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Download Brochure *--For Your Church
GOAL: TO START
10,000 NEW BIBLE STUDIES EVERY MONTH
To say that we are living in amazing times is
an understatement. Going into every corner of the world is no longer merely
a dream of mission-minded Christians. As many of you know, over the last
several years, our Internet teaching ministry has exploded in growth, and
the untapped potential to begin thousands more Bible studies per month is
well within our reach. In fact, it is our goal to begin 10,000 new Bible
studies every month within the next five years. In order for this to become
a reality, several things must first happen:
1. We must increase the number of our teachers. This will require a mass
appeal to our brotherhood through advertising in widely-distributed
brotherhood publications and other promotional efforts.
2. We must dramatically increase the size of our web site, and we must
also add more efficient tools to the site. These are changes that must
take place in order to handle the massive increase of WEI students. This
will require many hours of specialized labor.
3. We must hire a full-time WEI web specialist to work closely with
Jonathan Towell in upgrading and managing the web site. Our WEI web
specialist will eventually need a full-time administrative assistant to
answer all the student and teacher questions and concerns.
4. We must increase our Google student advertising budget.
Implementation of these 4 items will require a significant increase in
consistent
WEI Internet funding.
We are stepping out on faith and prayer that the Lord will provide. We are
launching a fund-raising campaign called “Internet—40 for $300.” Our
goal is to find 40 churches, individuals, or groups of individuals that can
commit to invest $300 per month in the worldwide spread of the gospel
through the WEI Internet ministry.
Deacons and elders are now making decisions about their budgets for the
calendar year 2013. Please speak to your mission committees, deacons, and
elders about this wonderful opportunity to invest in the expansion of the
Kingdom of God. The power of combining English instruction with Bible
instruction meets the physical and spiritual needs of people all over the
world. Let’s not lose this historic opportunity.
Consider:
• A Bible class of 15, giving $20 each per
month, would be one of 40 needed.
• 6 individual Christians, giving $50 each per month, would be one of the
40 needed.
• 3 individuals, giving $100 each per month, would be one of the 40
needed.
• 1 church, giving $300 a month, would be one of the 40 needed.
It is our ambitious goal to have most of this funding in place by January,
2013. We are compelled by a burning urgency to spread the gospel while there
is yet time.
--Tom Langley, WEI President
Prabhu Kumar Is Beaten in India
Prabhu Kumar, Director of WEI in
India, has risked his life to establish dozens of WEI “branches” throughout
India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. This summer, he and Bro. Ajith (a WEI
teacher), and members of Bro. Ajith’s family were beaten almost to death by
Hindu radicals.
The subject line of Prabhu’s
e-mail: “God has saved WEI team from death on worship day at Sariya,
Chattisgargh.” In his e-mail, Prabhu gives graphic details of the terrifying
experience. On Sunday afternoon, Prabhu and nine members of the church took
two men to a pond and baptized them into Christ.
Prabhu writes, “After our return from the pond at 2:00 p.m., we arranged
for the worship service. While we were getting ready to start the worship,
two persons came and stood near that place, observing and hearing our words.
. . . Slowly the two men came to us and introduced themselves. One was a
news reporter from the Hindi daily newspaper, ‘Dinik Baskar,’ and the other
was an important leader in ‘Bhajarangdal,’ a sister concern of Hindu RSS [a
group of radical Hindus]. These two men began to make calls on their mobile
phones, and gradually, the number of people increased until 15 to 20 people
stood surrounding us. They began to argue with us and ask questions,
shouting and saying that we should not enter their territory with our
religious propaganda. One young man came up and explained everything about
our daily teaching and baptizing people in the nearby pond. When they heard
this, they came to me and forcedly took my camera and found all the baptism
photos. At that moment, they got more angry and came to me with vulgar
words, shouting, ‘It has already been proven by witnesses that you are the
leader of this group. So what punishment do we need to give you? Tell me.’
While I was watching them without any words, suddenly, they began to beat me
upon my face. Their hands and palms were like rods. I tried to cover my face
with my hands, so they beat upon my hands also. Two times, I fell down and
rolled upon the road. At that time, the women tried to cover me like a
circle. So they beat them also. They kicked me like a football four times.
All the women caught their legs and, with tears, asked them not to beat us,
but they did not show any grace to us. . . . They turned on Bro. Ajith and
started beating him also. They beat him very severely. . . . When his
younger brother arrived, these people turned on him and tried to kill him. .
. . Finally, Ajith’s son was caught by them, and they began to beat him
also.”
Following this beating, Prabhu and
the Ajith family spent a day in bed under the doctor’s care. While in bed,
Prabhu wrote this report. Battered and bruised from the beating, he wrote,
“We all are so happy that we got a great privilege to bear the beatings upon
our bodies along with the apostles and those who are tortured for Christ
today. We feel that it is a rare opportunity which will not come to everyone
often.”
As one of our Muslim students in Iraq
said, “True faith is when you refuse to deny Jesus is the Son of God,
even if you’re tortured.”
Since then, Prabhu and his fellow-WEI
teachers have baptized at least thirteen people.
Prabhu Views Baptisms at Pond
WEI Graduates in Liberia
George S. Tengbeh, II, a national preacher in Liberia, writes, “Eleven
students completed the WEI courses and graduated on Saturday, June 30.
Daniel Goodyear was present and gave the certificates out to the students.
Nine others will be receiving their certificates this Saturday. Three of the
graduates are now baptized and are members of the church.”
Kenyan Preachers Studying WEI
Nkurunziza Jean De La Paix, WEI teacher in Nairobi, writes, “I am writing to
let you know that eight preachers have completed their WEI materials with me
here. Most of them are willing to use WEI materials as a tool of evangelism
in their respective churches.”
Suicide Intervention Seminar
After teaching WEI students in our summer campaign in Tirana, Brian and
Chris Leavitt conducted a Suicide Intervention Seminar at the church
building. This seminar was especially appropriate since there have been a
rash of suicides in Albania in recent years.
Brian lists a series of events in his life that have prepared him and
Chris for this seminar. Brian says, “The thread that binds them all is God.
. . God is powerfully at work to bring about his purposes.”
Interestingly, my favorite student this summer was Kristi Qendro. Kristi had
just completed a university research paper on suicide intervention. When I
left Albania, Kristi became Brian’s student. Later, Kristi not only attended
the suicide intervention seminar; she was a significant source of
information that enriched the seminar and paved the way for a new ministry
in Albania.
Chris, Brian, and Kristi
During the seminar, I received an e-mail from a young Albanian woman
named Migena Shulla. She wrote, “I was invited to a training [seminar]
located at Church of Christ in Tirana. I work for World Vision, and the
topic was beneficial to the work I do. I met there some very interesting
people. One of them was Art Hitt. I learned from him and from other church
members about World English Institute. I was thinking to myself that WEI was
a wonderful, encouraging project. We went down to the kitchen of the church
to have lunch, and I thought I would have a look at the books. You cannot
believe how much I was surprised to look at those booklets. I knew them.
They were familiar to me. I learned with those books many years ago.
“I remembered that I had placed them in a special box at my home where I
keep all those dear materials that first taught me about God. When I went
home, I opened the box and found all the books I used to study and the
certificates I had received. I started thinking about how much I had
appreciated those teachings. Eighteen years ago, I had no idea about God . .
. I could not believe that WEI is operating in Albania, and now you have
face-to-face teaching. My Christian journey started at that time eighteen
years ago through these booklets.
THANK YOU! I heard you were in Albania. . . . Such a shame I missed the
opportunity to meet you.”
Migena comes from a Muslim background, but she was reared as an atheist. Her
atheist parents would not allow her to attend church, but they wanted her to
learn English, so they allowed her to study WEI. Today, Migena, her husband
Tedi, her brother, and both parents are believers, and Migena teaches a
Ladies Bible Class.
Migena and Tedi Shulla & their Son Aurel
WEI Campaign in Albania
We had another wonderful short-term mission campaign in Tirana this summer.
Eighteen WEI teachers taught eighty students during a period of eight weeks.
Unfortunately, we were not able to teach everyone who wanted to study with
us. There are still more than 100 people on the waiting list.
Art Hitt has been one of the most faithful and productive WEI teachers. This
summer, two of his students were baptized. Art writes, “Yesterday was a
wonderful Lord’s Day. Two of my students were baptized into Christ. One was
Jonida (25), and the other was her cousin, Altin, the husband of Gelina with
whom I studied 18 years ago.” Now, her husband and his cousin are
Christians.
In the picture below, Art hugs his new brother and sister in Christ. From
left to right: Gelina and Altin and their little daughter, Emi. Jonida is
standing on Art’s left. “Love can build a bridge.”
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Gelina, Altin, Emi (Amy), Art & Jonida
20th
Anniversary
In early September, the church in Tirana, Albania celebrated its 20th
anniversary. On Sunday, three Albanian preachers spoke at the worship
service: Alfred Zike (of the Adriatic congregation in Durrës), Çimi Kafexhiu
(of the Durrës downtown congregation) and Bledi Valca (who preaches for the
church in Tirana). All three of these preachers were led to Christ through
WEI in the 90’s. Glory be to God.
New Christians in Albania
Ellen Walker (missionary in Tirana) has been teaching WEI students year
around for many years, and God has blessed her with success. Two of her
students were baptized in July.
Ellen writes, “I’m the last in a long line of teachers who have taught
Alfred [Nini]. . . . This last Sunday, Alfred went forward to receive his
baptismal certificate. . . Alfred’s wife, Vasilka, is studying with Sadete.
His daughter has studied with campaigners for several summers, and I believe
that soon they will follow Alfred’s example to put on Christ.”
Pictured below are Sokol Haxhiu who baptized Alfred, Sadete Hoxha (WEI
secretary), Vasilka and Alfred Nini, and Ellen Walker.
Sokol, Sadete, Vasilka, Alfred, & Ellen
Ellen also writes, “”Today, we went to the beach for the best reason in
the world—to baptize my student Angjelin Toma. . . . He made his final
decision and asked Erik Qirjaqi to do the honors. When I talked to him on
Thursday, he said, ‘I can hardly wait to have the Holy Spirit inside of me.’
He said, “My old life, and not being strong, is what has been holding me
back.’ We rejoice in Angjelin’s decision to commit his ways to the Lord! It
was a beautiful day at the beach.”
Erik Baptizes Angjelin in the Adriatic Sea
WEI Internet Ministry
Bob and Jan Towell
Please
read Matthew 9:37, 38.
A new Christian in Madagascar wrote: “Before I was baptized, I felt like
someone who wants to enter the kingdom of God, like I was jumping up on the
ground, shouting: ‘Hey! Me too, I want to be a part of your kingdom! Please
open to me, because I don’t know how getting there!’ But I knew the only way
to arrive is the bible. After baptism, it was like the Kingdom had changed
its shape, and it included me. I know God is my Father, so I am like a
child; Jesus had opened the way to approach him, and the Holy Spirit helps
me to understand new things. My faith is stronger, but I am very careful. I
know a spiritual baby is fragile, so I have to avoid all things that could
make me return to wrong ways of worshiping.”
Later her sister was baptized. We thank the Kees in Geneva for directing us
to follow-up there! Now, their mother is studying a Bible course in French
with Barbara Kee.
New Christians in Madagascar
A Muslim who has not yet obeyed wrote: God will save from sin by sending
saver as Sacrifice for humans…. this is our first time to read bible and we
like it so much…. We read these lessons and think about bible and Jesus,
sent from God to defeat Sin and Satan. The bible is the Word of God, the
church is the most important way to follow the Word of God, and Jesus is
king of the Kingdom. He really had raised from death….God sent him to erase
our sins and defeat Satan.
We hope you are blessed by reading these examples of teachers sending Light
into darkness. ---Bob and Jan Towell
WEI Short-term Missions
Langleys, Tom and Family
Hawatthia Jones and Byron Benetiz are two very impressive missionaries
serving in Guatemala. I first met them at the US—Euro Family Retreat in
Germany many years ago while we were serving as missionaries in Romania.
Four years ago, they decided to host their first WEI short-term mission
school. Below are quotes from their recent WEI report and the teams that
participated this past summer. You can learn more about their mission at
www.missionguate.com
Hawatthia writes,“This year, for the fourth time in a row, we were
blessed to host teams from World English Institute. We continue to be
impressed with the caliber of teachers that are involved in this ministry
and the work that the teachers do while here. Needless to say, we continue
to be sold on WEI!
“We had 25 students signed up to attend the classes. These students have a
variety of backgrounds. Some are housewives; others are high-school
students, and some are doctors, lawyers, accountants, and school teachers,
just to name a few. Some of them speak English very well, and the practice
they get with these classes usually makes their English skills even better.
What excites us more, however, is that many of our students often find
developing their knowledge of the Bible more interesting than developing
their knowledge of English details. They know from the beginning that not
only are we offering an English course but also the opportunity to study
God’s Word, which only creates a greater desire to study for most of our
students.”
Make your plans now to go and teach next year on a WEI short-term
mission. Several mission sites all over the world have already requested
teams. Here are just a few: Romania (3 cities), Albania (2 cities), Hungary,
Guatemala, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Nigeria, Myanmar, and others.
Contact me at weimaryville@aol.com
for more details.
We cherish the partnership we share in the Great Commission with you.
---Tom and Angie Langley
Honor To Whom Honor Is Due
Dick & Maudine Ady
In this issue of WEI Update, we have seen God work in spectacular ways.
Our hearts have been filled with awe. In humility, we bow before the Lord
and give him honor and praise.
In addition to honoring God, the scriptures tell us to honor one another
(Romans 12:10). When Christians allow God to use them to accomplish his
purposes, we should recognize them for their service.
At a WEI reception at Harding University recently, we honored Bob and Jan
Towell. The Lord has used Bob and Jan and their grandson Jonathan to develop
our encrypted WEI teaching web site—a web site that makes it possible for us
to teach hundreds of thousands of students in every nation—even in Muslim
nations where Bible study has been outlawed. Join us in honoring the Towells
with a Christian Service Award.
Bob & Jan Towell receiving award from Dick Ady
At the reception, we also honored Tom Langley, the new President of WEI,
his wife Angie, and their younger daughter, Bianca. Britanny was in school
and could not be there to see her dad introduced.
Maudine and I would also like to honor David and Lola Crouch who have
vigorously recruited Internet teachers and promoted WEI in the College
Church and at Harding University. They are the ones who prepared the
beautiful plaque for the Towells, arranged the special dinner for WEI
teachers, and organized the WEI reception Tuesday night following the
lecture. David and Lola, we honor you in the name of Christ.
Maudine and I would also like to thank all of our loyal friends who have
supported us through the years. We have not retired. The work goes on. We
need your support now more than ever. Thank you for your fellowship in world
evangelism. We pray that God will raise up others like you who will help the
Gresham office rebound from our financial deficit. May God bless you and
keep you. We love you.
---Dick and Maudine Ady
God Blesses Camp Sessions
One of the most exciting things happening in Albania each year is the
National Christian Camp. The thirteen churches of Christ in Albania
cooperate to send their young people to camp each summer. This year, during
three camp sessions, three campers were baptized in the Adriatic Sea. In the
picture below, Erik Qirjaqi is ready to baptize Ani, a thirty-five-year-old
man from Korça who was born blind. Following his baptism, Ani said, “I see
now better than most people who have eyesight, for I have seen the light.”
Erik Qirjaqi Baptizes Ani, a Man Born Blind
We Need 800 More Internet
Teachers
Next year, WEI and WBS are planning to join forces in an effort to reach
China and the rest of the world with the good news about Jesus. We are
expecting hundreds of thousands of students, and in order to teach them, we
need 800 more Internet teachers. Will you be one of them? To volunteer,
contact me, Dick Ady, at weiady@aol.com or Jan Towell at JRTowell@aol.com.
God is calling you.
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