Visiting Instructors And New Opportunities...

By the grace of the good Lord Christ Jesus, the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies is faring well with its daily activities.

This quarter, which was to start from the 19^th March, 2012, was re-scheduled for the 26^th March, 2012. This was to offer students the opportunity to be part of the biometric registration of voters for the presidential and parliamentary election activity.

The quarter virtually started on the 26^th March 2012 with Brother Kojo Acquah Beenyi teaching a short course on Homiletics. After the completion of the topic, Brother Alex, Preacher-Chamba continued with a topic on the book of Colossians, another short course.

Brother Kojo Acquah Beenyi, while at Tamale, had mild malaria but this did not affect his activity. He mentioned to me, that apart from the malaria, he enjoyed his stay in Tamale. Both brother Kojo and brother Alex have been actively involved in the teaching of courses since the inception of the Institute. They have always been loyal to calls made by Institution.

The Institution seeks to call on similar teachers of sound doctrine to beef-up its Instructor list. In the same vein, the Institution is planning to establish another program to replace the Primary Health Care program which had to be cancelled because of the sudden death of Sister Avril the main Instructor of the program.

The Institute would be glad if volunteers and sponsors could consider this very idea which is to offer student knowledge and skills needed to earn some income as they are to preach in communities with extremely low income. 

This quarter also offered brother Baah Okyere travel to Bawku to assist in a seminar which was organized by two past students, preacher Stephen Abugbilla and preacher John Avoka who are currently preaching in congregations near Bawku in the Upper East Regions of Ghana. Several other Preachers were present at the seminar and all who attended had a great time of fellowship. At the end of the three day seminar a total of twenty-six souls were added to the Lord’s Church. 

Management has assured other past students who are preaching in congregations in the regions of support of human resource and equipment encouraging them to organize seminars and workshops, in the view of management. This is to boost the capacity of the young preachers to increase the numerical strength and spiritual growth of their congregations.

Through the support of brethren from USA, the Institution has equipment for evangelism and arrangement is being made to avail the resource for the work in the three northern regions.

In all our prayers we wish that the Almighty God will continue to bless our sponsors bountifully.

The Church of Christ Campus Ministry at University for Development Studies is to collaborate with the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies to evangelize the Nyankpala Campus. According to the students at the University, the necessary arrangements are being made to conduct this evangelistic exercise to win souls at University.

Baah Okyere Joseph

A Great Boost From A Great God...

Since last week was the first full week of April, many of the monthly reports came across the electronic desk. Let me say, it was a great week. Reading through each of the reports provides a great boost to see how great our God is in the development of His kingdom. He continues to give the increase with the men who are spreading the good news of Jesus around the world.

In just over a month, we will see another class complete their courses and graduate from the Bear Valley Bible Institute here in Denver. It is always a sad time to see these men leave school. There is a very special attachment that exists when you spend two years together studying from the word of God. However, we know they are prepared and set to go forth proclaiming the gospel. I also enjoy hearing from these men concerning the work they are able to do once they begin working in various locations around the country.

There is much to read this week from the staff of the program and the directors in the extension locations. Thank you for taking time to read them and praying for these men.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Howell and Mary Ferguson are now back from their trip to Chimala. If you would like to see the report, click here.

Extension Reports 

Plans For A Church In Mbu Bakundu: Staff and students in Cameroon are looking to plant a congregation in a new village.

Growth In The Midst Of Sorrow: Although recent deaths in Guatemala have challenged the church, God is giving the increase as the work progresses.

New Sister In Cambodia: The gospel continues to touch the lives of students who are beginning the program in Cambodia.

Travel Held Due To Fighting In Congo: Francis Wechesa was not able to attend a lecture because of the increased fighting problems in Congo.

Three Souls Added In Ukraine: The Lord is giving the increase as three souls were added to the kingdom near Gorlovka, Ukraine.

Multiple Methods Of Spreading The Gospel: The North India Bible College is using several different methods of sharing the gospel with others in Northern India.

Safari For Souls Is About To Begin: The Stafford’s returned from furlough and the campaigns begin next week.

Fighting The Fungus Amungus: Respiratory problems continue to be a problem for the Gee family while they labor in Tanzania. 

Final Thoughts
You are appreciated and your efforts to help support this work do not go unnoticed. At every level, your involvement is a blessing. I am not trying to speak on behalf of everyone else, but I continue to hear the gratitude expressed by the men who are laboring in the field for all you do to help make their efforts possible.

Thank you for being a friend to the Extension training program and the work being done by the brethren who are laboring diligently around the world.

God bless
Bob

Growth In The Midst Of Sorrow...

Although recent deaths in Guatemala have challenged the church, God is giving the increase as the work progresses. Click here to read the full report.

Plans For A Church In Mbu Bakundu...

Dearest in Christ,

Accept greetings from the staff, students and members of the Wotutu congregation here in Cameroon. We praise God for His great care over us all. We do hope you are enjoying that same care from the Lord where you are.

The picture to the right is sister Celestine obeyed the gospel. She lives not too far from the church hall, meaning that she listened to our morning program from our program Back to the Bible. This program is doing great things in Wotutu. While many will call my phone to say we criticize other denominations in our preaching, many also call to appreciate the work we are doing and give us the go ahead. Sister Celestine obeyed the gospel because of our program. Keep her in your prayers to grow so that even her husband and other family members will obey in the future.

Brother Ititi, sister Codeline, brother Namina, brother Nsong Nelson and brother Mulango Theophile were witnesses to our sister’s baptism.

The first week in this second quarter started well with all the students proving to do better in their studies. Some of them are not reporting well in health but God is in control. One of our student’s wife, who is staying here in Wotutu as the husband studies in CBIW, is sick and she is pregnant. Keep her in your prayers, brother Nicholas’ wife’s sister, Barbara.

Thanks for your prayers as I left the campus for four days to do some findings about the possibilities of establishing a new congregation inside the village of Mbu Bakundu.

Brother Maurice and I went inside the thick rain forest of Mbu bakundu village after staying there for four days sharing the gospel with many who are still backward in education. Some of the villagers carry food stuff on their heads to help us trace our way back. The gospel is for all, that is my belief and I am trying to see that happen in my ministry. Where motor bike and cars cannot penetrate, our legs can take us, trekking up and down the hills and going across rivers is what happened to us over the weekend. Keep the work in your prayers.

The villagers don’t have access to education and any social amenities light electricity, roads, hospital nor clinics. It is really a backward society, children who don’t even have cloths to keep warm, homes with no toilets, etc. you can name it. Oh, oh come and join us. Let us take the gospel to the community that will allow light to shine for many to see. No soul was added during the trip but it is a great and fertile land for the gospel if we follow up.

Thank you for the growth of the church here in Wotutu and other parts of Cameroon. You are doing your best to help us propagate the gospel to all. God bless you.

Plans
1) We plan to go to Mondoni village on the 19th to the 21st of April for a campaign, the entire staff and students of CBIW. Please keep this in your prayers.

2) Our program for a campaign to Batoke village is still pending.

3) My  plans to travel to the African claiming Africa for Christ conference in Zambia in August is still pending. If you can be of financial support to me then you will make my trip there possible.

Appreciations
Thanks for your prayers and support. Your actions keep the work going. Thanks and may God bless you. Do your best to share this report with others who may love to be part of this soul saving team. Thanks for helping us to keep robbing from the strong man’s house. Think souls.

Elangwe and family
By His grace director CBIW

Safari For Souls Is About To Begin...

We hope and pray all is well with each of you. We continue to thank God for you and all you mean to His Church where you serve and for all you do around the world. We are a blessed people to be able to call you brothers, sisters, friends, and yes co-laborers in the work of the Kingdom.

What a furlough! We are back and so thankful for all the good that was accomplished while we were in the States presenting and reporting on God’s mission efforts here in Tanzania. We set out with four major objectives, all were met with a spirit of Love and a willingness to help. We thank each of you we met with and who hosted us in a way most undeserving. 

Stephanie, Granny and I were blessed to worship with the family of God at Arusha. Gary Fallis, who has been teaching at the ACSOP, was our guest teacher/preacher. He indeed blessed and encouraged God’s people with two powerful lessons. We were so encouraged to meet two new brothers in Chirst who obeyed the Gospel just last week. We regret we missed our brother Keith Kasarjian and his daughter who left a couple of days ahead of our return. Thank you Keith, , and Gary for joining us in the labor of love.

We are thankful for the return of the Hochdorf family who are staying with us while they wait on their container to arrive. We are blessed beyond measure in having them to return and join the team.

Prayers needed: We ask that you join us in praying for the family of Paul Ndwani who passed away a couple of weeks ago. Paul served as the Director of the Arusha Bible School for several years. He leaves behind two grown children, two small (elementary age) children, and his beloved wife.

We also ask for your prayers as we move toward the Safari for Souls campaigns. We anticipate a very busy year this year. We hope to conduct 10 or more different campaigns. We hope to distribute 1,000 Bibles to those we study with during these campaigns. Our first guests arrive next week, others in May, June, July through August. 

We close with a heart of gratitude for the life we live in Christ. We thank our God for each of you and invite you to join us here in Tanzania when you can.  

In Him, 
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Fighting The Fungus Amungus...

To Our Dear Supporters, Family, and Friends,

It is our wish that you all are well and you are enjoying life. Normally during the week we make notes of things to include in our report, because, like today, when we sit down to write, our minds go blank. We like to write a little more than “just the facts, m’am.” (Dragnet TV show).  Unfortunately, this week, we failed to jot down any thoughts!

We are thankful to have survived the “upper respiratory bacterial infection.” EVERYONE in the family became sick except for our resident “germ-a-phobic”, Lindsey, who stayed as far away from us as possible. It paid off for her this time! We are still “fighting the fungus-amungus” and seem to be winning the battle slowly. Otherwise, we are doing just fine. Our thanks to those who have sent cards lately. One in particular, from Sheila Milligan, was a real day-brightener (had a bright yellow sun on the front)!

Our appreciation is extended to Gary Fallis, director/instructor of Bear Valley Bible Institute Graduate Studies, for his efforts and time spent teaching “Denominational Doctrines and Islam” to the ACSOP students. In addition, he preached at both the Kisongo and Arusha congregations. Pray for his safe travel when he leaves Tanzania on Wednesday night. We are also thankful for the work of Keith and Molly Kisarjian and thankful for their safe arrival home.

The ladies at Kisongo continued reviewing Genesis (chapters 17 & 18), Peter Angatta (ACSOP Master’s student from Uganda) taught the Men’s class, Jimmy taught the New Converts’ class and preached on “The Final Judgement.” A young lady (maybe 14 years old) visited the services today. Her name is Mary and she is the house-girl for Matthew’s therapist (Lucy). Speaking of Matthew, if anyone knows of any dvds/video tapes demonstrating physical therapy or occupational therapy exercises for a cerebral palsy patient, we would like to purchase some. Also, we really need books/tapes/dvds concerning speech therapy for a CP child.

At a rummage sale yesterday, Abigail noticed a book entitled, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist.” We think that is definitely true! How much “faith” does it take to believe that something came from nothing and that this world, in all its’ splendor and glory, just “popped” into being or that every creature we see simply slowly, ever-so slowly, evolved into its’ present state? To believe something without a thread of evidence certainly takes a “leap of faith!”

This week we welcomed back to Tanzania our director, (Cy Stafford), his wife (Stephanie) and mother-in-law (Exel Aultman, affectionately called “Granny” by all here) who have returned after their reporting tour and furlough. In perfect TZ tradition, soon after arriving, they were hit in the face with their freezer going out and the repairman having to come out three times. This is not a problem you want shortly after getting off the plane (trying to save food from ruining, cleaning out spoiled food, transferring food to the school freezer, etc). The Hochdorfs (having been here about a month) are still waiting for their container to arrive and are still living out of suitcases at the Stafford’s house. They have secured a house just up the hill from us but, without a stove, refrigerator, beds, etc there is no reason for them to move in as yet. Some of the Hochdorf family have been sick with seemingly the same respiratory infection we had.

We are anticipating the arrival of Dupree and Soneia Galloway and Cotton and Beulah Box this week. Due to their numerous trips and heavy involvement with the TZ 2000 Work, we don’t dare call them “visitors.” They are family! Thanks to ALL of you for your interest in this work and for reading our newsletters! You are making a difference in the world and especially in Tanzania. 

Because He Lives, 
The Jimmy Gee family

Multiple Methods Of Spreading The Gospel...

Dear Brothers 

We had a very busy weekend as we had to go for a gospel meeting arranged by brother Salatial Masih, a preacher of Kohala Church of Christ (Ferozepur). About 100 people had gathered in one place from other villages. This place is about 230 kms. from here. We took the students along with us. We used hired loud speakers and I was told by someone who came from another place, that the voice could reach about 5 kms away. I preached the message of Jesus. 3 souls obeyed this week and some more are being prepared. The work in Northern part of India is still in its initial stage and it needs a lot of efforts. 

OLD STUDENTS' GOOD REPORT
We hear encouraging reports from the brothers gone after the course in their respective areas. Brother Rinku, and Kirtan are in regular touch with us. They telephone almost every week. They are in the new area and they have a lot of challenges for them. There are challenges from the denominational people who propagate that they have got the wrong kind of teaching, and sometimes the enticement that you work with us. We will pay you. There is family pressure as to why you don't join them. There are reports of the other brothers also.  

Free SMS
We had started the Free SMS service to send a Bible Verse relating interesting points of nature to the people in my phone book. Now the demand has been increased and we have 1,600 contacts nationwide. But we are restricted to a daily limit of sending 100 SMS from 1 number. Earlier we tried to send through way2sms (a free internet service) but later the government made a limit on that too. Although it is meant for daily Bible verse, due to lack of time and money, we fail to send many. Even the contact numbers with us are increasing day by day.

I was told that we can send through corporate SMS service, but their condition is to send minimum 100,000 @ Re. 0.05 (or Re 0.10). That way it would cost us more (approximately Rs 5000 i.e., $100 for about a100,000 SMS package). Now we are praying that we should have at least 12-15 different telephone numbers (otherwise we have to pay a huge amount of money, per SMS Re 1 for local and Re 1.5 for national). But we cannot afford that.  

BIBLE KI BAAT (A postal service)
We thought to send it monthly as an inland letter with the view to send the basic knowledge of Christian faith in the National language to the remotest areas. From January 2012 we have improved it to an A4, four page paper by adding new features. We print a small article in Hindi, a short poem to attract people (I have written a few lines on the books of Old Testament and the Books of New Testament in Hindi. And I plan to write or find something from the Christian poems to encourage the people in Hindi language). A short article in English is added. Sometimes it would be on the apologetics or a few lines for the defense of the faith. We have been using it here also as a tract to contact with the people.  

First Wednesday
We are hiring a meeting hall and inviting people for a couple of hours to study with us. People are appreciating this and we trust more and more people in the city will come to the knowledge of truth. Last month we had it on the 7th and this week we will be having it on 4th of April.  

Daily outreach 
We go out on the week days to the people and invite them to have a study with us.  

Literature Service
Perhaps, we are reaching the maximum people and covering most of the Northern part of India. We print and distribute Truth for Today's 6 books (Hindi and Punjabi) every alternate month. 3,000 Hindi books and 2,500 books are sent to various people. 2,000 copies of our own (Tract type) leaflet is being printed every other month. 5,000 copies of Voice of Truth is being printed and distributed throughout India. Song books are also being printed and sent to several Hindi speaking states. Hindi and Punjabi Bibles are also being sent to the preachers on request as and when needed.  

New Students 
New students are coming and some have not yet finished their exams. Thank you for your prayers and support and we always lift you in our prayers to the throne of grace.  

For Christ 
Earnest Gill 

Three Souls Added In Ukraine...

Dear brothers, families and churches,

I want to share with you some news of events that happened at the Bible Institute and in church of Christ in Ukraine in March. 

When we read the parable of the soil, we understand how important is the work and the patience of the sower. He understands that his work during bad weather conditions won’t be able to pay off. But still the fields are being worked on and the harvest is getting ready, and every time the sower hopes for the best result. As ministers of God, we shouldn’t lose heart but be constant in our mission. In Slavyansk where our brothers Albert and Stas preach, God added three souls to the church. It’s a joyful and exciting news, because for about two years there were no baptisms in the church in Slavyansk, but now the sowers received the harvest of their work. 

Click here to see the pictures.

During last week we have held the planned evangelizing campaigns in 5 different cities with our student being active participants. By this we try to support the church and encourage its members to keep sharing the Good News. I’m sure that this is what the Great Commission is all about. The methods of evangelizing were quite different. In some cities students used tables with free Christian literature, and spreading it they invited citizens to come to church and study God’s Word.  In other cities student were walking and spreading leaflets and calendars and also invited people to church. Experience in these campaigns shows that almost all people have heard about Christ and that is good, but what is sad is their lack of desire to get to know the true Jesus and follow the sound doctrine. Some people don’t want to have anything in common with Him. But we shouldn’t give up and should keep looking for those who are in need of salvation. 

At the beginning of the month we had two teachers from the US: Garth Hilton and Johnny Mack Young. It’s been a really big blessing, that we have brothers who are willing to work and share their experience. We are grateful for their work and are looking forward to their visits in future. Together with them the first-year students studied the book of Job and the Wisdom Literature, and the second-year students studied Contemporary Religious Thought and the Personal Evangelism. Students were very glad, and it has been a good inspiration before the evangelizing campaign. Also we have not so pleasant news; we had to expel one of the students Sergey, who is a good brother from the Church of Christ in Gorlovka. And the reason for that was his low grades and inability to follow up with the program. We do understand that this Institute trains the preachers and there are certain rules and requirements.  

In one of my previous reports I wrote that I care for the future of students and their ministry. We keep praying for that and God is showing to some of them His will. Dennis Yampolets, who is a second-year student, has started preaching in his hometown Nikolayevka, Donetsk region. At the moment the church consists of two people, but that is a good start. I keep asking you to pray for the church in Ukraine and for its future. Since many churches do not have elders, they are not standing firm in God’s teachings. We know that devil doesn’t stop his work for a minute, and we will support and encourage one another as long as we have strength. We thank you for financial support. With its help we do this work for God, plant the Word and train the ministers for the God’s church. Recently I have read a saying in one book: “If one generation in the whole world stops evangelizing, than the next generation will not know Christ”. I don’t know how true that is, but it is better we don’t experiment with that. Ukraine needs God’s sound doctrine, qualified ministers and your help. 

We send you our greetings and keep praying for you and your families.

We are confident in the Lord and His protection. 

Your brother and coworker,
Dennis

Travel Held Due To Fighting In Congo...

Dear brethren,

We are doing fine here in Uganda. I was supposed to be in D.R.C. this Sunday and hold a whole day seminar but I did not go due the fighting which was there. There was a group men who had deserted the army and went into the region I was visiting that is Baraka and Uvira. When I was planning to leave the brethren informed me and advised me to hold on.

On April 12th we are going to interview our prospects for the third intake. Four students are ready to come to school from Baraka and Uvira D.R.C. We are still lacking proper arrangements for them to come. Each one of them needs $50 dollars to get a three month visa plus $100 dollars each for their bus fare from D.R.C. to the school. 

Today Margaret, Paul, and I went to worship at the Nandwa Church of Christ. Susan, Paul's wife, was vomiting because of malaria, so she stayed at home. Edith, and his husband, Emma, went to Namugodi. a new congregation 10 klm on Busia to Kampala road. Mangeni Edwin, a member of Nandwa congregation, is now going to Nahayaka church of Christ where two of graduates were going. Things are going on well here in Uganda. We need your continuous prayers.

Yours
Francis Wechesa

New Sister In Cambodia...

Greetings family and friends abroad! It is with great joy that I report of the good news that's happening with God's work these past few weeks.  First and foremost we want to welcome another soul to the body of Christ by the name of Rotana! She is a first year student and after two quarters of attending IBISR, she knew what she needed to do in order to be pleasing to God. We ask that you keep her in your prayers as she continues to live a faithful and obedient life unto the Lord. 

Also, the staff of IBISR and local leadership met to discuss future plans and improvements that we need to make in order to thrive in the Khmer culture. We brain stormed various ideas on how we could cut back on support coming from America and what the local church can do to help in this matter. It was a very fruitful meeting and I've heard some really wonderful ideas as to how we can get started. It's amazing how intelligent and capable these men are. They just needed to be heard and given the opportunity to lead. I am grateful for Chann, Darat, Piseth, Hout, Sokchea, Chouey, Savai, Ravy, and Vanra for the job that they do for the Lord. 

Please keep us and the work here in your prayers as we strive to please God in this part of the world. We pray the same for you on your end!

Phanat

To see the report with a picture of our new sister in Christ, please click here.

Schools On The Grow...

Settling back into the routine can be challenging at times, especially after returning from an overseas trip. There has been so much developing within the Extension Program it is hard to keep up with who is going where and what is unfolding in development. Let me share a few new possibilities and provide a reminder of areas previous mentioned.

We continue to look at connecting with a number of congregations around the world in the fellowship of training men to preach. In the weeks and months ahead we are going to be discussing possibilities with a congregation in Monrovia, Liberia, along with several congregations in Nigeria. The plans are still being established and there are details that will need to be worked out, but the development of these areas looks very promising.

We are moving full speed ahead with the plans to work with the Ahono congregation in training men to preach in western Kenya. The eldership at Ahono, who oversee this congregation, will also oversee the preacher training program. The Bible Institute at Bear Valley, along side of the Charlotte Avenue Church of Christ in Rock Hill, North Carolina will be partnering with the Ahono congregation to prepare men for the great work of preaching the gospel.

We continue to pray for the work of the Sacramento congregation in Asunción, Paraguay. As we mentioned last week, these men are working out the details of everything involved to host a preacher training program. We are looking forward to the possibilities of such a program in South America.

There are always a few areas, a little more distant in the future, we are praying about and hope the Lord will open doors to make these opportunities a reality. We ask for you to keep praying for us to have the wisdom to know when to take the necessary steps to move in keeping with the will of our God.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Josh Austin’s monthly report can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Campaign Yields Much Fruit In Cameroon: Students returning from their campaigns in Cameroon bring reports of God giving the increase in great ways.

Preparations For The Third Class: The Uganda School of Evangelism is making preparations for the next enrollment.

VVBC Activities Show Growth: The report from the Visakha Valley Bible College shows the growth of the students and work in India.

Challenges In Honduras: The work of extension training has its challenges. This week’s report from Danli explains some of these challenges. 

Final Thoughts
Training men to preach is one exciting work. To see the powerful ways God is giving the increase to the kingdom efforts of so many around the world makes this even more exciting to report. What a blessing to work together as fellow laborers in our Lord’s kingdom.

Thank you for all you do to share in this effort. You are blessing. I pray you know how beneficial you are to the this effort and how much you are appreciated. We could not do it without you. Thanks!

God bless
Bob

Challenges In Honduras...

Report from Danlí, Honduras 

What follows is an edited excerpt of a report received from brother Nery Irías, who is the director of the Bible Institute of Honduras (IBH).  Porfirio and Enrique are our two oldest students and while they struggle with their studies a bit more than their younger classmates “they are punctual and the brethren that they help have nothing but good things to say about them; such as their cooperation with the church with studies, preaching and evangelism.”

“Antonio, Jose Cruz and Jairo work together on Wednesdays and visit a colony called Los Robles to meet for studies of God’s word.  Gustavo married and he works in the evenings at the congregation since Saturday and Sunday he is studying at a secular automotive institute.  He requested that I give him the opportunity to finish and that this would not affect his Biblical studies."

We are sad to report that three of our students have chosen not to continue in their studies, and to make matters worse, their parting was not on good terms.  While we are saddened by the events that transpired, we believe that the six men who remain will continue to do well with their studies and the work they are already doing in the churches in this area.

God bless you all! 

Donnie Bates
Latin American Coordinator
Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver
www.WeTrainPreachers.com
www.Donniebates.com

Campaign Yields Much Fruit In Cameroon...

Dearest beloved in Christ,

Accept greetings from the entire Wotutu congregation and the students of CBIW. We are thankful to God for the opportunity to enter a new month. We do hope you are equally happy to see the a new month, April. Our prayers are that God continues His great work in our lives as we make Christ known to many on our way.

God added a soul in Nake village. God blessed the effort of our student who went there to help revive the dying congregation, some sheep without a shepherd. He organized a film show to attract the entire village to come and watch. The DVD from WVBS attracted many to come and relax in the evening and by so doing he preached the word. The Lord added two souls in that village while the Lord was also working through other students in different locations. For one week the Lord added 32 souls to His body and 44 fallen away Christians came back to the Lord rejoicing. Keep this work in your prayers. Cameroon is coming into the lime light of the gospel. Many lips are talking about the work of CBIW. 

The Wotutu congregation was in joy again today as all the students made it back to school safe and sound after their campaigns to different villages and one week to rest with their families, and also to be of help to their local congregation. Keep them in your prayers as they are ready to continue studies tomorrow morning. The leadership of the Wotutu congregation has scheduled a meeting with the students in the next two weeks to address them on issues concerning their calling to preach the serving message.

Brother Norbert one of our students went to the Nake village sharing the gospel with prospects and some members of the dying Nake congregation, before he could go there.

Oh Lord, I thank you for all the great men and women you are using to make things happen here. Bless them more… I pray for you. Please you are always remembered in our prayers. You are a pillar here. Keep us in your prayers as great things will continue to happen. The people of Bafia now can hear the truth as the church of Christ in that village was fully established. Two of our students work there to help establish a new congregation there. Praise God, the field is really ripe but few laborers.

Today is April and we were all glad to start another month. I taught in Wotutu today on Bible studies, Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ. It is a theme that we shall use throughout the month to help our members stand firm with the doctrine of Christ. A total of 102 worshippers listened to the message, along with those in our community through our P A system that is creating much impact in the lives of the resident of Wotutu and other nearby villages. Keep the work in your prayers. It is working well to the Glory of God.

This is Wotutu congregation today after worship. Wow the Lord is great. We are done with our worship. I know many around the world are still going to worship now. Ours was wonderful as we have two first time visitors. You can see how the members of Wotutu move from one person to another to say hello and to embrace one another. We had great fellowship in the midst of His children.

A young girl was one of our visitors today. I took a picture with her because of the story behind her coming to the church of Christ today. She lives in mile four near to Wotutu and she is a bank attendant. Brother Gage Coldwater and I met with her when they were here and we shared the gospel with her. She decided to come and see the reality of the New Testament church. She confessed her satisfaction with the amount of truth that is being propagated in the Church of Christ and promised to share this message with her mom who is a staunch full gospel church, a denomination in Cameroon. She promised to study more as she took from my office many tracks. Keep her in your prayers for the gospel to keep entering her.

Visions
1) Our mission to plant a congregation in Batoke village is still pending. We shall try and do something now that the students are back.

2) Many more demands for our students to come over to different villages keeps coming to my office.

3) Please think about my trip to Zambia and see how you can be of help to me (check on Google AFRICANS CLAIMING AFRICA FOR CHRIST CONFERENCE) to see the great things that will take place there. This is why I am struggling to go and benefit from it so that others will benefit from me upon my return.

Appreciations
Many thanks to our God for all His providence to us and the work we are doing. Many thanks to you for standing by us in this great work. You are a pillar.

Do your best to share this report with others. God bless you and your entire family. You are always in our prayers.

On this sad note, one of our students, Bea Shadrack, came back to school with sadness as he returned from his campaign in Bali village, one of those young congregation that we established. He met many in their compound mourning for the dead of his mother. Keep him in your prayers as burial will be this week end.

Elangwe and family
By His grace, Director CBIW

Preparations For The Third Class...

Dear brethren,

It has been a busy Sunday. Today we worshiped at the Nandwa Church of Christ. The service was good. After the service we went to bury our brother Eridadi Makokha who passed away on Friday Morning. This brother was baptized last year in April while he was sick. He had a stroke which weakened his right hand side. He tried to walk two kilometers from his home to the church building in Nandwa Village for about eight months. He was too weak to walk to the service for about three months. The church has been sending a group of Christians every Sunday to worship with him. These past two weeks he was too weak even to partake the Lord's supper due to some sores which were in his mouth. We hope that the Lord will put him in the right place he deserves. Pray for his family. 

We remain with about 16 days to the opening of our third intake. The interviews will be on 12th of April 2012. The number we have is more than what we need for this intake. The brethren from Congo and Burundi still want to come, but as per now we have not received funds to bring them to school and help them get proper documents to stay in the Uganda. We still also need some funds to purchase mosquito nets, bedsheets and blankets and some new mattresses. May the Lord bless you all as you serve Him. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

VVBC Activities Show Growth...

Dear Brethren,

Greetings from Visakha Valley Bible College to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. By the grace of God we are all doing fine and the school work is going on well.

We were thrilled to hear that the Elders at Strickland Church of Christ have come forward to oversee the Visakha Valley Bible School. We have known these brethren from a long time, in fact me and my father have visited this congregation several times. This congregation has been involved in supporting the Skinner’s Garden work under the oversight of the Elders of West Corinth Church of Christ from a long time. They helped us buy bicycles, lanterns, sewing machines, Bibles and other evangelistic needs. Their part in evangelizing the world is commendable.

It was my pleasure visiting with them in the summer 2010 when I was given an opportunity to give a work report. I took advantage of that and mentioned about our new school Visakha Valley Bible College and our association with Bear Valley. I didn’t have much to talk to them about any more than the presentation, but the later developments encouraged them to come forward to oversee the Bible School work. We appreciate Jerry & Paula for their part in encouraging the elders to take up this new responsibility. In deed we feel like it’s God’s providence. We pray that our relationships will be built up stronger for the betterment of the Lord’s work in India especially in the northeastern region of the state of Andhra Pradesh.

We are encouraged so much with the growth rate of the students, as it is well aware a few numbers of the students always stay little behind despite their hard work. However most of the students are up to date in completing their assignments and tests. 

Preachers’ Fellowship Meeting: 
We are very happy with the evangelistic efforts by our students. We have a student named Uday, who always wanted to attend the short classes, invited us for the preachers’ Fellowship meeting at their place. He wanted us to teach on the subject ‘The Work of the Church.’ He wanted the local congregation to understand about their responsibility towards the fellow Christians and taking the gospel to the lost community in their village. We had most of our graduates attend this Preachers’ Fellowship meeting. We praised God when 3 of those graduates who spoke on the subject encouraged the local congregation to seriously think about charity and evangelism.

Paul Raju’s health condition: Paul Raju, one of our old students had appendicitis pain and had to go through the surgery. By the grace of God everything went well, and he is recovering. He is working in the Viskhapatnam city only. He is one of those who registered for the new Master’s Class which shall be starting July 2012, if that is Lord’s will. 

Special Bible Class on the Book of Revelation: 
DVS Prakash, one of our graduates of the previous batch, is a zealous preacher. He never wanted to take a back seat if a situation comes where he has to deal with that. Denominational groups have been teaching about the premillennialism by misusing text from the Book of Revelation. So, he never wanted to delay approaching the school for help. Brother Vamsee Bushanam, who teaches the Book of Revelation in the school, came forward to help this graduate and the congregation. The local congregation decided to hold a 1 day Special Bible Class on the book of Revelation every month. By the grace of God the congregation is learning the true word as it is written while the speaker is rightly dividing the word of God.   

Applications for the Masters Class:
We are blessed to have another term of Master Classes starting in July this year. We are anxiously looking forward for the start of new batch. We have a list of 16 students who shall be attending enrolling for the Master Class. 

Short Class: 
Brother Chuck Ramseur will be visiting with us for the next week. During his visit he shall be teaching the ‘Epistle to the Hebrews’ with the undergraduate students. We are excited about Chuck coming to Visakha for the second time which really helps us to work together for the betterment of the School. He is very mindful of the school in Visakha. We pray that his visit would be a blessing to all of us. 

Brother Irven Skinner’s Visit: 
Brother Irven Skinner has been a missionary to India since 1999. During his recent visit he arrived at Visakhapatnam Airport and wanted to spend a couple of days teaching the students at Visakha Valley Bible College. He really loves teaching the Bible. This time he encouraged the Indian preachers to live their lives like a light. One of the lessons he taught was, “ brethren, do not grow weary of doing good,” 2 Thess 3:13, encouraging the preachers to always abound in the Lord to do good things. Our students enjoyed class. Irven Skinner also taught for 3 hrs on the next day during the local congregations meeting we held on Saturday at VVBC facility. We had a great time sharing the Lord’s word. As a result, 3 came forward to be baptized. We rejoiced with those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Brother Irven said, regarding the Bible School work, he would like to come next time and spend more time with the students. 

Thank you note: 
We are thankful to the brethren at Strickland Church of Christ for choosing to be the overseeing church for the Bible School, to guide us spiritually for the betterment of the Church in India. We continue to strive for our common goal and purpose, which is evangelizing the lost millions. We appreciate all of your prayers for us and your financial support. Kindly write us back if you want to know more about the Bible School work. We appreciate brother Bob Turner, Ralph Williams and Jerry Bates for their encouragement in running the school successfully.

Thanking you in Christian love, 

Sameul Raju & John Dean Muppidi
Visakha Valley Bible College
Church of Christ
Andhra Pradesh,  INDIA

Great Trip To Asunción, Paraguay...

After leaving Guatemala on Tuesday, Donnie Bates and I traveled to Asunción, Paraguay. Our purpose in this trip to South America was to visit with the missionary team and men of the Sacramento Avenue congregation about the possibilities of working together to train men to preach the gospel.

Paraguay is a country of about seven million people with only two congregations of the Lord’s church. Both of these congregations are meeting in Asunción. There is an obvious need for men to preach the gospel throughout this country. In addition, this capital city has a very strategic geographical location with the countries of Bolivia and Argentina, which could lend to possible students in the future. 

The missionary team consists of four couples, Troy and Andrea Spradlin, Josh and Cara Blackmer, Perry and Alba Hardin, and Brittnae Dye who is married to Ale Yegros. The team has done an exceptional job of working with the Sacramento Avenue Church of Christ in developing leadership and allowing these leaders to make the necessary decisions for the work.

Our meeting with the men of the congregation, mission’s team, and some of the prospective students, went very well. Donnie and I wanted to emphasize the responsibilities and expectations of establishing a school in Paraguay. We wanted to stress the importance this being Sacramento Avenue’s school. The role of sponsoring / supporting congregations and the Bear Valley Bible Institute is simply to partner with this congregation in their desire to prepare men to fulfill the Great Commission in preaching the gospel.

After considering the positive and negative sides to the responsibilities of a preacher training program in Asunción, we also considered the opportunities such a program would bring to the country. We also addressed several questions regarding housing for the students, future enrollment, teachers, support, and administrative responsibilities.

We were very encouraged by the leadership of the congregation. These men will be discussing further a decision for the establishment of a school for training preachers. If they favorably decide to have a school, then we will take the necessary steps to set everything in place and get the first class of students enrolled. Lord willing, if everything develops accordingly, the mission team would like to see classes begin around March of 2013, allowing time to complete the plans.

We are excited to see the leadership maturity and the serious approach to assuming the responsibilities in taking ownership to such a great and needed work. We will be reporting more as we have further details. Please be praying for the brethren in Asunción as they consider how to expand their efforts for the kingdom in Paraguay.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Read Donnie Bates’ report about his recent trip to Central and South America by clicking here.

Extension Reports 

Congregations Grow And Division Prevented: The church in Cameroon continues to grow and the work of Elangwe to prevent division in one congregation.

Graduation And God Gives The Increase: Another class completest their studies in Uganda. Also, the church grows as souls are added to the kingdom.

The Christians’ Birthright: Messages from national preachers can touch the heart in many ways. This is the case in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Final Thoughts
Plans for the work continue to grow as we are privileged to work with so many wonderful people around the world. God has blessed us richly. God’s people are so wonderful and our united efforts for the kingdom are seeing fruit.

Thank you for your generosity in helping with the endeavor of training men to preach the gospel. It is exciting to see students being taught in their own language, within their own country, going out to preach the gospel to their own people. I know you share the joy that comes from God giving the increase to the work. 

May all glory and honor be given to our great and awesome God!!

God bless
Bob

The Christians' Birthright...

Dear Co-Laborers,

Quote of the Week: “Many people have gone a lot farther than they thought they could because someone else thought they could.” (Mary Kay Ash) 

Keith and Molly Karsarjian are due to arrive tonight and Gary Fallis is scheduled for arrival on Wednesday. Keith will be teaching Biblical Leadership and Gary will be teaching Denominational Doctrines and Islam. Both will be teaching the second-year students. The Andrew Connelly School of Preaching students are indeed privileged to be the recipients of the instruction of so many visiting teachers. Also, the resident instructors benefit since the visitor’s teaching reduces their workload and gives them some time to prepare for the next quarter. Speaking of the ACSOP, it is getting a nice facelift with a new coat of paint and other repairs.

Ahimidiwe preached a wonderful sermon on “The Christians’ Birthright” to about 125 people. In fact, we ran out of chairs and some chairs held two children. The ladies continued reviewing Genesis 1- 25. Today, chapters 15 and 16 were our focus. One of the “Life Lessons” discussed involved Sarai asking Abram to do something culturally acceptable but wrong with God. A discussion ensued concerning unbiblical divorce and remarriage and homosexuality. Abigail taught the children on the subject of “Nehemiah, the Leader.” Both Lindsey and Abigail have completed their classes and have learned a lot! We are so thankful to have them back at home during the day…they were sorely missed!

The Kisongo congregation is continuing with their newly established two-year Bible school for the “person in the pew” that meets 4 evenings a week for two hours each evening. The congregation is also trying to finish the construction of the children and ladies’ classrooms …hopefully before the campaigns this summer.  We’re anticipating lots of visitors and a very busy and productive summer. 

Anita Hochdorf continues to study with Lucy (who is getting training to work with our son, Matthew, who has CP). Abigail is going to visit Grace (16 year old) and will conduct a Bible study with Rehema (Teresia’s older sister) today, Lord willing. 

Last Sunday, after sending the report, we received news that brother Paul Ndwani had passed away. Paul had been with the TZ 2000 Mission for several years serving as the director of the Arusha Bible School and an evangelist at the Arusha congregation. Please pray for the wife and four children he leaves behind.

Babies here are handed around or taken by other women more often than in a congregation in the states. Some of this is good when mothers need a break or when they have just held their baby for a long time while walking. However, this morning after services, a young mother handed our five-year-old daughter, Naomi, her 5 month-old son without me noticing. Naomi was standing and began to follow the mother to give her baby back but tripped and fell.  Both were okay but hopefully, this mother will be more careful concerning to whom she hands her baby.

"Fungus-amung-us." Eight members of our family now have ringworm, either on our head, face, arms or legs. Hopefully, the medicine will take effect in a couple of weeks. Jimmy went to the doctor this week and was told he possibly had typhoid. But, since he did not run a fever, that was ruled out. All in all I think we will survive!

"Walk a mile in my shoes." Well, actually, you might not get too far in these. Africa is rough on shoes. Future visitors, take note.

May the Lord bless you richly for your continued support of the TZ 2000 Mission Work!  

In Christ,
The Gees

Graduation And God Gives The Increase...

I am sorry to have not sent this report for some weeks. We have been having problems and some Sundays we visited where there were was no internet. Our graduation went well. Students are all now back in their villages. 

John Macho, who has been working with Genguluho Church of Christ, stayed with them for two weeks. During these weeks three people have been baptized. Five people were to be baptized but due to the long distance to the water only three were baptized. They had requested me to take them with my  Toyota Surf, but it is still not working. This vehicle has become so old that it cannot  run one week without going to the garage. In the state it is in, if I sell it I can only get $1400 dollars. A reconditioned one today would cost $11,000 dollars. 

Other news from our graduates comes from brother Daniel Oloo. After graduation, he was home for one week and now he is helping with some churches in central Kenya in a place called Nyahururu. He is holding seminars with those churches and last week one person was baptized. 

On Wednesday Margaret and I went to Arusha, Tanzania to attend brother Paul Ndwani's burial. He left his wife and children who still were depending on him. Let us pray for them. 

Today we worshiped at the Nandwa church of Christ and we learned about "Hope". We are very happy that the Lord has answered our prayers here in Nandwa. There was a brother whose marriage was almost breaking, but today we were informed that things are going on well. 

The churches from Congo are reporting that they are growing. They only need some people to go and visit them. I have been caught up with some problems these two weeks after the graduation. I plan to go to Congo on April 2nd, 2012. We will be interviewing our prospects on April 12th, 2012. Hope to read from you. 

Yours
Francis Wechesa

Congregations Grow And Division Prevented...

Dearest in Christ,

I bring greetings to you from my family, and the members of the Wotutu congregation. I do hope this report meets you all in good health and a sound faith.

As I mail this report to you, I am just making my way back to Wotutu after two days mission work in one of congregations we established last year which was having serious problems.

Andongateh Cliffort obeyed the gospel after studying with us in the Wotutu congregation for a while. Keep him in your prayers. He lives in mile four very close to Wotutu.

All the students of CBIW are doing well as I have received calls from them that their campaign went on successfully. They will all return to school on Friday, March 30th before 6 pm to prepare themselves  for the next quarter that commence on April 2nd 2012.

The gospel is for all. I went inside the forest after leaving miles away where the motor bike stopped me. I am moving to Atongeh village where in Atongeh we established our very first congregation when we started CBIW last year march. There was a serious problem there and no one to handle because there is no preacher there. By His grace peace is restored and division, that was already taking place, is okay now. Keep this young congregation in your prayers.

There is a young congregation that tried to erect a worship place, but it is not easy with them financially. Keep them in your prayers now that I have rekindled their focus for God again.

In the village, I move from house to house sharing the gospel. The people are so receptive. I am in the chief’s palace sharing the gospel with members of the royal family who are still mourning their dead father after 8 months.

The Lord opened the heart of sister Charlotte in Atongeh village. She stood beside the river to make a confession to follow Jesus and Jesus alone. Some members of the congregation stood by her to be witnesses to her baptism.

Charlotte was buried in water for the forgiveness of her sin and she will live in newness of life. Please remember her great zeal and keep her in your prayers so that through her many will come to know the truth in her family. She got baptized this morning before our worship time.

The Atongeh congregation had many backslide before the problems that erupted in the church about marriage and leadership. I am convinced that by His grace everything will come back to normal. I pray that a student will go there after graduation to handle the affairs of the church and provoke more growth. Keep them in your prayers. I saw zeal but they need a leader to guide their ways.

Plans
1) The Batoke mission is still pending. Please keep it in your prayers that as we resume we shall have the ability to go and establish the Lord’s church there.

2) My plans to travel to Africans Claiming Africa for Christ conference in Zambia is still on. Please pray and see how you can be of help to me financially.

Appreciation
We lift up our hearts to God for His great care over us and the work we are doing. We thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers, deep concern and support in this work. God will not pass you by when He comes to reward His servants.

Do your best to share this report with others whom the Lord may want to use to accomplish something in His kingdom. God bless you. Next week, by His grace, we shall share with you CBIW students campaign news.

Elangwe and Family
By His grace director CBIW

Third Annual ITL Lectureship...

Let me share with you news from the past week. I will begin at the end and work backwards. Donnie Bates and I were able to attend the third annual ITL Lectureship in Guatemala. We arrived Thursday for the ITL Presidential Banquet, held before the lectureship. Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benitez have done an outstanding job of working with the church in Guatemala and establishing a school to prepare leaders within the churches of Central America.

The Alpha class of ITL graduated last year at this time. A team from these graduates established a congregation in San Cristobal and they have already seen growth in the work within the first year. 

This year we were able to meet the new students of the Beta class. The picture to the left shows Byron Benitez pinning the traditional fish hook on the collar of one of the students in the Beta class, given after the students finish their first year. We also met the students enrolled in the Saturday program. The Saturday program operates each Saturday to provide 24 classes over three years with instruction and training to help strengthen Christians within the local congregations in Guatemala City.

The focus of the past weekend involved the ITL Lectureship. The theme of the lectureship was Escudriñando Bien Los Escrituras - “Searching the Scriptures Well.” Speakers from Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Texas, Oklahoma and Denver shared messages to help strengthen our understanding of God’s word, the need to dig deeper into God’s word, and ways to help us accomplish this task.

Approximately 500 people attended Sunday morning worship. Words cannot describe the powerful nature of the lectureship. The lessons were well presented and Sunday saw 9 individuals respond to the invitation. The singing was awesome. The fellowship was incredible. The results of the work being done, immeasurable. The work these two men have established is making a great difference throughout Central America. 

It is a privilege to share a small part in the work of ITL in Guatemala. We look forward to seeing God’s blessings on the work in His kingdom throughout Central America.

Last week also included our annual staff meeting. The Extension staff attend a meeting in March each year where we discuss the various issues and challenges facing the overall program. We also look at and discuss new ideas to help improve the work. As well, this year we were able to use Skype to visit with David Laton, who serves as a deacon over missions, about ways we can improve outreach to individuals and congregations in sharing the work.

We began our meeting by looking at both the positive and negative areas within some of the schools. We were encouraged with some of the strong points each school possesses. Looking at some of the negative areas only serves to help us grow. Here we are able to discuss what we can do to improve and overcome the challenges and build stronger potential for greater work in the future.

We also took time to examine how we can improve the overall structure of communication within the program. As this program continues to grow, developing better and stronger lines of communication will be vital to the success of the work. 

Now on to the reports...

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

Extension Reports 

Students Take A Vocational Class In Cameroon: Providing for one’s family and eventually helping the church be self-sustaining was the basis for a recent vocational class.

Couples Get Married In Cambodia: Two wonderful couples who are connected to the school in Siem Reap, Cambodia recently married. 

Students Strengthen Churches In Tamale: During a break from school, as students return home, they are strengthening their home congregations.

Two Students Become Christians: Two students have renounced denominationalism in Togo and others from the congregations where they worked have obeyed the gospel.

School Is Back In Session: Classes are in session and preparation for the rainy season is being made in Takoradi.

A Day In Life On The Mission Field: You never know what you will see and how it affects the work you do on the mission field. Read more from the Gee report from Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
The past week was full and the great news is I have more to share next week. Donnie Bates, Ralph Williams and I will be on our way to Paraguay, South America on Tuesday. There will be news to share about the possibility of a school in Paraguay next week. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. I look forward to sharing all the news next week.

Thank you for all you do to make the work possible. You are a blessing and I pray for you each day.

God bless
Bob