Fourteen Students Are Studying In Ukraine...

Dear brothers, families and churches.

In my letter I want to share with you some news from Ukraine. September was an intense and exciting month and full of many blessings.

First of all, our classes have started on September 5. We have 9 first-year students and 5 second-year students. All of them are very diligent in their studies and try to maintain high GPA.

Some of the second-year students are making their first steps in ministry and are helping to preach in local congregations. Dennis Petrov, Roman Kamayev and Dennis Yampolets are those men who will be ready to serve God to the full extend after 8 more months. We should keep them in our prayers since they are the next generation of Church of Christ in Ukraine.

Second, Howell Ferguson arrived a week ago. He is a regular visitor in our country, though the word “visitor” can’t quite be used here. As we say: he came to is second motherland. Howell will stay here for two more weeks. He’s teaching Homiletics and Christian Ethics to first- and second-year students respectively. So he’s busy every day. I thank God for his work and his help to us. 

This week marks the beginning of the Master’s program in our institute. This program was closed for about two years, but now we have an opportunity to continue this work.  Staring with October 3, Denton Landon is teaching his courses. It’s quite possible that because of this program we might have more good local teachers in our institute.

Central church of Christ in Gorlovka sends you their greetings. This month they had several events: a joint service together with church of Christ from Illovaysk, a meeting and a lecture for couples and young families, and youth group meetings. This church tries to constantly evangelize, and our students join this work. Every Thursday after classes, we go out and evangelize on the streets of Gorlovka.  It is very helpful for the students since they get a lot of practical experience. I noticed that many churches have problems due to just studying God’s word but not sharing the Gospel with others and, therefore, not fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. We are trying to train preachers who would be eager to preach not only behind the pulpit but also outside the church.

In the middle of October, we expect the arrival of Jim Sherman, Steve and Teesh Hausley. Please pray for their safe flight to Ukraine. 

Thank you for your prayers and support. Due to your help, we train ministers who in future will make a huge difference for the church of Christ here in Ukraine and maybe also abroad. 

Your co-worker for Christ’s cause,
Dennis.

Youth Event Reaches Many In Nepal

During the last 8-9 months of the curriculum at Nepal Center For Biblical Study [NCBS] we took our six students out on five campaigns to village congregations outside the Kathmandu Valley. One of these campaigns included two visiting American teachers. There were multiple services to provide, multiple lessons to teach and also to learn, and multiple areas for growth. One area that had a strong impact on each of our six preacher students, our regular teaching staff, and the visiting teachers was the young people in each of these congregations. Each trip back to Kathmandu included conversations about the enthusiasm of these young people, the need to do more for them, and different ways NCBS could include them as part of our ministry.

Last week we found the window of time and added the planning and preparation to meet this need. Every year there is a huge national and Hindu holiday during late September and early October. All the schools close. Every part of the Nepal community is affected in many ways.  

Last week NCBS hosted a four day Youth Week. About 35 young people, ages 14-22, were invited from outside the Kathmandu Valley. Some of them had to walk three days to get from their village to where they could catch the bus. The school paid for their transportation and meals, and provided lodging at the school. It was a little crowded but even that seemed to add to the adventure and the enjoyment of fellowship with new friends. We also had about 20 local young people come each day.

The theme of our lessons centered on the book of Genesis. These students were encouraged to read Genesis at least twice before coming to Kathmandu. The students were to come prepared to engage in “active learning” through discussion and questions/answers. Each morning we had three classes related to the stories and lessons from Genesis [12 total] taught by seven men. Each morning ended with the girls having a class taught by one of the ladies and the “gents,” as they are referred to in Nepal, having their separate class. Lunch for about 75 was served each day. We had more adult guests than expected. They were welcome but had to sit in the back and listen.

The first three afternoons began with a film in the Nepali language about Jesus. The students discussed it among themselves with very little teacher activity. They did a great job of teaching one another. Then came the games, relays, and silliness. Eight teams were formed by drawing names. This helped in make new friends and heightened the excitement level. They had so much fun that each day when it was time for the local young people to go home, they begged to stay and have more group activities.  

We planned to also have a film and complete the games on the fourth day but we had to alter those plans. All the young people, the teachers, plus other adults walked 25 minutes to catch a bus that would take everyone to the river where 13 young people, ages 14-20, were baptized into Christ. The river bank was the scene of the final group fellowship, singing, and saying “good-bye”. The mixture of laughter, tears, smiles, and hugs were all reflections of joy.  

It is often said that our youth is our future church. Last week was a touching reminder of that truth, and also a glorious encouragement to the youth ……… as well as to all the active adults.

Jerry Golphenee

Extension News Touches Base Around The World...

I begin my trip this Wednesday to see several schools in the Extension Program. The first stop will be in Chandigarh, India. I have not seen the school in Chandigarh and I am looking forward to meeting Earnest Gill and discussing the work at the North India Bible College. They have faced a number of challenges in recent years and I know we will be able to work out some details to assist in their needs.

I will leave Chandigarh on my way to Chimala, Tanzania. The Chimala Bible Institute is the final location I have yet to see in the Extension Program. Garry Hill is working with the Bible Institute in Chimala and, as you can read below, Chad Wagner will be moving to Chimala next year to begin working as the Administrator of the overall mission. I am also excited to see this work for the first time and discuss the future of the work with both the Swahili and English training efforts.

After leaving Chimala, I will be headed to Arusha, Tanzania. I plan to visit a few days with the staff at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching. This school has been training men to preach for the past fourteen years and I look forward to spending time with Cy Stafford and Jimmy Gee to discuss the program and our future together in training preachers. Cy and Jimmy sent reports below. The news about the work in Arusha continues to be exciting.

The end of the trip finds me in Atlanta, Georgia. I will speak October 19th at the mission’s forum with the Forest Park congregation. While this is going to be a busy few weeks, I know it will be an exciting time visiting with the great brethren who have given their lives to serve the Lord around the world.

Below are the reports from this week.

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

Remember to pray for Howell Ferguson and Denton Landon. They are in Gorlovka, Ukraine to teach and be involved in the work. You can read Howell’s latest report on the work here. Please remember Denton in prayer, as his mother recently passed away.

Chad Wagner, who serves as coordinator with the extension program, will be moving to Chimala in 2012 to serve as the Administrator of the Chimala Mission. Please read all about this transition and his needs in this report.

Extension Reports 

Death Of A Local Minister Brings Sadness To Cameroon: One of the local ministers in Cameroon, who has influenced so many in the school, recently passed away.

Cambodia Is Wet, But The Church Is Growing: The rainy season in Cambodia has created several problems, but it has not stopped the church from growing.

Helping Another Congregation In Uganda: The recent challenges in Uganda have Francis working to help one of the struggling congregations.

One Exceptional Day... You Need To Read: The conversion of one Masai has led to the conversion of his son, who is now bringing others to Christ. This is one great story.

Ready, Set, Go In Arusha: Along with a number of plans in Arusha, a study in the book of Galatians is set to bring a number of women from the area together.  

Final Thoughts
As I prepare to leave this week, I ask for your prayers. Thank you for making this work possible for me. Above all, thank you for loving the Lord and helping the faithful brethren who make so many sacrifices to share the gospel with the lost souls of the world.

I will have more to report next week about the first leg of this trip in Chandigarh. 

God bless
Bob

The Death Of A Local Minister Brings Sadness To Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the staff, students and brethren here in Wotutu. I strongly believe that this mail meets you in good health and a sound mind.

Thursday evening students, some staff and some members of the Wotutu congregation were en-route to Kumba to mourn with those who mourn as minister Awum Nicholas’ corpse was being removed and transported from Dschang, about 250 miles where he died, as he was struggling to seek admission for his daughter into college.

The Students of CBIW were the only ones authorized to carry the casket. Our presence was really uplifting to the saints and many desire to come to CBIW in the next intake.

We appreciate God for all His care over us throughout the past month and we are now in October going closer and closer to the end of the year 2011. This year is election year in Cameroon as on the 9^th of October there will be presidential election in Cameroon. Keep our country in your prayers for peace to continue.

All our programs  for the school went on well. Our chapel service was centered on encouraging one another to stand firm.

The program was good as many had opportunity to reflect into their life again as they live in this pilgrim world. It was a solemn gathering as members of the churches of Christ all over Cameroon was in attendance. About 300 people came.

CBIW students, early in the morning on Friday, arranged the chairs and mounted the canopies for people to sit as rain is still falling here. Our students wore their blue T-shirts welcoming people from far and near and made them comfortable as they await the arrival of the corpse.

The students went there with many reasons; to mourn, exhort, encourage and to share the gospel with souls still under the captives of the evil one.Brother Opel Esowe knelt down after the wake keeping service to share the gospel with many. We have planted and we shall go time and again to water and help those Christians there to sit up even though their minister is not there again.

Later after the wake service, we projected DVD from WVBS to entertain people as we wait for the day to come for burial that is the way we do here, so many had the opportunity to listen to the truth through that.

The widow stood and was supported by a brother and she stood with a girl whom minister Awum took to Dschang for the admission process. It was a pitiful situation to hear her talk with tears and a heart that is breaking.

The family gave me opportunity to say a word which I used to exhort the audience with the word of Job 14:1, talking about our few days. I painted a picture with a question; HOW WE ARE USING OUR FEW DAYS?  I exhorted many that we should use our few days wisely investing our all to the services of God just as minister Awum used his throughout his life, since he was converted till the 20 of September where he died.

Thanks very much for all your support and your care to us. The work is moving on well.

Keep brother Alfred Ayaubo, a student, in your prayers. He sick and is hospitalized in the hospital. He is suffering from diabetes. He is down now for one week plus some days now.

OUR PLANS
We are still planning for the establishment of a new congregation in Botoke village after Limbe. Keep it in your prayers.

Do your best to share this with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Cambodia Is Wet, But The Church Is Growing...

Below is the latest report from Phanat Ouch concerning the work in Cambodia. I urge you to read this wonderful report, but also to click here for the link to his post. You can see pictures referred to by Phanat.

Greetings family of God,

This month marks my fourth year in Cambodia! I am as excited about the work here as when I first arrived on September 25th, 2007. It’s been a wonderful journey and blessing in my life to do God’s work in this part of the world. I am amazed at how awesome God’s been in my life and I pray that He is doing amazing things in your life as well. It truly is an honor and a privilege to be a servant of God! We have wonderful news concerning Christ’s work in Cambodia for this month. I would like to begin with our new brother in Christ, Samol. What’s special about this case is that it’s a testimony to the work of IBISR and ultimately God’s word. We all know and agree that it is God who gives the increase and all glory belong to Him. I just wanted to point out that Samol was taught and baptized by our 2nd generation student named Sopheap from Takam village. It is a blessing to see the growth of Sopheap and how the word of God is working in his life to seek and save the lost. This case truly brings 2 Timothy 2:2 to life for us! We rejoice for our new brother in Christ, but we also rejoice for our ‘old’ brother in Christ. I don’t know if you know the feeling of personally bringing a lost soul to Jesus Christ but it is truly a great feeling. Please keep both of them in your prayers!

Joe Hickey, (I’m sure you all know him by now if you keep up with my blogs) and the brethren of Portal Way church of Christ brought forth much blessings to us. The church at Leang dai village needed a new exterior paint job on the building where they meet, so we gathered the students and local church members to help paint the building. Sokchea, the local preacher, is doing a great job in Leang Dai and is instrumental in saving the lost in that area. Joe’s congregation also helped get a new baptistery out in Takam village and also provided funds for our new school uniform at IBISR. Joe also taught the book of Colossians to the student while he was here on his short (1 month) stay. We are thankful for brethren like him and you who support this work and we pray that you continue to do so. Maybe one day you too can come and visit the work first hand and be a part of this work in that aspect. It is truly a life changing event, especially for our brethren oversees who’ve never been to a foreign country spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

Recently, Siem Reap province has been flooded due to the tropical storm. In fact, this year was the worst year in history for Siem Reap as far as flooding goes. It was so bad that the government had to ‘cut’ roads in several places just to drain it out of the city. It has affected our school and where the church meets as well. They bulldozed our entrance to make way for the water to flow out. They told us that we must build a stone bridge from now on so that this won’t happen again. The local church cannot afford (at the moment) to pay for the construction. It is estimated to be $2000. If any of you brethren can help with this please send your checks to: 

Bear Valley church of Christ
2707 S. Lamar Street
Denver, Colorado 80227
For construction of bridge

Thank you once again for your great love and support of Christ’s work in Cambodia. I look forward to reporting to you once again next month as our brethren from Bear Valley, the Siem Reap 6 (Wes, Cathy, Sheryl, Sharon, Dale, and Rachel) join us for two weeks to do God’s work and fellowship with us in the month of October! 

Phanat

Helping Another Congregation In Uganda...

Dear brethren,

I hope that you are doing fine there in the USA. Receive our greetings from Uganda. The Lord is blessing us with life. Our health is not bad. Margaret's health is not so bad. She is still on her hydrocortisone, as she cannot stop. We thank God that she is supplementing her body with tre-en-en, cal-mag and Omega3 from the GNLD company which is helping her  a lot. 

On Sunday, September 25, Margaret and Lydia worshiped at Nandwa congregation, and for me, I went to Bukalikha congregation where brother Morris Wanyama and Wandera Julius decided to go with the one cup brethren because they were promised monthly support. I had helped them to make bricks but now they said they do not want to work with me as I do not give them support. 

Two families refused to worship with them and I worshiped with them in one of their homes. I will be sending one student every Sunday to go there on the days I cannot go to worship with them. Pray for us so that we overcome this problem.

May God bless you all. 

Yours
Francis and Margaret  Wechesa

One Exceptional Day... You Need To Read!

Greetings Fellow Workers:

We continue lifting you up in our prayers, thanking God for all He has done, is doing and for that He has yet to do. Your prayers, support and encouragement stands as an example to follow. 

Stephanie, Granny and I are blessed beyond measure. We are blessed with notes of encouragement from time to time from God’s young people like the ones from Hayes Church of Christ, Gloucester, VA, also Westside Church of Christ, Yorktown, IN and the young people from the Pitman Church of Christ, Sewell, NJ. It is so encouraging to hear from and to know others have “missions and missionaries” on their hearts, minds and in their prayers. We are also so grateful to those who send “special treats” in the mail, a special thank you to Jeanny Gilpin and our Westside family, Salem, VA. To our brother and sister Jay and Renee Galloway, a special thank you, you are indeed servants of God in a grand way. Yes, we are a blessed people to be surrounded by family, the family of God. 

Today was an exceptional day at Arusha. Three years ago an older Masai man came up to the church building during one of our Children's Bible Seminars, and he never left!  He was taught God’s Word and he in turned obeyed the Gospel. The Church had need of a night guard, and he accepted. Several months ago his 18 year old son, Saruni appeared. He to was “living” at the building with his father. He too would study God’s Word and is now a faithful Child of God. Saruni is faithful in service and attends every Bible class. He missed his opportunity to go to High School because his family did not have the financial means. He is now in school thanks to the faithful Christians at Arusha. 

Today before Bible class he came to the building with a friend. Come to find out, Saruni had been engaging his new classmates in Bible discussions. Keep in mind, Saruni has only been a Christian for a couple of months. His classmate was there to give his life to Christ. So, before we began our Bible class, he was baptized into Christ. What a wonderful example this young man is to us all.

We have concluded another Tanzania Leadership Conference. Steve, Lexi Wiseman and Buddy Fry have now retuned home. Jimmy’s great aunt and Trina’s mother are here for the next week or so. The new quarter begins in a week at the ACSOP, graduation to follow at the end of November. We are excited about Bob Turner coming our way. Bob is the Director of the Bear Vally extension program. We are also anticipating the arrival of Cotton Box and Gene Davis toward the end of the month.

We are also grateful for the first two contributions toward the much needed generator for the ACSOP, $700 down, $22,300 to go! No contribution is to large, nor to small!

Until all have heard.....May our God be with you, bless you and may He direct your path toward Home. 

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Ready, Set, Go In Arusha...

Dear Co-Laborers:

“I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT.”  Yes, we agree with the musician/singer Eddie Rabbit … blessings fell from heaven last night and the ground was soaked this morning. Our boys loved slipping and sliding (in the van) on the way to services this morning. Jimmy taught the Bible class and preached to a full house an excellent sermon entitled “Contending for the Faith.” It was an extremely timely lesson because we had a lady visitor from London, England. Her name was Naomi and she will be living at the International School (next door to us) for about 3 months while she volunteers with a local sewing project.

“THE OLDER WOMEN [SHOULD BE]…TEACHERS OF GOOD THINGS. Titus 2:3” Our Personal Evangelism class was very biblical because an older woman (Edith Kincaid, age 79) was teaching good things. We appreciate the many hours Edith spent in the preparation and presentation of her lessons. Twelve women received a certificate for their attendance and were thankful to receive a nice Bible cover (donated by Walter and Rita Ward and Tom and Linda McKleroy, members of the Oxford, AL congregation). The material used was written by George Jensen (missionary in Iringa, Tanzania) with additional material from Roger Campbell (missionary in Malaysia). Twelve women now know more about teaching others one-on-one and hopefully will start practicing. I will try to keep you informed. Edith continues to teach non-, new and weak Christians on a daily basis.

THANK YE, THANK YE, THANK YE… to all who contributed to Lindsey and Abigail's work permits which will allow them to attend classes at the ACSOP, teach classes and conduct personal Bible studies. We now have enough to get the permits and will start the process in the next week or so. Thank you very much for giving them this opportunity!

The Bible translation team met this week and worked on the book of Luke. Again, they are taking a Swahili translation which is in the public domain and correcting it using the NASB95 and McCord's translation. Jimmy supervises the project while ACSOP graduates do the heavy lifting. Isaac Mwangonde, Michael Mitalami and Ogutu Charles are the three men who come to Arusha every two months or so to do this wonderful work.

READY, SET, GO…We’re gearing up for the Galatians Seminar scheduled for this Saturday, October 8th, from 9-4 pm. Ladies from area congregations have been invited and we are expecting a large crowd. Edith will teach 2 lessons and the other lessons will be taught by Tanzanian Christians.

ACSOP...As we have said in past reports, Jimmy will be teaching a short course this week. The topic is "The Church." Then, beginning the next Monday the fourth and final quarter of the year will begin. Thanks again to Buddy Fry for teaching the last short course which ended on Friday. Since we have not heard differently we are assuming he made it home safely on Saturday.

Finally, thanks to those who have contributed to the ACSOP generator fund. We now have around $800 committed. That means we have just $22,200 to go. We know that God will accomplish His will in the matter.

Thank you for making a difference in Tanzania and all of East Africa! 

In Christ,
The Gees

Preparing For The Journey Ahead...

The 2011 Bear Valley Lectureship ended last night in Denver. The weekend was filled with various lessons from the gospel of Mark. If you would like to listen to the lessons you can visit our website and download any lesson from the series. The lectureship this year was one of the most well attended in the history of this annual event.

I know everyone has their favorite speakers and styles of lessons. I would recommend my favorites, but I do not want to influence your thinking regarding the lessons. Let me simply say it is worth your time to review the lessons and learn from this wonderful gospel account of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

As the first quarter of the school year comes to a close next week, I will be making a trip to the last two schools I have yet to see in this work. I am looking forward to spending time with Earnest Gill at the North India Bible College in Chandigarh, India. After visiting with the school in India, I will be flying back to Chimala, Tanzania to visit the Chimala Bible Institute. While in Tanzania I will also stop by and visit the work of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching in Arusha. It promises to be a busy few weeks, but the rewards of seeing these works will be worth the time.

Below are the reports received this week from several of the various schools in the Extension Program. As always, the reports are rich with the work around the world. It is certainly worth your time to read the most recent news.

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

Remember to pray for Howell Ferguson and Denton Landon. Howell is presently in Gorlovka, Ukraine to teach and be involved in the work. Denton will be joining him later this week. We will have a report in the next few weeks about their efforts.

Extension Reports 

The Great Invitation: As the Cameroon Institute of Biblical Studies begins the last quarter of the first year, the chapel lessons focus on the Great Invitation.

Sweet Company Of Brethren In Tamale, Ghana: Several visitors from the U.S. have shared in the work of the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies over the summer.

First Graduation In Nepal: The joy of graduating the first class in Nepal has set the stage for a class of nearly two times the number of students. Read more.

Struggling Congregations In Uganda: Several congregations throughout Uganda are struggling. One is dealing with the influence of using “one cup” in the Lord’s Supper.

Two Souls Added To The Kingdom In Arusha: The news of God’s increase fills the page of this week’s report from Arusha, Tanzania.

Desperate Need At ACSOP: Recent conditions have created a desperate need for a generator in Arusha. Jimmy Gee’s report explains more about their need. 

Final Thoughts
My mind always races with the activities of the weeks ahead when I prepare to travel. There is so much to get done to make sure everything is in place before leaving the country. However, I am always reminded of the generosity of the wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who have given so sacrificially to make it possible. 

Thank you for your willingness to be involved in preparing men to preach the gospel. I pray for you each day and I trust God will richly bless you for your gift. I will report more each week as I make my journey beginning next Wednesday.

God bless
Bob

First Graduation In Nepal...

On September 21 we had the first graduation ceremony for the Nepal Center For Biblical Study. For the last nine months the word “PROGRESS” has been the most dominant word in my vocabulary. That was certainly the case during graduation.  

In 2009 I told Bob Turner and Ralph Williams, extension school Directors of Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, that Nepal desperately needed a school of preaching, and also that maybe Nepal was not ready for such a school. They both said that God would unquestionably do His part so we should get busy and do what we need to do. Their strong faith combined with the labor of love from many Christians on both sides of this planet, plus many sincere prayers have resulted in the PROGRESS that defies description. I still vividly remember the blank looks on the faces of the students in January and February of 2010. My own frustrations and doubts remain fresh in my mind. Those memories remain ……. BUT …….. the feelings have become those of encouragement, excitement, confidence, and fulfillment. “You will know them by their fruits” is a clear statement of faith, obedience, and purpose put into action. The “fruits” of our students, and the school’s influence throughout Nepal, says more than words could ever say.

We anticipated about eighty to ninety people for graduation. The earthquake Sunday evening, three days of heavy rains, and mudslides reduced that number to about seventy. On Tuesday each of the students gave a twenty minute lesson centered on the need for each Christian to be active in evangelism and the need for each congregation to mature their members. Their words of sound doctrine were strengthened by their poise, organization, and confident delivery punctuated by smiles and encouragement. Each member of the audience could see their progress and the need for more men to receive this type of teaching and training. Tuesday was the edification and the ceremony on Wednesday was the celebration.

We will begin our next class of students on November 7. The challenge remains, but the fears and doubts have vanished. Our enrollment should more than double [12-15]. This group of full-time students will receive comprehensive instruction in every book of the Bible as well as teaching, active discussion, and questions/answers on all phases of Christianity, including false doctrines.  

Four to five times per year we also invite preachers/leaders from congregations throughout Nepal to join us for a week of special classes. We want to be touching all Christians with sound teaching, unity, and fellowship. After nine to ten months of training we will begin to take our students to remote areas of the country for teaching and evangelism campaigns. Every Friday afternoon through Sunday the students go out in groups of two to three to work with congregations within the Kathmandu Valley. They gain personal experience while working under the guidance of the men of that congregation.  

Late September and most of October are a sacred Hindu holiday. We will use one week of this time to invite forty young people [ages 15-22] to Kathmandu for a special week of Bible classes, fellowship, and fun. They will be joined by about twenty local young Christians. Each student is required to read Genesis at least twice prior to the gathering and come with notes and questions. We believe that students should always come prepared, join in active discussions, and ask questions. Preparation leads to Progress, which will result in individual growth and more edification and application of Christian principles when they return home.

Thanks to Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver for thinking of Nepal in 2008-2009 and for their confidence and assistance. Thanks to the brothers and sisters in Texas, California, and Nevada who have contributed to our various needs, both financially and regular prayer. Thanks to the local Nepali brothers and sisters for their participation, support, and prayers. Mostly we thank God Who is “able” and willing to do more than we can imagine and ask. When we see the PROGRESS, we see the hand of God. 

Rejoice with us and pray for us, 

Gajendra Deshar ……Director
Jerry Golphenee

Sweet Company Of Brethren In Tamale, Ghana

The Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies has for the past two quarters enjoyed the sweet company of brethren from America.

Brother Tony Johnson, apart from the thought provocation lesson he offered preachers and church leaders at a seminar, was instrumental in personal evangelism in the villages. He also had a good time with the student preachers. We enjoyed his presence and thank him for his brief visit to Tamale.

The Management Board and Staff of Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies wish to express our profound thanks and appreciation to brother Tony for his support to the Institute. So also are we appreciative of the company of the Coordinator, brother Steven Ashcraft, and his wife during their stay in Tamale. Our wish has always been that we are always together to contribute towards the Lord’s work here in northern Ghana and beyond.

Brother Robert Turner, (International Coordinator) was at the Institute’s Graduation held on the 25^th June, 2011 to grace the occasion. His presence was inspiring. The speech he gave was really motivating. It was a joyful fellowship.

During their short stay in Tamale, brethren went to the villages with local preachers to assist with the gospel campaign there. 

Thank you for your support of this work.
Baah Joseph Okyere

The Great Invitation...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept our sincere greetings here. I do hope you are doing great in all that you do. We are struggling with life here in CBIW, but we appreciate God for all circumstances that we find ourselves because He is aware.

I pray that this report meets you in good health and a sound faith as usual.

All our programs for this first week of our fourth quarter went on well. Our chapel theme for the week was THE GREAT INVITATION, an invitation to serve and to serve whole heartedly. The students and staff benefited from this sitting with lots of examples from our fallen minister Awum Nicholas who was invited to come and teach a short course in CBIW and today he is no more. We should try and use the time we have to do our best in the work of the kingdom so that we shall leave foot prints for others to follow.

His passing away caused stress to many both in the school and the Wotutu congregation and other sister congregations all over the country. Minister Awum was also my advisor in CBIW, having contributed mentally towards the work here. We lost a great figure in Cameroon who started working as far back as 1975. He leave behind his wife and 5 children and many to mourn him.

We shall travel there on Thursday after lectures to his home for wake keeping and burial. CBIW has been given opportunity to exhort mourners on Thursday evening. We have made our plans to carry along some WVBS DVDs with our projection device. This will be a great opportunity to help many as we can to lead them to Christ. From Wotutu to his home is 80 kilometers, please keep us in your prayers for safe trip.

Brother Ayaubo Alfred, a student, is sick and hospitalized since Wednesday in a Baptist hospital in Mutengene about 20 miles away from Wotutu. Please keep him in your prayers as the doctor said he may have been suffering from diabetes. The final test will be confirmed within the week.

All the stress should not deviate us from our calling. I still sent out students to nearby congregations for weekend evangelism. Brother Mulango Theophile, with the mile 14 Likoko church of Christ, restored 2 souls who were away and are back rejoicing.

God bless you as you do your best to share our reports with others to be aware of what is going on here in Cameroon.

Plans

We shall travel to Batoke to fully establish the Lord’s church in that community with the help of our public address system. We shall do great work. Keep us in your prayers.

Thanks very much for your prayers and your timely support to see our progress. God will not pass you by when He will come for His reward.

Elangwe and family by His grace
Director CBIW

Desperate Need At ACSOP...

Dear Supporters, Family and Friends.

We are thankful for the safe arrival of Steve Wiseman, Buddy Fry, Rita Ward and Edith Kincaid this week. Much good has already been done by all of them. Steve Wiseman has had several studies (one of them was with 15 people at once!) and at least one conversion (from Kwa Mrombo) that we know of. In addition, he has spoken on the Leadership conference. Buddy Fry has spoken several times on the conference and will begin his class on Exegesis with the first year students tomorrow. Steve and his daughter Lexi leave on Tuesday night and Buddy leaves on Friday night, so please pray for the safe travel.

Rita Ward, Trina's mother, paid for her own trip so she is here taking time with the family and enjoying the grandchildren. Edith Kincaid, my great-aunt, is here to do a ladies seminar on Personal Evangelism as well as another one on Galatians. The Personal Evangelism seminar actually began this morning in the ladies Bible class and will continue each afternoon through Saturday from 3-5 PM. She will also hold many personal Bible studies with both non-Christians and weak ones. Those will begin tomorrow.

As we ended our worship today a man named Charles stood up and said that he wanted to obey the Gospel. He has been to services on several occasions and simply from the Bible study times and sermons in the services he learned that he needed to put Christ on in baptism. Since no one had ever formally studied with him, Ahimidiwe spent over an hour with him, making sure he understood what he was doing and the kind of commitment he was making. He understood and was baptized shortly after 2 PM. We thank God for another soul added to His kingdom.

As I said, Buddy Fry will teach a short course this week. The next week Jimmy will teach another one on the Church and the following week the fourth and final quarter of the year will begin. This also means that we will be having a graduation (Nov. 26), which will be another milestone in the growth of this work when we graduate the first Swahili class. Praise be to God for wonderful opportunities He has given to 17 men who will go forth from this school and preach the Gospel in many areas of Tanzania and one area in Kenya. By supporting us, you have had a grand part in the training of these men and I pray that God blesses each and every one of you for it.

Finally, we have mentioned several times over the past months the fact that we have been experiencing massive power outages due to a lack of rain and other things. While they have eased a bit (very little) over the past week or two, it is still a daily (or nightly) occurrence. For the past several years the school has had an 8000 watt generator, but this has never been enough to power the whole school when the power is out. In addition, it is on its final legs, needing almost constant repair. Therefore, since we need a bigger generator and need to replace the one we have, Cy Stafford and I are embarking upon a fundraising drive to raise $23,000 for a 45,000 watt generator for the ACSOP. I will be writing congregations and individuals directly to ask for specific commitments so that we can get these funds as quickly as possible. Please consider what you can do and respond accordingly. All funds for this project should be sent to: 

Kensington Woods Church of Christ
415 S. 40th Ave.
Hattiesburg, MS 39402

Please send a note with it stating that the money is for the ACSOP Generator.  

In Christ,
The Gees

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