The Numbers We Know Are Life Changing…
As we remember the tragedy of 9/11, the lives lost, sacrifices of many who went to help, and a country changed forever, the lessons continue. We have a greater perspective on the value of life and family. We understand how the direction of the future can change in an instant. We also know the need to be prepared for every situation. The most important lesson to learn is we need God.
I am sure pulpits across the United States, and maybe around the world, focused on the lessons connected to the anniversary of 9/11. I was privileged to hear one of the finest lessons before the Lord’s Supper by Michael Hite. He spoke of how our minds instantly recall images when we hear the numbers 9/11. What do we recall when we hear numbers like 27/50; 15/37; 23/46; or 19/30? These are the passages from the gospels that express the last breath our Savior took on the cross. These numbers should bring powerful images to mind.
At a time when our world is focused on the events of 10 years ago, as Christians, our thoughts should weekly, yes daily, remember the events of almost 2,000 years ago when our Savior came in the flesh and gave His life to provide access to heaven. The way of salvation was secured through His sacrifice.
This is indeed the purpose behind the work we do in Extension Training. With each week, I am increasingly privileged to share in the efforts of so many to help prepare men around the world in the sound doctrine of God’s word. I count it one of God’s greatest blessings given to me in the opportunity to see it, read about it, and share in this work. Thank you for making this possible.
The reports this week focus on many areas around the world expressing the greatness of our God working through faithful men for the good of the Kingdom.
Coordinator Updates
Reports from the coordinators are now located on the website, under Staff Reports. The address is http://www.wetrainpreachers.com/extension-schools/
Extension Reports
BVBIU: Gorlovka, Ukraine
The new class of students are now preparing themselves for the Lord’s work. Read more about each of the students and see their pictures in this month’s report from Dennis.
Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies: Tamale, Ghana
REPORT FROM TAMALE INSTITUTE OF BIBLICAL STUDIES – GHANA
Activities have resumed in earnest after a break. Instructors and Students of Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies look refreshed. Management wishes to thank all individuals and organizations who in diverse ways made the maiden graduation ceremony successful. Our prayer is that the graduants will continuously commit themselves to the great commission.
The Institute encountered the saddest experience ever to be thought of a day after the graduation. As part of the Institute’s effort of producing self- reliant preachers, sought the services of the late Sister Avril Keoughan. She visited Tamale once every quarter with her team to teach the students on Primary Health Care. Prior to the graduation ceremony, she informed the Institute of the need to conclude her syllabus with a three – day activity. She was electicuted by a faulty water heater in the bathroom when she was bathing after her first day class activities, and died at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. She was buried at the Bomso Church premises on the 27th August, 2011.
TRIBUTE BY THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST, TAMALE.
“The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil”. (Isaiah 57:1) New International Version
Avril Keoughan was a Canadian Public Health Practitioner who worked closely with the Churches of Christ in Ghana. She started her carrier in Ghana at the Bomso Clinic. She was later engaged by the Village of Hope. She finally came to settle in Kumasi where she worked with the Bomso Clinic. Her vocation as public health practitioner took her to several towns and villages in the north. Especially in Yendi and its surrounding villages where together with the Yendi church set up a clinic in Yendi and gave health care to the people there. Together with Sister Johnson and Brother Bob Williams all deceased, Tamale Church was assisted to establish a Clinic at Cheshagu in the Tolon- Kunbungu District in the early 90s.
When the Tamale Institute of Biblical studies (TIBS) was established two years ago she was invited to teach the trainee preachers in public health. The rationale for the above was to enable them get some vocation as a supplement to the preaching work, an offer she accepted with enthusiasm and since then has been visiting with her team every three months to teach.
Avril Keoughan happens to be one of the resource persons invited by the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies to its annual lectureship and maiden graduation ceremony held on 24th and 25th June 2011 respectively. In addition to the above, she was to take the graduands through their last lectures in public health and to examine them in the subject before they went to the field.
On the day of graduation, she was invited to present a prize to the well behaved student. She also took part in the thanksgiving ceremony held on 26th June 2011 to express the institute’s gratitude to the Almighty for making the graduation possible. It was at TIBS, on Monday 27th June 2011, around 9:30 pm, that she met her untimely death.
She had earlier that very Monday organized a class for her students and arranged with them so that they could take their exams the following day (Tuesday, 28 June). She was to proceed to Kumasi that very Tuesday after conducting the exams for them (the students). However, Tuesday 28th June 2011 never came to meet her alive.
She was going to take her bath that fateful Monday night after watching a television program on CBS that she was electrocuted by a faulty wall heater and died when she was being rushed to the hospital. True therefore goes the saying that we know where we were born but not where we shall die. Yes, she was born in Canada but ended her life in Tamale, Ghana.
At age 62 the normal expectation was that she still had some meaningful years to live on this earth. Nevertheless, things did not happen the way we thought. We loved and cherished her dearly for her immense contribution to the church and TIBS and wished she stayed a bit longer to teach the subsequent trainee preachers their lessons in public health. But our expectations have been shattered at our feet. We really did not understand why things happened this way, but the Almighty knows best and it is his will that must prevail.
At this moment we are at the crossroads ready to part company with her since her physical body will soon be lowered into the grave and today will be the last day we shall be setting eyes on her. However, we still nurture the hope that we shall meet one day in Heaven where the saints will forever be comforted.
Avril! Farewell
Avril! (Farewell in Dagbani)Ti chepsi- a
Avril! Damrifua Due.
ITL: Guatemala City, Guatemala
The following information has the most recent details about the new class at the Theological Institute of Latin America in Guatemala.
Introduction: The Need
What all began in April 2008 as a Saturday program and in March 2009 as a full-time institute for training men and women to work in God’s Kingdom continues to be blessed by God Almighty.
As we have graduated our first class and have moved into our 2nd promotion (BETA Class), the work seems to get greater and greater. Someone told us that it would get easier after the 1st year. ☺ However, we are enjoying the opportunities that God has given us.
Our goal from the beginning has not been to impress our supporters with numbers. Rather, we have sought to establish a quality program that emphasizes character, discipline and fidelity to the Word of God, as well as a passion for reaching the lost in this world. We are partnered with Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver (BVBID) to continue with the goal of giving the best Bible training possible.
The NEED TO TRAIN WORKERS IS GREAT and we are thankful to have, to help with this need, four fulltime instructors, Anibal Ramirez, Byron Benitez, Darvin Alvarez and Hawatthia Jones. We are also grateful for our supporters. Congregations like the Morristown church of Christ make it possible for Darvin to work full time with both the church in Coban and with ITL. BVBID provides the opportunity for our students to receive some of the best possible instruction from good, faithful brothers from the United States. We believe that Instituto Teológico Latinoamericano (ITL) is a good example of what God says in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”
ITL is moving forward with many exciting things to report. Since ITL has two programs of study, let us begin with the Saturday program first, then we will update you on the full-time program.
Saturday Program
After graduating our first class, of which 3 individuals were from the Saturday program, it was decided to move this portion of the work from a rented elementary school facility in Zone 7 of Guatemala City to the present site where the full-time program is located. Keeping the students’ needs in mind was the main reason that kept us in that previous location. One of our students would not have been able to finish her studies had we moved before we did. And, we are glad we stayed because this allowed her to be a part of our first graduating class.
This move of the Saturday program has many benefits both for the teachers and for the students. A few of these benefits are: we save Q500 per month (about $65) on rent; we are able to use more modern means of teaching (PowerPoint, etc.); and the area is much safer. No one regrets staying in the other area for the need of a student, but also no one regrets making this move for the Saturday program.
It is hard to believe how time is passing by as we have already entered into our 2nd quarter of this three-year program. In the 1st quarter the classes were Language and Research taught by Anibal Ramirez and Christian Ethics taught by Darvin Alvarez. Presently, we are teaching The Gospels/The Life of Christ (Hi) and Hermeneutics (Byron). We currently have 8 students. Since enrollment for this program is open each quarter, the number of students can vary each quarter.
Full-Time Program
ITL’s full-time program, which works along with BVBID’s extension program, has now also entered into its 2nd quarter of its 2nd promotion. As most of you are aware, this program offers two years of intensive biblical studies, basic living and food expenses, a computer lab, and a limited amount of funds for personal expenses for each student attending. Since the students live on campus, we tried to make their accommodations as comfortable as possible—not luxurious by any means, but comfortable. There are also the additional expenses (housing, schooling, clothing, etc.) for any children with whom the students enter ITL.
There were several changes to make after our first class graduated. One change was that we needed a driver for the new ITL van. Francisco Ramos, our van driver, graduated and none of our new students have a license to drive. The dilemma was taken care of pretty easily in that the staff quickly divided the driving times amongst ourselves to make sure that someone was available to transport the students when needed. But the second change, the need for a full-time cook, presented a little greater of a challenge. The distance from Linda Vista presented a problem in hiring a member of the congregation. So, we contacted a lady in our area in whom we have confidence to see if she would be available to work as our cook; sadly, she was not available. Thankfully, she knew someone who was and highly recommended that we consider her. Her name is Elena Solorzano and she is working out very well as the ITL full-time cook. Elena is not a Christian at the present although she is a very religious lady. Please pray for everyone at ITL as we strive to share the saving grace of God with Elena through both words and actions.
The full–time ITL facility is something we are proud of and something that we try to take care of. We rent it from a lady who lives most of the year in the United States. We also have sturdy desks and nice chairs that we make efforts at taking care of. We were able to have them custom made for our students when the full-time program first began—a result of a gracious donation from Wesley and Amanda Walker. Wesley was recently hired as the pulpit minister for the Woodson Chapel church of Christ, where he formerly served as the associate minister. Wesley has also been on the ITL campus where he taught one of our short courses. We hope that Amanda will visit soon!
Each quarter the students receive five to six weeks of instruction from the local ITL teachers. In addition, they receive instruction from at least three instructors who come to teach in the short course portion of our studies. These instructors, coordinated through BVBID’s extension program, come and teach an assigned course for one week. There are more than 30 hours of instruction time in each of these short courses. The students are given a full research week at the end of the short course periods to complete any assignments left by the visiting instructor. Some instructors cannot actually come to Guatemala so they teach by means of videoconferencing. We are eternally grateful to a brother at the Broadway church of Christ in Paducah, Kentucky, who generously purchased our VC equipment. This has allowed good, qualified instructors from the U.S.A., such as Dan Owen, the evangelist at Broadway, to teach our students here in Guatemala.
We have enrolled six full-time students and they are adjusting to their new living quarters and new daily schedule. This is the first time that some of these students have studied at this educational level, so it has been a little trying for both the students and for the teachers, with the work load being as strenuous as it is. But everyone is surviving. ☺ This new student body has made ITL an international institute. We have two students, Angel Gabriel Gonzales Morales and Eliezer Nieves Perez Gonzales, who are from Panama. Our other students are from Guatemala. We have Arnoldo Alejandro Tot Pelaez from the city of Coban and Manuel David Avila Chuc from Samayac. We also have Walter and Nohelis Dardon (and their two year old daughter, Keira) who came to ITL from the Linda Vista congregation. In a near future report we will send a short biographical sketch of each of our new students.
Due to a delayed start of the full-time program, the first quarter had to be revised from how we normally start our quarter. Instead of a three course load, we started with two courses from our local instructors on May 16th. These courses were Christian Ethics taught by Byron and Techniques of Research taught by Anibal. This was followed by two short courses, which were Leadership, taught by Lindell Mitchell and Introduction to the Old Testament, taught by Denton Landon. Conrad Pinder, from Costa Rica, came once again to translate for the short courses. We are now towards the end of our 2nd quarter. From our full-time instructors the students have received Homiletics, taught by Hawatthia; Hermeneutics, taught by Darvin; and Introduction to the New Testament, taught by Anibal. We then had a full three weeks of short courses, followed by one week of research to complete all assignments for these courses. The short course classes were Job, taught by Donnie Bates; Intertestamental History, taught by Gary Fallis; and How to Study the Bible, taught by Dan Owen, using our VC system. Presently, the students are working on campaign with the new church in San Cristobal, Alta Verapaz. Their break week will follow to allow them time to recharge to start their 3rd quarter on Monday, September 19.
Property for ITL
Thank you for your prayers as we went through our ordeal with our first property purchase. We are thankful to God that we received all of our money back, even the lawyer’s fees. The money is safely stored away in a reliable bank here in Guatemala. Over the past few months we have not had a lot of time to look for property. Earlier this year we did quite a bit of searching. We found what we thought would be the PERFECT property for ITL and the price given by the realtor made it even more attractive; it sounded too good to be true. And, after further investigation, we found that it was too good to be true. ☺ So, we hope to begin our search again very soon. Please continue to keep this project in your prayers.
ITL Lectureship 2012
We are happy to announce information about ITL’s 3rd Annual Lectureship. The theme that has been selected is “Adequately Searching the Scriptures.” The main goal of this lectureship is to help equip Christians on how to study the Bible personally. There will be an emphasis on the methods, the principles and the processes of interpreting the Scriptures, as well as some attention to errors like the New Hermeneutic.
We have two keynote speakers already confirmed and will be finalizing other details very soon. We are confident that this will be a quality program for the serious Bible student. We hope to record the sessions and have them available for distribution.
We were pleased with the attendance made up of brethren from various parts of the world for our 2011 lectureship. We plan to put together a package like we did for this past lectureship, which will include the lectureship events and some sightseeing tours. If you would like to attend, the lectureship dates are March 15-18, 2012. You may want to schedule your arrival for the early afternoon of the 15th and your departure for the 19th, unless you want to stay extra time for more sightseeing or relaxation.
The Work of ITL Moves Forward
We hope that as a result of this newsletter you will be able to see some of the great things taking place with ITL. We have had to face great challenges and Satan is still busy trying to stop our work. But we believe that preparing men and women effectively and biblically is a work worth our effort and worth enduring persecution if that is what is needed.
There is so much more to share with you, but we will bring this newsletter to an end. We will include more details in future correspondence. We love you and appreciate very much your taking time to keep up with how God is working in Guatemala through a small Bible institute called ITL.
Please continue to pray for ITL, for the new students and for us.
Porque Él vive (Because He lives),
Hawatthia “Hi” Jones Byron E. Benitez
Please send all funds to our overseeing congregation, marked “Mission: Guatemala” to the following address:
Kingsley Terrace Church of Christ Attn: Dwaine Himes/Mission: Guatemala 2031 E. 30th Street Indianapolis, IN 46218
Team Guatemala missions also reports about the tremendous work they are doing in spreading the gospel in Guatemala. The report is below.
Greetings dear family and friends!
We hope and pray that all of you are doing well. We are doing fine.
The current report has the purpose of informing you of a recent mission team that came to work with us here in Guatemala. Their visit was a true blessing to us and we are thankful for their work, love and sacrifice.
The team of 20 arrived to Guatemala on Thursday, July 7, greeted at the airport by ITL students and Linda Vista members. The team was made up of five from Indiana, 11 from Florence, Alabama, two from Minnesota, and two from California. This year we had from Indiana Melvin Denny, Rashad Gold, Henry and Candace Shelton, and Lesha Colglazier, the team coordinator. From Alabama, there were Kerry Williams and his daughter, Reann, Joshua Wear, Buddy Baker, Raymond Voigt Jr, Ashley House, Austin Penter, and the Krieger family – Joey, Kelli, Luke and Brandon. This year, Hi’s sister, LaVaughn Booker came with the team. Her son, and Hi’s nephew, Joey was able to make his second visit in a row. They are the two that live in Minnesota. From California, Byron’s mother, Aralee Hernandez, and niece, Ashley Figueroa, came again this year. The evening of their arrival we met for dinner with the team to share information they would need to know about their time in Guatemala.
Friday, July 8, the team got a touch of the local culture by touring Guatemala City and shopping at Central Market, which is underground. Most of the team did very well at haggling. Be careful if they try to buy something from you! ☺ That evening Byron and Hawatthia hosted the team and others from Linda Vista for dinner in their home. The evening was filled with fellowship, singing and the annual Jenga game. We are sad to report that the men lost to the women this year!
As in years past, Saturday is the day we have a seminar at Linda Vista. Each year we have the blessing of having other congregations in attendance. This year’s theme was “Don’t Worry – Trust in God!” All the lessons for the week looked at this theme from various aspects. The seminar began with a lesson from us to a combined audience. After this initial lesson, the audience was divided into different groups: children, teens, ladies and men. Several members of the mission team presented lessons at this time. We were especially impressed to see the teenagers who came from the Sherrod Ave. congregation and from Minnesota teach and assist in teaching. Arelee, Ashley, Byron, Benjamin Montejo and Johania Reyes served as translators.
The Lord’s Day was special with a bi-lingual worship service for both the morning and evening times. Kerry William, the full-time evangelist for the Sherrod Avenue church of Christ in Florence, Alabama, spoke for the morning service. Joey Krieger, also from Sherrod Avenue, led songs in English. Rashad Gold spoke for the evening service and Henry Shelton led the songs in English. Both are from the Kingsley Terrace church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana. Other young men on the team helped with other parts of worship in English. After the morning worship, Bible classes were taught by Raymond Voigt, youth minister at Sherrod Avenue, for the teens, Kelli Krieger coordinated the classes for the children, being assisted by Reann Williams and Ashley House. We were given the adult class.
We had lunch at the home of Adela Ramos again this year. It was wonderful. This is our usual stop on our way to visit the Amatitlan National Hospital on Sunday afternoon. The team and Linda Vista members were able to deliver care packages to the patients and were able pray with them. So, as you can see, the Lord’s Day was a full day of worship, service and blessings.
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the team had the opportunity to work on 3 families’ homes to make much needed improvements. Cesar Tovar, a member at Linda Vista, served as our foreman on these projects. It was great to see him able to work after having suffered a serious illness that almost took his life. On Monday, we worked at the home of Siria Reyes for our first project. She is an older member of Linda Vista that really needed work on her home. We replaced half of the house’s tin roof because it was leaking severely. In addition, most of the rooms in the house were painted a nice light blue, to match the color Siria already had in her home. With many hands that were available and ready to work, most of the work was done by the time we went to lunch. Each afternoon, all of us ate lunch at the church building, where Isabel Tovar and her helpers served delicious meals. As a result of finishing most of the work in the morning, the team was able to go back to the hotel early to rest after having been in the strong sun during the morning.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the team worked in two other homes. These belong to Maritza and Lorena Garcia, sisters in the flesh and sisters in the Lord. At Maritza’s house, we were able to place new tin roof over one of her rooms and we laid concrete where dirt had previously served as the floor. At Lorena’s house, we worked in her kitchen, replacing the tin roof and also laying a concrete floor over the dirt. These two sisters and their families were grateful for the efforts done on their behalf.
On Monday and Tuesday evenings, Joey Krieger, a song leader and music teacher, worked with the Linda Vista congregation to teach four-part harmony. It was a treat to see the members singing their parts proudly. By the end of the seminar, the Christians who attended these two nights sounded great! Although we understand that God is interested in the heart more than the harmony, it sure was nice to hear how the church improved in harmony in just a short time. Thanks Joey for your help!
On Wednesday evening, we were blessed to have Melvin Denny give our devotional. It was especially encouraging to see him before the church because this was Melvin’s first time to give a lesson. Great job, Melvin! After the devotional, Kelli, Reann, and Ashley taught the children, Lesha taught the ladies, and Kerry taught the men.
On Thursday, all of us went in the rented bus to the city of Chichicastenango. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, so the group was ready to haggle once again. We contracted a tour guide on this occasion, who gave us good insight on Guatemala’s history and the places we passed on the way to Chichi (what the locals call the city). We were able to see the variety of the country’s landscape— volcanoes, mountains, farmland, and various towns. Because we are in the rainy season, there is always a chance that the rain will catch you while you are out and about. Well, the rain did catch us on this day, but it did not stop us! ☺ It was interesting to see all the creative solutions that were made to try to stay dry.
The trip is not complete without a visit to Antigua Guatemala for sight-seeing, shopping and lunch at the restaurant Fonda de Calle Real. Our first stop was to a coffee plantation just outside the city limits, where we got a tour of the facilities and of their music museum. Next, we ate lunch at the restaurant mentioned. Finally, the essential shopping stop was made so that our U.S. brethren could contribute to the Guatemalan economy. ☺ As the sun set in the west, we loaded onto the bus and made our way to Linda Vista for a going-away celebration. If we had to summarize the tone of the event, it would be with the words “mutual appreciation.” The mission team had many kind words of gratitude to express to the church for hosting them, and the church likewise expressed many thanks for the team’s decision to come to share ten days with them. The night ended with lots of hugs, plenty of Spanglish, loads of pictures, and a good deal of love.
There were a few challenges during the week, but the team was able to accomplish what it had planned. The new ones learned on more than one occasion the key words for the trip: be flexible. Lesha, the team coordinator, said that she knows that each of the team members were grateful for the time they were able to spend in Guatemala and have a better appreciation for their brothers and sisters here! A sincere thank you goes out to each team member for all your efforts and a special thanks to the team nurse, Candace Shelton, for your extra efforts to keep everyone moving. Much to our sadness, the team members boarded their plane on Saturday to fly back to the United States.
Thanks again to Lesha for a superb job in directing once again our July team. Your expertise helps to make everything go much smoother. Also, thanks to the team for coming to Guatemala to share your faith and your love. You all made a BIG difference in the lives of your spiritual (and physical) family here. We must also mention that Lesha helped us this year to write this newsletter. Thank you! The idea was to get it out sooner, but in spite of her efforts, we still managed to get this newsletter later than we had hoped. Sorry!
We will close for now. However, we cannot close without saying thank you to all our supporters, family and friends who read our reports. If possible, why not make a visit yourself to see the work first hand. Our July team, Lord willing, will return next year July 5-14. Hope to see you on that team!
¡Que Dios los bendiga! (May God bless you all!)
Hawatthia Byron
“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”
The team that works in Guatemala is also involved in several areas. The following report provides information about the work they share in with the World English Institute.
Greetings from the South!
Once again this year we were blessed to host teams from World English Institute (WEI).
There were two teams, the first arriving on the same day that our July Mission Team departed. As in years past, these teachers arrived willing and ready to work in this special ministry.
Needless to say, we continue to be sold on WEI! Our brother Dick Ady has done a great job at developing this ministry that uses the Bible to teach English. For those who are new at receiving our reports, please allow us a few lines to tell you a little about WEI. The lessons, from beginner to advanced courses, are designed to lead the student through God’s plan of redemption, making the most of Biblical events to develop conversation and to create dialogue.
The students know from the beginning that it is not just an English class. They know that they will have the chance to enhance their English while having a chance to enhance their Bible knowledge; thankfully, the use of the Bible is a drawing factor here in Guatemala. After the teachers depart, the students can also continue their studies on line. And, in addition to all of this, once the students complete the advanced courses they are able, if they wish, to take the exam (the TOEFL) required by most U.S. universities before accepting foreign students, which is also the exam that opens many job opportunities in Guatemala. Of course, the ultimate goal is to help lead the students to Christ.
Each year, most of our students here in Guatemala have been eager to register knowing these facts already mentioned. Another item of importance about WEI is that, in most cases, there is a one-on-one student to teacher ratio. We say in most cases because there are occasions in which the teachers have more than one student during a class time. In these situations an effort is made to match students with an English level that is similar.
We could write more about WEI but we believe this is enough to help you better understand why we are excited about this ministry and the importance of individuals and local congregations supporting it financially. Now, let us tell you a little about what took place with the two teams that visited us this year.
This year we had four teachers on each team. The teams were here for two weeks each, which gave each student a month of studies. We had about 40 students who registered for the program. The hotel where the teams stayed gave a meeting room each day for the studies, without additional cost. This was a significant savings. It was also a benefit to the hotel in that several of their employees were able to take these classes. We were able to make many positive contacts in the hotel.
The first group of WEI teachers consisted of Anna Pride, the team coordinator, Nancy Petrokansky, Emma Stallworth and Michelle Avalos. They came from the state of Connecticut. Each teacher taught at least seven students each day with their first class starting at 9 a.m. As we mentioned earlier, there were class times that had more than one student. Except for Anna, everyone enjoyed a three hour break in the middle of the day; Anna took on a returning student from 12:00 – 1:00. This extended break time was used for lunch, which meant exploring new restaurants in the area, etc, and for down time to prepare for the last four students. Their last student studied from 6 to 7 each evening.
For their full weekend off the team took a tour on Saturday to Antigua with a local tour agency. It was a day full of culture experiences, shopping and just relaxation. They returned to the hotel that evening where we joined them for dinner.
On Sunday, they had the opportunity to worship with the local church in Linda Vista. This year they did not teach at Linda Vista, even though they offered to do so. With our July team having just departed, it was decided that it was probably best to go ahead with our normal program for the church. They did, however, bring special care packages from the congregation to our children. You can see in the picture the team with the children. Like any group of children, ours thoroughly enjoyed receiving this gift.
Our second team was made up of two couples. Greg Weston, the team coordinator, and his wife, LaDon, came from Ashland, Oregon. Joining them were Pete and Amanda Shaw from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They maintained pretty much the same schedule as the first team and they, too, did a great job as they worked with the students.
On their full weekend off, they, also, made a trip to Antigua. Because we were scheduled to teach in the ITL Saturday program, only Hi was able to accompany them this year. While in Antigua, they started with a visit to a coffee farm. Unfortunately, there was not an English speaking tour guide available, so they had to read the signs and listen to taped information as they went through the farm. Since we are not coffee drinkers, Hi was not a lot of help in giving a tour; we do not know good coffee from bad coffee. ☺
Something interesting happened while they were going through the farm; they met the owner. The group had just passed a picture of him on exhibit that was taken some 35+ years ago. He was a very interesting person and had a lot to say about his part of operating the farm now. Thankfully, he provided our guests with some up-to-date information about the farm. From there, the team went into the center of Antigua and to the market. After leaving Antigua, they traveled back to Guatemala City where Byron joined them for dinner.
On Sunday, this team also worshipped with the family at Linda Vista. Greg Weston preached and taught class. He did an excellent job. Byron served as his translator. After morning worship we ate in the home of Anna Maria Penado and her daughter, Johania. Johania is very familiar with the team because she served as their secretary/receptionist each day. Her regular job is that of secretary for ITL.
In addition to all the good that was already taking place, this team was able to see fruit born from the seed that had been planted through the labors of both teams (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). The first was Thelma Fabiola Chan Rodriguez, a new student for this year. Thelma, a student of Michelle Avalos on the first team and Amanda Shaw on the second, came to the conclusion that she needed to obey her Lord in baptism. We were asked to step in and to study with her in Spanish to make sure that she understood the commitment that she was making. After the study we talked with the person in charge of the private swimming pool area. We were allowed to use the pool to immerse Thelma, who then became our new sister in Christ. As a result of WEI, Thelma’s English is much better, but most important, her soul is saved. In the picture, Thelma is the one standing on the right with a white blouse. Please keep Thelma in your prayers. She has a good job, but the problem is that she works all day on Sunday. She stated that she is going to work on that because she understands the importance of assembling with the saints on the first day of the week.
The next conversion involved Donna Suseth Alvarado Castillo. Donna is a returning student from the two previous years that WEI has been taught here in Guatemala. Her teachers were Anna Pride on the first team and Greg Weston on the second. Donna’s story is very interesting. After one of their studies, Donna told Greg that she was not a Christian and that she needed to be baptized. Greg let Donna know that he and the rest of us were there to help in any way that we could. But Donna told Greg that she could not be baptized because she and Giovanni were not married. They had, according to Donna, been living together for a long time. Thankfully, Donna understood the importance of her soul and the soul of Giovanni and she accepted the invitation of Greg to study with both of them. To make a longer story shorter, Greg then asked if we would step in to study with both of them in Spanish to make sure we could answer any questions that they might have. Of course, we agreed to help.
Marriage is not a topic in the WEI studies. However, repentance is. And, after talking about repentance before one is baptized, Donna came to the conclusion herself that two people cannot live in sin and expect God to forgive them of it if they continue in that sin, even though they had been baptized. We fully agree with her conclusion. But the interesting part of her story is that after talking with both her and Giovanni, we found out that they were married. They had been taught—and for many years felt they were living incorrectly—that they needed to have a church wedding and to be married by someone in the church (a teaching of the Catholic Church). Because they only had married as the law of the land required, they had been erroneously led to believe that God did not accept their marriage. You should have seen the look on their faces when they discovered that after all these years their marriage is acceptable in God’s eyes. They realized that they did not need to repent of and rectify a sin that they were not in. Now, it was time for them to answer a more important question: was their relationship with God acceptable? Both acknowledged that it was not. We went to the hotel swimming pool area where Greg immersed them into Christ!
Please keep Giovanni and Donna in your prayers. Pray that we will be able to help them grow in their new walk with the Lord. Also, pray that they will be a positive influence on their children and that they, too, will come to know and obey the saving grace of God.
How exciting it was to have both teams with us. They left us some good contacts. We are presently studying with Douglas Roberto Rivas Perez. He has some very different ideas about several religious topics. Hopefully, we can help him better understand what God’s will is for him and for everyone that seeks the Lord. Gilmar Ruben Barrios is another student that has shown much interest. With the exception of one Sunday since the WEI studies have stopped, Gilmar has been at Linda Vista each week for worship. Lord willing, we will travel to his home to study with him and his wife on Saturday, September 10. Gilmar’s desire is for him and his family to be united in the “things of the Lord.” Please pray that we, with God’s help, can help him achieve this goal.
We close by asking that you please keep Dick Ady, WEI, the WEI teachers and students, and us in your prayers. If you have a desire to come to Guatemala with one of the WEI teams or to go anywhere else in the world where WEI is, just let us know. We will put you in touch with the right people; you can also visit the WEI website at www.worldenglishinstitute.org.
May God continue to bless each of you with the knowledge of His presence! We love you and are thankful that you have an interest in how the Lord is working in the small country of Guatemala.
Because He First Loved Us,
Hawatthia “Hi” Jones Byron E. Benitez
“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”
Uganda School Of Evangelism: Busia, Uganda
Dear brethren,
Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ who is always on our side as we strive to do his will. I did not send my weekly newsletter due to our usual problem of power. On Saturday, 3rd September 2011, I left Busia heading to Nairobi, Kenya to attend fund raising drive for brother Samson Omutele’s son who is pursuing higher education in Kenyatta University of Nairobi. 30 people were expected to come but only 16 turned up for the occasion. The target of the funds needed was 80,000/= Kenya money which is almost $889 dollars for the first semester. We managed to raise 60,000/=$668 dollars. We thanked the Lord for that much. Brother Samson will start from there.
I worshiped with Babadogo Church of Christ where brother Samson Omutele is the preacher. On 5th September I arrived back from Nairobi and on 6th September 2011, I started teaching at Uganda School of Evangelism in a short course. This time as I said earlier, I am teaching (missions Church planting) /World Evangelism. I will be ending on 16th September 2011. May the Lord bless you all.
Yours
Francis Wechesa
Andrew Connally School Of Preaching: Arusha, Tanzania
Greetings Fellow Workers;
We hope and we pray all is well in your life and that this short message finds you blessed by the Lord in just the right ways. We are reminded daily as to the good fortune we have in that we are children of God and fellow workers with you in the greatest of all life’s ventures.
The good news keeps getting better all the time. We will be blessed with the arrival of Buddy Fry, Steve Wiseman and his daughter Lexi. Both Steve and Buddy will be speaking at the Tanzania Leadership Conference (23rd-25th). Buddy will also be teaching a Short Course at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching.
Yesterday was a special day at the Arusha congregation. The ladies (25 in number) held a “Ladies Day,” inviting sisters from other congregations as well. They where treated by the men (15 in number), who cooked, served and cleaned, that the ladies might enjoy their day more fully. A truly great day of fellowship and yes, fun!
The Arusha congregation will also host the evangelists who will come from all over Tanzania (some from Uganda) for the leadership conference on Sunday the 25th as part of their “Friends Day”. We are expecting over 200 on this special day. Buddy Fry will preach the lesson, we will enjoy a fellowship meal together followed by a singing.
The good reports keep on coming our way from our Andrew Connally School of Preaching graduates. David Bayi reports a husband and wife obeyed the Gospel last week. Benard Elias reports a new church plant (Omoya Church of Christ). Eight souls obeyed the Truth of God’s Word on that great day. A total of 21 souls have been added to the Lord’s Body and one soul restored as a result of their recent evangelistic efforts.
Please remember Christopher Mwakabanje and Emanuel Peter in your prayers as they are in the middle of teaching two short courses at the Chimala school. What a joy it is to see the good men of Tanzania grow in Christ and busy about the work of God.
We have some busy times ahead of us over the next 90 days; visitors coming, seminars, our second year students (17 in number) will be graduating in November. December we will host the Future Preacher’s Training Camp, Tanzania Youth Seminar, and much more. Your prayers are needed and appreciated. Thank you all for all you mean to the work of God here in Tanzania.
Our hearts and our prayers go up on behalf of all who have suffered at the hand of evil as we remember the target events of 9/11 and all the lives affected by those fighting this evil. God be with us and may His name continue to be lifted high for all to see!
In Him,
Cy, Stephanie & Granny
Arusha, Tanzania: Jimmy Gee Report
Dear Supporters, Family and Friends.
We hope you are taking advantage of your opportunities to serve God wherever you are. Jimmy taught Bible class and preached on “Lessons Learned from 9/11” this morning at the Kisongo congregation. In the ladies’ class, Trina took a lesson from Genesis 18:16-33 where Abraham asks God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the righteous souls.
Many of you know that our youngest son, Matthew, has cerebral palsy. We found a “therapist” (not full-fledged) who will work with him every day and we are already seeing some slight improvement. Abigail has initiated several discussions with the therapist concerning religion. He is a Lutheran and believes in infant baptism. He told Abigail that she needs someone with a college education to explain it to her. (Ha/ha) We are glad the Bible is written on a 6th grade level where all (if we really try and “diligently seek” him, Heb. 11:6) can understand regardless of education level.
Yesterday, the Arusha church conducted a Ladies’ Seminar for their congregation which included 3 Tanzanian speakers and one American speaker, Stephanie Stafford (the mission team directors’ wife). One of the speakers, Grace, who attends Kisongo and works as a cook at ACSOP, told us that it was a great seminar!
Prisca, who visited the Kisongo church a few weeks ago, had been studying with Jimmy. Sadly, it seems she has lost interest in studying the Bible, and desires to “live as a Jew” celebrating their holidays, observing the Sabbath, etc. Please pray that she can be reached.
On Friday, one of our neighbors (a non-Christian, older Maasi woman who attends services occasionally) came to our gate asking for “chakula” (food). After gathering a few things, she was so grateful that, besides shaking Trina’s hand continually, she gave her a Maasi blessing…she took Trina’s hand and spit on it. The next day she attended the Ladies’ meeting at our house where we were discussing the upcoming seminars in October and the Marriage Seminar that Chris and Beth Akin plan to conduct next year. On Sunday, after a great lesson from Jimmy asking the congregation if they were prepared to die, she responded and asked to be baptized! Ahimidiwe, preacher at Kisongo, had also been studying with her for the past 3 months. So, some “planted” and some “watered” but God gave the increase!
Some of our children have been handing out Bible tracts to people walking by our house (most mainly on their way to the mosquito net factory) and at the market. Most people gladly take them and immediately read them.
In about two weeks the annual Tanzania Leadership Conference will take place. There are two brothers coming from the US to attend and speak. Steve Wiseman and Buddy Fry, both from Texas, will be here. In addition to speaking at the conference, Steve will do some evangelism and Buddy will teach a short course at the ACSOP. Please pray for their safe travels.
About the same time we are also expecting Jimmy’s great-aunt Edith Kincaid as well as Trina’s mother Rita Ward. Please pray for their safe travels as well.
As always, we are very thankful for your sacrifices which allow us to be here to be involved in this wonderful work. May God bless you all richly.
In Christ,
The Gees
Final Thoughts
I know the report is lengthy, if you read each report. However, the work of the Lord is spreading, growing, and changing the lives of people all around the world. I am not trying to speak for anyone else, but I think we feel the same in how great it is to know we are sharing in this work.
Thank you for all you do to make this work possible. Without you, the world would be a different place…but not for the better. Because of you, lives are being changed and this is what Extension Training is all about. Thank you!
God bless
Bob
