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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
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