Even The Devil Could Not Use An Accident To Stop Evangelism...

Let the blessings of the Lord keep on flooding upon the lives of His chosen ones. My beloved in the Lord, it has not been easy with us for the last two weeks with the students, the church members, and even the preacher of the congregation, but they have been so kind, things are going back to normal.

The devil cannot use the methods of accidents to stop weekend evangelism or the mission work in Cameroon. Another week again with weekend evangelism with students still using motor bikes. Even though Abraham and Giress had an accident last week, that still could not discourage the students to go ahead about souls, nor to put an end to the mission work in our communities because the Lords sees His own and protects them in all ways in order for the work to be accomplished and souls to be saved every day and night. We thank God for this week that every body has come back successfully.

On the way back from evangelism, the Lord added one soul to the congregation in Mujuka with the help of Abraham and Giress. These students had an accident, but no major case left for Abraham who has bruises along his leg to his bottom. All is well, even though Abraham is still limping. We are happy because the angels in the presence of God are also happy over the souls that repented. Let us be praying for this young soul in Mujuka.

Good news about brother Sylvanus whose wife was put to bed last Sunday at the Hospital at Deido in Douala. The child is a baby girl. The mother is doing great, but the child is still sick and for that reason they cannot discharge them. He is still there at the hospital with the family. Also, the pregnant sister who was in prison has also put to bed a baby girl even though it was through an operation, but she is getting a quick recovery at the hospital. These are calls for concern.

The Muyuka congregation is doing great with the help of brother Giress who goes there every weekend and also for midweek classes to encourage and nurture the young Christians with the scripture. Last week we started making some benches for the congregation. For now, we have five new benches and I believe with time and the concern of the students, we shall have a big assembly. All this is by the grace of God.

I, brother Ititi, was attacked last week with some severe Malaria and body fatigue, which made me get some bed rest for five days with a steady flow of drip through my veins and some injections that had really helped me feel stronger once more. I thank God for everything and everyone who has been praying for me, most especially my wife who has been supporting all this and had to forgo a lot of things.

Ititi

Children's Seminar, Bible Studies, and Heavy Rain Make For An Interesting Day...

Ngorogoro Children’s Seminar
This month’s women and children’s seminar was held in the Ngorogoro area. For those of you familiar with the Ngorgoro Crater, we were at it’s rim for this seminar. We drove approximately two hours to the small village right outside the crater. When we were within a few miles of the church, our van could no longer travel on the roads. Due to the vehicle we drive, and the long rains turning the roads into a terrible mess, we had to get out and walk the rest of the way to the church building. 

In our vehicle we had myself and Anna, our new missionaries Mason and Haley Norman, and locals Jane and Desdery Massawe, and their oldest daughter Martina. The Gaines were in front of us with a better equipped vehicle for these conditions and all of the material for the seminar. We sent them on ahead and we all got out and walked. The roads we flooded and muddy but no one complained as we headed toward the church. The road vehicles take would have been a very long walk and so the locals led us to a shortcut. This shortcut required us to climb a cliff that leads up to where the church meets. Once again, everyone was in good spirits and even Jane, who is seven months pregnant, did not complain and it was a beautiful journey to the top. 

Given the heavy rains, we did not expect large numbers. However, when we arrived at the top we were happily surprised. Under a tarp held up by tents (this was their church building) was around 41 children and over 30 women waiting on us. Men were scattered about awaiting personal Bible studies. Everyone split up and we quickly began. 

Daniel, Mason, Desdery, Jasper Julius (a local preacher), and I began conducting Bible studies. Tiffany, Anna, Haley, and Jane began their prepared lessons the women had asked they come and speak on. Anna began with a lesson on Christian Life and Tiffany followed with a lesson on Perseverance. By noon both women’s lessons were finished and the rain continued to pour. Every few minutes the women had to knock the pools of water off the tarp to prevent the tent from collapsing in on them. For an hour and a half the women asked questions on marriage and family and how to live a Christian life. Daniel came and helped take over the Q&A with the women so Anna, Tiffany, Haley, and Jane could take the children to do their portion of the seminar. 

Due to the continuous rains, the only place to move the 4 adult teachers and the 41 children was an 8x8 one room, mud home. The children’s faces lit up with excitement over the colored pictures Tiffany showed them as she taught them about the Bible. After Anna taught them about creation and told them each they could take their coloring sheets and one crayon home with them, their excitement bubbled over. There was no room in the small house to allow the kids to color and due to the rain they couldn’t move outside. So, the children were thrilled to have their very own crayon (yes, just one each). 

By three o’clock the rains were still falling and we decided if we wanted to try and make it home, we needed to leave. Daniel loaded his family, Desdery’s family, and the Norman’s into his vehicle (dala dala style) and headed back toward our car. Anna and I walked back down the cliff a few minutes before they drove down because the locals told us one of our tires on the van was flat. The path down the cliff had become a waterfall and there was no way to avoid water on the roads. The walk down was adventurous and cold but we enjoyed it. 

Anna and I reached the bottom around the same time the Gaines car came down with the others. We did indeed have a flat tire. The roads were soft and mucky, terrible conditions to try and jack up our vehicle. However, Daniel, Desdery, and Mason picked up on the car while I climbed under and was able to get the jack in place. We are thankful to God and His protection that we made it home on terrible roads, two hours away, with a flat tire that had to be pumped up every 30 minutes. 

Though this seminar presented many challenges God was glorified and the Word was spread. Pray for the Ngorogoro Kanisa la Kristo as they continue to evangelize the community around them. 

Anna and I have purchased our tickets for furlough. We will be leaving Africa August 25th. While home, in order for us to be able to come back and stay for three more years, we will have to raise support. If your congregation is interested in having us come and present our work email us at: themaynardsfarm@gmail.com. Also if you would like to help the fundraising with a donation please send checks to Horton Chapel Church of Christ 925 Union Ridge Road, PO Box 1100, Belton, KY 42324. Put in the for line Maynard’s Mission Work. 

Justin Maynard

Farming Projects Prepare Students For Success In Tanzania...

ACSOP Farming Project Plans
We thank God for the success of the projects at Andrew Connally School Of Preaching. In the year 2012 -2013, the ACSOP faculty were scratching their heads to find any other source of income to our budget. This is because we had a big deficit in our budget. Then Cy came up with a garden project that could help us to cut down on vegetable cost.

After this project was successful, in 2014 we thought of milk cows to cut our milk cost. We started with one cow then we added another one. Raising cows is very cheap compared to other projects. 

The cow project was also successful. And at end of same year, Sean Hochdorf came up with a chicken project to help us to offset meat cost. This project also was more successful than we planned. 

Another reason for all these projects is to train our students how to farm so that they can be self-supporting after they graduate from ACSOP. The farming projects will have great benefits to the school, our students, and our community, if it is given priority. God has placed talents in all people that can be used for His glory. Also, God has given us a piece of land, which if it is used wisely, will contribute much to the school budget. ACSOP is a tool that can be used as an example to the community and the Christians around.

After all these projects came in place, another problem arose in that we were lacking someone who will lead these project. All of the faculty members were too busy with academic matters, and the projects were moving very slowly because we were lacking someone to deal with them. Then God brought us someone who loves God and loves to work. This was brother Justin Maynard. Since the end of last year, Justin Maynard and Augustine Simon have been pushing hard on all these projects. These two brothers are working as a team. We are hoping for a big result this year, according to what they have achieved.

They have completely changed the projects from small scale to large scale. This year we are expecting to start raising a thousand layer chickens. 

Also, we are expecting good harvesting crops. Please pray for all these plans that they can be a big help to the school and also for our brother Justin who is helping all these. He is planning to go back home to raise funds for him and his family to continue working with us. Please prayerfully consider supporting them, as the school needs his efforts. 

Also continue to remember our brother Cy as is recovering at this time. The school and mission need these brothers. We miss his magic on planning things. Don’t forget his family please. 

In His service

AhimidiweKimaro
Director, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute International extension school
Arusha, Tanzania

Leadership Development Is The Focus Of An Upcoming Seminar In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ,

Greetings from students and staff of BVBIN & SWSE-Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

We thank the Almighty God for granting us safe journey to and from Ghana. The one week is as interesting as a month lectures. Brother Ralph Williams of Bear Valley Bible Institute International, USA taught us on “Leadership” on Monday and Tuesday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and 8:00 am to 5:20 pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

The twenty-one students (17 old and 4 new students) were well fed, both physically and spiritually. It cost each one of us N20,000 from Agege -Lagos to Tundu-Accra in Ghana and N25,000 back to Lagos from Ghana. We thank brother Seth Larbi, our host, for his love and care. May the Lord keep on using him, his family, and all of us for His glory in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

We Nigerian brethren are now looking forward to host the Master's program in the church of Christ, Onikokoro / Gbongudu, Ibadan, Oyo state in the year 2018 through 2020/2021 since the issue of Boko-Haram are now put to rest in our country.

Brethren, in line with the word of God in 2 Tim 2:2, our May 23-27, 2016 “Leadership Seminar” at BVBIN & SWSE, Ibadan will centered on Leadership Development and we are going to share some of what we learn from our able instructor, brother Ralph in the Leadership class with our brethren by discussing on : Leadership Development by me, brother Makinde Ebens; “The Book of Revelation” by brother Abiola Joseph Olusoji; “How To Established Scriptural Authority” by brother Dairo Joseph Abiodun; “Evangelism 3” by brother Isaac Olaniyan, and “Methodology” by me, brother Makinde Ebens.

We are expecting between eighty to hundred brethren from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, Kogi, Kwara, Edo, Delta, etc. to participate in this coming seminar with the aim of assisting the Lord 's church here in the Western part of Nigeria to be scripturally organized, sound and be more evangelistic in nature. We budgeted N100,000 for this five day seminar for feedings and photocopies of seminar materials for some of the participants.

The BVBIN & SWSE, Ibadan will end the third courses on April 29 to allow our students go for vocational studies till May 13, 2016 and resume for fourth semester classes on May 16, Lord's willing.

I'm 52 years old today. Please, always remember me, my family, and ministry in your prayer!

Beloved, we are very grateful for your moral and financial supports toward the growth of the Lord 's church here in Africa.

May the Lord of blessing continue to blessed our joint efforts in Christ name, amen.

I remain yours in His grace as a servant,
Makinde Ebens (Minister)

Excitement Is High As Students Near The First Graduation In Haiti...

We serve a living God! 
In the name of our Lord and Savior, we greet you; our fellow workers in the kingdom of God. As we prepare this newsletter, we are reminded of your love for us and the work we are doing together. God has blessed us with many good people and congregations with whom to labor. It is our pray that God will continue to accomplish his will through each of us. We say, “Thank You” for your prayers, encouragement and financial support. This is not “our” work but God’s work; we are but his servants. 

Update: Roberta & JoJo
For more than twenty years our sister in Christ, Roberta Edwards, was the only parent many of the children in the home had known. With her tragic death in October, 2015 there was a loss that words cannot describe. Her absents is felt every day. The five men arrested in connection with her death are still in jail and await trial. While evidence seems to point to the innocence of one of the men, the courts will decide. The investigation continues to move forward and from all indications her death was out of revenge. Two of the men had broken into her home and she reported it to the police. The two men were arrested and the other two brothers took out revenge on Roberta. JoJo has not yet been found. This is so sad and so unnecessary. It is not easy to get information but we will try to keep you updated. 

New House Parents Sunlight Children’s Home: Martial and Ketty Viciere (Lit Amar - 16, Ken Lee - 8)
With the death of Roberta, new parents had to be found. Our new family is the Viciere family. Martial is a student at the International School of Theology, a preacher of the gospel and a dedicated husband and father. Martial and Ketty have been married for 18 years and have two children. I had the privilege of visiting with them in their home and the congregation where they attend. Martial has a degree in political science and served on the Royal Police force in Haiti. Ketty attended beautician school but chose to be a stay at home mom and wife. 

While it will take time to adjust, they have made great progress in the home. It is not easy to go from having two children to having 25. The children have accepted them and most are now calling them “momma” and “papi”. We are blessed to have them in the home and as a part of the Haiti mission effort. I hope you are able to meet them in person one day. Please pray for them, the children and their work. 

Riley Hendrix Teaches At IST
Riley Hendrix was able to travel to Haiti and teach a course at IST. His class focused on the importance of our worship assemblies. 

Since 2013, Riley and Brittany (our daughter) have been a part of a mission team working in Coral Springs, Florida. They are reaching out to the Hispanic world. Riley and Brittany are graduates from Freed-Hardeman University. They also have a five-month old daughter, Juliette. 

This was Riley’s fifth mission trip to Haiti but he has also traveled to St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, Montana and spent three months working in Brazil. His dedication to the Lord and his work is a great encouragement to all who know him. Riley and Brittany work under the oversight of the Pomona Church of Christ in Dickson, TN. 

1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
So far this year I have spent seven weeks in Haiti. I have taught two classes, Ministry Technologies and Timothy and Titus. I love to teach at IST because the men are so eager to learn and grow. These men do not simply accept what is said but love to question and study what is being taught. I am reminded of what Paul said about the Christians in Berea, “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” I would not want them to be any other way. 

The books of Timothy and Titus are important to the work of an evangelist. Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, show the importance of God’s word, the role of elders and danger of false teachers. Take the time to read these letters. 

First Class of IST Will Soon Graduate
The above picture was the first day of class at the International School of Theology - Haiti, August 13, 2014. I wish there was a way to put into words the growth I have seen in these men. Their ability to preach, teach, lead singing and share the message of God’s word proves the importance of IST. Just in 2015 our students were instrumental in bringing more than 250 souls to Christ. They have conducted campaigns, seminars and gospel meetings throughout Haiti. From the picture above, only two men are no longer in the school. We have changed translators and one student, who was a denominational preacher, decided to drop out of the program. 

On May 28th, these men will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, being the first graduating class of the International School of Theology. It is hard to believe we have almost completed two years of classes. Most of the classes have been taught by teachers from the USA. This will change in August of 2016, when we hire some of our graduates to teach in the program. Each of the men we will ask to teach have degrees from a university in Haiti. 

We have had several men from the Bear Valley Bible Institute, Freed-Hardeman University and others to teach a class at IST. We have also had several ladies to come and teach special classes to the wives of our students and other ladies. While the number of American teachers will decrease, we plan to have eight short courses taught by teachers from the USA. We will continue to have classes for the ladies and special classes that will be open to the general public. 

As we look to the future, I am reminded of the words of Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38

Future Home Of The International School of Theology
For the past two years we have rented our facility. While it has worked well, it was also expensive. We are now planning to move onto our own property. We have been able to purchase a three-acre piece of property in the La Tremblay area, outside of Port-au-Prince. The area is seen as one of the best places to live and to own property. When we first contacted the own, the price was $250,000 but after several months of negotiations, we were able to purchase the property for $100,000. We have borrowed the money to pay for the property and the payment is less than the rent we were paying. Plus, the property already has a house, well, septic tank, power pole, partial block wall and the foundation for the school; this is about $50,000 that we don’t have to spend. 

Thanks to the congregations and individuals in the Cookeville, Tennessee area, we have been able to make repairs to the house. A family will move in soon to watch after the property and there is a private room that I will use as I travel to Haiti. When we have visiting teachers they also will be able to stay at the home. 

Larry Woods, an Elder from Lexington, recently was part of a crew to work on the property. 

Recently Brandon Pruett lead a group of seven men from Cookeville, Tennessee to Haiti. Four of the men traveled to the area of Jeremey and spoke at several congregations. Their mission was to help train leaders and be an encouragement to the members. I have made this trip and it is not an easy one. While the distance is only about 120 miles, it is an eight- hour trip. I am so thankful for these men and their willingness to serve in this way. 

Three of the men from Cookeville stayed with Larry Woods and me to work on the new property. Our mission was to build an additional room on the existing house. This room will serve as a storage room and a battery room. (When we do not have public electricity, our facility runs on batteries.) We hired three Haitian men to “help” but quickly realized we were the helpers. One day we also had three of the students from IST to come and help. While we could not communicate verbally we all understood the task before us. 

Your Help Is Needed! 
As we move into this new phase of work in Haiti and the International School of Theology continues to train preachers and teachers of God’s word, we request your help. While we have secured the funds to pay for the property and we have raised the money to make repairs to the house and rebuild the wall on the front of the property, there is still much to be done. 

Our financial needs are broken down into different areas: 

1.  Maintain the property. This will include the building of a wall around the property. This is for security and safety. 

2.  Build the new facility. We will one day have a facility to provide education for at least 45 full- time students. 

3.  Pay our teachers and daily needs. We want to use the local preachers and teachers to train men and women in their native tongue. 

We want to give our students one meal each day. Many of our students do not have food at home and what we provide may be their only meal. The married students often take what we supply and share it with family members. 

How Can You Help? 
First and foremost, pray often for the work in Haiti. The field is white unto harvest and we must train workers and teachers of God’s word. 

Second, make a generous one-time donation to help build the school. 

Third, help support the school on some monthly basis. While we wish we did not need to ask, it is a necessity. We cannot do the work without monthly support. 

Fourth, tell others about the work of IST and the needs. It is by word of mouth that many great works have been accomplished. 

Fifth, invite us to come and make a presentation to your congregation or friends. We are willing to go wherever is needed to share this work. 

Development of the Property
As we continue to move forward, there is a ten-year plan we are putting together. We know that time, circumstances, government and events can alter our plans, but this is the beginning point. 

1.    We plan to increase our student body to 45 students. This will be a three-year program. All students will not become preachers but will be teachers in many congregations. 

2.    We hope to have the school officially recognized by the Haitian government. This will allow us to offer a degreed program and make IST more valuable to the work in Haiti. 

3.    We plan to have a congregation that meets on the property. This will be a bilingual congregation with an emphasis on English. There are approximately 8,000 English speaking people in the Port-au-Prince area and no one is reaching out to them. 

4.    We plan for the property to be used for area- wide meetings, seminars and lectureships. 

5.    We plan to use the facility for medical teams, special outreach programs and special programs for the Christian women of Haiti. 

6.    We plan to use the facility and grounds for special youth activities. 

Thank you in Advance
As the school grows, so do the expenses. Your help is urgently needed as we expand our program. We plan to move to the new property in April and will start a new chapter in our work. We are asking you to consider a monthly support and if that is not possible, please consider a one-time donation. The cost of the property, the cost of repairs and the construction that needs to take place is very important. Every dollar that is given goes toward the work. A financial statement can be provided upon request for all of our contributors. Thank you for considering this work. Without your help it would not happen. 

Larry & Carol Waymire

Contact Information: Larry Waymire lwaymire@gmail.com
Mobile: 731-798-0136 Office: 731-968-6688

All Contributions Should be sent to: Broad St. Church of Christ Caribbean Ministries
131 N. Broad Street Lexington,TN 38351 

To see the report with pictures, please click here.

New Prospects, Souls Added, And A Campaign Begins This Week...

TOGO MISSION
During the month under consideration, the Chariot team and the church spent some time conducting follow up in some of the towns and villages we have already worked. Activities of the team were conducted in Kpalime, Eyo, Agou-Gare, Adeta, Gadjepe, Avetonu, Akata Lavie Kpime, Akoumao, Tove, Tsame, Yorkele, Tove, Kpodzi, Kpele, all in the Kloto Region. Activities included morning devotions using the audio Bible accompanied with singing and short messages. The team spent time visiting homes for Bible studies, distribute tracts, a visit to the high school, and markets. 

After the exercise in March, we now have over 50 new prospects. Some have since started visiting the congregations in Kpalime and Adeta. We were blessed with one soul. We are blessed to have these preachers zealous to win souls. The current students could not participate in the follow up program because they were on break. 

SCHEDULED CAMPAIGN
Our next campaign is scheduled to take place at Alikpodzi, about a 45 minute drive from Kpalime. It will start on the 28th of April through the 1st of May.

BVBI VEGETABLE FARM
Thirteen preachers volunteered to work on the farm a few weeks ago. The goal was to start raising the beds and applying manure. They had already nursed some of the vegetables to transplant. Since the farm is near a source of water, we have decided to purchase a pump machine to facilitate watering the vegetables. 

Report by: H.Willie Gley 

To see pictures of Willie’s report, please click here.

Future Plans For Growth With The Work In Ukraine...

Hello dear brothers, 

I want to share with you some information about the Bear Valley Bible Institute in Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian branch of the Bear Valley Bible Institute was founded in 1997 in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. At the very beginning of its existence the Institute rented part of the classrooms in a public education facility, Kramatorsk Institute of Economics and Humanities. The first director of the school was Buck Hall. He was a faithful and hardworking brother who ministered a lot to spread the gospel. The first years all the classes were taught by American brethren who came to stay for several weeks and took turns teaching classes. The first graduation was very exciting; it was a new experience showing the opportunity to train preachers in their native land. The majority of the graduates became preachers in their home towns and started teaching at the Institute. This good example prompted the leaders of the Institute to continue this program of training the preachers and leaders for church ministries. The graduates continued preaching in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Droozhkovka, Krasnyy Lyman, Nikolayevka, Illovaysk etc. 

Then Terry Harmon became the director. He had been a missionary to Russia for several years before that, and he knew Russian quite well. The previous experience helped him to continue and develop the mission of the Institute. Ukrainian teachers became more and more engaged; there was evangelization practice added to the program. It's the time when students are sent to local congregations to help with evangelizing campaigns. In 2008 the Institute moved to Gorlovka, Donetsk region. The building in this town was suited perfectly for having classes for the Institute and church services. 

In 2010 a Ukrainian, Dennis Sopelnik became the director of the Institute. He and the team of teachers continue to spread the sound doctrine and train preachers for the church until now. At the time the Institute was in Gorlovka, there were about 14-16 students studying there each year. Some local congregations were in need of Institute's graduates, and it would give the recommendations. However, in 2014 there was a military conflict in the eastern part of the country, and the Institute's building was taken by pro-Russian terrorists. They still have the building. The Institute was forced to leave Donetsk region, and it is located in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region. Classes at the Institute weren't stopped even for a day. We continued teaching students. This year we have graduates who will continue serving as ministers and assistants in local congregations. 

During the time of the Institute's function, there were more than 200 men and women prepared to spread the gospel. Some men continue preaching the gospel in local congregations, and there is a rise in quantity of local teachers. Now the Institute and the church at the Institute needs their own building to train ministers. We are not sure that the building in Gorlovka will ever be returned back to us in the near future. We looked at the price range and began a future location search. It seems that the best place to buy a building will be Dnepropetrovsk. It has a good transport connection. The city is situated near many churches of Christ. The approximate value of the building would be $80,000. I believe that the Lord can do much, and if you are willing to help and participate in this work for God, we will be grateful. Please contact Denton Landon who is a coordinator of Ukrainian school if you have any questions. 

In Him, 
Dennis Sopelnik, irector BVBIU

Contact information
Denton Landon
2710 Lance Dr
Winston Salem, NC 27103
336-659-6816 (home) 336-414-9032 (cell)
dlandon@wetrainpreachers.com

Prayer Requested...

Prayer Request: Cy Stafford continues to need our prayers, as he is back in the hospital suffering with a new colon infection. As Cy works to regain his strength, he needs addition endure chemo-therapy treatments. He is an incredible encouragement. Please remember him in your prayers this week.

Prayer Request: Evie Graber, daughter of Randy and Robin Martin, was diagnosed last week with cancer. Evie had a tumor on her brain that was removed and pathology indicated that the tumor was malignant. Evie and her husband, Christopher, have five young children. Details are still unknown regarding treatment, but their faith is an example for us all. The congregation where Christopher and Evie attend oversees the work in Wotutu, Cameroon. Please pray for this wonderful family as they move forward.

Students in Denver completed their mid-term exams last week and will spend the week ahead working on research for their assignments. With just over a month left in the quarter, students have this time to focus on getting the assignments completed - or at least as many as they can - before entering the final month of the year. Seniors are finalizing their studies before they enter full-time ministry. Please pray for these men and their families as they finish up.

Schools reporting this week provide a great level of encouragement as students continue to grow. Their outreach efforts have experienced the increase of God as souls were added to the kingdom. Additionally, the programs in each location continue to strengthen the church around the world as subsistence farming techniques assist needs within the school and the church.

Please remember to update your files to include Keith Kasarjian to receive reports, or to discuss information regarding the extension program. Keith is the new director of the extension program. His email address is kkasarjian@wetrainpreachers.com. 

Now on to this week’s incredible 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 Howell Ferguson can be read by clicking here.

The latest report from Wes Autrey about the work in Cambodia can be read by clicking here.

Extension Reports

Brother Benard Found His Missing Rib: Think About It For A Minute: The program grows in Cameroon, but the pictures provide a clue as to the beauty of the headline for this report.

Precious Souls Were Added To The Kingdom In Cameroon: The growth of the work in Mbanga, Cameroon indicates God’s powerful hand at work in giving the increase.

Tis The Season For Marriage In Nigeria: Amidst the growth of students, April was a month where weddings seemed to highlight the work in Nigeria.

Students AT SIBS Move Closer To Graduation In Ghana: Students continue to near and prepare for the completion of their studies in Nsawam, Ghana.

Six New Souls Are Added To The Kingdom In Takoradi: While subsistence farming assists the work in Takoradi, outreach sees the increase of God.

20/20 Vision Means Five New Congregations By The Year 2020: As staff and students at ACSOP evangelize the area surrounding Arusha, Tanzania, new churches are planted.

Giving Series In Arusha Continues To Strengthen The Church: Continuing to emphasize the necessity of biblical giving, churches grow in Tanzania.

Final Thoughts
Please accept our gratitude for your incredible involvement in the work of extension training. As the reports indicate, we are all aware of the value you provide to the program. Without your willingness to help with the efforts in each location, we would be unable to expand the borders of the kingdom. Thank you.

God bless
Bob

20/20 Vision Means Five New Congregations By The Year 2020...

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:36). The apostle Paul saw it was necessary for him to return to those cities and areas which he had once visited with the gospel so that he could encourage them and see if some are still faithful in the ministry. This is a great principle because it helps in measuring the effectiveness of the work done. 

Four years ago, the Arusha congregations had a 20/20 (twenty/twenty vision). What that means is we plan to establish five new congregations by the year 2020. The Lord is so faithful to us for we have been able to establish three congregations so far. The Kwa Mrombo, Ilkiurei, and Njiro Chini congregations are the outcome of this program. This year we decided to apply Paul’s principle of follow up. We went back to Ilkiurei for three months, encouraging the saints and bringing more souls to the Lord. 

These up coming three months, we will concentrate on the Njiro Chini congregation. This year’s Safari for Souls campaigns will take place in this area. Bible studies are being arranged for the up coming campaign and many souls are expected to be added in His Kingdom. 

Please pray for the team here as we are taking care of the Lord’s business. Please pray for the souls that we are going to meet during this time so that they can be fertile soil. Please pray for all the groups which will be traveling to our place and help in sowing and harvesting. The Hoover Church of Christ group and the North Port Church of Christ group will mainly be working with us at Njiro Chini area. 

Please continue to pray for our beloved brother, Cy who is still sick. 

All these and many other good things are going on here just because faithful Christians like you have decided to support and pray for us. Thank you so much for all that you do and mean in His Kingdom. 

Your servant in His Kingdom, 

Charles Mwanga - Director
Andrew Connally School of Preaching
P.O. Box 14041
Arusha, Tanzania

Giving Series In Arusha Continues To Strengthen The Church...

Greetings fellow workers,

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued interest and support of the many great works that God is doing in this area. You are valuable members of this team, and we hope that you'll continue to labor with us in your prayers. Here are some of the things that have been going on recently.

Evans Family Visits
We have enjoyed hosting the Adam Evans family this week. Adam and his family have served at missionaries in Iringa, Tanzania over the last 3 years, and have been doing a good work there. Last week taught a short course on Hermeneutics for our 2nd year students. We've already gotten good feedback on the class, and are confident it was a blessing to our students. We wish Adam and Megan a safe drive back home.

Giving Series
The Arusha church has asked me to do an 8-lesson series on giving. I confess that I feel a bit awkward spending so much time teaching people with very little disposable income about the importance of giving. However, the request is a good reminder that giving is an important practice for all Christians, not just those who can afford large contributions. It has thus far been a challenging study, but the brethren have been receptive. I'm largely basing the study on a book entitled, "Beyond the Tithe" by Westley Hazel. It is a worthwhile read, if you get the opportunity.

Njiro Evangelism
The emphasis for our team evangelism has moved back to the Njiro Chini area for the next quarter. We've had some good studies so far in the area. For example, we studied with one man at his business for more than an hour. Then he gave us directions to his house, and asked us to go and talk to his wife also because he wanted her to be in church. I hope the future holds good things for this family.

New Missionaries
This week we are thrilled to welcome a new addition to our team. Mason and Hailey Norman will be arriving here on Wednesday evening. This newlywed couple will be helping out and paving the way for her parents (Todd and Susan Storks) and brother (Wesley) to join the team a little later this year. Please keep their transition in your prayers.

Local Reports
Now enjoy some excerpts from reports we have received from a few of the local brethren who are hard at work in the Lord's vineyard:

Koimere Ndoosi at the Monduli Juu congregations reports about last month, "I have one man who obeyed the gospel and was baptized. Glory to God."

Ibrahimu Mrutu at the Kisong congregation says, "In this month I was able by the help of God to reach many souls and two of them were baptized. 1. Gabrely Peter 2. Roberty Simon"

David Bayi at the Kioga church says, "Brother, I have 12 classes and we have hope of baptizing one lady soon named, Evelina, and we have had one baptism this month already. So in general the work is going well."

Joseph Juma Withre of Mwanza says, "Since I said before last month I established 15 Bible classes with 31 people, and I said 11 of those people are very interested to come into the Lord's church. Right now one person has already obeyed the gospel through baptism."

Elias Kwilasa from Mwanza says, "In my last report I decided to leave other Bible classes in order to concentrate on five Bible classes with 15 people. For these Bible classes, I succeeded in baptizing two people and am still continuing to study with the rest."

Silivester Bahati of the Ibambula congregation says, "On my last report I wrote that there were 6 classes; these classes caused these results of 2 people to obey."

As you can see, there are a lot of people involved in spreading the Lord's kingdom here. Thank you for being a part of this team also. 

May God bless our continued efforts together.

You can read this report with pictures here:

http://tanzanianmissions.blogspot.com/2016/04/short-report-april-11.html

Till all have heard...
Daniel Gaines

Six New Souls Are Added To The Kingdom In Takoradi...

Dear Brethren,

We thank God another month of operation has ended successfully. Before we could break for Easter holidays on the 18th of March, 2016, classes went on successfully. Also there were end of term examinations.

BAPTISMS
Again, both instructors’ and students’ efforts resulted in the baptism of six souls.

MAINTENANCE/REPAIR WORKS
We recently experienced problems with our photocopier machine. Repair work on the machine cost us GHC 460.00, as indicated in the financial statement.

POULTRY
The birds are laying an average of thirty-five eggs a day. We pleaded with some students to remain on campus to take care of the birds while the school is on break.

Again, our sincere appreciation to all our supporters and particularly the elders and the entire congregation at Howe. We are most grateful for your support and prayers and hope you would continue to pray for us as we also do for you all.

God bless us all
Charles Mensah

Students At SIBS Move Closer To Graduation In Ghana...

As anticipated, [SIBS] began again in January with new batch of students. This new group of students numbered thirteen, comprised ten Ghanaians, and three Liberians. The Ghanaians include a lady and a young man who are both non-members of the church.  

[SIBS] Second Batch Of Students
Interestingly, this group of students come from very responsible backgrounds who insisted to study with our institution. The lady, Maureen, occupies a leadership position among the Women’s wing of a Methodist church here; while James Legend preaches for a charismatic group here. Their situation of course, presents a unique opportunity for their other colleagues to definitely reach out to them with the gospel without any difficulty. We are always praying for them that as their fellow students work on them, and as they receive class instructions, may come to the knowledge of the truth and become obedient to the gospel. We have engaged the services of an English teacher who is teaching the class in the basics of the English language course, to the level where they could have no difficulty with the usage and to assist them in their course work.

This special group of students age from between twenty to sixty-four years old. The teachers speak of their maturity and assiduousness. We are hoping that they stay the course.

Campaigns
The new students have been exposed to the weekly campaign schedule where students are assigned to particular congregations and participate in their weekend programs. This is good exposure, especially to those of them who have hitherto never had the experience.

School Land
The school is yet to obtain a complete clearance document from the Lands Department. This will enable us to proceed with the final installment payments on the property for the final legal documents. Hope we continue to remain in your thoughts and prayers.

February Report

As we previously went around parts of the country contacting brethren privately and trying to advertise our new school, a number of the brethren we came in contact with readily showed keen interest in our program. However, the only hinderance which prevented them from enrolling in our program was that, our school was operating on full time basis. But since they worked at some employment to earn a living, that obviously placed them at a disadvantaged position to enroll. 

Week-End Extension School Starts at [SIBS]
Notwithstanding, discussions continued back and forth and most of them continued to emphasize the view that, if the school could come up with an alternative arrangement, such as a weekend or part-time program, that could offer a great advantage to them. Eventually, following some thoughtful considerations and positive support from our sponsors, we had the weekend classes opened in February, 2016.

Included in our maiden enrollment are students from various backgrounds and professions. This batch includes teachers, technicians, and small scale or beginning entrepreneurs. The majority of the students enrolled are from the southern sector of the country and traveling to school back and forth is not that strenuous. What is rather interesting is most of these have been members of the church for quite a lengthy period of time; it is believed their training at SIBS, hopefully, will provide them with deeper knowledge in the scriptures and skills for greater and effective service to the Lord.

The weekend school runs the same curriculum as the full-time program. Considering the extended class hours involved, duration for the course has been scheduled for four years, each year comprising four quarters. As a means of support and motivation, the school provides regular meals to the students. Upon completion of the course, successful students are awarded a diploma from Bear Valley Bible Institute, just as those in the mainstream full-time program. Most of the brethren are appreciative of the weekend school, and pray it would be sustained.

Praying we continue to be in your thoughts and prayers.

Seth Osae-Larbi
Southern Institute of Biblical Studies [BVBI]

Tis The Season For Marriage In Nigeria...

Beloved in Christ ,

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you all from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I bring you greetings from the staff and students of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Nigeria & Southwest School of Evangelism, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

April 1st was full of marriage ceremonies among the brethren in Lagos and Ogun state. Three of the brothers and three sisters were married on April 1, 2016 and I was blessed with the opportunity to serve as one of the ministers in one of these ceremonies where one of the SWSE foundation members, brother Samuel Ishola, took a wife for his last born, brother Seyi Ishola, at Ifo Registry Center.

May God bless all these new couples is our fervent prayer in Jesus name, amen.

We started our divided classes at the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation, Ibadan which centered on “Church Growth.” Three teachers taught for two Lord's days (April 3 & 10). Brother Destiny Sunday Elijah, one of our year-2 students, taught the men. Brother Lawrence Dada, another year-2 student, taught the women, while I taught the youth class. We taught on “Marks of the Growing Church” on April 3 and “A Faithful Christian” on April 10, 2016.

CAMPUS CHURCH: Brother Shotola Segun taught on “A Growing Church” on April 3, while brother Nnamdi Blessing admonished the campus church from the book of Jonah. On April 10, brother Samuel Peter taught on “Remember Your God Now that You are Young” (Eccl. 12), while brother Godwin Tobi admonished the campus church on “An Example” (1 Tim. 4:12).

WEEKEND EVANGELISM: Some staff and students of BVBIN / SWSE and some of the Onikokoro / Gbongudu congregation evangelized the Iletitun area of Lagelu Local Government of Oyo state, while brother Kayode Eniafe, brother Shotola Dele, brother Samuel Olorode, brother Godwin Ede, and some students evangelized Ikoyi town of Osun state on April 11, 2016 to the glory of God.

REPORT FROM FELLOW WBSFUW AND BVBIN &  SWSE GRADUATES: Brother Matthew Odey reported the conversion of two souls during last week at the Mary Land congregation in Lagos state, while brother Matthew Rowland reported the conversion of four souls to the glory of God at the Abusoro congregation in Akure, Ondo state where he is ministering.

GHANA TRIP: In continuation of our master’s program at Bear Valley Bible Institute graduate program in Accra, Ghana, I and brother Isaac Olaniyan will embark in a journey to the Gold country on April 16, Lord's willing, for a week intensive class on “Leadership” by brother Ralph Williams, and we hope to return to our father's land, Nigeria, on April 23, 2016 by God's grace.

We appreciate so much the financial support from brother Steven Ashcraft since last year when we joined the class in Ghana. Also, we appreciate brother Doug and brother Chad Wagner for the connection with the Bear Valley Bible Institute International of Denver, Colorado USA. Lastly, we thank you all for your great and wonderful contribution toward the growth of the Lord's church in Africa. May the Lord of blessing continue to bless you all is our fervent prayer.

Stay blessed and be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please, remember us in your daily prayers for a successful trip to and from Ghana.

Yours in His grace as a servant,
Makimde Ebens (Minister)

Brother Benard Found His Missing Rib: Think About It For A Minute...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from Cameroon. We are thankful to God for another new week. God is gracious to us helping us to accomplish the task of preaching and teaching daily.

This week, BVBIC and the congregations here are well. God took us to mission fields and brought us back safe and sound. The students in the Bible college are doing fine, happily studying to make themselves approved workmen who will not be ashamed, but divide the truth accordingly with joy in their respective locations after graduation come the end of this year.

Last week I spent some days in Yaoundé because we were supposed to submit documents to the ministry of social affairs. The hundreds of pages documents were submitted successfully and upon our return we met my son Ray sick. As I write this email, I am writing it in a ward in the hospital where my son is hospitalized. Keep Ray Jr. in your prayers.

The students who went out for weekend evangelism have returned, but I got the development of the works in the locations on the phone because I am not on campus now. Two souls were baptized yesterday. As they stood beside the river, they were prepared by our students to be baptized.

Yesterday, one of our alpha batch graduates, evangelist Namina Benard, who since graduation continues faithfully serving the Lord in the Mondoni Native congregation, finally found his missing rib yesterday. I was honored to be the speaker during the ceremony; it was colorful and it was also time to meet many of our graduates who came to grace the ceremony with their presence.

Plans
The Kumbo Bible school is inviting us in May for their second scholarships lectureship. We wait on the approval for us to attend from our coordinator and overseeing eldership. We were there during the first one and this time around they are fixing to give a topic to teach there.

Appreciations
Many thanks to you all for your help. God bless you for all that you are doing for the work here. Please share this work with others. I also have interest to attend the African claiming Africa for Christ conference in Senegal between August 4 -8 2016. Please, if you wish to attend to meet other brethren who are doing missionary works in Africa, you can go online and see how you can get an invitation www.ACACsenegal2016.org. I will solicit for any help to make it through there, mostly as other brethren will be teaching on many other subjects ranges from Congregational Development, Evangelism, Orphanage Care, and Bible colleges. It is rich as we can also have time to share with others what we are doing. I attended the last one four years ago in Zambia and attending this one will be of great help to what I am doing here.

God bless you.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Precious Souls Were Added To The Kingdom In Cameroon...

Hello, 

Greetings from Cameroon and from Mbanga, where the children of God are playing their own part in this world to see that the work of God should expand in this part of the cosmos. We are glad to be part of this big family that sits and thinks of souls every day in this life, even though with many obstacles, but our Lord still paves the way to His own children.

The school in Mbanga had been very busy for the past two weeks, both the students and some staff members, as we continued with mission work and weekend evangelism. We resumed studies on the 30th of March, 2016 and immediately traveled to Ebonji Tombel for the National youth forum where about 45 congregations were present at the ground with about 300 youth from the Churches of Christ in Cameroon, including the 6 students from our school of preaching. Evangelism was our main goal and at the end of four days, God added 7 precious souls into His vineyard. Some others were restored, in which among those restored members, we discovered a sister who has been in Mbanga for two years without knowing about the church, but on that faithful day she found some students along the way and was very happy to know that she can worship God again in spirit and in truth. God is so great and faithful because this sister could really maintain her words and keep her promises. She gladly worshiped yesterday with all her mind and all her soul. Please, let’s keep this sister in our prayers and many others who are still searching for the truth. Her name is Esther and she is a teacher in one of the primary schools in Mbanga. 

We still continue with our weekend evangelism as our students could not fold their hands because of the need of spiritual support in various places especially in some of the areas where they went for field work. Brother Philip had to go again in Mbouda to check on the 3 sisters that were restored during last quarter’s campaign and also some of the prospects they had in the Mbouda prison where they spent some time talking to prisoners, and some accepted to be baptized, but there is no baptistery in that prison. They had to book an appointment with the superintendent, but this could not work out well this time around. We know God can do something also, just like in other places. Maybe this can be another prison ministry in Mbouda. This was part of our late brother Albert’s work who died last year as a student in BVBIC-Mbanga.

The prison ministry in Mbanga is going on as some students have started assisting in the work with the minister Nicolas. We shall give you a report on this work as things keep unfolding.

Our school is on the third week of studies with the second year courses and we are doing great with all our instructors. Our God is blessing us greatly, but our students are facing some crisis with their family, mostly with their pregnant women as Sylvanus will be expecting the baby any time from now and our hospitals have been having bad report these days with pregnant women during delivery. Let’s join our heads together on their behalf.

We have kept aside the vision of opening new congregations in French Cameroon like in Sancho and Njombe, which is part of our mission. 

Our mission in the North was also successful, with 4 baptisms and our representatives were highly honored, that is the presence of Mamoudo Estephan and one instructor, Ename Paul, who did great in this mission. Some souls were also restored during this mission and this went a long way to expose the school and her works. It is a place to visit and to do great work as Estephan is planing to go and do full time preaching in this community. 

The Bibles are also being distributed to some members and new converts in and out of Mbanga. We thank you so much for the great sacrifice for the work in Cameroon and in Mbanga in particular.

I made a special trip to visit some students during field work, Philip and Abraham with some members of the church in Mbouda and Benjamin, along with the sister who gave accommodation for the young students in the University of Dschang. These congregations do not have preachers and they are left with just 2 brothers with a few sisters who are managing the assemblies. According to my personal research, they are in need of a permanent preacher, but the means are not available. What do we do. God knows how. We are doing our best to help as we can, but still the work is plenty but the laborers are few.

Thanks and have a blessed day.

Ititi

A Time Of Transition...

Last Monday and Tuesday, the majority of the extension staff involved in the program traveled to Denver for our annual spring meeting. The time was filled with discussions about current activities, needs, and plans for each location where representatives were present. The meeting consisted of wonderful fellowship in addition to the encouragement shared from the great work that occurs around the world.

While we were together, it was an opportunity for me to inform the staff of the program about the plans Sheryl and I made at the end of 2016. We will be moving from Denver to live near our children and grandchildren in Louisiana. While it was not an easy decision, it is one that we are excited about because of the opportunity to watch our grandchildren grow up. I will work with a location congregation on a part-time basis, but my primary focus of work will be in leadership development. I plan to work on a curriculum and seminar material that can be used within the church and eventually with the extension program.

I am thankful for the opportunity entrusted to me by the Bear Valley elders and Denny Petrillo to work with the extension program for the past seven years. Although I will not serve as the director of the program, I plan to help in various ways when the opportunity is available. 

Keith Kasarjian has accepted the position of Director of Extension Schools for the Bear Valley Bible Institute. He continues to exemplify what the program is all about, and his involvement with the program since 1999 demonstrates his dedication to the work of training preachers. We will work on the transition over the next few months. If Keith is not on your email list to receive reports, or for other communication, please add him: kkasarjian@wetrainpreachers.com. 

Please pray for Sheryl and myself as we make the transition to Louisiana, but I also ask that you pray for Keith as he continues to lead the program of extension training. 

Now on to this week’s incredible 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

Churches Are Outgrowing Their Space As The Word Is Preached: At least two congregations are noted for their growth and the need of more benches to accommodate all who attend.

While On Furlough, The Spradlins Share Exciting News: The work in Paraguay continues to demonstrate the influence of strong leadership as the program and local church grow.

Follow-up With Local Congregations In Northern Ghana Encourages The Church: News from Tamale indicates the local work is growing as students assist in follow-up.

A Successful Lectureship In Nepal Was Just Completed: The most well attended lectureship in Nepal took place in March and the results encouraged the brethren.

Student Outreach Program At ACSOP Brings Much Joy And Fruit: The development of the student outreach in Tanzania is encouraging to read, as you will see in this report.

Final Thoughts
Thank you for the great encouragement and support you provide to me personally and for the entire program. This entire program rests on the shoulders of the great men and women who are connected around the world. The dedication of those who do this work in each location globally make it successful. We are all thankful for the opportunity to stand beside these individuals and participate in kingdom work.

God bless
Bob

Churches Are Outgrowing Their Space As The Word Is Preached...

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from this part of the globe. We are happy this way and we do hope all is well with you and the family there.

The Wotutu congregation entered into the new month of April sound, and the church is healthy. Keep praying for us as the general theme for the year: “My Year of Determination” continues to create impact in the lives of many here.

The students in BVBIC-Wotutu continue to grow as they prepare for full time ministry come the end of this year. The students are growing and they will start research of different topics which will be documented in our school and they will go with a copy. We are still delaying to get our computer and internet going. This will help the students get access to the internet. Our computers are all down because of a power problem on our building.

I analyzed the theme of the month. “Total Transformation,” Eze. 37:1-11. It was great today in Wotutu as many of our visitors confessed the emptiness of their dry bones and that they need the word to gain flesh and be a living being.

The congregation in Wotutu is getting filled weekly. More benches will be needed pretty soon. Keep this work in your prayers as the Lord’s blessings attract the devil to come closer.

Today our congregation was blessed with the gift of a child through the family of brother Lovert. Little Eboli Daniel came in as a set of twins, but one pass away. Keep this family in your prayers.

The children of the Brightland Christian Academy displayed how they can smile and how they are clean. Many thanks to all who are involved in making this possible. Tomorrow we shall appear before the minister of social affairs to hand all the documents. We have been operating the home for the past one year now, and at the level of our region the delegates go and check all the documents to make the home legal. This is the final stage to hand over the documents for final authorization. Keep me and my wife in your prayers as we travel early in the morning to Yaoundé.

The Lord added brother Robert in Wotutu congregation.

The Lord added brother Rene, who obeyed the gospel. Our mission printing tracts and our early morning radio program is making an impact in the entire community.

Plans
Likomba mission is growing. The new congregation is growing so rapidly that we need more benches now, if possible, to handle many more people who are discovering the congregation and the New Testament worship in that community.

Appreciation
Thank you Lord for all that you are using your people to do in the life of this congregation and the work in Cameroon. Thank you for allowing the Lord to use you.

Share this with many others in your life.

Elangwe and family
By His grace Director BVBIC-Wotutu

Student Outreach Program At ACSOP Brings Much Joy And Fruit...

In my previous report I shared with you in numbers, the progress and success we have had so far in our evangelism program here at ACSOP. It has continued to be one of the best ways for the school to work and strengthen congregations around the area. About 13 congregations have been blessed both physically and spiritually in this program for the past few months. The program brought about unity among the churches in the northern circuit. We are now, to a large extent, speaking the same sound doctrine, and our students have done a great job in teaching and edifying brethren. This program has helped to restore one congregation which turned away and followed the belief of binding one cup. Kingori church of Christ has about 35 intact church members and now they are worshipping God in a biblical way. Please continue to pray for this wonderful tool the school is using to reach many every weekend when the students are not in class.

Here are statistics of ACSOP student evangelism program for the month of March, 2016. (Report from 40 students and 6 faculty staff at ACSOP)

1.    Tracts handled out - 210
2.    Bible correspondence courses - 60
3.    Bible classes conducted - 168
4.    Active Bible classes - 53
5.    Baptisms - 14
6.    Restorations - 8

“Then He said to His disciples, “ The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Therefore beseech the Lord of harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 NASB).

It is my sincere hope that you will never get too tired to pray for this wonderful work that is going on here at the school of training men to go and teach in their local areas. May the Lord God open more doors to reach good hearts and add them to the church before it is too late.

Thank you again for your support and prayers as we all continue working for Him and the Kingdom.

In Him,

Godfrey Mngoma
Dean of Students, Andrew Connally School of Preaching
A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school
Arusha, Tanzania

A Successful Lectureship In Nepal Was Just Completed...

Almost eleven months ago Nepal was hit by the first of a series of earthquakes that have devastated the country. Border blockages halting all international commerce has crippled the country over the past six months. All import items, especially food and petrol products, which include fuel for all motor vehicles plus cooking gas, have been on dangerously short supply. The result is that Nepal is really hurting and the people have no control, nor even a voice, about making the future better.

It is under these extreme circumstances that we had our best-attended lectureship at the Nepal Center For Biblical Study [NCBS] from March 8-11. We had many church leaders from many congregations all over Nepal, and also some from India. Over one hundred people composed the audience at most of our classes. Everyone was requested to read the book of Acts two or more times before coming for these classes. Our focus was on church growth. The emphasis was on what the early Christians did to grow the church … BUT … special attention was always directed at the ATTITUDE that was behind their behavior. We were blessed by good lessons from six Nepali preachers and three American teachers. That blessing was multiplied by the discussions and question/answer sessions that marked most classes.

Our lectureship ended Friday afternoon by distributing $160,000 to church leaders in many earthquake damaged areas to assist in rebuilding homes. In the past we have provided food items, clothing, blankets, cooking utensils, weather protection, and other necessities as the needs demanded. None of this could have been done without the love, generosity, and cooperation between local church leaders and concerned Christian individuals, congregations, and groups in America. We thank them and we thank God for this outpouring of love expresses in financial aid. As you would expect, the donations have slowed down mightily, yet we will still be able to offer some assistance in the future.

Our twelve students began classes last November. They will go home for their first holiday on April 1, returning three weeks later. It is always exciting to have their family and friends notice their progress in Bible knowledge, their enthusiasm to serve, and their ability to teach and preach God’s word.  

Gajendra, Arun, Parsuram, and I will visit a number of village congregations, most of which will have graduates of NCBS or present students, for teaching, fellowship, and encouragement. Sunita will join one of these groups to provide guidance and teaching to the ladies.  

Craig and Teresa Phillips will host a special lectureship in Pokhara in May. Eddie Cloer, editor of Truth For Today, and father of Teresa, will be the guest speaker at this time. We plan to take our twelve students to the classes and also to help in personal work in the Pokhara area.

NCBS will host our first Ladies Lectureship and Classes from June 7-10. Christian ladies from all parts of Nepal and some from India will join us in this labor of love. As with the March lectureship, we will pay for their transportation, food, and lodging. The theme of this meeting will be determined soon. We expect the teachers to come well prepared and we request that the class does the same by studying prior to entering the classroom.

The first paragraph of this report focused on our problems. The rest of the letter talks about our spiritual blessings. We are truly blessed and thankful. Life has its way of reminding us to “Set your minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).

May the grace, peace, and blessings of God be with all of you in your work for the Lord’s kingdom, wherever that may be.

Gajendra Deshar  gajendra_deshar@yahoo.com
Jerry Golphenee  jrgx21958@gmail.com

Follow-up With Local Congregations In Northern Ghana Encourages The Church...

Greetings,

I wish to submit a report on activities going on at the Bear Valley Bible Institute, Tamale-Ghana. 

In line with the decision of the Board of Director, there was the need to make a followup to the various congregations our graduates are working with. In implementing this directive, the board was divided into teams. The first team was made of Brother Francis Ayine,(Coordinator), Brother Adjei Mensah, (Dean of Students), and Brother Jacob Adjei Yeboah, (Administrator).

They were able to visit seven congregations all situated in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

The preachers working with these congregations are:

1. Preacher Rockson Akugri - Tongo Central Church
2. Preacher Isaac Ayamga - Seregu Church
3. Preacher Jacob Awintoya- Sunburungu Church
4. Preacher Roger Ayilah - Bolgatanga Church
5. Preacher Stephen Abugbilla -Atuba Church
6. Preacher Jacob Ninchema - Kuka Church
7. Preacher Joseph Molsak - Bawku Central Church

The team has since returned and the feedback from the various congregations where they visited is very encouraging. The team also discussed with the congregations how best they could seek the financial welfare of their preachers. This is because reports reaching the Institute state that most of the preachers are not offered any support, and the fear is that this might discourage the preachers and probably make them seek jobs which can offer them some financial support to care for their families.

It is hoped that by this visits members of the various congregations will be edified. 

The second team is also preparing to take up visits to congregations situated in the eastern corridor - Yendi, Salaga, Saboba and Zabzugu-Tamale. 

Once again we greet all in his vineyard and also express our profound thanks to all those who in diverse ways make these activities possible.

Baah Joseph Okyere
Director