Taraba, Nigeria school celebrates second year

With profound gratitude to God Almighty, brethren, it gladdens my heart to write unto you this report of the last quarter of the year 2023. The Taraba School is two years old. Glory be to God. 

COURSES:

Mr. Elkanah Itom Madaki taught the students Church History in the month of October, in the month of November, Mr. Chindo Sambo taught Bible Geography, while Mr. Bala Egbwakoteh taught the book of 1ST and 2nd Thessalonians in December. The students were so excited to learn of Bible Geography especially with the current happenings in Gaza and the Middle-East. For the first time they were also exposed to the falling from the early church doctrine, reformation and the restoration. The episode of the early brethren in Thessalonica was another great lesson. It was all together an impressive quarter.  

EVANGELISM / EDIFICATION:

Our usual door to door evangelism was limited to Jalingo Metropolis due to insecurity. 182 bible studies were conducted under the period reviewed and only one baptism was recorded. In Lissam, the three day evangelism ended with two baptisms and one restoration, while the Gullung indoor lectureship ended up with selection of leaders to be ordained. Taraba Edification took place in Sarkin Dawa congregation where one of our students (Jerry Agbu) is the ‘student preacher’. Three souls were united with Christ through baptism and two restorations recorded.

NEEDS AND CHALLENGES:

The school is in need of public address system because most of the time the public address system we do rent is not delivered at the expected time or develops faults while using it. The school also is in need of a projector that will be used in classrooms and also during open air (public) preaching.

There are many interested candidates that wish to be enrolled into the school from other parts of Taraba and neighboring states as well the school lacks facilities to accommodate them, this has posed a problem for their admission. Our instructors are willing to sacrifice and teach all weekdays if such students will be provided with accommodation.  

Our radio program is facing financial challenges even though we have set up a gospel team with representatives from three congregations in Jalingo metropolis. We hope and pray that God will open more doors.

Ikorodu, Nigeria school had a prosperous year

Happy New Year to you all. We Pray the Lord will bless you for the good work you are doing in our country Nigeria.

The students and staff of Bear Valley Bible Institute Ikorodu study centre appreciate all that you've done for us and we also greet everyone of you in Jesus name. Amen.

1. In Ikorodu centre, we have 20 students

2. 6 students graduated from Ikorodu study centre on August 2023 at Butubutu Ibadan

3. We had four campaigns in 2023, the staff and the students participated.

4. Our campaigns produced 12 baptism through the effort of students and the staff of the school.

5. We assisted other congregation in evangelism and parts of church planting at Adamo Ikorodu. One of our student is now the preacher (Bro Tola)

6. Presently we have three teachers: Bro Mfoj Etim, Bro Okoro Chinyere and Bro Israel Tajovmawo

7. There is no congregation in our area that needs restoration

8. We conducted three lectures this year. The last one will be on the 30th Dec, 2023 which will be the joint effort of Lagos Centres.

9. We restored 14 members to the Lord's Church within this year 2023.

The last lectureship for the year 2023 was held on 31st December, 2023. With the attendance of four centres-ikorodu, Agege, Lagos Island and Sabo Oniba. We had 230 participants.

 The topics were as follows:

1. Liberty in Christ and it's Abuse

2. Individual and Family Roles towards Church Growth.

Theme: The Church as it was in the First Century

 We remain grateful to God and Bear Valley Schools for your support and steps taken to promote our knowledge in Bible Study and Evangelism in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. This helps us to organize many open air lectures every last Saturday of the month. We say thank you for the opportunity given to work with Bear Valley Bible Institute.

 Thank you for your support. God bless Bear Valley Bible Institute and God bless our supporting team in Jesus Christ name..Amen.

Special seminar in Accra

Bear Valley - Accra

Operating Report for November 2023

We thank God for a successful month of November 2023. We are grateful for His grace and guidance in all our activities.

Class Activities

The following classes were conducted in November:

- Bro Gyasi-Quansah taught the last short course on world religion and denomination doctrines. The students learned about the history and doctrines of various religious groups and denominations and how to respond to them biblically and logically.

- Bro Kojo Acquah Beenyi met the second batch of Bachelor’s students on congregational development. Six students were present and they discussed the challenges and opportunities of developing and growing a congregation in the contemporary world.

- Bro Samuel Sasu Ntim taught Elementary Greek where he delt with areas such as Greek alphabets, vowels, diphthongs, breathing marks, and syllabification. The students appreciated the introduction to the original language of the New Testament and its relevance for biblical interpretation and exegesis.

- Bro E. O. Larbi also taught the Book of Revelation and Christian Ethics. The students explored the apocalyptic genre and symbolism of the book of Revelation and its application to the church today. They also studied the ethical principles and issues that Christians face in their daily lives and how to make moral decisions based on the word of God.

Exams and Research

The students took their exams at the end of the quarter and submitted their research papers on various topics. The lecturers graded the exams and papers and gave feedback to the students. The results showed that the students performed well and demonstrated their understanding and skills in their respective courses.

Visitation to our Students' Churches

Bro Samuel Sasu Ntim visited two churches for the last quarter at Pakro Road and Fotobi. He observed the worship services and the activities of the churches. He also interacted with the members and the leaders of the churches. He reported that the churches faced some challenges such as leadership issues by some old brethren at Pakro Road and the numerical growth of the the church. Also, the Fotobi congregation is challenged with a noisy environment due to five instrumental churches circling the brethren. This has made four baptized members difficult to worship. He also offered some suggestions and solutions to resolve these challenges. He encouraged the churches to remain faithful and steadfast in the Lord. A relocation is ongoing for Fotobi church for comfortable services.

Talk with Past Students

We had a great and successful talk with our past and present students. We had a good turnout of our alumni who came to share their experiences and testimonies. Bro Keith spoke to us about Bear Valley policies; the importance of continuing education and lifelong learning. Bro Emmanuel Amoo-Gyima taught us about the role of the preacher in the church and society. Bro Kojo and Bro E. O. Larbi also made good contributions to the discussion. We were inspired and motivated by the words and deeds of our past students.

Working on Campaign for New Students

We are working on a campaign to recruit new students for the next academic year 2024. Currently, we have six outstanding applicants who have expressed interest in studying with the school. We are following up with them and providing them with the necessary information and guidance. We are also planning to conduct some campaign activities in the following places: Tamale, Pakro Road, Fotobi, and Akotoshi. We hope to reach out to more potential students and persuade them to enroll in the college.

Radio Campaign

The college has been conducting a radio campaign to promote the college and the gospel. The director, Bro E. O. Larbi has been delivering interesting and edifying lessons on the radio. He has made a great impact in advertising the college and solving counseling problems. He has also brought many people to know Christ through radio messages. We thank God for this opportunity and we pray that more souls will be saved through this medium. However, the college still needs more funds to sponsor the radio campaign. We appeal to all our brethren and well-wishers to support us in this endeavor.

We will need (GHC 48,000.00) Forty-Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis to continue this programme when the contract ends next year April 2024 apart from transportation. We still need your kind donations both in cash and in prayer.

School Bus

We are finding it very difficult in our campaigns and visitation because of the non-availability of school bus. The bus facilitates our movement in preaching and teaching, and wish a new bus is acquired. Hope to help find funds to purchase a new one next year.

Conclusion

We thank God for a fruitful month and the safe return of Bro Stephen Ashcraft. We also thank all our partners and friends for their prayers and support. We pray that God will continue to bless and prosper the work of the college and the church. Amen.

Graduation in Sierra Leone

ACTIVITY OPERATION REPORT FOR NOVEMBER, 2023

Full Time and the Extended Programs

INTRODUCTION

As we said in the conclusion of our October 2023 report, we were anticipating to share with you the November 2023 report of what is going on here at KBVBI. And now we can thankfully write and appreciate God because He has kept us alive and strong to share with you the good news of what is happening here. We hope that you would be very patient to go through this report and as you do that, we pray that the good Lord will be with you always as He has been with us.   The following activities took place in November 2023: a lectureship and the graduation programs were held the new class began, one of the instructors got married, the Bear Valley International Director visited the school for the first time, and souls were converted. Beloved brethren, we encourage to keep on reading for more information on the highlighted activities.  

LECTURESHIP AND THE GRADUATION CEREMONY

In the report for September 2023, we informed you that our 3rd graduation and the 2nd Biennial Lectureship were scheduled to be held from November 16-18, 2023. And by the grace of God, the program came and passed successfully. The lectureship was held on the first two days (16th and 17th November, 2023), and the theme for the lectureship was, “In Times Like These….” Under this theme, various topics were handled by various speakers. We were blessed by seasoned speakers both in Sierra Leone here and other parts of the world. Three of our external speakers included Brother Keith Kasarjian (The International Director) Arthur David and Brother Borton Pyee Jr., all from Monrovia, Liberia.  The program brought together many attendees from various congregations of Churches of Christ in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Some of the Alumni were present and took active part in all the activities. We invited some non-Christians too and they came. One of them got converted after the whole program. Brother Dave Arthur together with his wife, Sister Enora Arthur and the team of 4 more that he brought from Monrovia. Sister Anora took ladies class and it was insightful.  The symposium was held and many issues were handled. 

The lectureship was followed by a football match between the Bear Valley staff and the graduating students. The match ended 1:1. We believe that if our International Director, Brother Keith had played, maybe the staff should have won. While the match was going on, spectators came and some of the brethren who were not playing were engaged in sharing tracts and preaching to them individually. We thank God that a social occasion like that could as well be used to share the Gospel with the perishing souls. After the whole lectureship and the other activities, on the 18th November, the graduation exercise was held. As we informed you in our October report, twenty (20) students were enrolled in 2021 for the program. However, in the course of time, three (3) couldn’t continue. Therefore, the school graduated seventeen (17) preachers and evangelists. Brother Keith Kasarjian charged them and were sent out to turn the world upside down with the Gospel. We thank God for the successful program.

THE NEW CLASS BEGINS

In our October 2023 report, we informed you that on October 6, 2023, an entrance exam and an interview were conducted for a new set of students in the full time program. After going through the due process, all of them were admitted and were told to go home and prepare to start classes on November 6, 2023. Therefore on November 6, 2023, seventeen (17) of them came and started classes. We are yet to see the 6 more students. The administration continues to check on them to see what is still holding them back. Though some of them said they are still looking for money to buy some of the things that they would be using in the school like the school attire, shoes, etc. There are even other brethren that are indicating interests to be enrolled, therefore, we are hopeful that the number will increase. Please keep on praying for them and for us also.

THE ACADEMIC DEAN’S MARRIAGE

One of our instructors, Michael Sahr Triyoh who also functions as our Dean got married on November 11, 2023 to his sweetheart, Edith Trioh. We know that we requested for your prayers for the success of that marriage and truly the Lord answered those prayers. Thank you all for your concerns. Thank you to our coordinator who was also very supportive in the process. Please keep on pray for the Triyohs as they have come together to form a godly family.

BOTHER KEITH KASARJIAN VISITS THE SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME

There have been plans for the International Director of Bear Valley Schools worldwide to visit the Sierra Leone Bear Valley Bible Institute, but because of other demands and engagements, he was not able to until on November 16, 2023 when he landed here. His coming was very impactful and rewarding. During his visit, he taught a Bible lesson at our lectureship and also charged the graduates. He met and encouraged the new students; he also watched them use the E-Library that was set up by our hard working coordinator, Steve Ashcraft. Moreover, he held meetings with Bear Valley staff from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. He was as well encouraged by what he saw happening in the school and appreciated the coordinator and the staff here. We had a great fellowship indeed. We appreciate his coming and we are hopeful that he keeps on visiting us.

CONVERSION OF SOULS

As evangelism continues, souls are being won to Christ on a daily basis. We are grateful to God that He was able to add twelve (12) souls to the Church in this month of November. Please brethren, let us keep on praying for them as we have always done.

GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION

The entire one body family of Bear Valley Bible Institute Kenema Sierra Leone continues to express her deepest appreciation to her supporters, sponsors and all our well-wishers for your financial and the spiritual support you continue to demonstrate toward her. We remember very well that a year ago, we were asked to submit our prayer requests so you could pray for us. Your involvement in the work here is truly acknowledged. Brethren, we are really appreciative. May the Lord bless and uphold you and may your works follow you. May God bless all of you!

CONCLUSION

In summation, we pray that the Lord keeps us all to witness what will unfold in the last month of the year, December. Thank you, our patient readers!

Peter Sahr Makundu,

Director,

Sierra Leone Bear Valley Bible Institute

A great year in Port Harcourt!

END OF THE YEAR, 2023 REPORT FROM BEAR VALLEY BIBLE INSTITUTE

PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA

As the year 2023 is coming to an end, the Director, teachers and students of Bear Valley Bible Institute Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria are very grateful to the Almighty God and to our sponsors for the great success of our schools in Rivers State Nigeria this year.  Our first graduation ceremony that took place on July 29, 2023 was a very remarkable success.

NUMBER OF THE GRADUATES IN THE YEAR 2023

A total of 36 graduated from our two Centers.

NUMBER OF OUR CURRENT STUDENTS

Port Harcourt Center – 27, Omoku Center 16, total – 43.

 NUMBER OF CAMPAIGNS HELD BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THIS YEAR:

We held a total of four major campaigns this year. We called it quarterly students and teachers, evangelism outreach.

 NUMBERS OF BAPTISMS FROM STUDENTS AND TEACHER’S EVANGELISM WORKS THIS YEAR:

Port Harcourt Center 17, Omoku Center 9. Total baptisms this year 26

NUMBER OF CHURCHES RESTORED BY OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THIS YEAR:

Nine

NUMBER OF TEACHERS IN OUR SCHOOLS  

Five

CONCLUSION

This year, 2023 is a remarkable year for our schools in Rivers State Nigeria. We are grateful to God who gave us the strength and we are also grateful to our sponsors in the United States of America for their financial and moral supports.

Reports from:

Anthony Ejike Oluria,

(Director BVBI Rivers State Nigeria, West Africa)

Reaching souls in Guinea

Greetings from Bear Valley of Gueckedou, Guinea.

Please see below our report of activity for November 2023

Introduction

We pleased to update you on all the activities we carried out during the month of November 2023. The result is satisfactory, as you will see from the rest of the report, which is divided into eight parts.

 Please read with interest and favor so that we share the same sense of satisfaction.

I-Teaching Class room.

Day after day we follow the program of teaching the Scriptures established for inspiration, instruction, edification and correction, so that our students may be accomplished and fit for every good work.

During the past month we taught the following courses:

1 Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians, whose teaching began at the end of October

2 Christian leadership   

3 The Epistle to the Hebrews.

II- Evangelism

The gospel has always been a power endowed by God for the salvation of people of all nations. That's why Jesus sent us to proclaim the good new and baptize those who believe. In fact, we went to Kokossou to announce the gospel with the  evangelism team of Tekoulo, made up of Bear Valley graduates. Glory be to God, 14 men and women believed and were baptized, which means that the church of Christ is now in this village.

Door-to-door and personal evangelism also bore fruit in Fassaba, for 3 young accepted Jesus as their Savior and were baptized by their evangelist Eloi Tolno.

We should also mention the following baptisms: 2 in Kendessoua by Alain Mano one of the current students, 1 in N'Dendessou and 2 in Yende Bawa.

III- Rapid Training of Churches Leaders.

This method is also effective for multiplying disciples and churches leaders.

From November 20 to 30, 2023, we trained 14 people, 7 of them came from the denominations. After two days of teaching, the 6 people from the denominations understood the saving truth and immediately decided to convert. We baptized them in the name of Jesus to become simply Christians. It should also be noted that 4 of them expressed a desire to follow the two-year training program of Bear Valley for the next class.

IV- Graduation and Evangelism Team Meeting 

In the interest of advancing God's work in Guinea, our Coordinator Steven Ashcraft convened a meeting in Koindou,SL on 03/11/2023, all graduates and some current students from Bear Valley of Gueckedou were present to discuss work and plan evangelism activities with the goal of converting many lost souls to Jesus and planting new congregations. We also attended the graduation of students from Sunset Bible  College in Koindou.

V-Graduation and Meeting with Keith.

We took part in the graduation ceremony of Bear Valley students from Kenema on 16 to 18/11/2023. This gave us the opportunity to meet for the first time Keith Kasarjian Extension Director of Bear Valley International , who after our introduction and briefing on the school's progress in Guinea congratulated us and encouraged us further to continue the work with the same vision of having many harvesters for God's field.

VI-Work Equipment...

We're delighted with the acquisition of an electronic library initiated by our Coordinator Steven Ashcraft. During his last working visit at the beginning of November, he show us how to use it and he also gave us 3 computers and their connection accessories. As soon as he returned to the USA, he approved our request to pay a battery for the power supply. So please be informed that we had the nucleus of an electronic library which we hope to increase in hardware (computer and accessories).

VII-Black Page

Saa Votala Kamano member of Bouliedou's congregation, one of the students of the last rapid training session on 20/11/2023 mentionned below, died of a short illness. The third day of training, he suffered intense headaches that took his life after three days.

With the assurance given to us by the Scriptures in Revelation 14:13, we believe that our brother Saa is now happy to die in the Lord.

VIII-Suggestions

We ask all our backers, brothers and sisters in Christ, to continue support us spiritually, morally, financially and materially. Let us also pray for the family of our brother who pass away, that God may comfort them.

Conclusion

The various evangelism results, with a total of 25 people baptized, show that the dry season is shaping up well.

We thank God and the entire administration of Bear Valley International, for with their help we are becoming productive in the Lord's vineyard.

In particular, we thank Keith  Kasarjian and Steven Ashcraft, respectively Extension Director and Coordinator of Bear Valley International, for their love of doing God's work every where in the world, come rain or snow.

We also thank Ken Stanley and Barry Baggott for their support in the progress of the church in Guinea.

We thank every person or group of people, as well as all the congregations that support God's work in Guinea.

May God's grace accompany us all.

We conclude by saying that all the Churches of Christ in Guinea greet you.

Niouma 2 Kamano 

Administrative Assistant

Another good year in Lagos

The students and staff of Bear Valley Bible Institute Ikorodu study centre greet everyone of you in Jesus name. Amen.

1. In Ikorodu centre, we have 20 students

2. They were 6 students that graduated from Ikorodu study centre on August 2023 at Butubutu Ibadan

3. We had four campaigns in 2023, the staffs and the students participated.

4. Our campaigns produced 12 baptisms through the effort of students and the staffs of the school.

5. We assisted other congregation in evangelism and parts of Church planting at Adamo Ikorodu. One of our student is now the preacher (Bro Tola)

6. Presently we have three teachers: Bro Mfoj Etim, Bro Okoro Chinyere and Bro Israel Tajovmawo

7. There is no congregation in our area that needs restoration

8. We conducted three lectures this year. The last one will be on the 30th Dec, 2023 which will be the joint effort of Lagos Centres.

9. We restored 14 members to the Lord's Church within this year 2023.

We remain grateful to God and Bear Valley Schools for your support and steps taken to promote our knowledge in Bible Study and Evangelism in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. This helps us to organise many open Air Lectures every last Saturday of the month. We say thank you for the opportunity given to work with Bear Valley Bible Institute.

Thank you for your Support. God bless Bear Valley Bible Institute and God bless our supporting team in Jesus Christ name..Amen.

Bro Mfon Etim Aden

(Director Ikorodu Study Centre)

19 more baptisms in Malawi!

Hello!

Greetings from BV school in Ekwendeni Malawi. We all the joy we want to share with you the good news that have been received in this month of November from our students. 

When you think of holiday, you mean resting but this not with our students. The holiday for them means working, "we will rest when we die" I quote from one of the students. This month of November, alot have been done in the village congregations where our students are staying during this time of their holiday - 22 souls have been saved(19 baptisms and 3 restored)!

December plans!

The teachers have agreed to have some few trips to villages, checking on how the students are doing in their home congregations. It is one way of encouraging them.

Bibles in our local language

We are so thankful to brother Dale for the contribution towards they purchase of Tumbuka Bibles. We managed to buy 89 based on the funds we had.

We always appreciate the Bear Valley Bible Institute International and the Hillcrest church for the partnership that makes our school move forward. God continue to blessing you all.

"Eternity Is Forever, Think Souls

In Christ,

Ephron and Clergynton

Saving souls in Nigeria

NOVEMBER 2023 FIELD REPORT
Dear fellow soldiers of Christ Jesus.
Grace, peace and mercy of God and Christ Jesus be multiplied unto you all.
Here is the summary of some of our activities in Christ Jesus for the month of November 2023.

OVERVIEW
i- Second Semester Class begins
ii- Four WBS Seminars concluded
iii- Third Batch of BVBIN  Degree program begins on December
iv- VOTI Vol. 118 , Mission Printing small Songs Book and How God Speaks literatures distributed
v- Niger State preaching trip schedule 

SECOND SEMESTER CLASSES COMMENCED
Both Year 1 and 2 students reported for 2nd Semester classes between Nov. 3 and 6, 2023.
Second Semester classes began as scheduled on Nov. 6,2023 and is set to conclude Lord’s willing on Jan. 19, 2024 with two weeks end of year’s break between Dec. 16,2023 and January 2,2024.
Five conversions were recorded by the year-2 students during the four weeks Vocational week break.

FOUR WBS SEMINARS CONCLUDED
The four World Bible School Seminars sponsored by a close associate of SWSE-Grand Patron (Bro. Doug Wheeler) named Rob and Robin Thornton which begins on September 8th through 10th was concluded on November 12th at Asejire-Osun State.
To God be the glory, eight conversions were recorded with fifteen restorations as the results of this spiritual exercises.

THIRD BATCH OF BVBIN-DEGREE PROGRAM COMMENCED
As the Lord would have it, the third batch of BVBIN-Degree program commence their first two weeks classroom instructions on December 4th through 15th, 2023 at BVBIN & SWSE –Ibadan.
I, Bro Makinde Ebens will be teaching on December 4th through 8th on Advanced Fundamentals of Faith-1, while Bro Isaac Olaniyan will teach on Advanced Research & Writing on Dec. 11th through 15th 2023 Lord’s willing.

TEN THOUSANDS MISSION PRINTING SMALL SONGS BOOK,SIX THOUSANDS OF VOTI VOL. 118 AND TEN THOUSANDS OF HOW GOD SPEAKS DISTRIBUTED
10,000 copies of Mission Printing small songs book; 6,000 copies of VOTI Vol.118 and 10,000 copies of How God Speaks gospel literatures was freely distributed to Churches and WBSFUW across the country, between September 1st and end of November. We wholeheartedly appreciate the donors for their faithful commitments to serving the Lord.
Reports received at our office from several recipients indicate that these materials have resulted in the conversion of seventeen individuals and the restoration of twenty -four erring brethren from September to November 2023.

OUR NEXT PREACHING TRIP
Lords wiling the BVBIN & SWSE-Ibadan will travel with some of her staff and year-2 students on Dec.13th through 17th for a four days Mass evangelism outreach aimed at church planting at Samonaka town, New Bussa L.G.A. Niger state.
The estimated cost of the proposed trip will range between ₦400,000 and ₦500,000, covering transportation, feedings and possibly accommodation of some guest speakers

ABOUT A STUDENT
Bro. Edokpai Blessing Enoch was born on Oct. 1997 at Lagos state. He is a native of Auchi in Edo State, became a member of the Lord’s church in year 2018, and gained admission into our ministerial department in year 2022.His mission is to become a proficient Bible teacher.

CONCLUSION
We sincerely thank you for your partnership and support in the growth of the Lord’s church in Africa, specifically in Nigeria. We fervently pray that the Lord continues to bless our collaborative efforts.
I remain yours in His Grace & Love as a Servant,
Makinde Ebens
The Chief Servant of BVBIN & SWSE-Ibadan and WBSFUW

Praying for peace in Ukraine

Dear brothers and sisters,

I'd like to share with you some news from the Bear Valley Bible Institute and some  changes in my family life.

About a week ago the students returned to the online studies after the evangelical practice and vacation. Currently they are studying the gospels of Matthew and Mark. I'm the Instructor, and the course will last a week and a half. The students had an opportunity to help the local congregations with delivering the humanitarian aid and establishing the contacts with the people who were receiving it. It was a good experience for them  as well as learning to preach and demonstrate patience in ministry. Vyacheslav and Alexander worked in Dnipro while Maksim and Vadim helped the congregation in Bela Tserkva. Victoria was in Kiyv and Chernihiv where she helped her husband in ministry.

About 3 weeks ago my family left Ukraine, spent some time in Warsaw and now we are in Germany, in the city of Leipzig. This city has the congregation of the Church of Christ where we worship alongside our brothers and sisters. We decided to make this difficult and responsible decision to secure the safety of our three children. We were physically and emotionally exhausted to constantly live in a state of stress. While in Warsaw I had an opportunity to preach and teach a lesson in the middle of the week. We noticed that there were many Ukrainian speaking preachers there and we decided to move to a different location where our presence will be more beneficial in our opinion. The congregation in Leipzig is multicultural, brethren speak Ukrainian, English, German and Spanish. There are some families from Ukraine here, people who we've known for a long time.

It looks like there are not too many news but the last three weeks were very tiring. We can't wait for the return of peace so we can safely go back to Ukraine.

We are grateful to all who continues supporting the  Bible Institute, the Instructors and my ministry.

May God keep you safe.

Your brother,

Dennis Sopelnik

"A school without borders"

Dearest in Christ,

Greetings from the beautiful country of Cameroon, the land of our birth. God is good, and has allowed us another opportunity to share more good news about the work here in Cameroon that has been entrusted in our hands. We do hope you and your family are doing great and that God is at work in whatever you are doing in your corner, the space God has provided for you.

Our students are back on campus after spending time in 20 locations preaching, teaching, and nurturing congregations of the Lord’s church. They were involved in house to house. The house to house was more effective in some new areas as we were looking forward to establishing a new congregation in Mbanga mile 40 which is along the Kumba-Buea road. God blessed that work with 6 souls. There is now a new congregation there.

Another congregation was down to less than 5 members because of the crisis here in the English region. We went to that community and revived the congregation by preaching peace and being neutral during the struggle. We told those we met who carry guns that we are soldiers of Christ and God has sent us to preach the gospel free of charge to all who are willing to hear. Most of the time, security officers will ask us for authorization from the government. We just explain God’s government and commission from his word from Mattthew 28:18-20.

The Bear Valley Bible Institute in Wotutu has been looked upon by many and nicknamed “A BIBLE SCHOOL WITHOUT BORDERS.” The appellation is coming from “DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS,” who gets into the interior to save lives. Our students too are moving to save lives from eternal condemnation. The gospel is for all. It is for the old, the young, and anyone in between. These young girls happily listened to the gospel from our students and made a lifetime decision to follow Jesus. Keep them in your prayers.

The annual Bible lectureship of the churches of Christ in Cameroon, comes up from the 28th of November until the 3rd of December this year. I am one of the speakers there, and I will be teaching on “Future Leadership of the Church in Cameroon.” Please keep me in your prayers as I go there to do His work.

APPRECIATIONS

Thank you very much for all you do for the work that is going on here. Your prayers and support are the wheels that keep this work moving. God sees and He will reward. Do your best to share our report with others.

Make a great day in His presence.

Elangwe and family, by His grace director BVBIC-Wotutu

Classes resume in Chad

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who, according to His vision, has called us to his work. May the peace and mercy of Christ be in you abundantly! Beloved, we hope this report finds you in good health. Receive our cordial, fraternal greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!

Indeed, we are delighted to bring to your attention some useful information concerning the life of our school. This information includes, among other things, the return of students to the Center and the effective resumption of classes.

We glorify God for His assured protection of our beloved students during their vacation. After taking advantage of the holidays to present the Gospel to the lost, they returned to the Center November 26. Classes resumed today, November 27, 2023 for the fourth quarter. We should note that our students provided very good reports from their internships. Regarding the current quarter, evangelism and vacation time will be from December 22, 2023 to January 6, 2024.

We will be having the great evangelization campaign of Alumni-Chad from December 25 to 27 in Fianga. Fianga is a locality approximately 200 km from the Center, where two former students of Bear Valley work. We want all our students to take part in this great meeting, but our challenge is transportation. Please put us in your prayers. From December 28 to 31, we have the Annual National Conference of the Assemblies of the Church of Christ in N'djamena. Let us pray for the Alumni-Chad evangelization campaign and for the national conference, which are great opportunities for brothers and sisters in Christ to meet.

May God help us, for the sole glory of his name!  May God bless you also, in equipping you for his work!

Fraternally,

Datoudji

Great evangelistic work in Tamale, Ghana

BEAR VALLEY INSTITUTE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES, TAMALE - GHANA

POST OFFICE BOX TL 925

OCTOBER 2023 OPERATING REPORT

We are marching forward by the special grace of God in Bear Valley Tamale in all areas. We thank the Lord for His gracious blessings upon us all.

EVANGELISM AT NYOJODO

We had a very successful missionary journey to the Zabzugu Tatale district in the Northern Region. It was an effective evangelistic journey put together by the Zabzugu evangelistic team and the Bear Valley Action Evangelistic teams for the first time. The program brought together 36 valiant men with a few women in addition.

We were at Nyojodo to revive a dead congregation. The community is a great mission field with the majority of its inhabitants being youth. The community is dominated by Paganism, Islam, and two denominational bodies (Roman Catholic and Church of Pentecost). We had a great time there and hope to build a good leadership in this congregation to help us grow the congregation. The community has a population of about 1400 people.

We had both public and door-to-door preaching at Nyojodo. A great conversion was also made. We had 23 souls added to the Lord’s church, with 7 souls restored also. A beautiful evangelistic journey it was. You could see great love playing among the entire group of evangelists who took part in this missionary journey. It is very possible if things are well handled with this congregation, we could get some workers for the Lord’s church.

There were some natural challenges we encountered which were normal. The rains didn't give us enough time to preach. Some of our days were disturbed by the rains, notwithstanding, we still had some success. It is our hope that this congregation will grow to become a self-supporting and existing one. Oh yes, it is possible and we will work hard to achieve that with the help of God.

VISITATION AND SEMINAR

In the month of October 2023, Brother James Bisong Legend embarked on four days visitation journey to the Zabzugu Tatale District again in an effort to strengthen some of the congregations. He hosted a two day seminar with the Jomoni congregation to deal with the issue of paganism. Haven received a message of some mysterious deaths and sickness of some indigenes of the community that has brought fear on many of the believers. it was necessary to go and educate them on the power of God. Many of the members were living in fear, as the deaths and sickness was linked to one sorcerer in the community. The situation left many of the saints in the Jomoni congregation living in fear, which warranted the seminar. Many were empowered to depend on our Lord Jesus Christ for protection and guidance in every situation. The preacher of the congregation, Brother Shei-Laboir David, encouraged himself, as he was also battling with snake bites. We praise the Lord that after the program, many confessed to being liberated from going back to the dark world. Praise the Lord.

Brother James also took the opportunity to visit and to address another issue at Nagbindo congregation under the Sanguli area of the Zabzugu Tatale District. The issue relates to Christians living with women who are not their legitimate wives. In some of the tribes and traditions in Ghana, it is allowed for one to stay with a woman and have children before performing the marriage rites. These traditions were moving into the church, becoming a normal thing. We had to go sit with the leadership of the congregation to address those issues. Christ won at the end of the day, as many admitted after us reasoning with them from the scriptures that they needed repentance, and did produce the fruits of repentance by sending their women away until the marriage rites were performed. We give God the glory for His grace and guidance.   

ANNUAL WOMEN SEMINAR

The annual seminar hosted every year on the campus of the Bear Valley Tamale by the women across the Northern Region took place successfully in the month of October 2023. Women of several congregations took part in it. On the final day of the event, which was the first day of week, all the congregations within Tamale came together at the Kpalsi South Congregation to worship. Brother James Legend taught the adult Bible class on the Topic: Youth and Substance Abuse. Brother George Dassah gave the sermon on the topic: Holding Firm the Doctrine of Christ.

The event and the worship was a successful one.

ACADEMIC AND CAMPUS ACTIVITIES

Students resumed back to campus to continue with their academic activities in the month of October after spending a good number of days with their families. Brother Albert Tamanja Malir took them through Old Testament 2. All of them were back to campus on the scheduled reopening day. We give God the glory for their commitment.

 SCHOOL GARDEN

We harvested the last batch of our crops from the garden. We are hoping to get not less than two bags of maize from what we harvested to support the feeding of our students. As we have finished the harvest, we are moving forward to continue preparation for the dry season farming. We are determined to put things in place to deal with some aspect of feeding our students. Yes, and yes, we are determined to do so. We know it’s a matter of time and we will successfully handle it.

We give thanks to the Lord for His blessings. Amen.

Thank you,

Bear Valley Tamale.

Tanzanian school celebrates graduation

A.C.S.O.P  Weekly Update

NOVEMBER ,18 . 2023.

   ACSOP GRADUATION REPORT     

I would like to give thanks to God and every one that is reading this report. I would like to share with you a short blessing that God blessed us with through you. The eighteenth of this month was a great day after over five hundred people showed up for the graduation of our successful graduates. This year we had twenty one graduates students from the Andrew connally school of preaching. Apart from that we had seven graduates from sister school which  under the church also, Kisongo Bible school and Arusha Bible school. We thank brother Sidney Aulman who came representing the Hoover church and all brothers and sisters who are dearly supporting this school. we thank brother Sid for His great speech as key not speaker. Please read the small quote from the reception schedule which was spoken by school director. 

 On behalf of the staff and faculty of the Andrew Connally School of preaching, we would like to express our appreciation for your attendance at this year’s graduation ceremony. As this group of graduates makes the transition from the safety of the classroom to the battlefield for souls we ask that you join us in praying for their continued faithfulness and diligence in the Lord’s Kingdom. The task before them is the most noble and yet the most difficult. We also want to take the opportunity to offer our gratitude to the hundreds of brethren that have sacrificed their time and their money to fund every aspect of this school. We operate 100% by the         contributions of brethren who love and care about the Kingdom. We thank God for their selflessness.

One of the graduate is an elder from Temeke church in dar Es Salaam. church is benefited by her leaders inquiring  more  knowledge from the respected school. The elder from Temeke in one of the elders that help the school to go next level in Dar es Salaam. When I was interviewing him I realised there is a great change from him and he confessed that there many good new things he learned from school.

Also we enjoyed having one of the graduate from Bear Valley Bible Institute. As the planned Bear Valley B. Institute and Andrew Connaly have exchanging students program.  In this case Naomi Racine gradated and was an exciting moment for her. 

Please in your daily prayers remember us and this work,  thank you very much for reading and supporting this work.

In His Work.

Ahimidiwe Kimaro

 Director, Andrew Connally School of Preaching

A Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver extension school

Arusha, Tanzania

Truth prevails even in times of persecution

The International School of Theology continues to thrive, even with the gang violence. The teachers work diligently to encourage the students and the church in Haiti. The students and faculty directly influence twenty-five congregations. Churches are being planted in the smaller villages, and souls are being added to the kingdom of God.

Each time the students attend class, the teachers travel to where the classes are taught, and when the cooks and workers come to help, they put their lives in danger. Yet, they continue! They have refused to allow the gangs to control their lives. They take precautions, and we have told them not to endanger their lives. There are times when the gang activity is so heavy that everyone must stay home. Yet, they continue! It is because of this love for the Lord that motivates us to continue working on their behalf.

We know the time will come when the students can return to the IST campus. The time will come when we can travel to Haiti and teach classes in person. God understands and knows the needs, and He will provide a way to continue in the future.

The building is only a meeting place, and we are not there to own a building. We are in Haiti to train preachers and teachers to move God’s word forward.

Please pray for the students and teachers at IST. 

More Than 2,000 Souls Obey the Gospel 

In 2014, the International School of Theology started with 24 students. Since then, we have graduated 54 men and women who continue to preach and teach the word of God. Each quarter, we receive a report on their efforts. Through August 2023, we have had 225 souls baptized into the body of Christ. This brings the total to 2,030 souls our students and teachers have brought to Christ. The glory belongs to God, for He is the one who has opened the door and softened the hearts of people to receive the message of salvation. More than 30 new congregations have been planted through our students and faculty. Most congregations meet in homes or under pole sheds with tin roofs. Some congregations are small but truly desire to see the church grow. We have also seen about 35 denominational churches leave man-made religion and turn to the truth.

Please take a moment to pray for the church in Haiti.

Trouble in Haiti

The death count continues to rise as the gangs continue to grow in number and ability. The gangs have taken control of about 80% of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and about 50% of the country. The police gain control of one area, and the gangs move to another. Thousands have lost their lives, been kidnapped, or injured because of the gangs. More than 200,000 people have had to flee their homes as the gangs took over neighborhoods. Many businesses have had to close; there is a shortage of food, gas, and other necessities of life. Some report that on the black market, gasoline can go for as much as $20 per gallon. Only the very wealthy can afford to buy gas at those prices. Many have had to shelter in their homes for days due to the violence. Thousands have crossed the border into the Dominican Republic, where they are not greeted with open arms. About half of the schools have been closed due to the violence, which further sets the children back in their education. The gangs recruit children as young as six years old and force them to commit crimes.

Even in the middle of a country torn by violence, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of the kingdom, and the love of God are still being proclaimed. The power of the word is mightier than the sword or bullets. God will continue to open doors; may we continue to step through them. 

Please take a moment to pray for the people in Haiti.

Luanshya, Zambia school conducts youth seminar

November, 2023

Report

 Introduction

We send seasonal greetings to you all brothers and sisters!! It is always a pleasure to have our time of writing this report and we always give honor and glory to God through our master and Savior Jesus Christ who has given us the opportunity to work in His Kingdom.

Going for a holiday

We concluded the month of September and send our students for a holiday. We proudly report that the month was full of Godly activities for the Institute. Our students supplied some very enlightening information regarding contemporary teenage behavior especially on the Copperbelt when they meet many youths as they went for a holiday at our Institute.

They had invited the youth at the Institute premises for a farewell party on the Copperbelt. The youths came from various congregations on the Copperbelt were most of them had spent time preaching. “Keep thyself pure” as Paul told Timothy was the core of their message “abstain from fornication” Jesus said “don’t look on a woman to lust after her in your heart.” The bible is replete with warnings they said; and teens and others who ignore those warnings do so at their own peril. Don’t venture onto forbidden ground where you can’t invite Jesus along they warned. It was a wonderful moment as seen on a picture attached.

The planting season

As our students have gone back to their respective homes earlier to cultivate and plant their field as early as possible. Most of the students are engaged in some kind of farming to take care of their families.   

As you may recall, the 2022/2023 rainfall season was characterized by above normal rainfall amounts with extreme weather and climate events. This resulted in reduced crop production, damage to infrastructure, such as road and bridges and indeed, increased incidents of waterborne diseases and agriculture pests.

According to the National Metrological department of Zambia forecast of 2023/2024 rainfall season, the rainfall amounts are likely to be normal to below in most of parts of the country. This is also a great opportunity for our students to interact with their loved one at home after a long period of studies.

Baptisms/restorations

We had preached to forty seven (47) people of which six were baptized. And we recorded four restorations. Please pray for Jane Kaonga, Salome Bulanda, Gift Chibuye, Justina Banda, Memory Chileshe and Nathan Chibwe 

Three  (3) Baptized in D.R .Congo

We have continued to work with Tresor  Muyeye and now we are in Lualaba province in the district of Mutshatsha. We recorded three baptisms through a seminar which was held there. Though they requested that we visit and be part of this gospel seminar we did not manage to travel due to limited funds  but, we were constantly in touch with the program.

Kennedy Trip to Solwezi

Kennedy Mukuka one of our teachers at the Institute recently traveled to Northwestern province for evangelism and the trip was a success, we recorded two souls added to the sheepfold. We keep on glorifying God for this efforts in His kingdom.

Updates from our former students

We have continued to work with all our former students of which the total number for now stand at twenty seven (27) and we will give more report on the activities in the month of December God willing. All our current students are home safely and working and more news are coming as well for we are constantly in touch with them

Wedding bells

Since graduating from BVBI-Z in 2020, Vincent Simwanza has been working with one of the Preaching schools in Livingstone. And we constantly receive good news about his commitment to the kingdom of God. Vincent will be marrying his sweetheart Beverly at the end of December, 2023 here on the Copperbelt province. Please remember him in your daily prayers!

Conclusion

We believe that the school is on firm ground on its pledge to train faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Without Christian principles, morals and ethics this world is doomed! We continue to give a special thank you to our amazingly supportive family and friends of Bear Valley Bible Institute-International and the Church of Christ at Woodland Oaks in Texas, USA for their financial support. You are always in our prayers!

In His service,

Cephas and Fred

Bible camp in Cambodia

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ:

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to provide you with a report on the recent International Bible Institute camping trip that took place in Cambodia. It was an incredible experience with over 205 people joining us for this spiritually enriching event.

The camping trip was held in a beautiful location in Cambodia, surrounded by nature and a serene atmosphere. The main objective of the trip was to bring together Christians from different countries and backgrounds to deepen their faith and learn from one another.

Throughout the duration of the camping trip, we were blessed with numerous good lessons and teachings. Prominent speakers from various parts of Cambodia shared their knowledge and wisdom, providing us with valuable insights into the scriptures.

Overall, the International Bible Institute camping trip in Cambodia was a resounding success. The event not only provided us with invaluable spiritual lessons but also created lasting friendships and memories. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this enriching experience and look forward to future events that will continue to strengthen our faith and bring us closer to God.

As we continue to support our students in their faith journey, I kindly request your prayers for their continued growth in faith and knowledge. May they be strengthened in their commitment to the Lord and inspired to deepen their understanding of His teachings. Pray that they may continue to be effective ambassadors of the gospel, bringing hope and love to those they encounter.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. Together, we can empower these young individuals to make a lasting impact in their communities and beyond.

Servants of Jesus Christ.
Piseth Rin and Darat Run.
Co-Directors of IBISR.

Church Planting in Tirupati, India

Reporting Letter for the month of November-2023

December 4th,2023

Respected director Mr.Keith kasarijian, our coordinator Mr. Mark Reynolds and all the prayer partners of BVBI-Tirupati-India. We send greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ. We pray that this letter may serve us in finding you all good health. We thank you for your continual prayers and encouragement. We would like to submit brief report for the month of November-2023.

BVBI-Tirupati: The BVBI -extension centre at Tirupati functions smoothly and successfully. We continually teach and train the young people in India. In the month of November we had guest teacher Mr. S.Vijay Prakash.  He was able to teach the book of James . We appreciate the students as well as part-time students who are able to attend the classes. We sincerely appreciate all the guest teachers who help in educating young people in our Bible school.

Staff meeting: We conducted a staff meeting on 11th Saturday at our Bible school office room. We discussed a few things concerning the development of the Bible school and also reaching university students in our city.

Local Preachers Meeting: Our BVBI-Tirupati is organizing village preachers meeting every month. Village preachers were not given opportunity to attend the Bible schools for training, but they have zeal for doing God’s ministry. So each month we conduct preachers’ meeting and teaching. In the month of November 18th Saturday we conducted a preachers’ meeting at the village of Aruru. We studied the book of James.

Visiting Kasumuru-Village: After the preachers’ meeting at Aruru village we travelled to the Kasumuru village congregation and encouraged them on 18th Saturday.

Karnool visit :  Some of our first batch students were from Karnool distrct in A.P state. They connected me with one of the local churches in Karnool district. We are happy to share with you that Mr. Rajarathnam is working hard at Vandagal village. He invited me to teach on Nov-30th  day class and evening gospel meeting. In their local church they are having 250 members. We had a wonderful class and evening meeting.

Baby churches: We have started 10 home churches in our city. Our staff members and students visit and work for these home churches. We request you pray for the growth of these churches.

Home Bible studies: In our city and around the city our staff and students are working effectively in conducting the home bible studies. A few people are near to the kingdom of God. We request your prayers for those attending the home bible studies.

Moral Values class for the KGBV-school: I have visited KGBV-school on November 27th. The school principal is my wife Swarupa. The school staff has requested me to teach moral values to the intermediate students. I taught them moral values to build better community. They are happy to receive the teaching.

Benevolence:  In the month of November we distributed clothes to 31 widowed sisters at Vandagal-village, Karnool district. As I regularly preach at Vidyanagar church of Christ and Tirupati church of Christ they have sponsored this clothes distribution benevolence program.  

Death: In the month of November our local church member Mrs. Jeevadanamma died on Nov 24th . We had a funeral service on Nov 25th . She was a widow sister, strong member in the local church. It is so sad to miss our member . But we thank God for the hope of resurrection.

Prayer Request: BVBI-Tirupati first and second batch  students have been working hard  in the spiritual battle field working against Satan’s kingdom by proclaiming the gospel of Christ. We request you to pray for their church planting work.

We humbly share with you that the BVBI-extension centre is a great blessing for the young people who wish to study the word of God. We thank our director Mr.Keith kasarjian and our coordinator Mr. Mark Reynolds for their hardship in guiding and availability for the smooth function of the centre at Tirupati-India.

Thanking you.

Yours brother in Christ.

Vijay&Staff from BVBI-extension Centre-Tirupati-India.

Zambian school evangelizing The Congo

October, 2023

Report

Introduction

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” and Paul in 2 Timothy 3:17 after saying that all scriptures is inspired, give a reason for its purpose “that the saints of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Warm greetings to you all brothers and sisters!! We always give honor and glory to God who has given us this rare occasion to work in His Kingdom. And we will forever be appreciative to God and to all our partners who have made this to be possible.

Extra work in D.R.C

We have continued to work with Tshibamba – Muyeye Tresor and the month of October continued to be very fruitful in D.R.C Congo as far as evangelism is concerned. We have recorded nine (9) Souls being added to the Kingdom and the Church continues to grow in Katanga province of Congo. Now there is a great demand that we travel to meet these brothers as you see them in the pictures attached below. Keep us in your prayers

We have also reached as far as the region of south Kivu Kinshasa in the village known as Tubondo along to Lake Tanganyika as indicated on the map attached below. 

I.                   Other Activities

A.     Our evangelism in Luanshya District

1.      We have continued to make every effort to reach out to the lost soul with Brother Cephas Mwamba is spearheading the work; the students are motivated as they do personal evangelistic activities. It is very encouraging to see them involved in reaching out to those who desperately need to be saved. They have continued with the target they have given themselves as far as reaching people is concerned. As indicated in our previous communiqué, each student is supposed to speak to at least two (02) people on a daily basis. The thirteen (12) students speak to at least twenty-six (24) people each day. It is indeed worthy noting that at the end of the week these students would have spoken to almost one hundred and fifty-six (154) people. With tenacity and consistency the desired results will be realized. 

B.      Bible Studies

They have also increased the number of houses where they conduct the Bible studies from. Each team consisting of two students have Bible studies twice a week. On Fridays, they have all attend the Bible studies at Brother Zechariah Magawa. Brother Magawa is a former Police command of Luanshya district who was converted through our student’s preaching and now he is such an encouragement to our student preachers.

C.      Baptisms/Restorations

We are very happy to report that the month of October, 2023 has so far recorded a total of seven (7) baptisms in Luanshya District.

We also recorded three (3) restorations 

D.     Copper belt Provincial Youth Conference

We held a youth conference which started on 27th October, 2023 and ended on 29thOctober, 2023.

Youths from eight districts of the Copper belt Province convened at Church of Christ Wusakile in Kitwe district.

The theme of the conference was “Overcoming the modern challenges of the youths”. Our former students were also invited and did a good job when they presented their lessons. They interacted well with our current student body. We can successfully say we had a good time in the Lord and good experience with the youths on the copper belt Province.

Austin Musonda, Gershom Chansa and Boyd Kalaba all did an excellent work as they worked together in teaching at the conference. We had a very fantastic experience! And at the end of the meeting the following statistics were recorded:

Ø  Total attendance: 284

Ø  Baptisms: 6

Ø  Restorations:    13

Ø  Two of the youths who were present a boy and a girl came and confessed that they were sent to initiate at least ten youths into Satanism, it was very scary experience.

E.      Reports from our alumni             

Reuben Museka: of 2022 graduate has continued to be sound in Mbala district of Northern Province and has given as a good report on his work there and the church. The congregation which started with only three families has now grown to seventeen (17) members. They have continued to meet at a government primary school and they have started to look for a plot where they can begin to build in a traditional land. We keep praying for him to be successful.

Simon khazi: also of 2022 graduate has continued in Lusaka province at Mtendere Congregation where he began a youth class and has so far recorded eleven (11) baptisms within two months. His dedication to work is highly recommended. Simon is also in the school of medicine and we wish him well.

Visiting by Bear Valley Bible Institute Coordinator (Southern Africa)

It is always a great pleasure to have Brother Donnie Estep come and teach at Bear Valley Bible Institute-Zambia. We realize the sacrifices and indeed the commitments he makes to come to us. And for this reason we will forever be grateful to God and to Donnie!

Brother Donnie taught the book of Galatians and our students were very excited to gain the knowledge from the experienced. 

Conclusion

We continue to speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together. We also continue to Giving special thanks to our supportive family and friends at Woodland Oaks church of Christ. Our hearts are truly thankful to all of you for financial support that you render to the school. We are also grateful to all our other partners in this noble work! May God richly bless you all!!

Because of the Christ,

Cephas and Fred

Marriage class conducted in Malawi

The Family Unit

A full week of intentional focus on marriage and the family just ended.  This was a capstone class that will prayerfully help these 7 families to submit to one another through obedience and love.  

Topics covered included but were not limited to biblical marriage, definitions of love, establishing healthy boundaries and fences in relationships, communication, conflict resolution, parenting, budgeting, differences in sets of needs, intimacy, anger management, and lust.   

There were cultural difficulties in teaching the class even for a long-term missionary.  Things like clearly defined roles in the local culture made it challenging to teach things like showing love through acts of service. When cultural discrepancies presented themselves, the biblical principle was restated, and the students were encouraged to find their own application to that principle. 

Each day was balanced with godly principles and fun to remind the students of the joy in marriage.  By the end of the week, the husbands and wives seemed more relaxed around each other.

It is our desire for the students to continue working on their own marriages as well as to begin sharing this information with others once they return to their villages.

What about the children?

Great question!  If both parents are in class for 30 hours (spanning over the course of four full days and a partial day on Friday), where are the children, and what are they doing?

From 7:45 until noon, Leann and Alyssa cared for the children who were not yet old enough to attend primary school.  There were officially 7 of them, but one school employee’s child who lives on campus also tagged along several days.  At the beginning of each hour, we had an activity ready.  We went from building houses and cars with blocks to picture cards, snacks, and then a game.  At that point, the little ones were fading fast and rest time often took us close to noon (especially for those who were slow to wake up).  We did our best to keep everyone with us, but one or two were not quite old enough to be away from mom for long.

Throughout the afternoon (1:30-4:30) the older kids trickled in from school, ate lunch in their homes, and then joined us.  We brought out Bible coloring pages, games, and ended with picking up trash in exchange for a sucker.  Homemade games (even meaning hand-sewn by Alyssa in some cases like bean bags) included giant tic-tac-toe, bean bag toss, and bowling. 

As we are six to eight weeks away from rainy season, keeping the kids hydrated was important.  We served rehydration drinks daily.

Meet Your New Sister

Although the waters are receding significantly as we near the end of dry season, there was enough in the creek to immerse Labeka on October 1st.  She was buried in the water and came out a new creature (Romans 6:4, II Corinthians 5:17).  Labeka attended class without fail as Dale took the congregation through an 8-week study of Bible basics including God’s plan of redemption and salvation.  She also fully understood that changes would be needed to comply with Biblical teachings on an on-going basis.