Two Souls Added To The Kingdom In Arusha...

Greetings Fellow Workers;

We write this week’s report with hearts full of joy and thanksgiving. We hope and we pray all is well in your lives and in your labors in the Kingdom. Our God is truly amazing and able, able to do mighty thing through those who obey and trust in Him. We pray for you often, trusting things are well.

I cannot imagine a better way to start out a week than for two sweet ladies to put on Christ in baptism. This took place last Sunday at Arusha. Through the teaching of our  brother Steve Wiseman (Rockwall, TX) two more souls were added to the Lord’s Church at Kwa Mrombo, one a grandmother, the other a grandson. Today at Kisongo, another young man named Christ as his Lord, what a week.

On this Friday and Saturday we all participated in the Tanzania Leadership Conference (TLC). With between 90 and 100 men from four different countries (America, Uganda, Kenya and most from Tanzania) and over 50 different congregations, God was glorified in a way I personally have never experienced. The meeting concluded with many of the men worshiping with the Arusha congregation as part of their “Friends Day”.

This years TLC was centered around the idea of congregational responsibility. To make a long story short, the meeting ended Friday night with a powerful lesson from our brother David Kalaba (from Zambia, working with the East Africa Union). In the end, around 50 gospel preachers repented for not being the men of God they should have been and for not taking more seriously their responsibility as Gospel preachers. They prayed with each other and vowed to let God have His way with them in their lives and in their ministries. 

Today Buddy Fry (from Grandview, TX) preached an emotional lesson from the book of Ezra. He preached to an audience of more than 200 souls, many visitors and friends. The singing was more wonderful than words could ever express on paper. Truly God was glorified in spirit and in truth and His Church was edified in a truly grand way.

It was such a joy to see many of our ACSOP graduates and hear of the great things God is doing through them. Souls are being saved in large numbers, congregations are being planted throughout all East Africa. The work of God is growing, the congregations are beginning to work together in ways they have never experienced in the recent history of the Lord’s Church in East Africa.

We work day by day fully realizing the trials so many face in our world. We thank God for each of you as you work and labor in your lives and for your great sacrifice in making this mission work and many others possible. Thank you all so very much. May our God be with you and bless you like never before.

I close with a special request and need. Tanzania (as well as most, if not all, East Africa) are experiencing 12-18 hour power cuts most days. The ACSOP is in need of a back-up generator. After much research Jimmy has come to the conclusion the school is in need of a 45 kw generator. The cost of this generator is $23,000 locally. We solicit your consideration in this need and do what you can, when you can. Please send your gifts to the Kensington Woods congregation with a note as to the gift’s purpose.

We hope and we pray your week in the Lord is all it can be and that your life influences the life of another in such a way it causes growth in the Kingdom. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Struggling Congregations In Uganda...

Dear brethren,

I hope that you are all doing well in the Lord. We are doing fine here in Uganda. We have been having no power for the last three days that is why I failed to give you my short report. The week has been well. Brother Bob Burright from Woodland Oaks Church of Christ is visiting us. We enjoying having him here with us. 

The long course started on 19th September 2011 and the subjects being taught are 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, Job, Denominational Doctrines, Preacher and His work, for both Kiswahili and English classes. 

Bukalikha Church of Christ, where we had started making bricks for building their church building, is having some problems. The preacher has been promised by the one cup group to supported and for that reason they do want to be with us. I hope to visit there soon and see which members are agreeing with them so that we continue teaching the right doctrine about the one cup. 

On Sunday, the 18th, we worshiped with Nabyunyu church of Christ in Bugiri District. This congregation has lost their building due much rain. Their church building fell down. They plan to start renting a room where they can worship. Pray for them as they struggle with life. May God bless you. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa 

Bear Valley Lectureship 2011

The 2011 Bear Valley Lectureship is set to begin this Thursday evening in Denver. A host of excellent speakers from around the country will be here to expose the text from the gospel of Mark. These men will proclaim chapter by chapter and verse by verse the revealed word in search of answering the question “Who Is This Jesus?”

I do not know how many of you will be able to make the lectures this year, but you are certainly invited to join us. The line of speakers promises to deliver powerful messages to help us all understand the sacred word more in-depth. In addition, the fellowship shared by all who attend is unmatched. This is one incredible event. More will follow next week.

We also have reports about the Extension Training program from several locations. The news of training men to preach continues to bear fruit in ways only God truly knows. However, we do have a report from the West Coast School of Preaching in Takoradi, Ghana that shares news from a recent campaign where 15 precious souls were added to the kingdom. What an exciting event to see as the Lord blesses and gives the increase.

The report from Cameroon also shares news of God giving the increase through the campaign efforts of the past two weeks. The students traveled to several villages to preach the gospel and the result is nothing short of incredible. This is a report worth taking time to read as well.

These are only two reports sharing the news of God’s providential hand in the work. Read more below.

Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/

Donnie Bates recently returned from a trip to Guatemala. Read more about the trip from his newsletter by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Souls Added, Restored, And Encouraged In Cameroon: The results of recent campaign efforts in Cameroon are making a difference in the Southwest Region of Cameroon.

First Short Courses For Beta Class In Honduras: Donnie Bates shares news about the new class at the Honduras Bible Institute.

Graduation Is Set And A New Class Prepares To Begin: The Nepal Center For Biblical Studies is ready to graduate the first class and they are preparing for the next class.

Campaign Produces Much Fruit In Ghana: The work of the staff and students in Takoradi, Ghana has made a great impact on the work in Ghana.

Francis Has A New Granddaughter: As a grandparent, I certainly understand the excitement of having a new granddaughter. Francis shares news about the birth of his most recent grandchild.

The Work Continues To Grow Strong In Arusha: Jimmy Gee’s report shares recent developments in the work at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. 

Final Thoughts
Every week encourages me with the various reports I have the privilege of reading. No matter where the report originates, the news is uplifting and exciting. Being involved in the work of extension training is incredible. Thank you for making this work possible and helping so many around the world prepare to preach the gospel.

Next week’s report will share more news about the Bear Valley Lectureship in Denver, along with information about the work.

God bless
Bob

Souls Added, Restored, And Encouraged In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ, 

Accept greetings from the staff, students and the brethren in Wotutu congregation. I pray and hope that this mail will meet you in good health and soundness of your faith, as usual. I am here to report to you with joy appreciating God for His wonderful love and care over us and you.

CBIW students returned on campus safe and sound. I waited to see them so as to collect their report, compile them and send them to you. As I write this report now it is 11:30 pm in Cameroon. The reports are wonderful and you will have reasons to light up the name of the Lord as you finish reading this report to appreciate God for what He did to our students on Campaign in more than 15 communities in our fatherland.

The pictures have small information to help you understand the activity in the pictures. From the bad roads as they left Wotutu to horrible conditions in the mission field, like accommodation and other things, but we appreciate God that He took the students and they return without any serious health problem by this time as I write to you.

The students have ample opportunity to meet with traditional rulers and top government officials as they are to present themselves in front of those people for them to be aware that they are in the community or that administrative area to preach. By so doing, exposing the gospel and the church to those in high level, oh oh CBIW is breaking grounds and it is activating the deactivated in our country. Please continue to stand with us and many more things will be done to the Glory of our King.

Toube Church of Christ was fully established by CBIW students. Five congregations were revived, 11 souls added, 38 souls restored, many souls nurtured and empowered by the gospel to remain in Christ and enjoy wonderful fellowship. These great works were possible only by His grace as the students of CBIW spent one week for the third campaign. We give glory to God for His care and giving the increase according to His will.

APPRECIATIONS
I stand here to appreciate you all for your fervent prayers, concern and support to this work. If not for your care these rescued souls would have still been wallowing in sins.

Keep us in your prayers for more to be done subsequently.

Please keep us in your prayers again as we start our long courses lectures tomorrow, the last phase of our studies for the year 2011. Pray for good health for both staff and students and also remember all our travels during this period to preach and teach.

Thanks for being there for us. Share and encourage others to come and join us in this soul winning team, so that through our joint efforts much work will be done. God bless you and watch over you. I will love to read from you soon.

Thanks for loving us
Elangwe and family
By His grace, Director CBIW

Click here to read a letter written about the students. This is an encouraging read.

The Work Continues To Grow Strong In Arusha...

Dear Supporters, Family and Friends.

It has been a wonderful day in worship to our Creator. We pray that you have had or will have the same opportunity to do so. It is because of what you have done that makes the work here possible and for that we are thankful. May God richly bless you in all that you do!

Jimmy had the opportunity to teach Bible class and preach today at Kisongo. We continued our Bible study through the Gospel of John and learned about the events surrounding the last day in worship. Trina taught the ladies class.

As we said last week, we are expecting several visitors this week. Steve Wiseman will be here with his daughter Lexi. Buddy Fry will also be here. Both are here to attend and speak at the Tanzania Leadership Conference. We are expecting visitors from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Please pray that much good will come from this. It is meant to strengthen the congregations throughout East Africa. It will start on Friday and go through Sunday. On Sunday the events will be held at the Arusha congregation where they will coincide with a Friends Day. Around 200 are expected to attend.

We received another update on Stone this week. One of the brothers I had asked to do follow-up with Stone wrote and said that they had not yet had a chance to get together again since August. Stone is involved in many things and is very busy but they talk on the phone once or twice a week and are hoping to meet in the next week or two. Please pray that they have opportunity to study more.

As we also said last week, we are looking forward to the arrival of Jimmy’s great-aunt Edith Kincaid as well as Trina's mother Rita Ward. Lord willing they will arrive on Friday night, September 23. Please pray for their safe travel.

The ACSOP is going well. Buddy Fry will begin a short course on Wednesday on the subject of Exegesis. He will teach for two days and then take a break for the Leadership conference. Then he will finish his class next week. Jimmy will then begin a short course on the Church. After that we will start the last quarter of the year. That means we have a graduation that will occur on the last Saturday of November. We will have more to say about that as the time approaches.

On a final, and sad, note, our sister Helen passed away this week. As you may remember she was converted a few months back. She had cancer. Her brother Lembris taught her the Gospel and she was baptized while on a trip to the hospital in Dar es Salaam. Please pray for her family as they grieve her death. 

In Christ,
The Gees

Francis Has A New Granddaughter...

Dear brethren,

I hope you are all doing fine in the Lord. We are doing fine. Last Sunday we worshiped at Bukalikha church of Christ. They have finished making 6,000 bricks. They are now raising money to buy wood for baking them. After baking they plan to start the walls up to the wall plate. They are asking if there is brother who help them with money to buy cement, timber and iron sheets. They only need 22 iron sheets. 

My daughter Edith gave birth to a baby girl on 10th Sept. My daughter, Lydia, who is lives in USA, also arrived on 9th. She wanted to see her sister deliver. She was her nurse. She worked with the midwife to help deliver. Thank you for your prayers.  

Last week I finished a short course with the English class. I started today with the Kiswahili class. I am very busy as I have to translate all the notes from English to Kiswahili, type them and take them later to print and photo copy them. I have to be busy for 18 hrs. I have translate about 67 pages, but is my pleasure to serve. Thank you for your support. You have helped us to be busy. Idle mind is the workshop of the devil. Thank you for all. May God bless you.

Yours
Francis Wechesa

Campaign Produces Much Fruit In Ghana...

School  is back in session with 6 new students. We are expecting two more. Some of the men who come to the school need time to finish with their work places before they come and this takes between 2 weeks and a month after school reopens. Two other men who also applied could not get off from their jobs to come to school. Our school library is woefully inadequate for the programs we now run with Bear Valley. We are not able to give reading assignments or book reviews because we may not have a needed book, or where we do, it may be the only copy. We pray you will come to our aid and donate books to help us build a good library. Plantain is one food item the cook buys for our meals. It is becoming more expensive lately. We have therefore started to cultivate some on our land. In the future we may get much of what we eat from our plantation.

On Wednesday, August  31, 2011 we suffered a tragic loss. One of the women who cook for the school, Augustina Dadzie, reported for work that day and was preparing a meal with her colleague, Charity Forjuor when she fell off her stool in the kitchen and became unconscious. We rushed her to the nearby Shama Clinic where she was given some treatment and referred to the Regional Hospital at Effiankwanta. The doctor at the ward did his best giving her the greater part of the time he shared with other patients. All five instructors at the school together with Charity, Matthew Dadzie (Augustina’s husband) and two other students were with her at the emergency ward from 3 pm till we decided to go home after 10 pm. Three of us left last at about 10:50 pm. Ten minutes later while on the way home, the husband called me to return because the sister could not survive. She died about 10:57 pm. She was a member of the Ituma congregation which meets on the campus of the school. The husband who makes very little preaching for a small congregation at Botodwena has the burden of providing for the funeral and burial of our late sister. He can use any assistance he can get. The funeral is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, September 30-Otober 1, 2011. Please, remember brother Dadzie and their four children in your prayers. Matthew Dadzie was a 2007 graduate of West Coast.

Campaign. One of our instructors, Joshua Aidoo, led a team of ten to Tarkwa-Bremeng, a remote village in the Western region, where there is no Church of Christ for a week long campaign for Christ – September 5-11. He reports that by Sunday morning 15 souls had been baptized and four members of the church from elsewhere living in the village but not worshipping were identified and restored. A total of 26 met for worship on Sunday; this included 6 children and five visitors. Two of the visitors gave themselves to Christ in baptism after worship to make 17 converts in the campaign.

In my last report I requested information on Parkinson’s  disease. Brother Ashcraft sent me a web address where I have found much helpful information. I now have some understanding of what it is and what we can do to help my brother. I am sincerely grateful.

Daniel Ampadu Asiamah

Graduation Is Set And A New Class Prepares...

Respected sir,

Thanks for your regular information from BVBID. Please kindly remember us in your congregational prayer. We are in the  time of our graduation service. Our six students are going to graduate on this 21st of September 2011. On that graduation day we will have entrance exam and interview of the new commerce. Then we will have one month holiday. Then our next batch of classes will begin from November 7th of 2011. 

Thanks.
Servant of Christ................Gajendra Deshar
Nepal Center for Biblical Study

Three Added To The Kingdom In Guatemala...

The news from Central America continues to encourage all of us in the efforts of those who spreading the gospel throughout Guatemala. Click here and read more about the three souls who were recently added to the kingdom at Linda Vista, Guatemala.

New Congregation At San Cristobal, Guatemala

God's goodness has been seen through the new work started in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz. Graduates from the first class at ITL planted a church at the end of April. The report about their work is worth your time to read. Just click here to read more information. 

New Students At ITL

A recent report from Byron and Hawatthia provides information about the new students enrolled at the Theological Institute of Latin America. Take time to read about each of the students. To read the report, just click here.

The Numbers We Know Are Life Changing...

As we remember the tragedy of 9/11, the lives lost, sacrifices of many who went to help, and a country changed forever, the lessons continue. We have a greater perspective on the value of life and family. We understand how the direction of the future can change in an instant. We also know the need to be prepared for every situation. The most important lesson to learn is we need God.

I am sure pulpits across the United States, and maybe around the world, focused on the lessons connected to the anniversary of 9/11. I was privileged to hear one of the finest lessons before the Lord’s Supper by Michael Hite. He spoke of how our minds instantly recall images when we hear the numbers 9/11. What do we recall when we hear numbers like 27/50; 15/37; 23/46; or 19/30? These are the passages from the gospels that express the last breath our Savior took on the cross. These numbers should bring powerful images to mind.

At a time when our world is focused on the events of 10 years ago, as Christians, our thoughts should weekly, yes daily, remember the events of almost 2,000 years ago when our Savior came in the flesh and gave His life to provide access to heaven. The way of salvation was secured through His sacrifice.

This is indeed the purpose behind the work we do in Extension Training. With each week, I am increasingly privileged to share in the efforts of so many to help prepare men around the world in the sound doctrine of God’s word. I count it one of God’s greatest blessings given to me in the opportunity to see it, read about it, and share in this work. Thank you for making this possible.

The reports this week focus on many areas around the world expressing the greatness of our God working through faithful men for the good of the Kingdom.

Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is /extension-schools/

Extension Reports

BVBIU Report: The new class of students are now preparing themselves for the Lord's work. Read more about each of the students and see their pictures in this month's report from Dennis.

A Ghana Perspective On The Loss Of Sister Avril: One of the most tragic events occurred just after graduation at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies. Brother Baah’s report share more. 

ITL: Guatemala City, Guatemala
The next three reports are all connected to the work started by Byron Benetiz and Hawatthia Jones in Guatemala City. The work is growing and exciting to read about.

New Students Begin ITL: A new class recently began at the Theological Institute of Latin America. This report shares more about this new class.

Studies With The World English Institute: Part of the work in Guatemala involves the efforts of several connected with the World English Institute. This report shares information about the WEI and the work accomplished in Guatemala.

Team Mission Report, Guatemala: The team that works in Guatemala is doing a great work at spreading the gospel. This report is only part of the wonderful news.

God Blesses The Fund Raising In Uganda: Francis Wechesa reports on the ways God is blessing efforts to raise funds to help a brother in Christ in Uganda.

Tanzania Leadership Conference Is Set To Begin: Along with several exciting events, new brothers and sisters in Christ, and visitors from the U.S., Cy Stafford is making plans for the Tanzania Leadership Conference.

Ladies Seminar And Lessons Learned From 9/11: Jimmy Gee’s report this week share news about a recent event and one from 10 years ago. 

Final Thoughts
I know the report is lengthy, if you read each report. However, the work of the Lord is spreading, growing, and changing the lives of people all around the world. I am not trying to speak for anyone else, but I think we feel the same in how great it is to know we are sharing in this work.

Thank you for all you do to make this work possible. Without you, the world would be a different place...but not for the better. Because of you, lives are being changed and this is what Extension Training is all about. Thank you!

God bless
Bob

New Students Begin in Gorlovka, BVBIU

The new class of students are now preparing themselves for the Lord's work. Read more about each of the students and see their pictures in this month's report from Dennis.

A Ghana Perspective On The Loss Of Sister Avril...

REPORT FROM TAMALE INSTITUTE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES – GHANA
Activities have resumed in earnest after a break. Instructors and Students of Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies look refreshed. Management wishes to thank all individuals and organizations who in diverse ways made the maiden graduation ceremony successful. Our prayer is that the graduants will continuously commit themselves to the great commission.

The Institute encountered the saddest experience ever to be thought of a day after the graduation. As part of the Institute’s effort of producing self- reliant preachers, sought the services of the late Sister Avril Keoughan. She visited Tamale once every quarter with her team to teach the students on Primary Health Care. Prior to the graduation ceremony, she informed the Institute of the need to conclude her syllabus with a three – day activity. She was electicuted by a faulty water heater in the bathroom when she was bathing after her first day class activities, and died at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. She was buried at the Bomso Church premises on the 27^th August, 2011. 

TRIBUTE BY THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST, TAMALE.

“The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil”.  (Isaiah 57:1) New International Version

Avril Keoughan was a Canadian Public Health Practitioner who worked closely with the Churches of Christ in Ghana. She started her carrier in Ghana at the Bomso Clinic. She was later engaged by the Village of Hope. She finally came to settle in Kumasi where she worked with the Bomso Clinic. Her vocation as public health practitioner took her to several towns and villages in the north. Especially in Yendi and its surrounding villages where together with the Yendi church set up a clinic in Yendi and gave health care to the people there. Together with Sister Johnson and Brother Bob Williams all deceased, Tamale Church was assisted to establish a Clinic at Cheshagu in the Tolon- Kunbungu District in the early 90s.

When the Tamale Institute of Biblical studies (TIBS) was established two years ago she was invited to teach the trainee preachers in public health. The rationale for the above was to enable them get some vocation as a supplement to the preaching work, an offer she accepted with enthusiasm and since then has been visiting with her team every three months to teach.

Avril Keoughan happens to be one of the resource persons invited by the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies to its annual lectureship and maiden graduation ceremony held on 24^th and 25^th June 2011 respectively. In addition to the above, she was to take the graduands through their last lectures in public health and to examine them in the subject before they went to the field.  

On the day of graduation, she was invited to present a prize to the well behaved student. She also took part in the thanksgiving ceremony held on 26^th June 2011 to express the institute’s gratitude to the Almighty for making the graduation possible. It was at TIBS, on Monday 27^th June 2011, around 9:30 pm, that she met her untimely death. 

She had earlier that very Monday organized a class for her students and arranged with them so that they could take their exams the following day (Tuesday, 28 June). She was to proceed to Kumasi that very Tuesday after conducting the exams for them (the students). However, Tuesday 28^th June 2011 never came to meet her alive. 

She was going to take her bath that fateful Monday night after watching a television program on CBS that she was electrocuted by a faulty wall heater and died when she was being rushed to the hospital.  True therefore goes the saying that we know where we were born but not where we shall die. Yes, she was born in Canada but ended her life in Tamale, Ghana.  

At age 62 the normal expectation was that she still had some meaningful years to live on this earth.  Nevertheless, things did not happen the way we thought. We loved and cherished her dearly for her immense contribution to the church and TIBS and wished she stayed a bit longer to teach the subsequent trainee preachers their lessons in public health. But our expectations have been shattered at our feet. We really did not understand why things happened this way, but the Almighty knows best and it is his will that must prevail.

At this moment we are at the crossroads ready to part company with her since her physical body will soon be lowered into the grave and today will be the last day we shall be setting eyes on her. However, we still nurture the hope that we shall meet one day in Heaven where the saints will forever be comforted.

Avril! Farewell

Avril! (Farewell in Dagbani)Ti chepsi- a

Avril! Damrifua Due.

Ladies' Seminar And Lessons Learned From 9/11...

Dear Supporters, Family and Friends.

We hope you are taking advantage of your opportunities to serve God wherever you are. Jimmy taught Bible class and preached on “Lessons Learned from 9/11” this morning at the Kisongo congregation. In the ladies’ class, Trina took a lesson from Genesis 18:16-33 where Abraham asks God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the righteous souls.

Many of you know that our youngest son, Matthew, has cerebral palsy. We found a “therapist” (not full-fledged) who will work with him every day and we are already seeing some slight improvement. Abigail has initiated several discussions with the therapist concerning religion. He is a Lutheran and believes in infant baptism. He told Abigail that she needs someone with a college education to explain it to her. (Ha/ha) We are glad the Bible is written on a 6th grade level where all (if we really try and “diligently seek” him, Heb. 11:6) can understand regardless of education level.

Yesterday, the Arusha church conducted a Ladies’ Seminar for their congregation which included 3 Tanzanian speakers and one American speaker, Stephanie Stafford (the mission team directors’ wife). One of the speakers, Grace, who attends Kisongo and works as a cook at ACSOP, told us that it was a great seminar!

Prisca, who visited the Kisongo church a few weeks ago, had been studying with Jimmy. Sadly, it seems she has lost interest in studying the Bible, and desires to “live as a Jew” celebrating their holidays, observing the Sabbath, etc. Please pray that she can be reached.

On Friday, one of our neighbors (a non-Christian, older Maasi woman who attends services occasionally) came to our gate asking for “chakula” (food).  After gathering a few things, she was so grateful that, besides shaking Trina’s hand continually, she gave her a Maasi blessing…she took Trina’s hand and spit on it. The next day she attended the Ladies’ meeting at our house where we were discussing the upcoming seminars in October and the Marriage Seminar that Chris and Beth Akin plan to conduct next year. On Sunday, after a great lesson from Jimmy asking the congregation if they were prepared to die, she responded and asked to be baptized! Ahimidiwe, preacher at Kisongo, had also been studying with her for the past 3 months. So, some “planted” and some “watered” but God gave the increase! 

Some of our children have been handing out Bible tracts to people walking by our house (most mainly on their way to the mosquito net factory) and at the market. Most people gladly take them and immediately read them.

In about two weeks the annual Tanzania Leadership Conference will take place. There are two brothers coming from the US to attend and speak. Steve Wiseman and Buddy Fry, both from Texas, will be here. In addition to speaking at the conference, Steve will do some evangelism and Buddy will teach a short course at the ACSOP. Please pray for their safe travels.

About the same time we are also expecting Jimmy's great-aunt Edith Kincaid as well as Trina’s mother Rita Ward. Please pray for their safe travels as well.

As always, we are very thankful for your sacrifices which allow us to be here to be involved in this wonderful work. May God bless you all richly. 

In Christ,
The Gees

Tanzania Leadership Conference Is Set To Begin...

Greetings Fellow Workers;

We hope and we pray all is well in your life and that this short message finds you blessed by the Lord in just the right ways. We are reminded daily as to the good fortune we have in that we are children of God and fellow workers with you in the greatest of all life's ventures.

The good news keeps getting better all the time. We will be blessed with the arrival of Buddy Fry, Steve Wiseman and his daughter Lexi. Both Steve and Buddy will be speaking at the Tanzania Leadership Conference (23rd-25th). Buddy will also be teaching a Short Course at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. 

Yesterday was a special day at the Arusha congregation. The ladies (25 in number) held a “Ladies Day,” inviting sisters from other congregations as well. They where treated by the men (15 in number), who cooked, served and cleaned, that the ladies might enjoy their day more fully. A truly great day of fellowship and yes, fun!

The Arusha congregation will also host the evangelists who will come from all over Tanzania (some from Uganda) for the leadership conference on Sunday the 25th as part of their “Friends Day”. We are expecting over 200 on this special day. Buddy Fry will preach the lesson, we will enjoy a fellowship meal together followed by a singing.

The good reports keep on coming our way from our Andrew Connally School of Preaching graduates. David Bayi reports a husband and wife obeyed the Gospel last week. Benard Elias reports a new church plant (Omoya Church of Christ). Eight souls obeyed the Truth of God’s Word on that great day. A total of 21 souls have been added to the Lord’s Body and one soul restored as a result of their recent evangelistic efforts.

Please remember Christopher Mwakabanje and Emanuel Peter in your prayers as they are in the middle of teaching two short courses at the Chimala school. What a joy it is to see the good men of Tanzania grow in Christ and busy about the work of God.

We have some busy times ahead of us over the next 90 days; visitors coming, seminars, our second year students (17 in number) will be graduating in November. December we will host the Future Preacher’s Training Camp, Tanzania Youth Seminar, and much more. Your prayers are needed and appreciated. Thank you all for all you mean to the work of God here in Tanzania.

Our hearts and our prayers go up on behalf of all who have suffered at the hand of evil as we remember the target events of 9/11 and all the lives affected by those fighting this evil. God be with us and may His name continue to be lifted high for all to see! 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny 

God Blesses The Fund Raising In Uganda

Dear brethren,

Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ who is always on our side as we strive to do his will. I did not send my weekly newsletter due to our usual problem of power. On Saturday, 3rd September 2011, I left Busia heading to Nairobi, Kenya to attend fund raising drive for brother Samson Omutele's son who is pursuing higher education in Kenyatta University of Nairobi. 30 people were expected to come but only 16 turned up for the occasion. The target of the funds needed was 80,000/= Kenya money which is almost $889 dollars for the first semester. We managed to raise 60,000/=$668 dollars. We thanked the Lord for that much. Brother Samson will start from there. 

I worshiped with Babadogo Church of Christ where brother Samson Omutele is the preacher. On 5th September I arrived back from Nairobi and on 6th September 2011, I started teaching at Uganda School of Evangelism in a short course. This time as I said earlier, I am teaching (missions Church planting) /World Evangelism. I will be ending on 16th September 2011. May the Lord bless you all. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

Team Mission Report... Guatemala

To view the full report with pictures, click here.

Greetings dear family and friends!

We hope and pray that all of you are doing well. We are doing fine.

The current report has the purpose of informing you of a recent mission team that came to work with us here in Guatemala. Their visit was a true blessing to us and we are thankful for their work, love and sacrifice.

The team of 20 arrived to Guatemala on Thursday, July 7, greeted at the airport by ITL students and Linda Vista members. The team was made up of five from Indiana, 11 from Florence, Alabama, two from Minnesota, and two from California. This year we had from Indiana Melvin Denny, Rashad Gold, Henry and Candace Shelton, and Lesha Colglazier, the team coordinator. From Alabama, there were Kerry Williams and his daughter, Reann, Joshua Wear, Buddy Baker, Raymond Voigt Jr, Ashley House, Austin Penter, and the Krieger family – Joey, Kelli, Luke and Brandon. This year, Hi’s sister, LaVaughn Booker came with the team. Her son, and Hi’s nephew, Joey was able to make his second visit in a row. They are the two that live in Minnesota. From California, Byron’s mother, Aralee Hernandez, and niece, Ashley Figueroa, came again this year. The evening of their arrival we met for dinner with the team to share information they would need to know about their time in Guatemala.

Friday, July 8, the team got a touch of the local culture by touring Guatemala City and shopping at Central Market, which is underground. Most of the team did very well at haggling. Be careful if they try to buy something from you! ☺ That evening Byron and Hawatthia hosted the team and others from Linda Vista for dinner in their home. The evening was filled with fellowship, singing and the annual Jenga game. We are sad to report that the men lost to the women this year!

As in years past, Saturday is the day we have a seminar at Linda Vista. Each year we have the blessing of having other congregations in attendance. This year’s theme was “Don’t Worry – Trust in God!” All the lessons for the week looked at this theme from various aspects. The seminar began with a lesson from us to a combined audience. After this initial lesson, the audience was divided into different groups: children, teens, ladies and men. Several members of the mission team presented lessons at this time. We were especially impressed to see the teenagers who came from the Sherrod Ave. congregation and from Minnesota teach and assist in teaching. Arelee, Ashley, Byron, Benjamin Montejo and Johania Reyes served as translators.

The Lord’s Day was special with a bi-lingual worship service for both the morning and evening times. Kerry William, the full-time evangelist for the Sherrod Avenue church of Christ in Florence, Alabama, spoke for the morning service. Joey Krieger, also from Sherrod Avenue, led songs in English. Rashad Gold spoke for the evening service and Henry Shelton led the songs in English. Both are from the Kingsley Terrace church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana. Other young men on the team helped with other parts of worship in English. After the morning worship, Bible classes were taught by Raymond Voigt, youth minister at Sherrod Avenue, for the teens,
Kelli Krieger coordinated the classes for the children, being assisted by Reann Williams and Ashley House. We were given the adult class.

We had lunch at the home of Adela Ramos again this year. It was wonderful. This is our usual stop on our way to visit the Amatitlan National Hospital on Sunday afternoon. The team and Linda Vista members were able to deliver care packages to the patients and were able pray with them. So, as you can see, the Lord’s Day was a full day of worship, service and blessings.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the team had the opportunity to work on 3 families’ homes to make much needed improvements. Cesar Tovar, a member at Linda Vista, served as our foreman on these projects. It was great to see him able to work after having suffered a serious illness that almost took his life. On Monday, we worked at the home of Siria Reyes for our first project. She is an older member of Linda Vista that really needed work on her home. We replaced half of the house’s tin roof because it was leaking severely. In addition, most of the rooms in the house were painted a nice light blue, to match the color Siria already had in her home. With many hands that were available and ready to work, most of the work was done by the time we went to lunch. Each afternoon, all of us ate lunch at the church building, where Isabel Tovar and her helpers served delicious meals. As a result of finishing most of the work in the morning, the team was able to go back to the hotel early to rest after having been in the strong sun during the morning.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the team worked in two other homes. These belong to Maritza and Lorena Garcia, sisters in the flesh and sisters in the Lord. At Maritza’s house, we were able to place new tin roof over one of her rooms and we laid concrete where dirt had previously served as the floor. At Lorena’s house, we worked in her kitchen, replacing the tin roof and also laying a concrete floor over the dirt. These two sisters and their families were grateful for the efforts done on their behalf.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, Joey Krieger, a song leader and music teacher, worked with the Linda Vista congregation to teach four-part harmony. It was a treat to see the members singing their parts proudly. By the end of the seminar, the Christians who attended these two nights sounded great! Although we understand that God is interested in the heart more than the harmony, it sure was nice to hear how the church improved in harmony in just a short time. Thanks Joey for your help!

On Wednesday evening, we were blessed to have Melvin Denny give our devotional. It was especially encouraging to see him before the church because this was Melvin’s first time to give a lesson. Great job, Melvin! After the devotional, Kelli, Reann, and Ashley taught the children, Lesha taught the ladies, and Kerry taught the men.

On Thursday, all of us went in the rented bus to the city of Chichicastenango. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, so the group was ready to haggle once again. We contracted a tour guide on this occasion, who gave us good insight on Guatemala’s history and the places we passed on the way to Chichi (what the locals call the city). We were able to see the variety of the country’s landscape— volcanoes, mountains, farmland, and various towns. Because we are in the rainy season, there is always a chance that the rain will catch you while you are out and about. Well, the rain did catch us on this day, but it did not stop us! ☺ It was interesting to see all the creative solutions that were made to try to stay dry.

The trip is not complete without a visit to Antigua Guatemala for sight-seeing, shopping and lunch at the restaurant Fonda de Calle Real. Our first stop was to a coffee plantation just outside the city limits, where we got a tour of the facilities and of their music museum. Next, we ate lunch at the restaurant mentioned. Finally, the essential shopping stop was made so that our U.S. brethren could contribute to the Guatemalan economy. ☺ As the sun set in the west, we loaded onto the bus and made our way to Linda Vista for a going-away celebration. If we had to summarize the tone of the event, it would be with the words “mutual appreciation.” The mission team had many kind words of gratitude to express to the church for hosting them, and the church likewise expressed many thanks for the team’s decision to come to share ten days with them. The night ended with lots of hugs, plenty of Spanglish, loads of pictures, and a good deal of love.

There were a few challenges during the week, but the team was able to accomplish what it had planned. The new ones learned on more than one occasion the key words for the trip: be flexible. Lesha, the team coordinator, said that she knows that each of the team members were grateful for the time they were able to spend in Guatemala and have a better appreciation for their brothers and sisters here! A sincere thank you goes out to each team member for all your efforts and a special thanks to the team nurse, Candace Shelton, for your extra efforts to keep everyone moving. Much to our sadness, the team members boarded their plane on Saturday to fly back to the United States.

Thanks again to Lesha for a superb job in directing once again our July team. Your expertise helps to make everything go much smoother. Also, thanks to the team for coming to Guatemala to share your faith and your love. You all made a BIG difference in the lives of your spiritual (and physical) family here. We must also mention that Lesha helped us this year to write this newsletter. Thank you! The idea was to get it out sooner, but in spite of her efforts, we still managed to get this newsletter later than we had hoped. Sorry!

We will close for now. However, we cannot close without saying thank you to all our supporters, family and friends who read our reports. If possible, why not make a visit yourself to see the work first hand. Our July team, Lord willing, will return next year July 5-14. Hope to see you on that team!

¡Que Dios los bendiga! (May God bless you all!)

Hawatthia Byron

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”

Studies With The World English Institute

To view the full report with pictures, click here.

Greetings from the south!

Once again this year we were blessed to host teams from World English Institute (WEI).

There were two teams, the first arriving on the same day that our July Mission Team departed. As in years past, these teachers arrived willing and ready to work in this special ministry.

Needless to say, we continue to be sold on WEI! Our brother Dick Ady has done a great job at developing this ministry that uses the Bible to teach English. For those who are new at receiving our reports, please allow us a few lines to tell you a little about WEI. The lessons, from beginner to advanced courses, are designed to lead the student through God’s plan of redemption, making the most of Biblical events to develop conversation and to create dialogue.

The students know from the beginning that it is not just an English class. They know that they will have the chance to enhance their English while having a chance to enhance their Bible knowledge; thankfully, the use of
the Bible is a drawing factor here in Guatemala. After the teachers depart, the students can also continue their studies on line. And, in addition to all of this, once the students complete the advanced courses they are able, if they wish, to take the exam (the TOEFL) required by most U.S. universities before accepting foreign students, which is also the exam that opens many job opportunities in Guatemala. Of course, the ultimate goal is to help lead the students to Christ.

Each year, most of our students here in Guatemala have been eager to register knowing these facts already mentioned. Another item of importance about WEI is that, in most cases, there is a one-on-one student to teacher ratio. We say in most cases because there are occasions in which the teachers have more than one student during a class time. In these situations an effort is made to match students with an English level that is similar.

We could write more about WEI but we believe this is enough to help you better understand why we are excited about this ministry and the importance of individuals and local congregations supporting it financially. Now, let us tell you a little about what took place with the two teams that visited us this year.

This year we had four teachers on each team. The teams were here for two weeks each, which gave each student a month of studies. We had about 40 students who registered for the program. The hotel where the teams stayed gave a meeting room each day for the studies, without additional cost. This was a significant savings. It was also a benefit to the hotel in that several of their employees were able to take these classes. We were able to make many positive contacts in the hotel.

The first group of WEI teachers consisted of Anna Pride, the team coordinator, Nancy Petrokansky, Emma Stallworth and Michelle Avalos. They came from the state of Connecticut. Each teacher taught at least seven students each day with their first class starting at 9 a.m. As we mentioned earlier, there were class times that had more than one student. Except for Anna, everyone enjoyed a three hour break in the middle of the day; Anna took on a returning student from 12:00 – 1:00. This extended break time was used for lunch, which meant exploring new restaurants in the area, etc, and for down time to prepare for the last four students. Their last student studied from 6 to 7 each evening.

For their full weekend off the team took a tour on Saturday to Antigua with a local tour agency. It was a day full of culture experiences, shopping and just relaxation. They returned to the hotel that evening where we joined them for dinner.

On Sunday, they had the opportunity to worship with the local church in Linda Vista. This year they did not teach at Linda Vista, even though they offered to do so. With our July team having just departed, it was decided that it was probably best to go ahead with our normal program for the church. They did, however, bring special care packages from the congregation to our children. You can see in the picture the team with the children. Like any group of children, ours thoroughly enjoyed receiving this gift.

Our second team was made up of two couples. Greg Weston, the team coordinator, and his wife, LaDon, came from Ashland, Oregon. Joining them were Pete and Amanda Shaw from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They maintained pretty much the same schedule as the first team and they, too, did a great job as they worked with the students.

On their full weekend off, they, also, made a trip to Antigua. Because we were scheduled to teach in the ITL Saturday program, only Hi was able to accompany them this year. While in Antigua, they started with a visit to a coffee farm. Unfortunately, there was not an English speaking tour guide available, so they had to read the signs and listen to taped information as they went through the farm. Since we are not coffee drinkers, Hi was not a lot of help in giving a tour; we do not know good coffee from bad coffee. ☺

Something interesting happened while they were going through the farm; they met the owner. The group had just passed a picture of him on exhibit that was taken some 35+ years ago. He was a very interesting person and had a lot to say about his part of operating the farm now. Thankfully, he provided our guests with some up-to-date information about the farm. From there, the team went into the center of Antigua and to the market. After leaving Antigua, they traveled back to Guatemala City where Byron joined them for dinner.

On Sunday, this team also worshipped with the family at Linda Vista. Greg Weston preached and taught class. He did an excellent job. Byron served as his translator. After morning worship we ate in the home of Anna Maria Penado and her daughter, Johania. Johania is very familiar with the team because she served as their secretary/receptionist each day. Her regular job is that of secretary for ITL.

In addition to all the good that was already taking place, this team was able to see fruit born from the seed that had been planted through the labors of both teams (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). The first was Thelma Fabiola Chan Rodriguez, a new student for this year. Thelma, a student of Michelle Avalos on the first team and Amanda Shaw on the second, came to the conclusion that she needed to obey her Lord in baptism. We were asked to step in and to study with her in Spanish to make

sure that she understood the commitment that she was making. After the study we talked with the person in charge of the private swimming pool area. We were allowed to use the pool to immerse Thelma, who then became our new sister in Christ. As a result of WEI, Thelma’s English is much better, but most important, her soul is saved. In the picture, Thelma is the one standing on the right with a white blouse. Please keep Thelma in your prayers. She has a good job, but the problem is that she works all day on Sunday. She stated that she is going to work on that because she understands the importance of assembling with the saints on the first day of the week.

The next conversion involved Donna Suseth Alvarado Castillo. Donna is a returning student from the two previous years that WEI has been taught here in Guatemala. Her teachers were Anna Pride on the first team and Greg Weston on the second. Donna’s story is very interesting. After one of their studies, Donna told Greg that she was not a Christian and that she needed to be baptized. Greg let Donna know that he and the rest of us were there to help in any way that we could. But Donna told Greg that she could not be baptized because she and Giovanni were not married. They had, according to Donna, been living together for a long time. Thankfully, Donna understood the importance of her soul and the soul of Giovanni and she accepted the invitation of Greg to study with both of them. To make a longer story shorter, Greg then asked if we would step in to study with both of them in Spanish to make sure we could answer any questions that they might have. Of course, we agreed to help.

Marriage is not a topic in the WEI studies. However, repentance is. And, after talking about repentance before one is baptized, Donna came to the conclusion herself that two people cannot live in sin and expect God to forgive them of it if they continue in that sin, even though they had been baptized. We fully agree with her conclusion. But the interesting part of her story is that after talking with both her and Giovanni, we found out that they were married. They had been taught—and for many years felt they were living incorrectly—that they needed to have a church wedding and to be married by someone in the church (a teaching of the Catholic Church). Because they only had married as the law of the land required, they had been erroneously led to believe that God did not accept their marriage. You should have seen the look on their faces when they discovered that after all these years their marriage is acceptable in God’s eyes. They realized that they did not need to repent of and rectify a sin that they were not in. Now, it was time for them to answer a more important question: was their relationship with God acceptable? Both acknowledged that it was not. We went to the hotel swimming pool area where Greg immersed them into Christ!

Please keep Giovanni and Donna in your prayers. Pray that we will be able to help them grow in their new walk with the Lord. Also, pray that they will be a positive influence on their children and that they, too, will come to know and obey the saving grace of God.

How exciting it was to have both teams with us. They left us some good contacts. We are presently studying with Douglas Roberto Rivas Perez. He has some very different ideas about several religious topics. Hopefully, we can help him better understand what God’s will is for him and for everyone that seeks the Lord. Gilmar Ruben Barrios is another student that has shown much interest. With the exception of one Sunday since the WEI studies have stopped, Gilmar has been at Linda Vista each week for worship. Lord willing, we will travel to his home to study with him and his wife on Saturday, September 10. Gilmar’s desire is for him and his family to be united in the “things of the Lord.” Please pray that we, with God’s help, can help him achieve this goal.

We close by asking that you please keep Dick Ady, WEI, the WEI teachers and students, and us in your prayers. If you have a desire to come to Guatemala with one of the WEI teams or to go anywhere else in the world where WEI is, just let us know. We will put you in touch with the right people; you can also visit the WEI website at www.worldenglishinstitute.org.

May God continue to bless each of you with the knowledge of His presence! We love you and are thankful that you have an interest in how the Lord is working in the small country of Guatemala.

Because He First Loved Us,

Hawatthia “Hi” Jones Byron E. Benitez

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”

New Students Begin ITL

To view the full report with pictures of the new students, click here.

Introduction: The Need
What all began in April 2008 as a Saturday program and in March 2009 as a full-time institute for training men and women to work in God’s Kingdom continues to be blessed by God Almighty.

As we have graduated our first class and have moved into our 2nd promotion (BETA Class), the work seems to get greater and greater. Someone told us that it would get easier after the 1st year. ☺ However, we are enjoying the opportunities that God has given us.

Our goal from the beginning has not been to impress our supporters with numbers. Rather, we have sought to establish a quality program that emphasizes character, discipline and fidelity to the Word of God, as well as a passion for reaching the lost in this world. We are partnered with Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver (BVBID) to continue with the goal of giving the best Bible training possible.

The NEED TO TRAIN WORKERS IS GREAT and we are thankful to have, to help with this need, four fulltime instructors, Anibal Ramirez, Byron Benitez, Darvin Alvarez and Hawatthia Jones. We are also grateful for our supporters. Congregations like the Morristown church of Christ make it possible for Darvin to work full time with both the church in Coban and with ITL. BVBID provides the opportunity for our students to receive some of the best possible instruction from good, faithful brothers from the United States. We believe that Instituto Teológico Latinoamericano (ITL) is a good example of what God says in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

ITL is moving forward with many exciting things to report. Since ITL has two programs of study, let us begin with the Saturday program first, then we will update you on the full-time program.

Saturday Program
After graduating our first class, of which 3 individuals were from the Saturday program, it was decided to move this portion of the work from a rented elementary school facility in Zone 7 of Guatemala City to the present site where the full-time program is located. Keeping the students’ needs in mind was the main reason that kept us in that previous location. One of our students would not have been able to finish her studies had we moved before we did. And, we are glad we stayed because this allowed her to be a part of our first graduating class.

This move of the Saturday program has many benefits both for the teachers and for the students. A few of these benefits are: we save Q500 per month (about $65) on rent; we are able to use more modern means of teaching (PowerPoint, etc.); and the area is much safer. No one regrets staying in the other area for the need of a student, but also no one regrets making this move for the Saturday program.

It is hard to believe how time is passing by as we have already entered into our 2nd quarter of this three-year program. In the 1st quarter the classes were Language and Research taught by Anibal Ramirez and Christian Ethics taught by Darvin Alvarez. Presently, we are teaching The Gospels/The Life of Christ (Hi) and Hermeneutics (Byron). We currently have 8 students. Since enrollment for this program is open each quarter, the number of students can vary each quarter.

Full-Time Program
ITL’s full-time program, which works along with BVBID’s extension program, has now also entered into its 2nd quarter of its 2nd promotion. As most of you are aware, this program offers two years of intensive biblical studies, basic living and food expenses, a computer lab, and a limited amount of funds for personal expenses for each student attending. Since the students live on campus, we tried to make their accommodations as comfortable as possible—not luxurious by any means, but comfortable. There are also the additional expenses (housing, schooling, clothing, etc.) for any children with whom the students enter ITL.

There were several changes to make after our first class graduated. One change was that we needed a driver for the new ITL van. Francisco Ramos, our van driver, graduated and none of our new students have a license to drive. The dilemma was taken care of pretty easily in that the staff quickly divided the driving times amongst ourselves to make sure that someone was available to transport the students when needed. But the second change, the need for a full-time cook, presented a little greater of a challenge. The distance from Linda Vista presented a problem in hiring a member of the congregation. So, we contacted a lady in our area in whom we have confidence to see if she would be available to work as our cook; sadly, she was not available. Thankfully, she knew someone who was and highly recommended that we consider her. Her name is Elena Solorzano and she is working out very well as the ITL full-time cook. Elena is not a Christian at the present although she is a very religious lady. Please pray for everyone at ITL as we strive to share the saving grace of God with Elena through both words and actions.

The full–time ITL facility is something we are proud of and something that we try to take care of. We rent it from a lady who lives most of the year in the United States. We also have sturdy desks and nice chairs that we make efforts at taking care of. We were able to have them custom made for our students when the full-time program first began—a result of a gracious donation from Wesley and Amanda Walker. Wesley was recently hired as the pulpit minister for the Woodson Chapel church of Christ, where he formerly served as the associate minister. Wesley has also been on the ITL campus where he taught one of our short courses. We hope that Amanda will visit soon!

Each quarter the students receive five to six weeks of instruction from the local ITL teachers. In addition, they receive instruction from at least three instructors who come to teach in the short course portion of our studies. These instructors, coordinated through BVBID’s extension program, come and teach an assigned course for one week. There are more than 30 hours of instruction time in each of these short courses. The students are given a full research week at the end of the short course periods to complete any assignments left by the visiting instructor. Some instructors cannot actually come to Guatemala so they teach by means of videoconferencing. We are eternally grateful to a brother at the Broadway church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky, who generously purchased our VC equipment. This has allowed good, qualified instructors from the U.S.A., such as Dan Owen, the evangelist at Broadway, to teach our students here in Guatemala.

We have enrolled six full-time students and they are adjusting to their new living quarters and new daily schedule. This is the first time that some of these students have studied at this educational level, so it has been a little trying for both the students and for the teachers, with the work load being as strenuous as it is. But everyone is surviving. ☺ This new student body has made ITL an international institute. We have two students, Angel Gabriel Gonzales Morales and Eliezer Nieves Perez Gonzales, who are from Panama. Our other students are from Guatemala. We have Arnoldo Alejandro Tot Pelaez from the city of Coban and Manuel David Avila Chuc from Samayac. We also have Walter and Nohelis Dardon (and their two year old daughter, Keira) who came to ITL from the Linda Vista congregation. In a near future report we will send a short biographical sketch of each of our new students.

Due to a delayed start of the full-time program, the first quarter had to be revised from how we normally start our quarter. Instead of a three course load, we started with two courses from our local instructors on May 16th. These courses were Christian Ethics taught by Byron and Techniques of Research taught by Anibal. This was followed by two short courses, which were Leadership, taught by Lindell Mitchell and Introduction to the Old Testament, taught by Denton Landon. Conrad Pinder, from Costa Rica, came once again to translate for the short courses. We are now towards the end of our 2nd quarter. From our full-time instructors the students have received Homiletics, taught by Hawatthia; Hermeneutics, taught by Darvin; and Introduction to the New Testament, taught by Anibal. We then had a full three weeks of short courses, followed by one week of research to complete all assignments for these courses. The short course classes were Job, taught by Donnie Bates; Intertestamental History, taught by Gary Fallis; and How to Study the Bible, taught by Dan Owen, using our VC system. Presently, the students are working on campaign with the new church in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz. Their break week will follow to allow them time to recharge to start their 3rd quarter on Monday, September 19.

Property for ITL
Thank you for your prayers as we went through our ordeal with our first property purchase. We are thankful to God that we received all of our money back, even the lawyer’s fees. The money is safely stored away in a reliable bank here in Guatemala. Over the past few months we have not had a lot of time to look for property. Earlier this year we did quite a bit of searching. We found what we thought would be the PERFECT property for ITL and the price given by the realtor made it even more attractive; it sounded too good to be true. And, after further investigation, we found that it was too good to be true. ☺ So, we hope to begin our search again very soon. Please continue to keep this project in your prayers.

ITL Lectureship 2012
We are happy to announce information about ITL’s 3rd Annual Lectureship. The theme that has been selected is “Adequately Searching the Scriptures.” The main goal of this lectureship is to help equip Christians on how to study the Bible personally. There will be an emphasis on the methods, the principles and the processes of interpreting the Scriptures, as well as some attention to errors like the New Hermeneutic.

We have two keynote speakers already confirmed and will be finalizing other details very soon. We are confident that this will be a quality program for the serious Bible student. We hope to record the sessions and have them available for distribution.

We were pleased with the attendance made up of brethren from various parts of the world for our 2011 lectureship. We plan to put together a package like we did for this past lectureship, which will include the lectureship events and some sightseeing tours. If you would like to attend, the lectureship dates are March 15-18, 2012. You may want to schedule your arrival for the early afternoon of the 15th and your departure for the 19th, unless you want to stay extra time for more sightseeing or relaxation.

The Work of ITL Moves Forward
We hope that as a result of this newsletter you will be able to see some of the great things taking place with ITL. We have had to face great challenges and Satan is still busy trying to stop our work. But we believe that preparing men and women effectively and biblically is a work worth our effort and worth enduring persecution if that is what is needed.

There is so much more to share with you, but we will bring this newsletter to an end. We will include more details in future correspondence. We love you and appreciate very much your taking time to keep up with how God is working in Guatemala through a small Bible institute called ITL.

Please continue to pray for ITL, for the new students and for us.

Porque Él vive (Because He lives),
Hawatthia “Hi” Jones Byron E. Benitez

Please send all funds to our overseeing congregation, marked “Mission: Guatemala” to the following address:

Kingsley Terrace Church of Christ Attn: Dwaine Himes/Mission: Guatemala 2031 E. 30th Street Indianapolis, IN 46218