Dear brethren in Christ,
Greetings to you in the precious name of Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. We are doing good, and the Lord’s work is going on great.
Faculty meeting:
The new batch of students have started taking classes from the first week of July, that is on the 3rd. We have 14 students enrolled for this batch so far. On the 19th of June we held faculty meeting to discuss about our new academic year and corresponding place. We also discussed about who teaches what subjects. We spent whole discussing these things in two sessions, we are thankful the God is giving us knowledge to enhance our capability in training the next generation evangelists.
Gospel Campaign Week:
Last week our students spent a week long time in the villages near Pydikonda. Gospel campaign week, its a program to hold personal Bible Studies, gospel meetings and Bible classes. They have travelled from Visakhaptanm to Pydikonda on train from there they travelled on Auto to reach the destination.
It was a team work for those days by the faculty and the students. Daily schedule begins with a Prayer and devotional. They start the program with a prayer, divide into groups and walk in the streets of the villages.
Some of the near by preachers have also joined with us. Our students have visited 1600 homes and distributed gospel tracts. Our students and faculty have divided up into groups and held 54 personal bible studies during this campaign. This campaign also given opportunity to visit hundreds of family who are not Christian but have asked to pray for them.
This given opportunity to our students to learn and understand the need of evangelism also comforting. We truly believe that so many people are in need of comfort, because our modern India’s economical benefits are not reaching several millions of people especially those who are farmers and lives on small businesses and daily labour are facing it more. So the prayer of comfort and strengthen the soul was done during our campaign. Our students have learned to encourage those who are without hope and faith.
In addition to personal bible studies, gospel tract distribution and offering prayers, during this campaign we held three gospel meetings in the night, one final meeting at the end of the campaign. As a result 3 souls have been added to the Church, we have given bibles as a token of welcoming them in to our Church family. Attached are the pictures showing the activity of the gospel campaign held last week.
Truly our students are blessed to learn to about the one on one study and also public evangelism. Our task of training the next generation evangelists has begun for this year with this new batch of students. We are hoping that they will gradually learn the word of God in the class room and evangelism work through the out reach programs. Hoping to see them completing their two year program. Kindly continue your prayers.
Gratitude:
We are thankful to the brethren at Strickland for their continued support, we do thank the Elders for overseeing this work also for sending Bro. Jerry Bates to check on the work in real time. We highly appreciate the Elders and members of the Church at Lake Houston Church of Christ for their continued trust and confidence.
We have been hearing in the news about the flooding caused due to hurricane Harvey, we are mindful of those victims, may God comfort them and provide them. I have been in touch with brother James Brown, one of the Elders at Lake Houston to find out the welfare about the brethren living in the Houston city, especially in Humble area.
Things are keeping us so busy, they are just indescribable, your continued prayers would be highly appreciated.
Thanking you all so much, in Christ and His service,
M. Samuel Raju, Director
John Dean M, Dean
Visakha Valley Bible College