Dear friends and brethren,
It is our earnest desire that this short report finds each of you busy in service to the Lord and ready for HIs return whenever that may be (Matt. 25:46). Our brethren in East Africa have busied themselves with kingdom work, watering and sowing the seed in the hearts of men, and indeed they have done so in good soil as God has certainly given an increase. Daniel Gaines recently wrote:
“A few weeks ago we announced to you a new outreach initiative that partners the Andrew Connally School of Preaching and the local congregations. Through this effort our preaching students are being sent to area congregations on weekends to help with evangelistic efforts, and serve in worship service. After the first month of this program, we are very happy to announce that good fruits are already being produced. So far this effort has resulted in 17 baptisms! Additionally, 21 unfaithful souls have been restored to the Lord's church. I am so proud of our students, and I look forward to seeing all of the ways that God continues to use them.”
Losotwa Michael. the Andrew Connally School of Preaching Dean of Academics, had this to say:
This week is one of the busy weeks in ACSOP the instructors especially those who are working with the translation team. The translation team this week dealt with translating a series of six lessons from English to Swahili each one of them has three to five pages. These series of lessons are purposed to be used in June evangelism campaign. This work was assigned to be done for three days. The good thing is the work is done on time and it has been submitted to the chief of translators.
This second quarter of studies here in ACSOP is impressive. Our lecturers are working harder and harder to impart to these fellows the knowledge of God’s word. They are doing exactly what I have quoted above for this week. The first year students are showing a great improvement in their studies. Last quarter we had some who were struggling to cope with their studies but now they are okay.
On the other hand things are moving well with the ACSOP staff; all the cooks, cleaners and students are okay. We all are enjoying God’s blessing of heavy rains here in Arusha. The school farm and the vegetable garden are blooming. We hope this year we will have a good harvest of corn and more vegetables.
We ought always to GIVE THANKS to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting..." (II Thess. 1:3) for all you have done and for your faith in us and the work going on here. "Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified..." (II Thess. 3:1)
PRAYERS FOR THE STAFFORD'S
Please remember Cy and Stephanie Stafford in your prayers. When this report hits your inbox Cy will be on his way back to Tanzania while Stephanie stays stateside to care for her ailing mother. The situation is not ideal but at this point it is their only option. The separation will be difficult. Our love for the Stafford’s is immense and we admire their willingness to put the care of the lost in Tanzania and the care of a loving mother ahead of anything else. I know Cy and Stephanie would appreciate any encouragement you could offer, especially while they are separated. They can be reached at cstafford@wetrainpreachers.com.
SURGERY SCHEDULED
I am glad to report that my surgery has finally been scheduled for May 8th at Baylor Hospital in Trophy Club, TX. So many good people have worked selflessly on my behalf to make sure this could happen. I thank God for each of them daily and hope that in some small way they are aware of the the deep gratitude Anita and I have for every dollar and every prayer offered on our behalf. If all goes according to plan, the surgeon will swap the bad disc in my neck for a synthetic one and voilà I’ll be gorgeous again. Well, at least my neck and arms will feel better. If you're in the area, stop by and I'll be glad to share my jello with you.
I can hardly wait to dig in to this new phase of the work!! What a tremendous joy to work alongside good brethren to prepare and train faithful men to preach the gospel to a world that desperately needs to know about our Savior. Can there be any more noble cause? Certainly not!
As we close, please know that we are grateful for all you do for the kingdom. As senders and goers for the Lord, we make a great team. Thank you for the support and the privilege of making it possible to serve our God in this capacity.
Until next time, take care and God bless,
Sean & Anita