Souls saved in Nairobi

NAIROBI SCHOOL OF PREACHING UPDATE

We great you all in the mighty name of God, Amen. We give thanks to God for this wonderful opportunity and give thanks for your continual support in the kingdom. BVBI Nairobi continues to be a part time school with total of 9 students. 

We are so thankful for the work that’s going on in the villages surrounding the school and within Nairobi by students and faculty who take part in monthly evangelism work and help in doing rotational preaching in this congregations. There has been also internal mission work seminars done by both students and faculty.  We are in our 2nd year 3rd quarter just concluded with Old Testament Minor Prophets.

 The School has just closed for the holidays and we will resume on 7th Jan 2023 God willing We also appreciate for the E-LIBRARY that’s making work easier for the trainers and students too, it has been a great tool to the entire institution.

BAPTISMS

As we are commanded in the book of mark 16:15-16 to GO in the world, there has been a total of 43 baptisms that resulted to the birth of two congregations, 7 restored souls and 1 restored congregation 

✓ Kimunye church of Christ   [new]

✓ Thika church of Christ     [new]             

✓Brookside church of Christ [restored]

PRAYER REQUESTS

We request for prayers to our students, faculty and all Christians during this period and especially when schools are yet to be opened on January. We also request prayers for evangelism work and ability to send brothers/students to help ministering to this newly started congregations to grow in numbers and spiritually. 

Conclusion

We thank you very much for your physical and financial support in enabling BVBI [NSOP] achieve what’s written in 2Tim 2:2 

Kennedy Munubi Kenne

Samson Omutele 

Still serving God in Ukraine

Dear brethren and congregations,

I am  very grateful to the Lord for all your fervent prayers and aid that you've been providing for Ukraine. Many of you know that we fight for our freedom in all aspects. There's no secret that Russia wants to destroy everything about our culture, morals and religion. This winter will be the most terrifying for all parts of our country. We lack electricity, mobile and internet connection, water and heat. The pressure of the problems increases daily. For instance, in the beginning of November we would not have electricity for 5-6 hours a day, but these days we only have it for 4-5 hours. It does not give us enough time to charge our phones and place calls. The occupants keep destroying our civil infrastructure by missiles and deprive us of the basic human necessities. However, the church continues to congregate and help people. Our Bible Institute is in session. The Gospel is being preached without ceasing. It gives us joy and hope for the future.

The Bible Institute and our students.

In November and December our students had 1 and 2nd Corinthians (Instructor Dmitry Galyuk) and Denominational Doctrines (Instructor Dennis Sopelnik).   Also in November we had Terry Harmon for a few days. He led the worship and encouraged many of our number. In the end of December going into the beginning of January our students will have a few weeks of winter  break. The office place where we have classes has heat which is very irregular. By God's providence the office building is connected by the power lines to the military hospital and it almost always gives us electricity, water and heating. If the situation doesn't worsen next year we will be relocating back to the Bila Tserkva.

Bela Tserkva Church of Christ.

Every Sunday we keep helping our refugees with the grocery care bags. It's a big help for the local community. The government doesn't have enough funds to supply the needy with everything necessary and the huge load is shared by the humanitarian aid relief organizations as well as churches. During the last Sunday gathering about 20 people got food and heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So many are presented  with the opportunity to become members of the Lord's family.

We are grateful for all your prayers and support. Nobody could imagine that the country in the middle of Europe would struggle with electrical supplies,  Internet connection and heating during the coldest part of the year and beg God to let the next missile land elsewhere, not on your house.

May God keep each of you safe. Count every blessing and don't take for granted everything we have daily.

Your brother and coworker in the Lord's vineyard,

Dennis Sopelnik

A great year in Port Harcourt

END OF THE YEAR 2022 PROGRESS OF BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE RIVERS STATE NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA

For the two centers of Bear Valley Bible Institute in Rivers State Nigeria, the year 2022 was a great year. Our lectures and evangelism outreaches were carried out successfully from January to December. As at the time of this report which is December, 2022 we had a total of 53 active students at our two centers. We are preparing to graduate our first set of 36 students at the 2nd quarter of 2023.

STUDY OF TWO COURSES PER MONTH BEGAN IN JANUARY 2022 AND CONTINUED TILL DECEMBER 2022

We are happy to report that we started the study of two courses per month from January 2022 and we did not stop till December 2022. We covered 24 courses in 2022 alone and with the new scheme; we can graduate our students in two years, instead of the 4 year scheme. We therefore, thank the International Management of Bear Valley Bible Institute for the approval of the upgrade.

OCTOBER 2022 FLOOD DISASTER IN NIGERIA AFFECTED MANY OF OUR STUDENTS IN AHOADA CENTER

It is important to report that many of our students were victims of the serious flood disaster that happened in Nigeria in October which lasted till the end of November, 2022. At the peak of the flood, our students who were victims of the flood, left their homes and took shelter at church halls and public halls. However, within the period of the flood we did not stop our weekend lectures. Our lectures were going on and our students were coming from various quarters where they were taking shelter.

Nevertheless, the flood made us to cancel the proposed four field discipleship training planned for our students and members of churches of Christ in the vicinity. As at the time of this report, the victims of the flood are still suffering. We are appealing for support from concerned brethren in Christ to help the victims of the flood to resettle.

LAST QUARTER OF THE YEAR 2022 EVANGELISM - OUTREACH

Students of Bear Valley Bible Institute in Rivers state Nigeria are very much active in evangelism in the state and beyond.

 On Saturday 29th October, 2022, the students and teachers at Port Harcourt Center went out for evangelism at Nwogu Street, D – line, Port Harcourt. The students went to the streets and houses in the neighborhood and shared the gospel of Christ to the people. At the end, two persons were baptized and a Christian who was living there without knowing where to worship was discovered and brought to the church   meeting place. We hope that some other prospects will be baptized as the follow up is ongoing.

In conclusion, the year 2022 was a great year for Bear Valley Bible Institute in Rivers State Nigeria. We thank our sponsors and everyone who contributed to our success. We hope to achieve more in the New Year ahead.

Report from:

Anthony E. Oluria (Director of studies)

Sierra Leone schools organize evangelism teams

Bear Valley Bible Institute Sierra Leone

ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER, 2022

Full-Time and the Extended Programs

 INTRODUCTION                     

We are delighted again as the family of the Kenema Bear Valley Bible Institute, Sierra Leone to come your way with our November report, our dearly beloved brethren. We are hopeful that God has been taking care of you all, just as He has been doing for us here. This is another opportunity we have to share with you our exciting and successful October report. In November, our full-time program resumed its classes. Brother Steve Ashcraft held a meeting with our proposed evangelistic team leaders and ten souls were converted and four brethren were restored to their usefulness before the Lord. For more details on the above activities, please we encourage you to keep on reading. 

RESUMPTION OF CLASSES (Full-Time Program)

In our October report, we informed you that our 19 full-time students completed their first-year session and were going on a month's break to resume on November 19. Through God’s providence, all of them resumed and joined the extended students to continue steadfastly with all the activities of the school, be it academic or evangelistic. We thank you all for your prayers and your financial aid brethren. 

CONVERSION OF SOULS THROUGH ALUMNI EFFORTS AND THE SCHOOL’S WEEKEND EVANGELISM ACTIVITY

The task of saving souls is a task that is not limited to only an individual; it is every Christian’s duty. It is on this note that we want to commend our graduates over the years who are actively involved in the ministry work in their various communities. Just as we informed you in our previous reports, our graduates are constantly in touch with us and we visit them to see the work they are doing. Not only that, they send us reports from time to time which we put together to share with you. Therefore, for the past November, their evangelistic efforts resulted in 7 souls, coupled with the school’s weekend evangelistic program that resulted in 3 conversions and 4 restorations. So in brief, 10 souls were converted and 4 brethren were restored in November. Please we plead with you to continue to pray for these new babies in Christ. 

BROTHER STEVE’S MEETING WITH THE EVANGELISTIC TEAM LEADERS

We continue to be very thankful to God for having a brother like Steve in the church. His love for the dying sinners and the lost souls is worth commending. For some months he has been sharing the vision he has with us; this vision is to maximize our efforts in converting more souls, establishing and sustaining more congregations, and strengthening more congregations that are on the verge of dying as a result of many factors, etc. Since it is for this reason that we are also involved in the work of the ministry, we quickly embraced his vision, and we quickly put the vision into action. We began to organize evangelistic teams in various places in Sierra Leone. It was the leaders of those various teams that Steve had a meeting with at the Bear Valley campus on November 2. The meeting was a very successful one especially as all the attendees were very grateful to Steve and every Christian that is supporting the work of God in Sierra Leone. It was echoed during the meeting that many successes will be recorded with the efforts of these teams in 2023 by the special grace of God. During the meeting, we had representatives from Freetown, Bo, Kono, Kenema, Kailahun, and Koindu.  

CONCLUSION

In every aspect, we are very grateful to God for making us useful in His vineyard. Moreover, we continue to appreciate you and pray also for you daily, our dearly beloved brethren. Till we meet again in December, Lord willing, may you remain blessed in the Lord.

Warri, Nigeria students baptize four during their campaign

REPORT OF THE BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE – WARRI CENTERS 

OCTOBER –DECEMBER 2022.

INTRODUCTION

We are, indeed, thankful to God Almighty for another successful year. Watching the year draw to a close shows us how mindful God has been in our affairs. We have recorded no deaths of any student in our centers, instead, about three students got married and we are thankful. We are also grateful for the resuscitation of interest in the growth of the churches of Christ in Nigeria via the Bear Valley Study Centers. The Bear Valley Family is growing and her impact is felt in the most remote part of this country. To this end, the Bear Valley Family Warri Center expresses her profound gratitude to God almighty and to the entire crew of the Bear Valley family in Denver, United States.

 ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

Academic activities have been in top gear at the DSC center. Godwin Ojocheogwu taught the class on Church Planting-Mission 1 in October 2022. It was an eye-opening experience for the students especially on why new churches should be founded and the way to go about it. In November 2022, Abiola Vincent discussed the Book of James. In December, Solomon Usim is presently discussing Bible Geography. The students at the DSC Center are in high spirits as they navigate through the Bible lands creating mental pictures and grasping bible descriptions of places. We are delighted!  

 PTI CENTER

The PTI Center is also doing very well. In October 2022, Solomon Usim discussed the course on Personal Evangelism. The course helped the students in developing skills on how to better their personal evangelism and congregational growth.  In November, Godwin Ojocheogwu taught the Book of James. Also, this December, Meredith Ovwromoh is teaching Old Testament II, the Book of Job. To this end, we can say that we are doing good.

CAMPAIGN PROGRAM

On the 16th of November 2022, one of the Bear Valley students, Justice Memeh, preaching for the church of Christ Igbogidi Orhuwhorun, Udu LGA of Delta State, invited the students for a one-day door-to-door evangelism in conjunction with the Gospel Chariot. The students came out in their numbers and evangelized the Igbogidi community. At the end of the evangelism program, a total of four (4) baptisms were had. Furthermore, on Saturday, the 19th of November 2022, the students gathered on the invitation of bro Brown Oyoyo (Bear Valley Student), the preacher of the church of Christ Ojikpata, Orhuwhorun, Udu LGA of Delta State. Until the time of this report no baptisms yet.

CHALLENGES

The challenges are more or less normal. There cannot be any positive endeavor without its challenges. The harsh economic climate in Nigeria is affecting all facets of life. The dwindling state of the Naira and the high rate of the dollar and other hard currencies has made life almost unbearable for Nigerians. As a result of the increase in Fuel pump prices, transportation for students has become more difficult than ever.  Some students coming from afar find it difficult to keep up with classes. Moreover, we had about three marriages this year and two pregnant mothers. These ones have temporarily put a stop to their studies but hope to resume as soon as the coast is clear.

CONCLUSION

This year has seen a beehive of activities and renewed zeal in areas of evangelism and a rich curriculum for preachers and congregations. We thank the Bear Valley Family for this renewed interest. We are also grateful, not just for the curriculum support, but for supporting the teachers financially. This has helped some of the teachers/preachers to augment the support they get from the church, which mostly amounts to nothing. The reawakening of interest created by the Bear Valley schools has created interconnectivity among preachers and churches. Thus, we can safely conclude that the efforts of the school cannot be quantified. It's simply huge!

Tamale students conduct their final campaign before graduation

BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE, TAMALE - GHANA

NOVEMBER 2022 OPERATING REPORT 

We had some great successes in the month of November, 2022 at the Bear Valley Institute of Biblical Studies in Tamale. These successes were both within and outside of campus. We hereby wish to report them.

LECTURSHIP

We had a visiting instructor from our sister school in Accra (Southern Institute of Biblical Studies) to teach the last course of the 2021/2022 batch of students in the person of Yaw Amoo Gyimah. He taught Church History and it was our joy to host him.  

KPALSI SOUTH CONGREGATION

The local Church in Kpalsi South took a step further in appointing some brethren to serve in some committees to help the preacher in steering the affairs of the church. We had some committees like; The Evangelism Committee, Benevolence Committee, Administrative Committee and the Finance Committee. It is our desire to hold fast to the doctrines of Christ and to work collectively to grow the church. We are positive of the future of this congregation, and will do all we can to protect and defend the doctrines of Christ. It is our desire to create room for all persons, especially men who are faithful to serve the Lord in accordance with scriptures. Room is also made to continuously include students who are capable in these committees to also serve as a learning process for them. We were privileged to have the director of the school in the person of Brother Daniel Adjei Mensah to give us a wonderful sermon. We give God the glory.

CAMPAIGN AND EVANGELISM

In the month of November 2022, the school embarked on an evangelistic campaign to the Upper West Region, specifically, Kogri under the Lawra municipality. This was the last evangelistic exercise done by the 2021/2022 batch of students as part of their course requirements. It was a wonderful and successful journey. We were privileged to have Brother Thomas Donzie of the Jirapa congregation with us.

 We embarked on this journey between the 7th and the 14th of November, 2022. All eight students, in addition with some past students, were part of this journey. The director of the school was also involved in this evangelistic journey. 

We left Tamale on the 7th of November, around the hours of 8am in the morning. We arrived at Kogri around 11:46pm on the night of the 7th, almost into the following day. 

We began our work on the 8th of November, 2022. We divided ourselves into groups and went out on our door-to-door evangelism. In the evening, public preaching was done to complement the door-to-door evangelism. The people were very receptive and welcoming. The community is dominated by idolatry, Islam and Roman Catholics. 

The good news was that the chief of the community, who is a very elderly man, is a member of the church. It was his joy hosting us in his community to give strength to the church. He supported us with a goat, a fowl and an amount of Gh₵20.00 cash as a sign of his appreciation and joy of our presence there. He also made announcements to the community to create an awareness of our presence. This made the work a bit easier for us.

From the 7th to the 13th of November, we had the door-to-door evangelism during the day and public preaching in the evenings. The men who did the public preaching were; Thomas Donzie, Baaba Elija, Emmanuel Balefam, Daniel Adjei Mensah and James Bisong Legend. The event was very fruitful. On the 14th of November, which was the first day of the week, we worshiped with the church. Brother James Legend did the Sunday School Adults Bible Class, while Brother Abraham gave the sermon. We recorded an attendance of 97 people in total. 

After the worship, we met with some of the men who were capable of leading in the church to encourage them as well as give them some guidance on how to help the congregation to stand. We also told them the need for those who have the desire to preach to attend the Bible School. Brother Samuel Saakuu Baaro, who is a past student of BVBI Tamale campus, is the one overseeing the running of the church along with Brother Alfred and Tuokyen who are all past students of BVBI. 

At the end of the one week evangelistic campaign, 16 new souls were added to the church, and 8 souls were restored. We thank the Lord and the sponsors who made this journey possible.

VISITATION, RECRUITMENT AND INTERVIEWS

Brother James Bisong Legend in the month of November embarked on a two days visitation journey to the Yendi Bimbila road in an effort to strengthen some congregations and to also recruit students. He took advantage to worship with the Duuni congregation on the 20th of November, where Brother Francis Waajah, a graduate of BVBI Tamale serves as a preacher. The church was very happy with his presence.

We have also started interviewing potential students for the next academic year as the 2021/2022 batch of students is done with their course. We are hoping to improve on many things as we move forward as an institution.  

ANNUAL WOMEN SEMINAR

The Northern Women annual seminar that brings together women across the breadth and length of Northern Ghana this year took place in the premises of the Bear Valley Campus in Tamale. The Kpalsi South church building was used for the event. It brought together a number of women from different congregations across the North. It was a success as they lectured themselves on marriage and the home and other relevant topics. The event ended with a joint worship service that brought together all the congregations in Tamale Township. 

God be glorified for all these successes. 

Thank you sir,

Bear Valley, Tamale.  

Luanshya staff and students conduct gospel meetings and a wedding

November, 2022 Report

Introduction

Once again Bear Valley Bible Institute Zambia’s (BVBIZ) goal to advance the kingdom of God throughout Zambia and Africa at large was realized in the month of October when we just graduated eleven men.

The Planting Season 

The rainy season has just started a few weeks ago in the month of November.  The meteorological department of Zambia has forecasted that the nation will experience normal to above-normal rainfall this season.  Hence, farmers are very busy cultivating and planting their seeds. The school thought it wise to push forward the start of the new intake to the first week of January 2023. This is to allow our new students to cultivate and plant their fields. 

New Intake (2023)

We are expecting five married men and nine unmarried men to begin class in January 2023. The new intake will represent about seven Provinces of Zambia. We will have for the first time one student from the town of Zambezi in the North-Western Province of Zambia.  This town borders the country of Angola. We understand that the church is still at its infant stage in Angola probably due to the prolonged civil war the country experienced. The scarcity of the church in neighboring Angola makes the area a very ripe field to work for our graduates. Three men from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have so far expressed interest to come and be part of the 2023 class. All three are from the town of Kolwezi in DRC. The information is still inadequate concerning the growth of the church in the entire country of DRC, but whatever we know about it leaves much to be desired. We are hopeful that there will be a positive change (minimal as it might be) once the prospective students from there graduate and go back to work in their own country. 

Evangelism After Graduation (2022)

BVBI-Zambia organized evangelism in Luanshya District three days after our 3rd graduation day on 22nd October 2022. All our graduates were allowed to preach in the congregations we had worked with during their two years time of training here in Luanshya and the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. This was so because on their graduation day we received a good number of members of the Lord’s Church from within Luanshya and a good representation from the Copperbelt churches of Christ. They gave our students gifts to thank them for their participation in the work of God during their time of training.

We as administration at BVBIZ were very much impressed with the obvious amount of work and dedication expressed by our students.  We have received good reports from congregations were we did not reach but managed to send our students to do the work there.

When Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are special people he also says “that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Paul in 2 Timothy 3:17, after saying that all scripture is inspired, gives the reason for its purpose: “that the saints of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” We are playing our part until we all attain the unity of faith.

Baptisms 

It was a real joy to witness the birth of Mailes Sekelani, Fridah Chisenga, Lumbu Kapamba, Mirriam Chimowa, Emmaness Namwanda, Ruth Masonga, Memory Mulubwa, Moreen Kaunda, Chinyanta Mumba who were baptized in the month of November. We also recorded two baptisms from Southern Province where Daniel Kapata is preaching and one in Northern Province where Reuben Museka is preaching. Simon Nkhazi baptized the woman he has betrothed for marriage, his fiancé (the two intend to marry next year). It was a good sight to see a preacher baptizing his wife-to-be. We are proud of our students who are working so diligently for the Lord! 

Restorations 

We have also recorded thirteen souls restored in the sheepfold in the Chingola District of the Copperbelt Province and three other in Mtendere of Lusaka where Simon Nkhazi is preaching. Nicholus Mulubwa updated us with six restorations in Samfya District where he is preaching. We have recorded a total of twenty-two restorations in the month of November. We give God the Glory for this!! 

Marriage Blessings! 

Our Institute has continued to be a center of blessings of marriages. As we conclude the year 2022, we witnessed once again a blessing of Mwaka Musonda and Carren Chilufya into holy matrimony held on 3rd December 2022. The marriage blessing ceremony was conducted and officiated by Brother Cephas Mwamba. 

Mwaka Musonda (the groom) a resident of Kalulushi where his parents stay, married Carren Chilufya (Bride) whose parents stay in Luanshya District.  So we had the church in Luanshya and Kalulushi come together for this wedding. Kalulushi is 143 kilometers west of Luanshya District. This blessing was witnessed by many Christians on the Copperbelt. We continue to thank God for the recognition our Institute is enjoying here in Zambia. We anticipate a lot of good things to happen as we labor in the vineyard of our master.

Conclusion

Thank you all of you for the partnership! And please continue to pray for the overall work that we are involved in here in Zambia. Pray for wisdom, support, and perseverance and for the Word of God to continuously have an impact on our lives and also the lives of those we are teaching.

We will likewise pray that God will bless the works that you all are involved in as well.

In His Service,

Cephas and Fred 

Ghana students baptize 20 souls

WEST COAST SCHOOL OF PREACHING OPERATIONAL REPORT FOR NOVEMBER, 2022

CLASSROOM WORK

The end of the two years academic journey is almost upon us. Our full-time students are left with about a month to complete all the courses required of them to be awarded a diploma in Biblical studies. Serious academic work is still ongoing in the month of November. 

Joshua Aidoo and Douglas Armah were the instructors who taught the part-time students in November. The courses taught were Homiletics, Hermeneutics, and Preacher & His work.

PERSONAL EVANGELISM AND BAPTISM

Evangelizing the world still remains a command we are very happy to obey. There have been numerous evangelism programs by our students in November. Some of our past students together with some churches went to spread the gospel in a town called Banso (located in the western Region). God blessed their effort with eight (8) baptisms and a good number of brethren were restored. 

Another group also headed to a village called Kadadwen to restore the church there, of which some of the members were restored and two new souls baptized. 

The school’s campaign for Christ took place from 21st – 26th November. It was organized at Mpintin where Joshua Aidoo is the preacher. About twenty (20) of our past students were invited to participate in the house-to-house evangelism. The campaign for Christ was very successful as twelve (12) souls were won for Christ. In short, the Lord rewarded our efforts in the month of November with twenty (20) precious souls.

Gweru, Zimbabwe school trains their students to be self-sufficient

                                                                NOVEMBER 2022 NARRATIVE REPORT

INTRODUCTION

We remain grateful to God for what the school was able to do in the month. Classes progressed well without much of a challenge. Evangelism and projects continued as well. These and more are covered hereunder.

CURRICULUM PROGRESS  

The following subjects are being done this term; Prison Epistles, Hermeneutics, Sign Language, Music, Galatians, Christian Evidence, Horticulture, Homiletics, Books of History, Acts, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Most of the subjects were completed successfully. Great appreciation for the teachers and students for the effort put in.  

EVANGELISM

Evangelism efforts usually reach a climax through our annual field practice. This field program ended in October with the graduation of the previous class. The current class which is in its second term will begin its evangelism efforts next term through weekend evangelism. Currently, however, the class is servicing 3 congregations namely; Lot 64, Shurugwi, and Plasworth. Congregations that wish to benefit from this program have an opportunity to be served as well. 

PROJECTS AND FOOD SECURITY

The school is running the following projects; goat project, layers project, broilers project, and market gardening. This month we report on the maize project and market gardening. 

MAIZE AND BEANS

The school was able to plant a hectare of maize when the first rains fell in November. We had targeted to plant 2-3 hectares but funds to purchase inputs had been elusive. Our harvests in the past two seasons had not enabled the school to buy maize. The school had enough for its kitchen needs whilst some ended up being used for the poultry project without much of a challenge. We also hope to plant about 2 acres of beans in January.

SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes were also planted in the month. Planting of this crop will continue as there are no costs involved. Depending with the harvest, If there will be more, the excess can be sold. 

MARKET GARDENING

Progress continued to be made in our horticulture projects. Tomatoes, cabbages, onions, and lettuce were sold in the month. Tomatoes could not fetch much as the market was flooded with them. Besides benefitting extra income from the sales and food for the students, the students are also learning life survival skills. 

Towards the end of November, more tomatoes, cucumbers, and butternuts were planted. 

WHERE ARE THEY?

In the next few months, we shall be tracing the whereabouts of our graduates. This month we begin with Takudzwa Chikuni who began his studies with the school in 2018 and completed his course in 2020. Takudzwa went on to graduate in October 2021. He enrolled as one of the youngest students the school ever had. His zeal for the work is contagious and unquestionable. He is both a powerful speaker and song leader. Soon after leaving school and prior to his graduation, during the Covid era, he went to his home area of Maware in Chivhu where he became a full-time preacher for the congregation. He was working under the late Abednego Mugweni. During this time he was being partly supported by Dr. Campion Mugweni whilst at the same time getting income from gardening and having a small grocery shop at the Maware business center. 

Takudzwa transferred to Sharara church of Christ, a rural congregation, in January 2022 and got married to his wife Tanatswa Tania Muromba in March 2022. He went to Sharara to replace another seasoned preacher Damson Siwedi who had moved to Mupudzi Church of Christ some months before. Takudzwa and his wife are happily working together for Christ. Apart from preaching the gospel in the Sharara area, he teaches Family and Religious studies at Sharara Secondary school. In terms of life survival skills, Takudzwa has continued with his garden project, runs a small grocery shop for the community, and has added a road runner (free range) chicken project to the mix. This summer season, he and his wife have already planted one hectare of maize for their sustainability. Soon after joining the Sharara Church of Christ, Takudzwa mobilized resources from the brotherhood in an attempt to extend the church building. This has been a success. Besides this, he has been able to run several programs including a lectureship for the congregation. The young man is blooming in a rural setting and the work is growing. The congregation has an average attendance of 150 people.

 CONCLUSION

When all is said and done, we continue to thank God for what he continues to do through BVBIZ and through your support financially, morally, and spiritually. We continue to see progress in the students, the graduates, and the fulfillment of the curriculum requirements. Thank you all and may God continue to bless you abundantly.

Accra school conducts funeral for former student

END OF November Report, 2022

To God once again be the glory and honor for a successful end of the month. Below is a summary of school activities in the month of November

Academic Activities

Two short courses have been completed by the brothers Amoo Gyimah and Gyan Mante. Brother Jerry Bates also held a master's class that lasted two weeks. We are very thankful to God for his safe arrival and departure.

School Building 

Workers on the school building project have commenced and have progressed to lintel when Bro Kojo Acquah and Sammy visited. The work is hoped to continue till the end of the year.

Campaign for Christ

Students organized a gospel campaign that involved public preaching evangelism. This came off successfully as I reported in my previous report for October.

 Funeral Ceremony

The funeral ceremony of the late brother and former students Adams Quashie was successfully held on 19th November. Our students and staff were present and a donation was given to the children for their relief. We hope to meet our brother again in Heaven.

Acknowledgment

We give much glory to God for a successful month and term. We also express our gratitude to the management of the Bear Valley Bible Institute USA for their support both physically and spiritually. We glorify God because of the efforts of all the members of the staff and implore many blessings from God on them.

These are updates for the month. We request that you keep praying with us.

 Reported by: E.O. Larbi

Todd Crayton visits Mbanga

The steadfastness of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end. They are renewed every morning. May the almighty God bless this day and new month. We pray that He also blesses the mind of the support team.

The work in Mbanga is going on well as we, the students and staff, are doing pretty well. At this moment we are making plans to attend the graduation ceremony in Wotutu. We will then move to about 14 assemblies for the final evangelism campaign and internship as this fourth batch of students in Mbanga will graduate in March. We commit them in our prayers, especially now as traveling these days is very difficult. Let us continue to pray for journey mercies for everyone.

This quarter has been very challenging as we have had plenty of activities. We also had the visitations of Elder Todd Crayton and coordinator David Ballard. It was good to have them in Cameroon again after about a 3-year absence due to Covid 19. We thank God for preserving their lives and the lives of many Christians both in Cameroon and abroad.

Their trip to Cameroon was motivating to both the students and the staff. It was a reminder of our formal slogan, “God is with us, we are never alone.” We know that God is always with us as well as our big Christian family abroad. Their mission was successful. You can see sister Mary, the wife of the director of BVBIC-MBANGA, putting on her smile. A lot of time was taken to observe how the instructors teach the students. Brother Todd and brother David were very happy with our staff. After that, it was time to observe how the students had received the transfer of knowledge.

Our last mission trip and internship was also great, as we sent our students to 12 different assemblies, including a congregation at Yaounde. It was successful as the feedback from the hosting preachers was encouraging. Most of the students were approved to go, and were ready to get to the field for zealous and religious work to be done.

God, through this mission added 12 souls, and 3 were restored back to the Lord. We seek for lost souls to bring into the kingdom of God. "Our mission is evangelism and evangelism is our mission." 

The Moungo Zonal Lectureship was also successful. The Mbanga assembly hosted the last edition of the Moungo Zonal Preacher’s Forum which brought up the idea of pulpit exchange. I therefore, was at Bomono preaching in a small, but very old assembly along the Mbanga Douala road.

The fourth batch of students shall be going out again for another internship and evangelism campaign after taking their short course on the book of Hebrews and also the women taking the course “Essentials Doctrine.” It was great to have these powerful instructors giving out their best to transfer knowledge to the students. 

Here is the combination of students and their wives after they had taken the last part of their short course. Some of them had new born babies and some are still pregnant. What a blessing it is to have these great people in our midst. 

The instructors of the Bear Valley Bible Institute Cameroon – Mbanga also paid a condolence visit to director Elangwe who lost his father in the month of October. We went officially, to comfort our own brother and colleague who lost his father, for we constitute one family.   

We shall resume classes in January and be preparing for the up-coming graduation   March 2023. May God continue to bless us all, as we promise to update you again.

The field is ripe but the laborers are few. 

 Remain blessed.

Your humble servant Ititi Benedict

More baptisms in Lesotho

Greetings from BVBI Lesotho. Thank you for your prayers, Lesotho held peaceful, and harmonized elections on the 7th of October. The country has a new government and we pray it will rebuild the collapsed economy.

Three courses were taught from September to November. In September, Tawanda taught the book of Romans and 8 students attended. In October, 10 students were taught Church History by Tawanda, while 9 students attended Congregational Development in the subsequent month. Brother Robert is expected to teach the book of Revelation in the month of December.

In this reporting period the attendance of students was lower than other months. The reason being, 2 of our students are active soldiers, they had promotional training for more than 2 months, hence, they could not attend the classes. Another student got a new job which requires him to be at work during the weekends. While the other student is nursing her mother in-law who is critically ill. As BVBIL we pray for her mother in-law’s full measure of health so that the student will come back to class.

3 baptisms were recorded and a soul restored to Christ. Among the 3 souls is an 83 year old lady. As a school we are grateful to participate in what God is doing in Lesotho. Continue to pray for the success of the school

An outstanding class of students in Zimbabwe

OCTOBER 2022 NARRATIVE REPORT

INTRODUCTION

October was a month filled with various activities at Bear Valley Bible Institute-Zimbabwe. It was a month to remember for many students and congregations as they parted with students who were doing their practical. It was a month when BVBIZ started her first ever Preachers’ Retreat and graduation lecture and fundraising program. These and many other issues are covered in this report.

1.0  EVANGELISM

BVBIZ did their practical from June to October. Another practical was done last year besides weekend evangelism programs, one week campaigns each term and holiday preaching. In 2022, students did their practical in the following congregations Mupudzi, Zvishavane, Hatcliff, Chivero, Acturus, Highfield, Ziko, Manyame, Mbembesi, Sipaba, Lot 64, Mutawatawa, Triangle, Shurugwi, Derembwe, Concession and Nhedziwa. Great appreciation goes to these congregations for hosting the students and partnering the school in this training dimension. The highlights of the program are that 3 congregations began during this period. In total there were 59 conversions and 19 restorations. The following statistics from June to October summaries the program;

Total hours put in                     2916

Sermons preached (church)     148

Sermons preached (funerals)   8

Devotions conducted               397

Bible classes taught                 105

Baptisms                                  59

Restorations                             19

Prospects                                  1683

Counselling sessions               48

Hospital visitations                  27

WBS courses distributed         1290

Tracts distributed                      2739

Congregations started              3

2.0 PREACHERS RETREAT

The school held its first ever PREACHER’S RETREAT from the 26th -28th of the month. The theme of the retreat was “REST A WHILE.” The event was organized by a committee composed of preachers in the field and a staff representative. The idea is to encourage preachers to avoid burnout.  The preachers were treated to a time out at a resort closer to the school. Some sporting activities also took place during the outing. Lessons were also given in an attempt to encourage and empower the preachers.

3.0 2022 GRADUATION

3.1 GRADUATION LECTURE

BVBIZ’s first ever graduation lecture took place on the 29th of October. The presenter was Dr. Paul Shupikai Chimhungwe, the vice principal of a College in Botswana. The topic was; THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: WHY ARE THE MAJORITY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST PREACHERS IN ZIMBABWE SUFFERING. The presenter dwelt on possible causes of the scourge and proffered some solutions as well. The graduates to-be were to take note of the issues as they go into the field.  The lecture is code named THE ISAIAH SUWARI MEMORIAL Graduation Lecture. The late Isaiah was instrumental in the beginning of the school but passed away just a few days before the opening date. The school is grateful to Dr. P.S. Chimhungwe for the voluntary sacrifice he made in travelling all the way from Botswana to fulfill this task.

3.2 GRADUATION

The graduation proper finally took place on the 29th of October. The event went on smoothly. The guest speakers were Dr. Hailey Velaphi Mlangeni, an elder at Bulawayo Central Church of Christ and Paul Gidden of Woodland Oaks Church of Christ. The following graduated on the day;

Eric Mushonga

Bongani Sithole

Remember Mhlanga

Melody Maseko

Thomas Musongora

Thabani Dlamini

Blessed Marufu

Michael Kasimu

Samandra Kalima

Christopher Mutambirwa

Tinashe Moyana

Tawanda Tinofa

Kudakwashe Simemeza

Method Moyo

Edson Julius

Tonderai Kafile

Isaac Chipendo

Simbarashe Chitanda

3.3 AWARDS

Several students received awards during the graduation ceremony. BVBIZ would like to thank all those who sponsored the awards. Most of these awards are named after their sponsor.

1.      The Raradza Valedictorian Award    (student with highest grades)          Christopher Mutambirwa

2.      Best Female student (female student with the highest grades)                   Samandra Kalima

3.      Most Improved student                                                                               Blessed Marufu

4.      The Nyahada Leadership Award                                                                Tonderai Kafile

5.      The Kufa Barnabas Award        Bongani Sithole; Kudakwashe Simemeza

6.      ALDN Entrepreneurship Award  (The best in life survival skills)   Simbarashe Chitanda, Michael Kasimu

7.      Borrowdale Church of Christ homiletics award   Remember Mhlanga, Christopher Mutambirwa

8.      Languages award (highest grades in Hebrew & Greek)                              Tinashe Moyana

9.      The Marandure Young Timothy Award (best in evangelism)                    Tinashe Moyana

10.  The Partners for Africa Melchizedek Award (The best oldest student)     Edson Julius

11.  The Isaiah Suwari Memorial award (the best visionary student)               Remember Mhlanga

12.  The Gamaliel Award (the best Bible class teacher)                                    Tawanda Tinofa

4.0 A SPECIAL VISIT

BVBIZ was blessed to have Paul Gidden (Missions Committee chairman at Woodland Oaks Church of Christ) and Donnie Estep (the BVBII regional director). They came on the 24th of October and left on the 30th of the same month. The two participated in Retreat activities whilst Donnie, taught Christian Evidences on the 25th and 26.th These two brothers were part of the guest speakers during the graduation ceremony, as well. BVBIZ was left encouraged by this visit and remain thankful to these sacrifices.

5.0 SIGN LANGUAGE TRAINING

From the 22nd to the 25th of October, the first phase of sign language training took place. The teacher was Charles Muzambi, a BVBIZ 2021 graduate who was seconded in 2021 to go for an intensive Sign Language training. BVBIZ continues to push so that every preacher from any school receives such training. Charles is available to help.

6.0 CLASSROOM BLOCK FUNDRAISING UPDATE

On the 1st of October, a fundraising program was held in Harare towards the construction of a classroom block with offices estimated to cost around $35000. Many activities took place including a ,marathon, aerobics, Bible quiz, Business expo among other activities.  The following transpired

Total money raised $3025

Total expenses $1414.22

Total Money in hand $1072

Total money pledged $539

7.0 PROJECTS

BVBIZ always seeks to do its part locally to raise an extra dollar so as to meet its budgetary needs. Projects are part of the strategy. The sale of broilers and eggs from the layers project continued in the month though the price of eggs is currently subdued. A small tuckshop continues to make a difference. Products from our garden continued to be sold as well. The produce includes lettuce, cabbages, cucumbers and tomatoes.

8.0  DONATIONS

The school continues to welcome donations in whatever form. We continue to thank the Chirenda Family for its consistent support to the school ($100 monthly). The gesture continues to make a huge difference in the school.

8.1  LAYERS PROJECT

The school received $100 towards the layers project from a Woodland Oaks church of Christ member. The money will be a huge contribution towards the much needed fowl run for the layers. About $750 is needed to construct the fowl run. The room currently housing the layers is small and has a detrimental effect on production. The ventilation is inadequate as well.

8.2 BICYCLES

Bicycles are the mode of transport for students going for evangelism during weekends. The maximum distance that students travel  is 32km (to and fro).  The school has not been able to service a number of congregations due to the lack of bicycles to use. The two bicycles that the school had before have had constant repairs due to over use and were no longer reliable. Great appreciation goes to Partners for Africa for donating 3 bicycles towards this cause. 6 more are needed for an effective evangelism effort

8.3 WIFI

One of the challenges BVBIZ has been having for some time is the lack of internet.  Wifi routers from various network providers had failed to work due to poor network. The only option was the installation of a satellite dish. Great appreciation goes to Woodland Oaks Church of Christ, through Paul Gidden, for providing $600 for this installation.

CONCLUSION

The words of Paul in Philippians 4.8 may be ideal to end this report. They capture many amazing things the month of October brought to BVBIZ. Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,  think about these things. To God be the glory!.

Good work in Lagos!

SABO ONIBA/LAGOS ISLAND CENTERS REPORT September - October 2022.

INTRODUCTION: Election comes and goes but the impact of those elected remains generational. Congratulations to our American brethren for the successful midterm election this year. Hope we have brethren elected to different offices in your country? We pray for brethren elected to be given divine wisdom driven by purposeful objectives as they shine as light in the darkest world that we are in today worldwide. Nigeria needs your prayer too as we are in a transition period waiting for our election coming up in March next year. The forthcoming election may make or mar our nation. Your prayer is highly coveted this time.

The last two months were filled with activities ranging from a visit to Owerri for the Opening Ceremony of the new Study Center to a Campaign trip to Ekiti and Discipleship training in different locations. The online WBS work is not left out.

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES IN SABO-ONIBA/LAGOS ISLAND: Sabo-Oniba is moving significantly in its studies. Gbenga Ilori took the Book of Matthew while Mfon Etim taught them Old Testament 1 last month. In Lagos Island, James Luka took the Pastoral Epistles and Augustine Ani took 1 Corinthians. Lagos Island will be concluding its program this time next year hopefully.

INSTRUCTORS WORK: Adewuyi Olufemi used three months in teaching the Theme: Working Closely With God in Satellite church, while I used the same time in teaching Ifako-Iyaiye in the Principles of Discipleship. Bro Egure, Samuel Moses, Victor Fashanu, and I spent three days in Ondo Town church doing the same training.  

CAMPAIGN PROGRAM/MARKET EVANGELISM: 10 of Sabo-Oniba students with two staff were part of the team that spent 4 days in Aramoko Ekiti for a campaign. It was a great time spreading the news of the kingdom. Three souls were brought into the faith and 2 brethren were restored into the fold. It was a good time together and a time for restrengthening the young minister working with that congregation.  

LAGOS WBS WORK: We are still in the process of the Lagos WBS office taking off we hope to have a congregation to work with soonest.

Lagos Team Work: In progress

Online Students Activities: 67

Under Follow Up: 0

Competed Lessons: 5032

Certificates Awarded: 1273

Baptism:  3

CONCLUSION: Once again, thanks to all for praying for our work here and we also appreciate you all supporting the work here. The work is going on greatly.

Thanks and God bless you all.

TIM IWE (Self Made Slave for Christ)

Sabo Oniba/Lagos Island Center Director

Mark Reynolds teaches in Uganda

Brethren,

Grace to you and peace from God our father and the lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers because of your great love and of faith which you have to word the lord Jesus and the saints worldwide. I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become more and more effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ sake.

The last quarter of our first intake was a blessing, having started it with brother Mark Reynolds. This man of God is a Barnabas is this great work of training preachers. His class was so nice and lively. On additional to that, I myself never wanted to say goodbye to brother Mark.

We are just but on our last courses soon mean are finishing. Joyful I am glad to announce to you that we are going to have our first graduation on 06th January 2023 which will be a Friday. In this I continue to ask and request that let's share the joy of our first fruits at Bear Valley Uganda.

It will give me joy to see you brothers having come and make this a success. Men are very happy and more courageous to go out for the course of the gospel. Am glad to let you know that we have a good number of 18 students who will be joining for the second intake come 06th February 2023. Pray for the work and the men who are planning to come.

May God bless you all.

Until all have heard

Raymond

Graduation in Zimbabwe

HARARE EXTENSION UPDATE

INTRODUCTION

Bear Valley Bible Institute Zimbabwe continue to grow, make a difference and leave a mark in the life of the church in Zimbabwe. The Harare Extension School likewise, continue to make strides in its quest to train men and women for ministry and adding manpower at the local congregation.

GRADUATION - SEPTEMBER 2018 CLASS

In September 2018 eleven men and two women enrolled for the program. They started on a high note and together we set out for the learning journey. Along the way seven fell by the wayside and come October 29, 2022, six graduated from that class plus one who failed to graduate last year, graduated in Gweru. A moment of praise to God the Almighty and a thanksgiving moment to the graduates for the commitment and dedication till the end.

Among the achievements received we are happy that the Best Leadership Award and the Barnabas Award (given to one who managed to be an inspiration and encourager) were given to Tonderal Kafile (see Photo 4); Edson Julius (aged 54) was given the Melchizedek Award (an award given to the eldest student who couldn’t let age be a barrier in his quest to study). Some who also received awards are Kudakwashe Simemeza and Simbarashe Chitanda.

RESEARCH PAPERS

The graduates also managed to write research papers as part of their learning and below were their topics:

1.         Simbarashe Chitanda (an entrepenuer) - Sustainable Approach to the Support of Preachers in the Churches of Christ in Greater Harare.

2.         Isaac Chipendo - An Analysis of Causes and Effects of Drug and Substance Abuse Amongst Youths In Chitungwiza

3.         Edson Julius (works for Chivero Orphanage) - The Impact of Ethical Misconduct Among Churches of Christ Leaders: A Case of Chingwere Church of Christ in Mhondoro

4.         Tonderai Kafile (an Assistant Inspector in the Zimbabwe Republic Police) - The Impact of the Church of Christ in the Uniformed Forces: A Case Study of Makoni District, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

5.         Method Moyo (a qualified music teacher) - The Role of Music in Church Development: A Case of Highfield Church of Christ in Harare

6.         Kudakwashe Simemeza (an entreprenuer). His topic choice was influenced by his own life and marraige - The Effects of Interdenominational Marriages to Church Growth

7.         Tawanda Tinofa - Exploring Factors Affecting Church Growth: A Case of Churches of Christ in Harare

SEPTEMBER 2021 CLASS

This class started with seventeen students, with four being ladies. Currently seven men and two ladies form the class. They are doing their lessons during weekends (two weekends per month) and we also introduced a ten day continuous learning period held in April, August and December in Gweru. This December the class will run from the 05th to the 18th of December.

Courses done to this end are:

Old Testament Law/Pentateuch                        Denominational Doctrines

How We Got the Bible                                           Music

Scheme of Redemption

Personal Evangelism

Public Speaking

Life of Christ (Synoptic Gospels)

New Testament Church

The students are as follows:

Kware Douglas                            Nhamo Mandebvu                    Masarakufa Witness

Manjeya                                        Wilbert Manyati                         Muhura Nyevero (F)

Suwari Philip                                Nyahuye Maxwell                      Fadzai Kufa (F)

APPRECIATION

Our sincere gratitude to Bear Valley Bible Institute International for the work in Zimbabwe. Your partnership is always applauded and thank you.

A total of eighteen graduates have been produced by the school and we are so thankful and proud of contributing such workers into the LORD’S vineyard.

Brother Keith and Brother Donnie, the foot soldiers on the front, we are so thankful for working with us and physically being here. Thank you fellow soldiers in Christ.

APPEAL FOR PRAYERS

We always appeal for your prayers. Life in Zimbabwe is tough and not pleasant at all. The state of the economy continue to cause problems and challenges for us the ordinary citizens.

It was announced that the elections for 2023 will be held in July or August and the political environment is sliding into the tense mode as seen by the violent trends taking place now. Help us pray for peace, harmony and love.

We sincerely appeal for your prayers. May God help us.

CONCLUSION

As we continue to serve God through the school we commit ourselves to the cause of the Cross and we appeal for your prayers for the work we are doing.

The gospels studied in depth in Lagos

We praise the Lord for the conclusion of the third quarter of July to September of the year 2022. We are much grateful to the Lord and appreciate the effort, prayers, and support of the brethren for the progress of the Agege School. May the good Lord restore in abundance all that you have spent on the school in Jesus name, amen!

CLASS ACTIVITIES / COURSES DONE DURING THE QUARTER

1. Life of Christ in the book of Matthew taught by Gbenga Ilori in the month of July, 2022.

2. Life of Christ according to Luke taught by Emmanuel Chukwuka Odo.

3. Life of Christ in Mark taught by Okoro Chinyere.

CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES

To mark the end of the quarter, we went on campaign at Aboru area of Lagos state where plans are on top gear to plant a new congregation.

STUDENT'S PROFILE / STUDENT OF THE QUARTER

NAME: Onifade Olayemi John.

DATE OF BIRTH: 13/02/1981

He attends OPE-ILU CHURCH OF CHRIST

BAPTIZED: 2015

STATE OF ORIGIN: Abeokuta, Ogun State.

RESIDENCE: 9, Olanrewaju Street, Ope-ilu, Agbado-Ijoko Road, Ogun State.

CONCLUSION

The above report was the activities that went on during the third quarter of the year 2022. We are so much pleased and thankful to everyone, the effort you have put into the progress of the Agege weekend school: the funds, study materials, prayers, and all forms of support rendered to us.

Much appreciation goes to Chad Wagner, Keith Kasarjian, and the Management of Bear Valley Bible Schools, the supporting churches, the teaching staff, and everyone who helped in this regard this year.

May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all. We are also putting much effort to maintain the school's progress and the true doctrine of Christ until He comes back.

We shall never forget to thank our Lord for you in all the good plans you have for the Lord's work. Also, pray with us all the time.

Report by Odo, Emmanuel Chukwuka of Bear Valley Bible Institute, Agege, Lagos.

More reached for Jesus in Togo

I thank God for his mercy. The month of September is marked by meetings for the retraining of evangelists and students. As we are nearing the end of the students' training for two, we are planning lectures in the evenings of November and December after classes so that students can master the tool of "how to prepare and present a thesis to an audience". The emphasis is currently more on practicing everything we have studied over the two years. To motivate everyone to do better: they are organized into two groups (group A and group B). They have to work together so that after the training they can and should always work together and no one considers himself a leader in the group, but show them that everyone needs to cooperate with each other to be stronger to save more souls.

Each group must work with four assemblies and note the weaknesses that exist according to the group and how to improve the work on their assemblies. This is an exercise that awakens the students in their service to the assemblies that they will plant and lead in all the places where they will establish themselves. Those who are from the Atakpalime environment work with their churches and the students are the churches of their environment.

Course:

Last quarter's courses:

1. 1,2 Timothy and Titus: Akovi Hope/Cephas

2. Ezekiel: ATTAH

3. Comparative religion: Rodrigue

4. Job and Psalms : ATTAH

5. Biblical History and Geography : AKALO

6. Exodus: AKLI

7. Marriage and Family: Cephas

The course will end in December 2022.

Evangelism:

The localities of FIOKPO are for this month, a place of evangelization and support for the people of Kpadape, AVOUZEKOME and AGOGOME. The evangelization by students on Fridays allowed a restoration of the couples AVOUDUFU JEAN and his wife, Kossi and his wife who all had a concern on: "why the instruments are not used today in the churches of Christ?" a brother had left the church in Lome for service reasons and did not know the church was in the village where he was serving as a laboratory worker. Thanks to the evangelism by the students, brother KOWOUVI found his church.

Baptized:

The work of the students assisted by the evangelist Apewoke Koku, Honku Mawunyo and Amenoutor Daniel gave enough fruits for this month. A total of 4 baptisms whose images are accompanied by the attached report.

Radio:

For this quarter, the local authorities (traditional chiefs and some parents) who follow our programs every Wednesday, went to the radio to make a complaint by proposing the themes: the education of children, morality and youth. These are the subjects we are currently teaching for the last months of the year.

New school success

Precious greetings from Jalingo Taraba state in the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. We return glory to God for his mercy and grace that is sustaining the school and the work over here.

We have started the second quarter in July, Hermeneutics, Discipleship, and the book of Acts were taught by Elkanah Itom Madaki, Stephen Ume, Bala Ebgwakute respectively. The classes went smoothly without any hitches.

We thank God for the successful visit of brother Keith Kasarjian the Director International Studies in month of July. His coming actually was encouraging and helpful. It also gives us sense of belonging.

Brother Francis Awodoyi, a university Deann from a neighbouring state also visited the school for four weeks and took the students on Christian Psychology.

We are soliciting for your prayers towards our forthcoming campaign for Christ in the month of December. During the period review, we recorded two baptism and one of them is my daughter. Our weekend evangelism has continued to strengthen weak congregations and many people were reached with the word.

Elkanah Itom Madaki

Doing the best they can in Ukraine

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

We are looking forward to the end of this year hoping that the peace will return and our lives will be back to normal. For the most important warfare news I'd like to mention the following:

1. The Ukrainian army keeps on liberating the occupied territories even though the full liberation is still in the distant future.

2. The Russian army strikes our civilian infrastructure with their missiles daily blowing up our power and gas stations.

3. The  country lives with regular blackouts when both electricity and the natural gas used for heating are in short supply.

Now we know how to be inside the building with no heating even when it's 17 degrees outside.  Most importantly though is that the people are learning to be thankful and pray without ceasing for peace and the end of the war. I have complete assurance that God keeps it all in control.

The Bible Institute.

The studies are still taking place in Chernivtsy. We are aware of the urgency of training the preachers and the leaders for the Lord's kingdom. This month our students had the 1st and 2nd Thessalonians (Instructor - Vladimir Paziy). And the students had a time of evangelical practice in a few cities simultaneously (Chernivtsy, Lviv and Kyiv). They studied and taught the lessons, sermons, distributed the Christian tracts and literature. Some of them went to the orphanage and studied with the teenagers.

Bila Tserkva church of Christ.

We are still ministering to the refugees and their needs. This month we gave away many grocery packages, pillows, blankets, warm clothes and helped people to pay their rent. It's a lot of work to assist with people's needs. The congregation is actively involved in the social work and it gives us the opportunity to talk more about Christ and the salvation through Him. Every week we have people asking for help. Some of them can live in the church building if they can't find anything to rent right away. It's a tremendous blessing to serve as God's hands and be a part of helping the needy.  Thanks to the help of many American brethren we own a great generator in the church building. It means people can get warm in here and charge their phones even if the electricity supply system of the whole country is destroyed.

We are very grateful to you for your prayers and financial help to us in Ukraine during these difficult times. God is merciful and caring towards us.

Your brother,

Dennis Sopelnik