|
Katy
Partners with WEI
On October 8th and
9th, the church in Katy, Texas took advantage of the local “Rice Festival”
to offer free English classes to Spanish-speaking people who attended the
festivities next door.
Katy Church Building
A booth was set up at the festival to
introduce the church to the community. Foot traffic through the church
parking lot was channeled through a tent where gospel songs were sung. A
petting zoo, puppet show, and games for children were scattered in and
around the tent. Free water was provided for everyone. The tent also
contained advertisements of WEI and other services offered by the Katy
church. The first WEI student to sign up was Gladys Mejia, a member of the
Katy congregation. She, in turn, proactively hunted down people who wanted
to learn English. When the Rice Festival ended, fifteen individuals had
signed up for the WEI classes. That number soon grew to thirty-five.
Justin Speer Introduces WEI to Beginners
Off to a Good Start
Justin Speer writes, “The response to the WEI
program from the community and the church has been nothing short of amazing.
We are fast-tracking this program . . . to hold WEI sessions during
regularly scheduled classes on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM and afterwards at
8:00 PM. We encourage students to bring their families to church while they
[the parents] learn English. Look at how powerful this tool is in bringing
souls to learn about Christ.
“As many as 25 individuals from the [Katy] congregation will help teach
these students. This will enrich both teacher and student who otherwise
would not have had the opportunities they now have through WEI.”
“This success will not be bottled up for long. I am sure that in the
fullness of time, many will come to see how valuable WEI is to the world
(local and abroad). The material is perfect for our situation.”
Justin concludes, “The results are literally overwhelming. We are already
forced to turn away potential students who are hungry to learn. We need all
hands on deck. Opportunity is knocking, and it isn’t doing so softly.”
Felicia Vaughn Teaches Intermediate Student, Anna Ruiz
Gladys Mejia Thanks Katy Elders
Below is a message that Gladys Mejia wrote to the
Katy elders expressing thanks for the WEI ministry. Gladys and her husband,
Jaime, are WEI Intermediate students. They also serve as translators for the
Beginner’s English classes. Gladys is hugely important in helping to recruit
students.
Gladys writes, “I would like to express the word ‘wow’ to the person or
people who came up with the idea to take advantage of the Rice Festival. We
saw the beginning of the WEI, but we have no idea how deep it can go. It has
been a blessing to me to be part of the WEI. I’m getting close to members
that I did not have a chance to know before. . . . I think WEI will open
doors and ways to bring people to the Gospel.”
A Message to Churches
Everywhere
Justin Speer writes, “With the dawning of a new
year, we want to spread the message of a powerful local evangelism
opportunity through WEI.
“There are a large and growing number of immigrants from Mexico and other
parts of the world. Many of these individuals are desperate to learn
English. This presents opportunity for evangelism and local outreach using
the WEI curriculum.
“The materials
that WEI provides are fantastic. They make the job of teaching easy. The
best part is the relationships you’ll forge with individuals with whom you
would never have spoken or interacted. We’ve yet to experience one student
dropping out. This is a powerful tool that is bringing souls to Christ while
also providing an essential skill set to individuals hoping for a better
life for their families. We have families attending worship services and
Bible class that likely never would have stepped foot on church grounds were
it not for WEI.
“Slowly, but surely, this evangelism tool is becoming ingrained into the DNA
of the church.”
Thanks to Tom Gillson
Three years ago, Tom Gillson (Katy elder)
registered as a WEI Internet teacher. Tom says, “Before the end of six
months, I was thoroughly convinced of WEI’s effectiveness, scriptural
soundness, and potential for spreading the gospel.”
Tom and Kathy Gillson
Since then, more
than 40 members of the Katy church have become Internet teachers, short-term
missionaries, and teachers in the Hispanic outreach ministry. The
partnership between Katy and WEI has flourished, and we are grateful.
602 Baptisms in Haiti
in 2011
Brother Jean Robert St. Hilaire, Evangelist in
South Haiti, writes, “At least 602 people were baptized in sites where we
help train men and women also through the spreading of English and Bible
courses offered by WEI (World English Institute)—and this is just what we
know about! At least three new congregations were planted.”
Brother Hilaire is Director of WEI in Haiti. We feel blessed that such a
busy, gifted, and productive man has seen fit to include WEI in his crowded
schedule. Praise God for Jean Robert.
25 New Christians in India
Prabhu Kumar’s reports are full of exciting news.
November 11, Prabhu sent pictures of five WEI students who had just been
baptized in the Chittoor district of Andhrapradesh. The teachers, Brothers
Payani and Jayapaul, have done excellent work, and God has blessed them with
fruit.
Bro. D. Jayapaul Baptizes Vasanth Kumar
On December 14,
Prabhu reported that 20 more WEI students had been baptized near Hyderabad.
Last year, Brother Michael, our WEI teacher in Hyderabad, baptized three
denominational preachers. They, in turn, opened a branch of WEI in their
church in an effort to lead their members to a better understanding of the
scriptures. When Prabhu came to town for a WEI graduation ceremony, the
preachers asked him to speak to the students about the “one baptism” in
Ephesians 4:4. When Prabhu finished speaking, twenty of them decided to be
immersed into Christ.
Prahhu writes: When we tried to baptize them, there were no water canals or
ponds or any other facility. It was necessary to go 37 kilometers to reach
the Paleru Reservoir, so we booked four autos and took all the people and
their teachers. Because of the special request from our WEI teachers, I
myself baptized each one after their confession in front of the local
congregation. Thank God for helping our three teachers to teach them, and
thank God for baptizing them into Christ at the right time. Totally, we
baptized 20 people into Christ.”
Twenty Baptisms in Paleru Reservoir in India
Montenegro Is Calling
We are looking for people who would like to go
with us on a short-term mission campaign to Podgorica, Montenegro either
this year or next. Montenegro is a beautiful little mountainous country just
north of Albania. So far as we know, Marsida Bobaj is the only member if the
Church of Christ in Montenegro, and she needs the fellowship of a good
church. If you would like to help us plant a church in Montenegro, please
get in touch with Dick Ady at weiady@aol.com,
and we will talk. A great opportunity awaits us.
Thirteen Baptisms in Nigeria
On November 9, Aniefiok Akpan reported that a
young girl, Idorenyin Friday Benjamin, accepted Christ and was baptized at
Uruk Otong, Nigeria. Aniefiok writes, “She was led to Christ through WEI.
Five students of Obong Christian High School accepted Christ and were
baptized. Another group of five persons were baptized recently at Ikot Imo.”
Aniefiok Baptizes Idorenyin Friday Benjamin
On December 21,
Aniefiok wrote, “Two precious souls, Ima Uwem Michael (a woman) and Anwanga
Effong Udo (a boy) were baptized at Uruk Otong yesterday. . . . The two
converts were brought to Christ by two WEI converts.”
It is exciting to know that WEI converts are now converting others. Praise
God.
New Sister & Brother in
Guatemala
This report is late simply because we ran out of
space in our last newsletter. During the past three summers, teams of WEI
short-term missionaries have worked with Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benitez
in Guatemala City. In August, Greg Weston wrote, “Tonight, I had the honor
of baptizing Donna Suseth Alvarado Castillo and her husband Giovanni into
Christ. Donna has been my student in Guatemala for three years. . . . What a
great night!”
Greg Weston Baptizes Donna S. A. Castillo
Internet
Ministry - 4th Quarter Report
Bob & Jan Towell
ISA 55:10 “As the rain and snow come down from
heaven and do not return without watering the earth and making it bud and
flourish, so it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my
word …It will not return empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
These responses from students reflect the seed being sown in the heart of
Islam. We are encouraged and we know you will be also.
"I always remember Jesus saying, “Father, forgive these people.” Really, I
like this sentence. Other religions want you to die for their leader, but
their leader does not die for them."
"I am so happy to know all these information about Christ and Baptize. And I
wanna learn more and more. We believe the Bible, the word of God. I will
looking for Christians here, because I can’t give my number…"
"I become fully sure Jesus was the true king, the miracles were amazing and
proved he was divine. His word is the word of God. He suffered and died, but
God raised him. Jesus is lord of all people and all will be judged by him."
"We cannot compare him with any person, he is from God. I learned to love
Jesus. All he said about lifting him from death was true. I don’t know what
to say. I did not know about Christian religion, but now I know. I am Happy
for that, it is great. When I move to the reading assignment I feel happy
and So excited especially when read the story of Jesus."
"I learned to change your hearts and lives and be baptized, God will forgive
your sins. This meaningful speech really touched my heart. I learned the
amazing connection between baptism and Jesus’ death, that baptism is a
symbol of death, burial and resurrection that’s amasing, isn’t it?"
Matthew 4:16 “People living in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” ---Bob & Jan
Towell
Short-term Missions
The Langleys
We are now in the
process of finalizing our short-term mission locations for 2012. All sites
are in need of teachers. Church leaders in Verazdin, Croatia are asking for
WEI teachers who will stay six months instead of the usual two to six weeks.
.
Missionaries in the following cities have requested short-term mission teams
in 2012: Oradea and Cluj, Romania, Tirana, Korçë, and Lushnja, Albania,
Verazdin, Croatia, Guatemala City, and Yangon, Burma. If this is something
you might be interested in, please contact the WEI Maryville office. We are
committed to work with you or your congregation to help prepare you. for a
WEI life-changing experience.
Dr. Mike Moss has been leading teams of teachers to Romania for 20 years.
They have been using the WEI material as their primary teaching curriculum
for over 10 years. Dr. Moss is the Dean of Biblical Studies at Ohio Valley
University.
Below is a photo of the 2011 team to Bucharest. Dr. Moss writes: “This
summer, I will make my 20th trip to Bucharest, Romania to work with the
church there. My wife will be making her 11th trip. Bucharest has become a
second home for us. It is wonderful to see former students faithful to the
Lord, serving in leadership roles in the church, and raising Christian
families. Every year I bring along college students who teach English and
the Bible using WEI material. We have found the WEI material to be the best
resource for us to teach English using the Bible as our text. My students
also conduct a VBS for the children who attend the church, and I teach a
college level class each year.”
Mike & Virginia Moss, Anna Carroll, Hannah Rollins,
Bill Proctor, Jim Morgan
Behold, the Hand of God
Dick and Maudine Ady
The most exciting
thing in the world is watching God work. There is never enough room in our
newsletter to report everything that God is doing through WEI. For example,
David and Galina Binkley are using WEI to build up the church in Nikolaev,
Ukraine. Their wonderful work deserves far more space that we can give it in
this newsletter
Julio Valverde,
one of our teachers in Lima, Peru, reported recently that his sister, Juana,
had been baptized. Here is a picture of the baptism.
Julio’s Sister, Juana, Is Baptized in Peru
Julie Broyles,
Director of BEST Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, reports that Avy, her
Buddhist cook who has studied with numerous WEI teachers through the years,
was baptized into Christ October 12 amid great celebration.
Avy Becomes a Christian
The handiwork of
God is evident everywhere. It is an honor to be his servant. Watching him
work is a source of inspiration.
Thank you for your fellowship in world evangelism. May God bless you for
your sacrificial service. We love you with the love of the Lord, and we
thank God for you in our prayers. ---Dick & Maudine Ady
|
