan’s kingdom. Matthew 28:18-20!

Yours brothers in Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on June 9, 2023 .

Students return in Lilongwe

The Lord Adds to the Church

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve watched it happen, there is still nothing better than seeing someone put on Christ in baptism.  We can’t help but rejoice because baptism means that one more soul can go to heaven one day if that person will stay faithful until death or until Jesus returns.

In Acts 2:38-47, we learn that when a person is baptized, they are added by the Lord to the church.  In the past month, two more souls have been added… Fani and Chisoni.  Both are serious about their walk with Christ, and we are checking in with them each week to see how they are growing. 

We have enjoyed using the river near the church building for baptisms during the rainy season.  We all walked together, singing as we went.  Everyone witnessed the baptisms:  the way to get “in Christ”.  Those walking along the road stopped to watch.  Then we sang more on the way back to the church building where often more instructions were offered for how to walk with Jesus.

Bonds Grow Stronger

The last time the students came back from a break the children were still a little shy but not this time!  There were hugs in abundance, sharing stories, and kids went right to the places they love the most… like the jungle gym. 

Students Come Back

As we stay synched with the calendar for the Malawian government schools, the students went home for a two-week break in April.

Although a short break, here are some of the things they were able to do…

  • Rest

  • Enjoy their extended families

  • Maintain their houses

  • Bible studies

  • Handed out tracts

  • Preach

  • Teach Bible class

  • Give the Lord’s Supper lesson (here it is like another sermon)

  • Encourage others to attend this Bear Valley Extension School and give applications

Some had family issues to sort out, work to do, and are looking forward to the 3-month break in July when they can serve more.

Meet The Isaac Nguluwe Family

Isaac was born in the Mzimba region of Malawi on June 6th, 1988. Later, he moved with his wife to the lakeshore area called Nkhata Bay. He stopped his education after he finished 7th grade.  Before coming to school, Isaac was a vegetable farmer as well as a chicken and pig farmer. 

Isaac married Lancaster 10 years ago, and they have 4 children:  Ryota is 9, Elick is 6, Desire is 3, and Melvice is 1.  Isaac is one of the most engaged fathers we have.  He fully supports his wife in parenting and is not afraid to address a child’s needs rather than sending them to their mother for assistance.  Isaac feels it is important to study his Bible with his family daily.  They both are amazing parents.

After school, they would like to return to the Nkhata Bay area and continue farming. However, Isaac is a devout evangelist. He wants to spend his spare time sharing what he has learned as well as teaching children and young adults. 

As a director, I can say without a doubt Isaac is one of the hardest working students we have. Although his education is the lowest, he turns in some of the best work.  English is his fourth language.  He had a bit of a slow start, but he is off to the races now.  By far, he has improved the most of any student we have. He is also the most passionate about evangelism.  If there is one who wants to study at church, he is the first one to volunteer to mentor.  All of this is not to mention his children are the most well-behaved children on campus.  Isaac is living proof a person does not need a high education to be a great worker for the Kingdom. 

Posted on May 9, 2023 .

Learning practical Christianity in Malawi

As a dress rehearsal of sorts, the youth competed in a mock Bible bowl against Dale. Every question came from Ephesians 4. Although they went neck-to-neck for awhile, the youth gradually pulled ahead as questions were taken from their weekly chapter questions that Dale was not privy to see.

Two weeks later, the youth tackled their own dads with questions coming from the entire book of Ephesians. With 9 weeks of preparation, the youth were more than ready. On the morning of the competition, one of the oldest youth was plagued with fever & fatigue due to malaria. Through the four rounds of competition, he helped his team to victory and took third place overall. The youth took 1st, 2nd & 3rd places: Alyssa, Moses, & Ganzan.

Make Me a Servant

...Lord, make me like You. For you are a servant, make me one too.

In the women’s program, we have been studying how to become servants for the past eight weeks. At the beginning of each class, we try to sing the referenced song that I translated into Chichewa.

Malawian moms are diligent to take their young children to the equivalent of wellness checks. Springboarding off that concept, each of us completed a spiritual wellness check to see how we are coming along as Christians [ie took temperatures (hot, cold, lukewarm), checked attitudes, considered our walk (mobility check), evaluated our spiritual age (milk or meat), and performed home inspections].

Next, we considered what servants look like and how to start thinking like a servant. This is where we noticed that being a bondservant of Christ is not something we do but who we are.

In Week #3, we went a little deeper into the heart. Having the heart of a servant included being in fellowship with God and loving our brother/sister as the two go hand-in-hand.

At the halfway point, we stopped and spent an entire class applying what we had learned so far. We played a game that taught us that by listening carefully to what others say about themselves, their families, where they came from, etc, we can learn how better to serve them.

As soon as we start serving, we must also start renewing. We carefully studied the book of II Thessalonians to see why the church in Thessalonica needed the encouragement “to not grow weary and lose heart” found in 3:13 and how Paul, Silvanus, & Timothy encouraged them.

In Week #6, we looked at ways to continue growing in faith and how to keep our cups full.

Finally, we concluded with the ultimate servant: Jesus Christ. We began with His superiority and then took a closer look at who He served, why He served, and where He could/could not serve. 

Let the Show Begin...

As a grand finale to the “Make Me a Servant” class and as the students are going home on break next week, Alyssa and two of our workers put on a puppet show for everyone on campus.

The puppet script based on a children’s story book illustrated that some people may applaud the changes they see in us, compliment the lessons we teach, or give us praise for spiritual growth. Other people may lavish us with criticism, make comparisons between us and others, or remind us of our mistakes or who we used to be. Both can be distractions as we should only care about what Jesus thinks about us.

The Dunbel Glaston Family

Dunbel was born in 1970 in the Dowa district of Malawi. Thokozily was born in 1978 in the Nkhotakota region. He married Thokozily in 1998. They have 7 children ranging in age from 24 to 1. Currently, they are also caring for their granddaughter for a few months while her mother is moving. Dunbel was baptized in 1993 and Thokozily was baptized in 1998. Interestingly, she was converted by her husband. 

Before coming to Lilongwe, Dunbel and his family were living in Phwamphwa, a small village east of Rumphi. He worked with his sons as a goat butcher. Dunbel  had almost 30 years of preaching experience preaching before coming to school. However, he wants to get an education in Bible to become a better preacher. 

Between the 8 students who are enrolled, Dunbel is by far the most passionate speaker we have. He is not afraid to raise his voice and drive home that point. He is also an older man who wants to be molded to become a better worker for the Lord. Thokozily is a very concerned about the souls of her children and the influence the world is having upon them. She deeply desires for all of her children to get that crown of life in the end. Please pray for this dedicated family as they work hard to become more knowledgable workers in God’s kingdom.

Posted on April 10, 2023 .

Doing good in Malawi

Bear Valley Bible Institute

Ekwendeni – Malawi

March Report – 2023

Introduction

March has ended with both good and sad news! But if we summarize all, the name of the Lord is always PRAISED! March took us to the end of the second month since we started our classes this year of 2023. Many things have been accomplished such that 6 courses have been finished. We have received news from some of our former students that 13 souls have been added to the church and also 13 more souls restored.

The sad news is about deaths; we have had heavy rains in different districts of the southern part of Malawi where 10 districts were affected with the floods. Two of our students are from the south and one has lost his biological brother and the other one lost his father. It is sad news! Below is the detailed report.

Teaching

As we are in the middle of our classes, a lot of work has already been done. We have had short course teachers who come to help us and with our full time teachers six courses have been accomplished in just a period of 2 month.  Now the Pentateuch II is in progress. We are thankful for the zeal of the teachers who are committed to doing this noble work of training men to be faithful preachers of the true gospel of Christ – 2 Timothy 2:2.

Cyclone

We have had heavy rains in some of the 10 districts of Malawi in the southern region of our country. These rains were due to the so-called “Cyclone Freddy”. This caused rivers to flood, houses destroyed, people and animals killed and crops being taken away leaving people with no hope for food and shelter. The very sad news is the loss of lives! Lot of brothers and sisters in Christ are also homeless and grieving for their loved ones who died and some still missing up to date. We have our 2 students who lost their relatives. One lost his brother and another lost his father. But looking to who sends the rains, we always say PRAISE GOD! We cannot blame God for the rains. We have a saying "Whatever comes from heaven has no case to answer”! We thank God in everything.

Good News!

As it is always good to share the good news, we have had reports from some of our former students who like to share with us the reports of the work they are doing. This time we had reports from 4 of them. Brother Shadreck from Pharombe reported that 1 souls saved and 2 more souls restored; Brother Mateyo from Kasungu reported that 2 souls saved and 7 more restored; Brother Takesure reported that 8 souls saved and 4 more restored and also Brother Saliwa reported 2 souls saved! Which means 13 souls in total have been baptized and 13 souls restored! Keep the newborn babies in Christ in your daily prayers that they grow.

We are thankful to BVBI International and the Hillcrest brethren for their continued support! God bless you all!

 

Your fellow workers for Christ;

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on April 8, 2023 .

Donnie Estep visits Lilongwe, Malawi

Classes Continuing

Throughout the month of February, our men studied three different Bible topics. First of all, Donnie Estep came from America and taught the Scheme of Redemption before teaching the same in Ekwendeni. Following Donnie, Foster Zimba taught the students about the New Testament Church. I taught a survey class of Old Testament history from Joshua through Esther the third week of month. Leann is teaching a ladies class each Friday focused on servanthood and Navie is teaching the women the Life of Christ on Tuesday nights. 

The last week of the month was designated as a research week for the men. They used the week to catch up on assignments and papers. It also allowed them to do a little work in their gardens that help supplement their food stipend.

Now that their program is one-fourth of the way finished, the entire family is learning about the time required for their studies. This time comes at a cost to family time. All students, both men and women, were encouraged to set aside some time in the research week to spend time with their families in order to keep their relationships strong. 

Meet the Students

As a missionary and director, I feel it is very important to help you know the individuals you are supporting. It seems like the best way for you to meet the students is through a monthly introduction. For the next few months, I will introduce one of our families who are attending Bear Valley Lilongwe. Please take time and pray for these families by name. As you will see, they have left jobs, families, and homes to come and study God’s word for two years. 

The Wilson Phiri Family

Wilson was born in 1992 in the Kasungu district in northern Malawi. In 2020, he moved to the Nkhata Bay Area near Lake Malawi. Wilson is married to Cecilia who was born in 1990. Wilson was baptized in 2005 and Cecilia was baptized in 2014. They have been married for 10 years. They have two boys. Hubert is 9, and Blessings is 5. 

Before coming to school, Wilson cut wood with a hand saw, farmed, and did some contract farm work. After school in Lilongwe, Wilson would like to continue learning the Bible and help others grow in their Bible knowledge. 

Here are a few fun facts I see in Wilson and his family. Wilson is an amazing husband and father who has very well behaved children. Cecilia is a dedicated wife and mother who stays focused in her school work. Both of them have amazing smiles which show their inner joy and peace. Hubert is a quiet one who is always thinking like his dad. If I ever need to find Blessings, he is hanging out with his buddy, Flasko, maintaining the campus. Please pray for Wilson and his family as they work hard to increase their Bible knowledge. 

Posted on March 14, 2023 .

A new class of students in Malawi

Bear Valley Bible Institute

Ekwendeni – Malawi

February, 2023 Report

Introduction

Greetings from Malawi, the warm heart of Africa! It is a gain with great joy to share the good news accomplished in the month of February, 2023. Visitors after visitors. Last month we had our President visiting us, and this month of February, visitors again from America. We thank God for blessing us with such brothers in the brotherhood from outside Malawi.

We are excited to see students back to school again. We enrolled 30 students but because of some challenges during this time of the year only 21 managed to report for school. The exciting news is that the new congregation has been established at the school campus! Already many are willing to be baptized. Praise God!

Short course Teacher

After being visited by Dr Denny Petrillo in January, we received 2 more American brothers Charles G Ching and Chad Scott. The two brothers arrived on the 4th of February and went back on the 11th of February, 2023. Charles G Ching used to be my WBS helper/Teacher in the late 1990s. Chad is a brother in Christ as well as a nurse. Their visit was great as we were helped in both ways in our community. Chad was at Kaweche Health Centre while Charles was teaching our students “Bible Geography”. We thank God for them and wish them to come again. So far we have taught Writing skills, Bible Geography, Homiletics and now the book of Acts in session.

Church Established – School Campus

The school is at a distance of about 7km to the next meeting place and between us there is Thukutu River which is a big thing this time of the rains. Because of this we allowed students to start preaching within the villages around the school and many have promised to be baptized soon. This has made us start worshiping at the campus and last Sunday the attendance was 24. We hope the number keep adding  soon.

We are always thankful for the partnership between BV international and the Hillcrest church of Christ, this partnership has made a lot to be accomplished within a short period of time. Working together as a team always brings in positive results. Together we can! Many souls are lost out there and let us join hands to conquer Satan. Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls!

Yours fellow servants of the Lord,

Ephron and Clergynton

Posted on March 13, 2023 .

Training families in Malawi

Eager to Serve

The students set off on a campaign to talk to as many people as they could about Jesus.  They offered Bible studies and looked for those who had fallen away.  In one week, about 210 conversations happened.  

One lady chose to put on Christ in baptism after learning what the Bible says about how to be saved.  Two other women committed to returning to the church after having fallen away due to marrying outside of the church and following their husbands to other religions or merely staying home.

Each day two student families remained on campus to be responsible for the children.  Several children were too young to be in school but no longer dependent upon their moms for food while others returned home around noon.  Parents cooked lunch and supplied snacks for their own children in advance.

The students gained momentum daily being motivated by people who were willing to obey God’s will for their lives.  There is much follow-up work to be done, but the new church plant is now well-known in five surrounding villages thanks to the spreading of the word by the student body.

Serving Each Other

One of the students suffered polio which left him no longer able to walk.  He moves from place to place either by walking on his hands or by wheelchair.  

The other students have rallied around him to be sure he can get where he needs to go.  If he leaves the campus, someone always accompanies him whether to the church building or on errands.

In turn, he also serves others.  When his neighbor was ill during the night, he was the one who sounded the alert.  He woke up another student and the resident staff member so that we could also be called to assist with an ambulance run to the hospital.

Prayer Requests

It is not easy to commit 100% to the Lord, but the student families are doing exactly that.  They have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, and farms for the sake of Jesus.  Their dedication will reap much more than what they have left behind and, most importantly, eternal life (Matthew 19:29).

  • One student lost his brother after a long illness.  It was this brother who was caring for his field and home while he was away.  The student has returned to class and is currently on break tending to the needs of his extended family.

  • We just received news that a student wife has lost her mom since leaving for break.  The loss has brought her family back to the region of Malawi where the school is located so we are hopeful for her return with the rest of the students on Saturday.

Please continue to keep this work in your prayers.


Dale Kastner

Posted on February 15, 2023 .