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Exciting
Developments in India
G. Prabhu Kumar, a WEI student in Chennai, India, was so impressed by the
WEI materials that he quit his teaching job and launched a new outreach
ministry. He is calling it, “WEI of India.”
Taj Ma Hal
There are twenty-three districts in the state of
Andrapradesh, and Prabhu hopes to establish WEI centers in all of them.
Although Prabhu is getting many requests for the course, he has limited the
first class to twenty-five students. Eleven of them are preachers working
with churches of Christ. Two are school teachers. Six are “pastors” of local
churches. The others are Hindu, Muslim, or members of denominations.
Prabhu Kumar’s First Class of WEI Students
Prabhu writes, “I will continue with 25 students here
in Chennai. I want to select 10 excellent men from our students according to
their marks. Then I will ask them to open new WEI classes in their areas of
Tamilnadu and Andhra. This plan must come into existence for spreading the
gospel in remote places to save many souls. I feel so happy about our future
picture of rapid growth of the churches through our new wave WEI.”
Prabhu’s teacher in Texas says, “My student has grandiose plans for WEI as
you can tell from his email. He thinks it is a great evangelistic tool. I
get excited myself.”
Prabhu has baptized nearly all of his students who
were not already members of the church: D.R. Sudhaker, Raja Babu, Udaya
Bhaskar, Alex, and Ashok Jeremiah to name a few. He is hoping that his next
class will be made up entirely of non-Christians.
In the picture below, Prabhu is baptizing D.R. Sudhaker who joined the WEI
class after returning from Lebanon where he worked at the Indian Embassy as
Chief Security Officer. Now, he is secure in Christ.
Prabhu Baptizes D.R. Sudhaker in Local River
N. Vandanam Dass, Evangelist of the Church of Christ
in Vjayawada, comments: “The WEI lessons are very useful for preachers. I
appreciate your good project for the cause of Christ in India.
“I attended the WEI class on 15-03-08 with my son who is getting training in
your institute. I observed that my son has gotten a lot of knowledge through
the teachings of World English Institute.
“For several years, we have had a lack of interpreters and teachers of
English in Indian churches. I believe that WEI will make wonderful
interpreters, teachers, and preachers.”
WEI Is Working in Indonesia
Steve Cate, missionary in Sumatra, Indonesia, reports that seventeen people
have been baptized into Christ recently.
Steve writes, “We study the Bible in English (and sometimes in Indonesian
where needed) using material from World English Institute. Classes are
taught Monday through Saturday.
“Students were being taught in a one-on-one format, but we are going back to
a classroom type situation now because there are too many students and not
enough time to teach them all.
“These students come from all walks of life and range in age from 15 to over
50. Several have been baptized already, and we look forward to an even
greater harvest in the near future.”
God Works in the Middle East
The Lord is using Dan Ford, a piano tuner from West Paducah, Kentucky, to
spread the cause of Christ in the heart of Islam.
For several years, Dan regularly traveled to India to teach in a preacher
training school. In the year 2000, one of his students got a job Dubai, UAE
where he started a preacher-training-school much like the one from which he
had graduated. Since then, he has led hundreds of people to Christ,
including Muslims, Hindus, Punjabis, Buddhists, Omani nationals, and
followers of the Sikh religion.
During the past six years, Dan has made numerous trips to the Middle East to
work with his former student. He has preached while Christian men stood
guard at the gates. More than once, his sermons have been cut short, and he
has escaped through a back door as police raided the services. In spite of
the risk, crowds of people have packed the building spilling out into the
court yard. Dozens have responded to the gospel.
New Christian in Persian Gulf at Dubai
Between May 2000 and last December, 217 people were
immersed in United Arab Emirates, fifteen in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 117
in India, nineteen in Kuwait, and twenty-one in Oman, a total of 389 people.
Last summer, Dan traveled through several Arab countries. In Kuwait, he
recruited people to hand out WEI advertisement fliers. In Amman, Jordan, he
ran a WEI ad in a local newspaper which resulted in scores of Internet
students.
God is at work in the Middle East.
New
Christians in Uganda
Robert Rubasha, an Internet student in Kasese, Uganda, writes the following:
“These are photos of the people who were baptized one Sunday here at Kasese
in the river.”
Robert Rubasha Baptizes WEI Student
This demonstrates how one WEI student can teach
others. Judging from the pictures Robert sent, more than a dozen people were
baptized in one day.
WEI Student Preaches in China
Bob Patterson is not only our webmaster; he is also a WEI teacher. Last
year, Bob wrote, “My student [Warner] was baptized this week and is going
strong. He is now studying The New Life each day.”
Recently, Bob wrote, “Jonah, my Chinese student, preached yesterday. He and
Warner are teaching and baptizing friends and relatives. Warner baptized his
brother. Rebecca led her two sisters and a friend to the swimming pool last
week. Go! China! Go!”
Albanian Women Visit Prison
In early March, Sadete Hoxha and several members of the Tirana congregtion’s
Ladies Bible Class, decided to visit the local Women’s Prison. After
receiving permission from the Prison’s Directorate, the ladies purchased a
supply of personal items, put together fifty packages (one for each inmate),
and included a small Albanian Bible in each package.
On March 8th, several of the ladies went to the prison, met some of the
women, spent time with them, and distributed the packages. Sadete says, “I
was touched by two of the stories I heard. This kind of experience helped me
to see how much the people of this world need to hear about the true
salvation.”
Partnership in Liberia
Since returning from Ghana in 2006, John Travis has traveled all over
Liberia locating Christians who had been scattered by ethnic violence and
rebuilding churches. All the while, he has used WEI and WBS as evangelistic
tools.
In 2007, John reported 2970 Bible studies, 105 baptisms, and fifty-seven
restorations.
David B. Catakaw Is Baptized in Moravia, Liberia
In a recent email, John writes, “We are sending you
pictures of David B. Catakaw, one of my faithful workmates in the Child Care
Foundation. He was enrolled in WEI upon my arrival from Ghana in 2006, with
Woody Byars as his international teacher.
“David had studied with great zeal and had made visitations to the church
before finally deciding to be a Christian on Sunday, April 20, 2008, in
Monrovia.
“Many thanks to WBS and WEI for such unique finishing touches they have done
in the years past.”
New Christian in Nigeria
Aniefiok Akpan, Director of the WEI Center in Abak, Nigeria, writes,
“Another teenager who studies with us using World English Institute
resources accepted Christ and was baptized on Sunday, June 22, 2008. His
name is Sifon Effiong Sunday. Sifon is worshiping with us at the Rhema
campus Church of Christ. A picture of Sifon’s baptism is attached.”
Aniefiok Baptizes Sifon Effiong Sunday
New Births in Kenya
Nkurunziza Jean de La Paix says, “I am writing to share with you the joys of
yesterday. We had three baptisms. They were one man and two ladies. The man
is called John Oloo Achieng. He is 25 years old. The two ladies are called
Beatrice Akinyi and Jackline Awory. Beatrice is 16, and Jackline is 18 years
old.”
Nkurunziza Baptizes Beatrice Akinyi
Report from
Sibiu, Romania
Lee Skelton, Missionary in Sibiu, Romania, writes, “We have enjoyed having
the WEI campaign here in Sibiu this year. Our prayer is that the new
contacts that have been made will reap a harvest for the kingdom of God.
Thank you for sending Tom Langley and the rest of the teachers to our corner
of the world.”
Lee Skelton (blue), Tom Langley (yellow), & WEI Teachers
We take our hats off to Lee and Stephanie Skelton and
their children. They sold and gave away nearly everything they owned in
order make Sibiu, Romania their home and to serve the Lord as missionaries.
Surely, God must have a special crown of glory for people like them.
Internet Teaching
Bob & Jan Towell
Many exciting
things have happened in WEI’s Internet Program during the past quarter.
A sister in Geneva, Switzerland has translated the Beginner’s English Course
into French. This will be a great help to potential students in Haiti and
French-speaking Africa who register but do not have sufficient knowledge of
English to study the course. Now, we need someone who knows French who will
volunteer to format these for use on the web site.
While in Tunisia, Doyle Kee (Geneva) put an ad in the newspaper, which
resulted in 152 registrations. We also continue to receive a steady stream
of registrations from Myanmar where a print ad was run last fall.
We are always asking ourselves the question, “Is anyone being influenced by
our efforts?” This encouraging email indicates we are:
“Greeting
you from Myanmar! Nau and I met with the WEI teachers yesterday at Hotel
Yangon. We had a warm conversation with Teacher Dick. All the teachers who I
have met are very nice. Nau and I have the same conclusion that you WEI
teachers love God and you have strong commitment for Him—so He is blessing
you in many ways. After meeting with the WEI teachers, I aware that the WEI
offer us not only the English and Bible Study, but also showing us the lives
of people who commit themselves to God. That motivate us to follow Him.
Thank you, Teacher Jan and all from WEI.”
Messages like
these keep our teachers enthused and ready for more students. Russ and
Sherry McNalty signed on as teachers last fall and have taken more than 50
students to date. Sherry writes: “This morning, just wanted to share with
you how much we are enjoying our work with WEI. Russ said this morning as we
were responding to students, ‘Sher, I think this is one of the most
important decisions we have made.’ I agree.”
Our goal is to start 500 new Bible studies per month by the end of 2008.
Pray for us as we solicit your ideas and questions. ---Bob and Jan Towell
Short-term Missions
Tom, Angela, Bianca, & Brianna Langley
This summer’s
WEI short-term missions in Romania, Albania, and other countries are well
under way. God’s word is being shared with many souls.
It interests me that many of my students fall into two categories. Most come
to us not looking for anything but English improvement, but slowly they
discover the truth of God’s word and the Kingdom of heaven. This truth
becomes very valuable to them, almost as if they have unexpectedly found a
hidden treasure.
A few others come to us, and it is obvious from the beginning that they are
desperately searching for answers to life’s big questions. English quickly
becomes less important, and, as they are led through the Bible by their
teachers, these questions are answered through God’s word. It is as if they
have been searching the world for a fine pearl and finally found it. I am
not sure there is anything more exciting than watching and helping them in
this process of discovering the most important thing life has to offer. What
a blessing and treasure we have in Christ Jesus and in his kingdom.
Our teachers are to be commended. They’ve traveled far and sacrificed their
time, finances, and vacations to sit down for hours each day to teach these
students—but if the truth were known, the teachers themselves are the ones
truly blessed. The common response by our teachers who participate in our
WEI short-term missions is that their lives have been changed forever. I’ve
never met a teacher who refused to return. They always anticipate the day
that they will once again have this opportunity of a lifetime to teach in
another WEI short-term mission.
Thank you to all our supporters. You have been faithful in support both
financially and prayerfully. We are blessed to have you as partners in this
worldwide mission ministry. We continue to have financial challenges as we
grow and expand the possibility of reaching more of the lost in the world.
Please know that we love you and cherish your partnership. ---Tom and Angela
The Breadth and Depth of
God’s Love
Dick & Maudine Ady
The Lord is so
active around the world that there is not enough space in this newsletter to
cover even a fraction of his marvelous works. Those of us who track
developments in WEI are filled with awe, praise, and thanksgiving.
For example, Joseph Robin, a WEI student in Haiti, has been baptized into
Christ.
Samuel A. Mwaksungula is teaching WEI courses to thirtyfive students at the
Mbeye Vocational Training Center in Mbeya, Tanzania.
Ismail Kadriu, a young Muslim who became a Christian in 2000 after studying
with Doug Smith in Prizren, Kosova, just baptized his Muslim wife, Linda.
Ismail was expelled from his village when he became a Christian, and he has
suffered much for the cause of Christ. Yet, he has remained faithful and is
now the backbone of the church in Prizren.
Enoch and Jeannine Thweatt have completed another WEI campaign in Taipei,
Taiwan and are hoping to return in September even though Jeannine is
scheduled to have surgery soon. They are looking for teachers. Please pray
for Jeannine.
Bill McDonough reports that the little 50-member church that meets at the
PIP Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia was so touched by the death and
destruction caused by the cyclone in Myanmar that they took up a special
contribution each Sunday in June and sent $1,000 to help the survivors. Most
of the Cambodian members earn meager wages and hardly have enough money for
food and lodging. Yet, they wanted to help. Bill said, “I wept when they
told me what they wanted to do.”
Steve and Ruth Byrne, missionaries in Fier, Albania, baptized their language
teacher, Drina, on Saturday, May 24.
Without your fellowship, this world-wide ministry would not be possible.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. Together, under God’s
direction, we are making a difference in the world. We love you with the
love of God.
---Dick and Maudine
Beijing Church of Christ
The Peachtree City Church of Christ in Peachtree City, Georgia, published
breathtaking news on its web site recently. On August 3, 2008, the Sunday
prior to the Olympics’ opening ceremony, the Beijing Church of Christ will
meet for worship—openly.
“Christians have been gathering underground in house churches for many
years, but for the first time ever, a legally sanctioned congregation will
be established in the capital city in the People’s Republic of China.
An elder from Georgia’s Peachtree City Church of Christ traveled to China to
meet with provincial leaders in September. The time was perfect as prayer
and providence united. . . . Approval was granted for establishing a
permanent congregation, and preparations are now underway to make that dream
a reality. The inaugural assembly will take place on the Sunday preceding
the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
“The rented facilities will hold 500 worshipers, and the services will be
translated into ten languages. Though space is limited in the
government-designated facility, four classes will be able to meet during the
Bible School hour to accommodate the needs of the children.”
“Pivotal
moments in history like this one call for cooperation among Christians who
are passionate about taking the gospel into all the world.”
Great Wall of China
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