The Home Stretch...

The final week of classes for students in Denver is always bitter sweet. There is joy over knowing that the journey has been completed, the assignments turned in, tests taken, and graduation follows. At the same time, there is also a feeling of anxiety upon entering the work and how to use the tools provided over the last two years. The disciplined structure changes and each individual is required to be a “self-starter” in accomplishing the work before them.

Even though these feelings exist, the training received over the last two years provides a foundation that equips these men to go with confidence in handling God’s word accurately and proclaiming the good news of Jesus. We ask you to pray with us on behalf of each family as they complete the week ahead and prepare for graduation next Sunday.

We also ask you to pray about the situation in Ukraine. The political turmoil surrounding the situation in Ukraine will have an impact on their graduation which is scheduled for the following week. These students have worked diligently for the last two years to prepare themselves for this same moment and the celebration is clouded by the difficulties of recent events. These students will graduate, but the anxiety they feel is much different. Please pray for them during this time.

Additional activities in the extension program continue to demonstrate the power of God working through the lives of dedicated Christians who serve in each location. Witnessing the increase provided by God is encouraging for everyone. Share this excitement with us in reading through the reports provided below and praying for each one.

Now on to the other reports...

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

To read the latest report from Howell Ferguson about the situation in Ukraine, please click here.

To read the latest report from Tony Johnson, coordinator of the work in Tamale, Ghana, please click here.

To read the latest report from Jerry Bates about his recent trip to India, please click here.

Extension Reports 

Pray For The Work In Cameroon As It Grows: Lectureships, visitors, weekend evangelism,

church plants, out reach, all make the work in Cameroon exciting to watch grow.

New School In Ghana Progresses: The Southern Institute of Biblical Studies emphasizes the progress made over the last few months since its beginning.

Improving The System For Past And Present Students: The work of the West Coast School of Preaching continues to develop ways of improving the overall program.

Adjusting To New Approach To Curriculum: As the school in Cambodia continues to grow, a new approach to the curriculum is helping mature students in their Christian walk.

The 12th Annual Bible Lectureship / Graduation Forthcoming: Students in Nigeria are preparing for the completion of their studies and entering into kingdom work.

Spiritual Wellness For Church Growth: Lessons on becoming spiritual well are the theme for the church in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Political And Economical Crisis: But School Continues: In the midst of such challenge and controversy, BVBIU continues training others to share the gospel.

A Church Planted Near Mwanza With 18 Souls Baptized: The news is exciting in Tanzania as another church is planted when 18 souls obey the gospel. 

Saying Good-bye After 10 Years In Tanzania: Jimmy Gee and his family are returning to the U.S. after 10 years of service in Arusha.

A Mother’s Day Tribute From Africa: The beauty of godly mothers who influence families in the area of missions is part of this story from Daniel Gaines in Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
Thank you for your contribution to this work. Many of you are the financial backbone of the extension program, but others contribute in ways that are also important: time, abilities, travel, encouragement, prayers, etc. There is no part of this work that is unimportant. We need each of you to help us in the development and growth of each location. Thank you for making it possible.

God bless
Bob

Pray For The Work In Cameroon As It Grows...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from your brothers and sisters here in Cameroon. God bless you as you take up your time to read this report. We are doing better. Some of our sick students are getting better while others are getting sick, maybe because of the weather. Keep us in prayers. The week was a busy one for us again as usual.

As I type this mail, I am home and all the students that went out for weekend evangelism are all back safe and sound. I went to Bamenda for the annual preachers forum and transit to a village for weekend evangelism and nurturing. It was awesome for me to go there with one student and two graduates from our alpha batch.

One person we meet was visiting his parents in Wotutu village. He is a student in Canada and has been listening to our program, “Back to the Bible,” every morning, so he decided to come and see those people who are preaching sound messages like this. He came and I was the one teaching on that day from the Gospel of John. He came and sat in our class that followed and asked some pertinent questions about us. He is very interested to studying more. We shall do our best to connect him with whoever can connect him to the nearest church of Christ in Canada for further follow up. Keep him in your prayers. His name is Julius Ambe.

I was assigned to teach in the annual preachers forum on “Church Cooperation.” We held a question and answers session. It was good as many benefitted on how we can team up to work for the Lord.

From Bamenda, I took transit to a village called Muock Leteh. This is a village where one of the students was harassed by someone because he was preaching Christ and the daughter became a Christian. It was good that I made it there to see the picture of things and also to reach out to many on my way.

The small congregation there welcomed us with great hospitality as we held devotionals in their kitchen, singing to the glory of God, eating with them, appreciating them for loving the Lord. It was good that I made it there with others. Keep praying for them.

The village and neighboring villages are characterized with severe idol worship. They worship stones, thinking that their blessings come from stones that their forefathers left and live in those stones. One small hut is a shrine. We were just passing as we saw them doing libation and pouring strong drinks to their gods, idol worship is real in these villages. Please, please keep this as an appeal for your prayers as we continue to send our students there quarterly for evangelism, so that God will bring many to Himself.

They also worship stones placed in front of their homes. It is sad that the dominant denomination there is the Roman Catholic and they have told them that they should continue with their fetish belief and also worship their God in the Roman Catholic church, give to Caesar what is Caesar and Christ what is Christ’s. Oh with tears, I write this paragraph. Please, oh the field is ripe but the laborers are few. Thank you for coming to us. Thank you for standing by us and we can move to places far into different locations to meet humans who are lost and are dying in their ignorance. CBIW is ready to move to places so that God’s power of the gospel will touch lives.

It was another opportunity for me to encourage a young congregation using inspiration from Genesis 19, Lot’s family in the Corrupt city Sodom that they should stand fast as they have denounced those fetish belief and they are in Christ now. Keep them in your fervent prayers.

The best thing we can do now is house to house even though is it risky because of the incident that happened last time, but we furnished the chief with papers to show that the church of Christ is legalized by our government and that we are free to reach out. I shared with a young girl who told me she is the successor to their family shrine. Keep Anabel in your prayers. She can read and write and she is expecting me to send her some tracts and a Bible that she can study. Our tracts from Mission Printing will do good to many when they will finally arrive Cameroon, we are still waiting on their arrival.

Keep the church in Muock Leteh in your prayers not to look behind. It is a promising church that needs our help and our man power to help that community and other communities to turn to God. Come and stand with us to archive this for the Lord.

Plans
We have an invitation to attend a scholarship lectureship in Kumbo where brother Paul Kee is, but it is far from us. We will see if we can make the trip, mostly as it comes at the end of our exams this month end.

Reaching out to more communities is our passion and business. Keep praying for us.

Appreciations
God bless you for all your sacrifice to make this work a reality. You are in our pryers and we know God will continue His blessings over you. Keep doing it and do not faint. A reward will come your way from God

We continue to witness growth in our mission fields like Dikome, Koba, Ediki; a total of 6 precious souls were added while two that had fallen away came back to the congregation in Yoke where we started a new work with them last week. If we succeed to fill empty pulpits with sound preachers, then the church in Cameroon will have a new look, that is what I told the preachers. Those who have not been formally trained should desire to come and brandish their work. We have some that applied and passed the entrance exams. We shall release the results this week. Keep us in your prayers as we make our final selection for the Gamma batch.

Do your best to share this report with others.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Kingdom Of Hope: New Buildings And New Opportunities...

It has been a busy period here in Tamale as we finished up the last term of the school year at Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies, held 3 campaigns in the Tamale area, and continued the work at Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s school. This month’s report will focus on some of the work and events at the Kingdom of Hope Orphan’s School located in the Upper East Region village of Kuka.

We have had a number of building projects that we were able to complete so far this year that will help the school in its mission to serve the children in Kuka. The first project was the completion and dedication of our second classroom. The Broadway church of Christ in Paducah, KY and the family of Jack Wilson provided the funds necessary for this classroom, which was dedicated in his name during April. This classroom has been in use since the end of December by the P2 class, which previously meet outside on the veranda. We have also started construction on our third classroom thanks to funds provided by the Greenbrier church of Christ and the Guy church of Christ in Arkansas. Our hope is to have the classroom ready for the P4 class that will begin meeting during the next school year beginning in September. The goal is to eventually have 7 classrooms at the complex.

Classrooms are not the only building projects at Kingdom of Hope. In April the congregation from the Kuka church of Christ completed two additional buildings, a hostel for the older orphans that live at the school to sleep in and a building to house the new grain mill. Both of these buildings were made from mud-brick and will be used until more permanent buildings can be made in the future. The cost of cement and other building materials continues to rise which makes it difficult to build, but the church continues to do what it can to help the school. The hostel has two rooms, one for boys and one for girls, and will help to alleviate the crowded conditions at Nichema Jacobs house where 19 orphans were staying. The church received help from the Mesa church of Christ in Arizona for the materials necessary to concrete the floor and roof the grain mill building, and from the Colony church of Christ in Heber Springs, AR and the White Oak church of Christ, also in Arkansas, for the concrete and roofing tin for the children’s hostel.

The grain mill project that was sponsored by the Mesa church of Christ was completed in March and the mill’s operations have been increasing each week as people learn of its availability. The purpose of this project was to provide another way for the school to become self-supporting. The school operates the mill and profits will be used to pay teacher’s salaries and eventually to feed the students. Side benefits have been the ability to provide a paying job to a member of the church to run the mill and using the mill to teach students a potential trade.

In addition to the mill, an additional unit was purchased by the Mesa church that uses the generator to produce electricity. In April Kingdom of Hope became the first building in Kuka with electric lights! In addition to the school, lights were installed at the Kuka church of Christ, the children’s hostel, and at the mill building. There is still capacity to wire as many as 12 additional buildings, so as new classrooms are added we will be able to include the lighting as part of the construction.

While the buildings are the most visible signs of growth at Kingdom of Hope, I am also very encouraged by the growth I am seeing in both the students and the local church that supports the school. I recently sat in on classes for the P2 and P3 students and was impressed by the level of understanding in math and science classes. I don’t remember doing addition of complex fractions at that age! The church continues in supporting the school in a variety of ways, including the feeding of a meal to every child each day. While the school has taken the responsibility to make sure the children who live at the school are fed, there is no way we could afford to feed all 143 children without the church’s help. Not only do they provide the necessary food, but a group of women come every day to cook and serve. The church has also been instrumental in helping us locate and place a number of the children who were living at the school with extended family members. We have had as many as 40 children living at the school, but thanks to the efforts of the church 21 of them are now back living with grandparents or other extended family.

We have lots more work to do, but thanks to your support and the willingness of the church in Kuka to work we continue to make progress. Lord willing we will complete the next classroom and begin on another one before the end of the year. I am also working on plans to put toilet facilities at the school this year, adding another 100 trees to the mango farm, and adding a chicken farming facility to provide eggs for the children and another potential source of income for the school to support itself. The rest of the year should be busy at Kingdom of Hope!

I have posted a number of pictures to go along with this report on the Kingdom of Hope blog page at http://kingdomofhopeorphansschool.wordpress.com/ and on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KingdomOfHopeSchool.

For more information and news about the work at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies please visit the School’s blog page at http://tamalechristians.wordpress.com/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TamaleChristians.

Thank you again for your support and prayers. I will be traveling back to the U.S. in June and am looking forward to visiting as many of you possible Until then, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26).

In His service,
Tony ‘Wintima’ Johnson

To see Tony’s report with a picture of the kids, please click here.

A Mother's Day Tribute From Africa...

Godly mothers leave a spiritual legacy for their children that is worth far more than any trust-fund inheritance. I was fortunate to have a godly mother. She had a love for God and for mission work that has been passed on to me. The picture above was taken during 3 early childhood years that I spent in the West African nation of Cameroon, where my parents were serving the Lord as missionaries. 

Mom loved Africa. Oh, not at first. She wasn't too happy about leaving her parents behind in Tennessee. It wasn't her idea, but she went along with it. However, at some point she came to love it. She loved it and always wanted to return one day. Plans were made to do just that, but this time the family would go to East Africa. Specifically, we were bound for the nation of Tanzania. But alas, it was not to be. Mom discovered that she had cancer and needed to stay in the U.S. to receive treatments. The years went by and she held out hope that one day she might still get to fulfill those abandoned plans to do mission work in Tanzania. Unfortunately, it would never happen. After 9 years, her body could no longer withstand its recurring war with cancer, and she went on to meet her reward.

Sixteen years later, on this Mother's Day I am sitting in Tanzania, Africa thinking of how much Mom wanted to be here. How I wish that she could be! She never made it here in body, but she is certainly present in her influence on me. Don't misunderstand. I'm not operating under the impression that I am somehow completing my mother's unfinished business. This is my mission, not hers. However, there is very little doubt that I wouldn't be hear without the childhood influence of Mom and Dad.

I'm thankful that she showed me the things that are truly important in life. I'm thankful that she showed me how to sacrifice for those important things. I'm thankful that she showed me how to step out of the comfort zone and do something bold.  

And now I'm thankful that my children have a godly mother who is teaching them those same lessons. My sweet wife, Tiffany, is demonstrating daily to our children the importance of serving the Lord. They can see her example of sacrifice and selflessness, and they will learn from it. As they see her dealing with the struggles and triumphs of life in a foreign mission field, they are learning priceless lessons that I hope will enrich their lives. Tiffany is leaving a significant spiritual legacy for our children, and they are greatly blessed to have her.

To every godly mother out there I want to say keep up the good work. What you are doing matters far more than you might realize in the midst of the doldrums of daily life. I hope that you have a very happy Mother's Day!

Daniel Gaines

To see Daniel’s report with pictures, please click here.

Saying Good-bye After 10 Years In Tanzania...

Dear Long-Time Supporters, Family and Friends,

We Hope you all are doing well and serving God wherever you are. We have been very busy trying to get everything in order so we may leave. Please accept our apologies for the delay in getting a report to you. 

IMPORTANT - Previously, we hoped to secure a job that would begin August 1 and, consequently, had asked our supporters to continue with us until August 31. Unfortunately, that particular job opening may not be available until January. We are hoping to hear positive things about this opportunity in mid-September.

Because of these developments, we are committing to a state-side mission work in Chatom, AL (affiliated with the Sixth Avenue congregation in Jasper, AL). This commitment is for six months. Chatom is located about 3 hours SW of Montgomery, near the Mississippi line.The congregation consists of 10 souls. Our efforts will be focused on strengthening the congregation in spirit and in number. Jimmy will be teaching, preaching, and doing evangelism. Our prayer is to be in Chatom on May 15 and officially begin work there June 1, 2014. Please pray that our efforts will help the church grow in that area.

Therefore, we humbly request that you continue your present support until December 31, 2014. It is imperative that you let us know as soon as possible if you (as an individual or congregation) can grant this request (some have cancelled their support and we understand if you cannot reverse that decision due to other commitments). If you have any questions, please feel free to write.

In other news, our two home computers have crashed, which is part of the reason why we have not been doing reports. We have also made a trip to Dar Es Salaam (for US Immigration visas) as well as Nairobi, Kenya (for British visas) and enjoyed the celebration of the marriage of our daughter Abigail to Adam Rymon on April 25th, here in the beautiful country of Tanzania.

Adam and Abigail have been working in the area of the new church plant, Njiro Chini, where they conducted 24 Bible studies. As many know, Adam and Abigail will be establishing a library/

educational center in Kisongo in the near future. Adam also hopes to establish a gospel radio station in Arusha one day. He recently had a meeting with two Christians involved in radio in Dar Es Salaam in order to understand what would be required .

The Kisongo church of Christ is hosting the East African Gospel Meeting this year and are steadily working toward the preparations for a much anticipated yearly event. The Kisongo Bible School has begun a new quarter.

You may remember the Pippi House director who wanted English reading material. After he received the English books (including Bible books and materials), we received this request from him, "Hi, we will be happy one weekend if you will come to teach Girls at pippi...we need your teachings...You can teach anything that will help girls to grow thinking how to serve the lord Jesus,and to live holly life." Since we are leaving this Sunday, we are asking an evangelist in their area to follow-up.

The best way for us to update you a little on the work for the last couple of months is to refer you to this blog (http://tanzanianmissions.blogspot.com/ ) of one of our fellow missionary families, Daniel and Tiffany Gaines. They are doing a good work here.

We are very appreciative to all who have sent travel funds. We are indebted to you. Our airline tickets have been paid for and, Lord willing, we will board the plane late Sunday night. Thank you for your prayers for our safe travel.

In the true fashion of Tanzania, the church members and ACSOP staff have shown us true kindness and gratitude by hosting two farewell parties for us.  Their generosity and kind words have overwhelmed us.  Some Masai members showed Jimmy great respect when they honored him by wrapping their traditional robes around him and giving him the symbols of a Masai tribal elder  It was a very touching moment. The church also gave us a beautiful cuckoo clock. The preaching school showed their appreciation for our decade of service with a very nice wooden plaque made by no other than our long-time friend and co-worker, Elly Martin, as well as a framed picture of our family with the school staff and workers.  Elly and his wife, Neema, asked to accompany us on the five-hour trip to the Nairobi airport. Finally, we are about to go to our third farewell party hosted by our fellow missionaries.

We thank you for the privilege of living and working in Tanzania, East Africa these past ten years.  Nothing could have been accomplished without your help... your interest, encouragement, prayers and financial support have been the backbone of our part in the work of the TZ 2000 Mission work. 

We hope the Lord will bless you as much as you have blessed us.  We've had the experience of a lifetime and are thankful for all the friends and memories we've made.  However, we are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives and all the possibilities that may come with it. Again, THANK YOU!

With Love from Africa,
The Jimmy Gee family

A Church Planted Near Mwanza With 18 Souls Baptized...

Greetings Fellow Servants, 

A very happy Mothers Day to all the moms who have and are making a difference in the lives of countless children. As Booker T. Washington once said; “If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.” And most of all, I thank God for all the godly mothers who have influenced their children on the path of righteousness. 

We are so very grateful for each of you, your prayers, support and commitment to the cause of Christ where you serve and through your partnership with God here in Tanzania. Stephanie, Granny and I are blessed beyond measure and thankful for our time in the States the past few weeks. We loved being with family, friends and sharing with many the amazing mission effort of God that is taking place here in TZ and throughout East Africa. We are also very thankful to be back home. We arrived late Wednesday night and received our first house guest for the campaign season: Adam and Meagan Evans, and their three daughters who are missionaries in Iringa, TZ. They arrived Thursday afternoon and will be staying with us through the 18th. Also accompanying them is John Strong and two Tanzanian Evangelist, who are staying at the school. Adam will teach a Short Course next week and the other men will be doing some evangelistic outreach. 

It is campaign time. We have a group from Evansville, IN, Cottondale, AL, Hoover, AL, Elk City OK, and Daniel Gaines’ father, John, all arriving over the next six weeks. We will be conducting campaigns in two locations in Arusha as well as Usa River this year. We solicit your prayers during this time as many will be traveling and many will be receiving the Truth of God’s Word. Many have donated funds for printing Bible material and for the purpose of purchasing Bibles. This has been done and we know it will have its desired affect on many souls. One exciting project this year being done by the Hoover Team is the purchase and distribution of 1,000 mosquito nets. With each net the recipient will be given information about malaria prevention (malaria being one of the leading causes of death in Tanzania) as well as printed Bible material. Each will be given an opportunity to study one-on-one God’s Word as well. 

Today is a very “bitter-sweet” day for the Tanzania Mission Team as we say farewell to Jimmy Gee and his family. Having served faithfully for over 10 years, they will be missed much. The good done by Jimmy and his family can be seen in the number of graduates, new church plants and by the saving of hundreds, yes, thousands of souls. They leave a lasting work, a work that will carry on, just as God would have it and as it was planned from the beginning. As director of the Andrew Connally School of Preaching, we saw a good school become a great school. Thank you Jimmy Gee (and family). We will miss you (all) dearly. We ask that you join us in prayer for this godly family as they begin a new chapter in their lives.  

We also had another surprise when we got home; our fourteen year old refrigerator had died. They are to deliver a new one on Monday for a cost of “only” $1,600. :( If anyone would like to help with this need, we would be all so very grateful. 

I was speaking with our dear brother Yusuph Mdaki a couple of days ago, discussing their need for bibles, tracts, meeting room rent, etc. He said to me; “Oh, by the way, in April we planted a new congregation near Mwanza, baptizing 18 souls into Christ.” We thank God for such men and we thank God for you, making this work possible. Until all have heard.....

In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny

Political And Economical Crisis, But School Continues...

Hello dear brothers, families and churches.

As you know, Ukraine is going through major political and economical crisis. Our country is basically in a state of war. In the Donetsk region terrorists took all administrative buildings, police offices and put their block-posts on all roads, preventing normal traffic. We are getting used to hearing sounds of shooting and seeing our government being inactive. Many citizens are stressed and in panic. Our students and church members are also worried about this. We keep praying, and it’s our only weapon against aggression. Only God knows when it will be over. 

In April, we had classes according to the schedule. Vitaliy Rodichev travelled from Kramatorsk and taught Prison Epistles. Viktor Semikoz continues teaching Luke. Andrew Zhuravlyov taught Jeremiah and Lamentations. I taught Ezekiel. Garth Hilton taught Job and Modern Religious Thought via the Polycom system. Each one of our brothers is active and fearless in ministry and helpful in training ministers. A preacher from Mayskaya Church of Christ, Sergey, joined our program; he’s auditing some courses. Together with the students we try to get away from these events, spending time together outside the classroom, having shashlik (barbecue), playing volleyball and praying together for our future.

Lately we’ve started thinking about selling the institute building and moving to a safer region of Ukraine. We really want to know God’s will for this important decision. It’s very dangerous being in Donetsk area, even more so studying. Sadly, we have only one potential student for the next school year (from Kramatorsk, Donetsk region). It’s because people are afraid to move to this area, and it’s understandable. There are lots of guns “wandering around” in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, and it’s very unlikely that the situation will stabilize any time soon. Please pray with us for the future of the church and the Bible institute.  

Thing are the same in the Central Church of Christ in Gorlovka. Elderly Christians are worried because of the current events. We try to support and encourage them in personal conversations. We keep evangelizing and inviting people to come to God. 

In the past month, I’ve seldom traveled outside of Gorlovka, since the barricades made by separatists surround the city. Nevertheless, I was able to visit Mayskaya Church of Christ in Gorlovka and the church in Dzerzhinsk.   

In May we plan to have a youth seminar (unless there is military intervention) on the topic “Safety in Christ.” Also, there will be a graduation ceremony on May 24, a milestone for the second-year students. This year we have 7 graduates: 5 men and 2 ladies.

We still have Bible classes for kids at “The Gifted Child” Bible School, but there are considerably fewer kids coming. Parents are afraid for their children’s safety and try to escort them to school and meet them after classes. 

Thank you for your prayers and support; we definitely need them.  We are grateful for your willingness to be useful to us. Students and staff of the institute send you their greetings. God bless you. 

You brother and coworker,

Dennis Sopelnik

To see Dennis’ report with pictures, please click here.

The 12th Annual Bible Lectureship / Graduation Forthcoming...

Beloved in Christ Jesus, 

Greetings from Nigeria. We just concluded our 15th annual Bible Lectureship organized by the Western Nigeria Christian College from the evening of May 6 through 9. The event was a successful program which discussed “Spiritual Formation from life of Christ, Peter and Paul.”

As of 10:00 am on Wednesday, when I went to the register point, I was registered as #269. Brother Aaron Bailey, an American missionary stationed in Tanzania, was the guest speaker assisted by brother Abiodun Owolabi the director of the school while we and other preachers were divided into groups for group discussion.

Brethren, we appreciate all the American and Canadian brethren for their partnership with us in the speeding of the gospel in Africa and beyond. May the Lord of blessing continue to bless all your undertaking in Jesus Christ name, amen.

The SWSE-Ibadan has postponed their resumption date from May 16 to May 30,2014 . We are sorry for any inconvenience! The study hours for the 4th semester have increased from 2:15 pm to 6:00 pm daily.  

The 12th annual Bible lectureship  / graduation of the twenty four Bible students is fixed for August 21 - 23, 2014 Lord's willing, and the students’ teaching practices will come up on July 12 through August 10, 2014. The 12th annual lectureship / graduation will cost us  N250,000 for printing and feeding of the expected 250 participants while the teaching practice will cost us between N70,000 to N90,000.

Brethren, we deeply appreciate your great contribution toward the growth of the Lord's church here in Africa. May the Lord keep on using you all for His glory is our fervent prayer in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Greetings from my co-WBS follow up workers, staff and students of the SWSE-Ibadan and the Lagos campus.

We (myself and some WBSFUW) visited and studied the Bible with five WBS students with sister Kathleen Withers and brother Kenny Heflin on Saturday evening at Kute village of Lagelu L.G.A of Oyo state and they were later directed to visit the church of Christ at Kute for more studies.

On Sunday, May 11, 2014 brother Godwin Ofem, one of the graduates of SWSE-Ibadan, admonished the saints at Onikokoro  / Gbongudu congregation from Acts 21:10-15 and in the evening I taught on “Trials Dark on Every Hand” (Matt.4:1-11).

Brethren, four of our students will attend interviews by the last Sunday of this month in Osun, Ogun and Ondo states. Four congregations need the services of these students as evangelists. Please remember them: brothers Godwin Ede, Olofingorite Mayowa, John Zege and lastly Ilori Gbenga in your prayer.

Big thanks for your brotherly love! Stay blessed and be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sincerely in Christ,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan & Lagos campus, Nigeria

Spiritual Wellness For Church Growth...

Dear brethren

Here is a brief report from Siem Reap, Cambodia about what we are doing as the church.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our fellow workers who try to serve God in different matters.

I am very grateful for your hard work for God as He will bless everyone of us for what we have done for Him (1 Co. 15:58).

Somehow, the Siem Reap church of Christ is doing our best to grow spiritually and in numbers of members.

As our topic for the congregation is now dealing with “Spiritual Wellness.” 

Since we are trying to grow, we have done some works and expect the blessing from our Lord Jesus when we leave this earth to rest with Him forever.

In the year of 2006 the Siem Reap church of Christ was established according to what we found in Acts 2, and by mid 2007 we had a Bible school set up, training more young men to preach the word of God.

Then sometime in the year of 2008, we had another church at Takam and also the church in Leang Dai. In the year 2009 we opened an orphanage called Hannah's Hope Children’s Home.

And in year 2011 a raft was made and we took students from our school to work on that raft to contribute pure water to the poor people.

In the year 2012 the gospel reached out to more villages, such as Sombu, Somroung and Tropeang Svay.

As the result, in late 2013 we had a lady at Tropeang Svay who was baptized into Christ and in 2014 we had a group of young men and women who were baptized that they are living in Somroung village.

Now we continue to teach what the early Christian did, and also as Jesus commanded us to do in Acts 2:40ff, Matt 28:18-20 and continue to plant (sow the seed) and water, trusting God will give the increase 1 Co. 3:5-9.

Please be patient and keep us in your prayers as we realize that we are young physically, but we want to be mature spiritually.

May God bless you in all things you do in His work, and may God bless the work in Cambodia as we are focus to reach our goal as well.

I tried to up load some pictures but it did not work.

I will try later.

In His service
Chann

Improving The System For Past And Present Students...

Brotherly greetings to you, the family and all the brethren around you.

I believe we have informed you about the break for the easter holidays. While I decided to use this break period to see my doctor to reexamine my eye problem, brother Matthew also went home to be with the family and will return by next week so that we could continue with those assignments on behalf of the school. My doctor had initially wanted me to join a batch he was going to have surgery on their eyes, but on the eve of Good Friday we called to suspend mine and fix another date after the easter holidays.

We immediately started work on what we discussed during our meeting mentioned above. We have worked on the opening of a new current account for the school.

We are also working on the filing system for both instructors and students, past and present.

The estimates for the road have not been done because I just got the brother who did the earlier one yesterday and he has promised to do for me the latest by Monday.

We have not been able to meet with the man building at the school to discuss the possibility of selling the property. Efforts are being made to locate, though.

We also have agreed to provide all results for all the students so that we can update and have their transcripts.

Thanks once again.
Charles

Adjusting To New Approach To Curriculum...

Dear brethren,

It's been a while since I updated you about the work of Christ here in Cambodia. Much has happened since the last report and I am excited to share with you all that transpired. First, in February, I was blessed with the presence of long time friend and brother Justin Guess and Aleasha and Caleb French for two weeks. Justin, being the leader that he is, was able to bring his close friends and members of the church in Mathis to come see the work that they help support. Not only did they come to see, but they were very much involved. Not only did they teach at the school (the book of Hebrews) but they got to see the Safe Water Raft outside of Siem Reap (a ministry that one of our graduates currently oversees in providing safe, clean water to the poor living along the Tonle Sap), visited brethren, brought food and clothing, taught, and played with our children at Hannah's Hope. The thing that makes this visit special is the example of Justin, in his leadership and Aleasha and Caleb French in their courage and inspiration to the local brethren here. Justin has a Bible background in his schooling at the Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin, Texas, however Aleasha and Caleb have no such background. They reminded me of Acts 8:1-4. Due to persecution, the church scattered except for the Apostles and in verse 4, it said all that were scattered went everywhere preaching/teaching the gospel. You don’t need to be a person of strong Bible background to teach the gospel!

In the month of March, by God's grace, I was able to visit my parents in Texas and my supporters there also! I wasn’t able to bring my family with me so it had to be a really short trip (13 days). When I got back to Siem Reap, I had to opportunity to teach and preach for an annual youth camp that takes place in Siem Reap geared towards helping the street kids in Siem Reap. The theme was "Following in His Footsteps" and I had a wonderful time and got to meet some really nice people. The local church will do all of the follow ups from this camp. 

I was the guest speaker for the week at AoF8

In April, the school and staff were working very hard to adjust to our new curriculum that will gear towards the local people of Cambodia. We are transitioning from a two year program to a three year program that I believe will benefit the work here much. We have to rewrite the curriculum and adjust our scheduling a little bit but I truly believe this Work/Study program will solve many of our problems in the long run. We appreciate your support and trust in this matter. We ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers for the work here. God Bless!

Phanat

To see Phanat’s report with pictures, please click here.

New School In Ghana Progresses...

March Report
Following our modest opening in the middle of February, classes went on smoothly and uninterrupted. From almost twenty applicants interviewed, twelve brethren from those accepted reported for classes, and all were very enthusiastic. Those students came from the Northern regions, Volta and especially, from the Eastern regions of the country. Others also came from the greater Accra region, which altogether represent a very fair participation or response.

Having been introduced to their regular classes, the new students responded with great optimism, although this was a unique experience to them, to sit before a number of gospel preachers and teachers to study the Holy Bible for hours and days continuously.  However, they found this to be not just challenging, but also enjoyable. The expressed joy was due to the fact that they were acquiring further and deeper knowledge in the Bible and were being challenged with greater enthusiasm to become more involved in the work of the Lord.

During the research weeks on our schedule they were also introduced to methods of doing research and were encouraged to start practicing, however, with our less equipped library.

Our teachers, on the other hand, also come from longer distances away from the school. One teacher who lives over 300 kilometers away from here comes to spend the night to teach his classes.  Despite the distances from where they come, they were always prompt and handled their classes with zest.

A major problem at this time is provision of water to the school, since our borehole is not ready yet.

We appreciate your prayers and support to see a dream come true at SIBS to train more dedicated men to preach the gospel of Christ, and to expand the borders of the Lord’s kingdom.  

April Report
Classes began in April with our short-courses. The short-course period covered two weeks with a different teacher coming in each week to take a whole course. During the first week of the short-course, we had a preacher come in from the Central region to take a course on “The Scheme of Redemption.” This course added to the interest of the students, where most of them actually came to terms for the first time with prophecies concerning the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and their fulfillment.

SIBS is located in a relatively new suburb, where there is apparently no church of any kind at all. The students therefore are taking the opportunity of doing house to house for personal evangelism during weekends and some public holidays. Our campaign week afforded them the opportunity to follow-up on the house to house and also to review their studies for their examinations. We are hoping to establish the Lord’s church here sooner or later with the house to house program.

A few brethren here have enquired if our school admits female students. While we have told them that our inadequate facilities at the moment could not permit us to have female admissions, one lady here has persistently implored us to allow her to audit the classes, so she can learn more to teach at the ladies class. 

We have a rather sad note that the brother who was to help us with the administrative work of the school fell sick and has not been fully recovered. We are, therefore, looking now to find a replacement.

However, it is also a joy to note that water from our dug well is now rising and we are hopeful that this will be sustained to take care of our water needs throughout.

Please do also take note that two of our most important start-up needs yet to be met are:  a good and durable photocopier to facilitate the printing of our lesson materials and a portable generator for power to the school because of the frequent power-cuts here.

Classes which vacated on April 28, resume on May 11 and we ask for your prayers.

God Bless
Seth Osae-Larbi 

Counting Down To Graduation...

Students in Denver are counting down the last 10 days of class until they graduate from the Bear Valley Bible Institute. We always tell incoming students that the two years they are in the program will go by faster than they can imagine, and it is not until they reach this point they begin to understand what we meant. They all express the same sentiment in wondering where the time went and how they cannot believe this day has arrived so quickly.

One of the great pleasures of working at BVBID is getting to know these men and their families over the time they are in school. The staff in Denver all feel the same as we hate to see these men leave, but leave they must to fulfill the purpose for which God has brought them to Denver and the training they have received. We ask you to pray for these men and their families as they graduate and enter the work. 

Reports from the various extensions are also exciting as several locations prepare for their graduation ceremonies. We look forward to sharing reports about the students who have completed the program in each school. Lord willing, we will have pictures to share from the graduation in Denver and the extension schools in the weeks ahead.

Last week, we mentioned the need to be praying about the situation in Ukraine. We are aware that each of you are praying and we plead with you to continue your prayers on behalf of the church and situation in Ukraine. We received news this week how the situation is escalating and causing numerous concerns for the church and the school. The BVBIU in Gorlovka is also preparing for their graduation at the end of the month, so please pray for these brethren and the challenges they face in a very unstable climate.

Now on to the other reports...

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

The latest report from Steven Ashcraft about the work in West Africa can be read here.

Extension Reports 

God Continues To Bless The Work In Cameroon: The growth of God’s kingdom in Cameroon is exciting as 8 souls obeyed the gospel. 

Energy And Determination: Recent events in Tamale, Ghana delivered a level of energy and determination on the part of students at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies.

Students Prepare For Their Final Quarter In Nigeria: With one quarter to finish, students will begin in two weeks to wrap up their two years of study.

Baptisms, Church Camp, And Furlough Time: News from Paraguay, South America is powerful as 4 souls obeyed the gospel in Asunción.

Why Didn’t I Start When I Was Younger: The hunger to learn the word of God and the willingness to study, even later in life, shows the heart of one man in the Hochdorf’s report.

Angels Among Us: Overcoming the fear of water to obey the gospel can bring interesting challenges as the report from Daniel Gaines indicates.

Final Thoughts
Our God has blessed us with so many wonderful opportunities, one of which is working with the greatest people on earth. The beauty is not found in our perfection because none of us are, but we are united by the blood of Jesus. This common bond brings us together to work as fellow-laborers in the Lord’s Kingdom. Thank you for helping us realize the vision of many before us and the will of God in saving the lost.

God bless
Bob

God Continues To Bless The Work In Cameroon...

Dearest in Christ,

Amazing grace is what we wish you over there. We do hope you and your family are doing great. We do hope and pray the congregation is healthy. God is faithful and we are doing better even though some are sick here. It may be because of the weather conditions as we prepare to enter the rainy season. Please keep us in your prayers.

Last week in CBIW and our congregation went on well. God bless us to entered the new month of May without much problems.

As I write this email, we are done from worship and it was good to meet and worship our God without any interference. We are blessed in Cameroon because many brethren in war torn countries have worshipped God today in fear, but it was not our case.

CBIW students are left with 6 more months to be full-time evangelists in many communities in Cameroon and beyond. Keep them in your prayers. To that effect we do our best to send them out to many locations for more practical experiences. Our students went to 12 locations this weekend for evangelism.

Some of our students were with me and my wife as we were invited to a wedding ceremony of a preacher in Limbe. We took them there so that they can witness what is happening and that it will not be a strange thing when they will be in their respective congregations. Keep the wedded couple in your prayers.

We were able to get a picture of my wife and I, along with some other preachers and their wives.

The Wotutu congregation has many who stand up because of lack of space to sit. God continues to do His work in our lives and that of our congregation. We are in need of chairs. We have space now, as there is an extension now in our hall. As we think souls, we get up daily at 5 am to reach out with the word of God which has the power to save, to Wotutu communities and others the pure word and is capable of transforming a soul. We derived more means to rob from the strong man’s house.

The Koba congregation returned with a new look. All those who are laughing at the members of the church of Christ Koba have started coming back to the Lord as our students go there every weekend to evangelize, restore and nurture the congregation which was almost dead. The glory belongs to God for using the students of CBIW to win back lost souls. They are also in need of benches as the total completion is still pending.

Five months ago, some brothers from Muea congregation came to my office seeking our help, that we should be sending our students to their congregation because they don’t have any one to preach to them.Weekly our students are there and then the congregation feels the impact of being in Christ. Today they worshipped 74 and 57 year old sister Veronica and her daughter obeyed the gospel today after worshipping with the congregation for 3 weeks. Glory to our God for all that you are doing to help stand with us in this work here in Cameroon. A total of 8 souls obeyed the gospel this week in all the locations our students were.

Brother Itoe who baptized brother Samuel Manga. The work is going on well. Dikome congregation is growing and they are also in need of benches , what a God we serve.The demand of benches is great this week which shows a significant growth of the Body of Christ.

More congregations keep praying and expecting tracts from mission printing. This week I am invited to speak in our annual preachers forum in Bamenda, which is 300 miles from Wotutu. I will meet more preachers and I will tell them how they can benefit from the Mission Printing free distribution of tracts. Keep this exercise in your prayers, as it will help many preachers in their evangelistic efforts.

Plans
1) To reach out to more communities weekly

2) CBIW students to go to a new community in the week ahead for planting of a new congregation. If it happens, this will be the second congregation in the whole of the west coast of Cameroon after the Batoke congregation which we established and our students are going there weekly to nurture it.

Appreciations
God bless you for all that you are doing to the work here. We thank you and we keep you in our prayers. Please keep standing on this ministry. It is working well and all glory goes back to God. Do your best to share our reports with others and help be an open door for the growth of this work.

Prayer Request
Keep our student brother Ajeck Edriex in your prayers who was struck by thunder lightening. during our weekend evangelism in a village. He is presently taking treatment with herbs, after he took some orthodox medicines and it was not helping. We are facing lots of challenges these few months. Everyone is active doing his own part of the work. God is working. We are working and Satan is also working, but we are courageous that Satan has never succeeded and it is not in our time that he will succeed. Keep brother Vincent in prayer, our student who is in prison for committing no crime. He continues to touch lives in the prison yard with the truth. We sent him handouts to read in prison. He keeps preaching in there and the number of baptized Christians moved from 11 last week to 15 souls this week, I sent a letter of application to start sending our students to go weekly and help preach inside there. Please keep the application in your prayers so that the administration through the government will approve it and give us access to reach out to those souls there ( Mt 25:31-45). This situation will help us start a prison ministry and by so doing we shall fulfill God’s word in our life and our ministry. Please come and continue to stand with us.

God bless you for being there for us.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director CBIW

Angels Among Us...

What Fear is Hindering You?
I have had the opportunity to have a few studies with a sweet lady named Angel. She and her husband live in pretty little spot on the side of Mt. Meru. Their home is humble, but clean and welcoming. We sit outside in the shade of the banana trees and study. Her husband, who is a member of the church, tends to their sweet baby so that she can concentrate on the study.  

Angel is an eager and receptive student, and things progress nicely. We come to the issue of baptism. She can see the Bible's plain teaching on the issue. She knows that it washes away sins (Acts 22:16) because it would join her with the sacrifice of Jesus (Romans 6). She knows that it would gain her entrance into Christ (Galatians 3:27) and his body (1 Corinthians 12:13) which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). She understands its importance and the dire consequences of failing to take this seemingly simple step.

However, there is just one problem. She has a crippling fear of water. This isn't that uncommon. Many Tanzanians are rarely, if ever, submerged in water. It is far too scarce a commodity for them to waste in swimming pools or even full baths. This unfamiliarity with the sensation of being immersed, sometime leads to an overwhelming terror of the very idea. Sadly, at this point she has not been able to overcome this fear and it is keeping her from baptism. We are continuing to encourage her and praying for God's help in overcoming this hurdle that Satan has placed firmly in her path.

Her situation makes me wonder about others. Are there fears that are keeping you from doing what you know that you ought to do? Are fears keeping you from repenting of sin? Do fears keep you from sharing your faith? How is Satan using this potent tool in your life? Let's remember the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."  

May the love of God and our fellow man give us the power we need to have the discipline it takes to do what must be done.

Helping a Sister Unaware
On our way home one day last week, we turned onto our road and saw a young mama and her daughter walking carrying a baby and heavy loads. Walking is a part of daily life for most people in Tanzania. There are vans that function as public transportation on the main roads, but once they leave the main roads average people must either hire a piki piki (motorcycle) to carry them or walk. 

It just so happened on this rare occasion that Tiffany and I didn't have the kids with us so there was some room to spare in our vehicle. So we offered to give them a lift. With broken Swahili and hand gestures we were able to figure out which way to go.  

We passed the neighborhood and kept going. And going. Eventually, the dirt road faded into more of a trail. The trail crossed ditches and gullies. At one point we were actually driving down a dry creek bed. How far was this poor mama going to have to walk!? She would have been making this journey in pitch black at this point if she was still walking.

We finally came to a point where the path was so narrow that the vehicle could proceed no further. After helping the lady and her children unload their bags, we offered her some biblical materials. She immediately recognized them and said, "Kanisa la Kristo?" (Church of Christ). It turns out that she is a member of the church in a nearby village. Coincidence or providence? Either way I'm glad that our paths crossed that day.

Daniel Gaines

To see Daniel’s report with pictures, please click here.

Why Didn't I Start When I Was Younger?

We hope this finds each of you in good health, high spirits and unaffected by the recent inclement weather throughout the U.S.

I apologize for the late report. About 3 weeks ago I took a nasty fall and cracked one of my ribs. Wow, that smarts! So, I worked on not sneezing or coughing and taking it easy like the doctor said. In the past week I have felt much better and am grateful for the improvement. While I couldn’t drive or get out much, fortunately my mouth didn’t break when I fell (some who have heard me preach might not think that is good news) so I made arrangements to have the students come to my house for classes. I am teaching 1, 2, and 3 John this quarter. Turns out the students were very excited about meeting in our home. The setting has allowed us another opportunity to get to know each other on a more personal level. As John stated “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us” (1 John 3:23). We have had some great classes and they seem to be learning and growing at a fast pace.

Another way that we are trying to develop these men into effective preachers is through our congregational mentoring program. Our faculty represents a number of area congregations. We have each selected a few of the students to work with local congregations each week. Charles Heberth and I have selected Stephen Odwori, Kennedy Ng’etich, and Geofrey Ondieki to work with us a Kwa Mrombo. Each week these men take part by teaching, preaching, or conducting some other part of the worship service. When services come to an end, either Charles or I will meet with them and offer encouragement and suggestions for ways in which they can improve. By so doing we are offering a level of practical experience they don’t get in school. Book knowledge is imperative but, as we are all aware, it does not stand alone. The experience that comes through the application of knowledge is priceless and we believe this can only help them be more prepared for their future.

One of the greatest joys of living and working in a foreign mission field is that of watching someone grow in their love and thirst for God and His word. In the past you have heard me talk about Nester, my trusty friend and fellow laborer in the kingdom. Nester’s life story, which is still in its foreword, is quite moving. Time doesn’t permit us to detail his life but, to briefly set the stage, suffice it to say that he has gone from living on the street in a cardboard box to being a faithful husband, father of five, business owner and vital member of the Kwa Mrombo church of Christ.

The other day Nester and I were talking and he seemed to be somewhat down. After inquiring as to the problem he said he was upset that he didn’t know more of the bible and that he was sad for the time he wasted earlier in his life. Nester has recently been taking one of my classes at ACSOP and was quick to comment that he didn’t know that such a small book (1 John) could contain so much detail and information. The brain cramp he received in class was both exhilarating and depressing. Exhilarating in that he learned so much and depressing in that he was overwhelmed with the possibility that he didn’t have enough time left in life to learn it all. I explained to Nester that most who love God and the joy His word can offer, at some time, if not many times, during their life as a Christian have felt the exact same way. I expressed that when I graduated from preacher training school I was certain of one thing – how much of the scriptures I didn’t know!

Many who are faced with similar circumstances figure they can’t learn “enough” anyway and go back to their routine, depth lacking, handling of God’s word. Nester, however, has chosen the narrow way and is devouring the word at every opportunity. Several times per day he is asking the meaning of passages and we’ll sit down to study. What an encouragement to see the light switch flipped and the fire ignited in a brother in Christ. I hope Nester’s example encourages you too and that all of us as God’s children will develop within ourselves an insatiable desire to feed upon the vast riches found in the scriptures. “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

Until next time, take care and God bless,

Sean and Anita

To see Sean and Anita’s report with pictures, please click here.

Baptisms, Church Camp, And Furlough Time...

Mba'eichapa from Paraguay! We pray this finds you doing well and blessed in His kingdom. God continues working and providing the increase as four new souls were added to the church this past month. There were also some other exciting activities among the brethren to report on, so we hope you are encouraged and will rejoice with us in this month’s “Furlough Edition” of our Paraguay Mission report! 

NEWS FROM THE IGLESIA DE CRISTO - AVENUE SACRAMENTO
Baptized! Sebastian Garcia. He is the friend of recently baptized, Fabian Nuñez, who had invited him to come check out the new church he had found. Sebastian also had an interest in learning English, so I began to study with him and our conversation eventually lead to a discussion about his baptism. He was concerned for the state of his soul, so we studied the Bible and he then decided to "obey that form of doctrine" which saves (Romans 6:17)!

Baptized! Jessica Merele. She is the girlfriend of our brother in Christ, Diego Vera. Jessica has been attending services and many activities for quite sometime. She recently was studying with Brittnea Yegros when she decided it was time to put her soul and her life in the hands of God through obedience to the Gospel call. 

Baptized! Marcelo Alvarez. He is the friend of recently baptized, Alex Valdez (who brought Fabian to the church). He was concerned about his salvation, so after a few studies with William Arzamendia, he put on Christ in baptism. He is the fourth person to respond to the Gospel call as a result of God working through one Bible tract that was passed out during a recent Bible Academy campaign! Praise Him!

Baptized! Marcelo Ruiz. Marcelo has been attending services and Bible studies at Sacramento Avenue and Ñemby for a long time. He had become a close friend with many of our youth. It seems that all those Bible studies and sermons eventually reached deep into his heart because Marcelo was finally baptized into the Lord's body!

Church Camp! This time of year is always fun, mainly because of our annual congregational retreat. This year, we broke an attendance record and had a wonderful time of fellowship, singing, study, and activities. Knowing that we would probably have lots of visitors attending and wanting to take the opportunity to evangelize, the theme chosen for this year was “The Kingdom of God.”

FURLOUGH TIME!
It's that time of year when Andrea and I head back to the USA for a few weeks of reporting to our supporting congregations, visiting friends and family, and just enjoying all things American!

NEWS FROM THE ASUNCION BIBLE ACADEMY
Second year is now in full swing. The students are closing in on their upcoming short courses with Gary Fallis, who will be teaching II Corinthians, and then Denton Landon, who will be teaching Advanced Hermeneutics.

A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY AND A SPECIAL REQUEST!
Around January of this year, we were not seeing any prospective students on the horizon for the Beta Class of 2015-2017 for the Academy. So, we began considering changing the format to a Saturday school or some other alternative. Well, God provided! There are now NINE brethren who have stated they want to attend the Bible Academy! Five of them are potential preachers and two have already manifested that they want to plant the church in their home town! 

However, with such wonderful news comes a big challenge. The church in Paraguay needs help with funding the scholarships for these students. The local church currently provides most everything for the Academy through their own offering collection: teachers, the building, the utilities, and dormitories. But this amount of students surpasses their budget limits. Supporting one student only costs $300.00 a month for the two years that they attend the Academy. 

Therefore, THE CHURCH IS ASKING FOR YOUR HELP! If you can help in any way, or know someone who can, please let us know! 

If you would like more information, please go to: www.paraguaymission.com Or, you may contact me directly at 561.601.6551, or our brother Luis Yegros at luisyegros@hotmail.com (he speaks English and is the church treasurer).

Please keep this opportunity in your prayers! Thank you!

Troy and Andrea Spradlin

To see their report complete with pictures, please click here.

Students Prepare For Their Final Quarter In Nigeria...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from staff and students of the Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan and Lagos campus.

Below are the names of successful students for August 2014 graduates at SWSE-Ibadan, Nigeria after the 3rd semester examinations:

A. Certificates: Adeyi Gideon Kehinde, Rotimi Felix Oladapo, Segun Idowu

B. Diploma: Adedoyin Sola Rotimi, Festus Ayoo Kwaghchimin, Gabriel Ishom, Godwin Ede     , Ilori Gbenga Dare, Makinde Emmanuel Anuoluwapo, Olofingorite Adetunji Mayowa, Optimism Onyeanulam, Oladapo Alabi Ishmael, Olorode Samuel Olufemi, Tsado Jonathan, Anthony Samuel (from Lagos campus), Faith Ohemu (from Lagos campus)

C. Advance / Certificate from Bear Valley of Denver, CO USA: Adeniji Joseph, Abraham Idu Yeje, Abiodun Lawrence, Adekunle Olanrewaju, Adeyehun Raphael, Faleye Joseph, Samuel Olawale Oladokun, Udeme Michael Umoh

Brethren, the school will re-open for the 4th semester classes on May 19, 2014 if all things work well. That is, if I can find someone to loan me the needed funds to complete the 4th semester program.

Presently, the school is still in need of $3,200= for completion of 4th semester program.

No amount of money will be too small or big to assist us end this session 2013 / 2014 successfully.

Please send your contribution through brother Doug Wheeler of the Westside congregation, McGee Drive, OK or brother Steven Ashcraft of Bear Valley Bible Institutes, Denver, CO.

Beloved, let God use you to be a blessing to others (cf. Prov. 11:25; 19:17; Matt. 10:42; 25:40; Luke 6 :38).

Lastly, brother Okon Sunday Udoh ended his service at SWSE-Ibadan to enable him return to his home town in Akwa-Ibom and will be replaced by one of the graduates of SWSE-Ibadan by next semester. Thank you for your partnership. Stay blessed.

I taught on Wednesday Bible class on “Coping with Problems of Life (Gen. 37-50) and on Saturday at a marriage ceremony between sister Udeme Robert and brother Chukwuemeka Benedict held at University of Ibadan campus on “The Three Pillars of Successful Marriage (Gen. 2:24) which was witnessed by over one thousand brethren from South Western, Southern and South Eastern states of Nigeria.

On Sunday, May 4, brother Shotola Emmanuel Olusegun, one of the SWSE year 1 students, admonished the church on “Christian Living.”

Brethren, I and the SWSE instructors and the school’s foundation and Nigerian board members shall join other ministers at this year’s leadership seminar organized by the West Nigerian Christian College, Abeokuta, Ogun state from May 6 through 9, 2014.

Thanks for your brotherly kindness! Stay blessed and be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your fellow laborer in Christ,

Makinde Ebenezer Olufemi (Director of studies)
Southwest School of Evangelism (SWSE), Ibadan & Lagos campus, Nigeria

Energy And Determination...

Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies, Ghana, is enjoying the grace of the Lord having had a peaceful quarter of teaching and learning. Every individual was full of energy and determination. The Courses which we taught were as follows:

       COURSE                                                     INSTRUCTOR

Acts of the Apostles                                Baah Joseph Okyere

Old Testament ( 4 )                                  Jaminja Ndakar

Personal Evangelism (2)                         Daniel Adjei Mensah  

Church history                                         Tony Johnson

Homiletics (2)                                           Tony Johnson

Campaign                                                Jacob Yeboah     

Students are now on holidays.

The Institute became lively when students of the three campuses of the University for Development Studies camped in TIBS for a 3-day seminar during the break. A total of one hundred and forty-four students were in attendance and at the end of seminar, they were full of joy and appreciation for having an edifice which serves such a godly purpose.

The topics which were discussed were:

•Controlling the controller
•Students involvement in Politics
•Living faithfully  and righteously in this corrupt world
•The role of the youth in the Lord’s Church
•Christianity and corruption
•Making a decisive choice for a befitting future

The also had a quiz session which was on the Book of Galatians.

Baah Okyere Joseph

Another Powerful Week...

The last week of April was full of activities throughout the Extension program and the news is exciting as God continues to give the increase. Several locations are preparing for graduation ceremonies and the potential number of students for the next enrollment is growing. The new school in Haiti plans to begin classes in August and the development of additional locations is forthcoming. God is good.

Students in Denver will complete their last quarter of this year in just a few weeks. The end of the quarter will also bring graduation. The graduates have plans that reach from the west coast of the United States to the east coast. One family plans to move to Malawi, Tanzania to work with the development of the church. We are encouraged with this class and their plans for expanding the Lord’s kingdom. 

Reports also indicate several extension locations are preparing for graduation. Not only are students preparing to graduate, potential students are taking entrance exams and interviewing with instructors in preparation for the next enrollment. The challenge is the same in almost each location as it is in Denver: support. Twenty-three students are accepted for August’s enrollment in Denver. Cameroon hosted nearly fifty applicants and can only accept twenty. Please pray funds are available for these men who desire to prepare to preach the gospel.

Prayer request: Most everyone is aware of the political / military situation in Ukraine. The situation has not improved and the challenges facing the church and school make it impossible for visiting short-course instructors to travel to the city of Gorlovka to teach. We have been able to resolve some of this by using the video conferencing system. The main concern, however, is the continued growth and development of the church. Please pray for these Christian brethren and a resolution to the conflict that will allow greater outreach.

Now on to the other reports...

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

Extension Reports 

Entrance Exams Completed In Cameroon: As amazing as it sounds, nearly 50 potential students have applied to be part of the next enrollment. Only 20 will be accepted.

Student At CBS In Togo Obeys The Gospel: As students from denominational backgrounds learn the power of God’s word, their conversion is changing the direction of the evangelism.

Three Day Open Air Bible Lectureship Proclaims The Gospel: The Southwest School of Evangelism in Ibadan, Nigeria continues its efforts of proclaiming the gospel.

Graduation Approaches In Uganda: Students prepare for graduation at the Uganda School of Evangelism in May and the work is growing in several areas.

An Appeal From The Church In Paraguay: With the growth and maturity of the church in Paraguay, we are encouraged to consider how to meet the needs of extension training.

An Incredible And Fruitful Journey In Nepal: There are reports that when read we are encouraged at the dedication of Christians. This is one of the reports. Please read!

A Wedding And A Whole Lot More In Tanzania: Events in Arusha, Tanzania are exciting with a wedding, wedding seminars, outreach, and training.

Final Thoughts
We have witnessed another great week in the extension program. Thank you for all you do to help with the various needs of this work. Many of you contribute financially, several of you provide encouragement, some of you help in teaching, and all of you pray. Without you we would not see the success of God’s blessing in training preachers.

God bless
Bob