West Africa Mission Happenings

Transcription

1 ... Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature Mark 16:15 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 G reetings to all of our brethren in the USA and all the world. With your help, the truth of the gospel is being spread far and wide throughout West Africa. We are continuing to train preachers and leaders to edify our Lord s church as we also look at new locations where we can make a difference. During this reporting period, all of the extension staff at Bear Valley met in Denver to discuss how we can expand and improve our program so that more can benefit from our labors throughout the world. I had the opportunity to travel far and wide in the U.S. and meet with many who are involved with these efforts. I took this opportunity in the States to meet with overseeing elderships, sponsoring congregations, financial contributors, and other support organizations that provide written material and other material that can be used in our training programs and evangelistic efforts. I traveled many miles both here in this country and overseas, and much was accomplished. In this report, I will outline some of these efforts. Liberia Some of the most poverty stricken human beings on this planet live in West Africa. Wars, famines, corruption, and disease have resulted in countries where much of the population is struggling to survive. After years of civil war and government mismanagement that destroyed their economy, Liberia may be considered one of the poorest among these developing nations. The world (UN) has stepped in to keep peace and help Liberia rebuild their infrastructure. Even though most of the population is unemployed and living well below the poverty line, you can see a ray of hope as promises are made by their government and their situation is improving. The people of Liberia NEED hope! They need to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to obtain true hope, and we can help them hear those words of Life! West Africa Mission Happenings I had the opportunity recently to meet with our brethren in Liberia to discuss how we can help them to build up our Lord s church in their country. The first congregation was planted in Monrovia Liberia in June of Today we find 121 congregations in the entire country with 27 of these congregations in the capital city of Monrovia. There are four congregations in the country which currently have elders, and one of the elders is the director of the Liberia Bible College. This school has had a significant influence on the number and strength of the congregations throughout the country. The Liberia Bible College was established in 1986 and soon thereafter the school was shut down because of a Civil War that erupted in the country in The school was reopened in 1993, and operated until 1995 when it was shut down again because of the intensity of the war. It was in operation again from 1998 until 2008 when government and financial pressure resulted in the program being shut down once again. They have been struggling to resume the full time residential program since that time. Liberia Bible College wants to train preachers!! Liberia needs preachers and teachers to give their people hope! After meeting with the administration and instructors of the program, we are working towards having 20 full time students in place by September of this year. We have adjusted their curriculum to meet Bear Valley standards, and developed a budget. Fortunately the facilities are already in place with only a few renovations needed. God has also blessed us with a benefactor to help support this work. We can make a difference in the country of Liberia. We can give the people Hope by helping them to teach others the Good News about Jesus Christ. The Liberians may live in one of the most poverty stricken areas on this earth, but they can freely obtain eternal riches beyond their wildest imaginations.

2 Page 2 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 A Tribute We have accomplished much towards edifying the Christians throughout West Africa. With your help, many preachers, and leaders have been trained, and many have heard and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. All of us working together to fulfill the Great Commission have the potential to make a huge impact on the strength of our Lord s church in this part of the world. In this section, I would like to recognize a few of those who are working together with us in this effort. This list is not meant to be all inclusive. Many others are also contributing to this mission in West Africa! May God bless all those who sacrifice to accomplish His Will. Congregations and Individuals None of this would be possible without the sacrificial contributions made by all of you who are a part of this work. Your love for those far away and your desire to see them hear and obey the gospel is the foundation for our efforts in West Africa. We thank all of those congregations and individuals who are overseeing, sponsoring, or financially supporting the schools and preachers throughout West Africa. Bear Valley Bible Institute Bear Valley Bible Institute provided the educational foundation that I needed to work in West Africa. They have developed a training program that can be used anywhere in the world, and have built up a staff that supports the work. We pay tribute to Bear Valley church of Christ and all those working with them throughout the world. World Bible School (WBS) World Bible School has been instrumental in the growth of the church throughout West Africa. I do not know of any other tool that has had a greater impact on the work in this part of the world. We thank all of those teachers, missionaries, and supporters who have sacrificed time and money to share the gospel with others through WBS. World Video Bible School (WVBS) World Video Bible School is continuing to provide and develop teaching and evangelistic videos that have been very beneficial to the work throughout the world. We thank all those involved in this work for the wide range of videos that they produce to enhance our efforts in West Africa. Tracts, Books, and Bibles There are many organizations and individuals who have been helping with written material to train leaders and evangelize West Africa. Mission Printing in Arlington Texas, and Truth for Today in Searcy Arkansas have been sending ship container loads of tracts, books, and other materials to West Africa. Others like Gospel Tracts International and Ed Mosby in Arkansas are providing evangelistic materials for our preachers. Barry Baggot with French World Outreach is providing materials for the French speaking countries where I work. Many others are helping provide written materials needed for evangelism and teaching. We thank God for all the Christians who are helping in this area. May God bless each of them with the resources that they need! Financial Support We want to thank all of the supporters for their contributions to this exciting work in West Africa. Without you, this effort would not be possible. Contributions by check need to be made payable to: Mailed to: Mountain Home church of Christ For: West Africa Mission Mountain Home church of Christ 380 North College Street Mountain Home, AR Any questions can be directed to the church office at Or you can contact Steven at: samtnhome@yahoo.com USA Phone: Please Steven if you would like to receive this newsletter by . Thanks So Much, With Christian Love Steven Ashcraft

3 Page 3 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 Liberia Bible College Monrovia, Liberia West Africa The Liberia Bible College is located in the city of Monrovia next to the Monrovia church of Christ building. The building was built many years ago by those who had a desire to train leaders. The only thing missing now are the students. Here is a photo of myself with the instructors of the Liberia Bible College in Monrovia Liberia. We are standing in front of the Bible College building. The instructors and staff at Liberia Bible College and I are meeting in their library to discuss their needs to resume operations for a full time program to train preachers in Monrovia Liberia. The streets of Monrovia around the school building remain calm after the end of many years of civil conflict in this war torn part of the world. The time is ripe to spread the gospel in this part of the world.

4 Page 4 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies Tamale, Ghana West Africa Brother Kojo Aquah Beenyi is teaching advanced Homiletics to the students at the Tamale Institute of Biblical Studies. We are blessed to have seasoned preachers like Kojo to teach at our schools. We see two of our students in Tamale studying in the library for their classes. With your help we are able to provide many resources for the Christians throughout West Africa to study the word of God. Brother Alex Jabado is seen here teaching Prison Epistles at TIBS. Alex is a graduate of Ghana Bible College and also has received a degree in education at another University in Ghana. With your help the students at the Tamale Institute receive a daily allowance for food. We see them here preparing their meal after a day of classes. A major expense for each of our schools is the feeding of the students.

5 Page 5 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 Center for Biblical Studies Kpalime, Togo West Africa The students at each of our schools are actively involved in evangelistic efforts while they are studying the word of God. Here a new Christian is being baptized through the efforts at the Center for Biblical Studies in Kpalime Togo. World Bible School (WBS) is a tool that is being used throughout West Africa to help spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is a booth set up in English speaking Ghana. French WBS material is being used to evangelize the country of Togo. There are currently fifteen students at the Center for Biblical Studies in Kpalime Togo. The students are in the classroom studying the word of God under one of their instructors. This is the Christian family at the Nyiveme church of Christ located in Kpalime Togo. This congregation is in the process of moving to a new place of worship.

6 Page 6 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 Other Photos The Bear Valley extension staff is meeting here in Denver, Colorado to analyze the work throughout the world. Many ideas were discussed on how we can better train preachers and leaders to build up our Lord s church. Gasoline in Liberia was $4.52 a gallon earlier this year. When we look at fuel prices in much of the rest of the world, the prices here do not seem so high! The Liberian flag is very similar to the American flag however there is only one star. All the people of Liberia need to hear the one true gospel. There is a great need for library books for all of the preacher training schools throughout the world. We have a start on a library in Liberia but we need many more books.

7 Page 7 A work of the church of Christ March April 2012 The Children of West Africa This small child in Monrovia Liberia is helping her mother clean up dishes for her bakery business. The entire family works together to help raise the money needed for their support. Here are three small children playing in the streets of Monrovia. We thank God that they are young enough to have missed the war that devastated this country. We must take advantage of this opportunity to teach them the Truth! This child is on her way to school in Liberia. She has her backpack on her back and is ready to learn. It was not long ago that it was very dangerous for anyone to be on the streets because of the war. Now, who is going to teach her about Jesus? These children in Kpalime Togo are studying God s word. We thank God that with your help we are establishing congregations throughout West Africa where those seeking the truth can hear it taught and preached.