Prentice Meador Jr., a giant among preachers for half a century, a missionary at heart and a friend of missionaries, has gone home. He helped get WEI off the ground in 1990, and he soundly defeated Satan, speaking with convincing power at a WEI seminar in Tirana, Albania in 1995. Albanian Christians still consider that victory the high-water mark in the history of the church in Tirana.
Praise God for the faithful, fruitful life of Prentice Meador. May God bless his memory and comfort his bereaved family.
During the past year, G. Prabhu Kumar has ignited a holy fire in and around Chennai, India.
In 2007, Prabhu enrolled in WEI and studied under Mike Hale. He was a preacher and a teacher at World Bible College, and he wanted to improve his English.
As Prabhu studied the lessons, he became excited about using WEI as an evangelistic tool, and he started teaching twenty-five WEI students in his home five days a week. Forty percent of the non-Christians in his class were baptized.
At their graduation ceremony, the students prayed for God’s direction in their lives. Ten of the best students started WEI classes of their own—with twenty-five students in each class. Now, Prabhu moves from group to group, working with the teachers, encouraging the students, and baptizing them into Christ. Thus far, forty-nine students have obeyed the gospel.
Prabhu’s e-mails are exciting. On November 29 he wrote, “There is no water facility in that area for baptisms. So we took an auto at 5 pm and started to Tripurantahakam where a small river is flowing. We reached there at 8 pm because of heavy rain. For approximately 3 kms, there is no road—only a small way in the black soil which was catching in the wheels of auto and not allowing it to move freely. In that darkness I feared whether this auto will return or not. “After reaching there, we used auto lights to search for a suitable place for baptisms, and I baptized three persons after their confessions.”
On December 5, Prabhu wrote, “After finishing the class [at Wyra], we all went to the Reservoir, a distance of 2 kilometers, by two autos and two Two-Wheelers. God helped us convince 5 people to accept Christ as their own Savior.”
On December 14, Prabhu wrote, “We are so happy to inform you that four more WEI students were added to the Lord’s church [in Vyasapadi] by our WEI lessons. God helped us choose WEI lessons to go to the youth in this time.”
“Yesterday, I asked the opinion of two of my co-teachers. Bro. Enosh Thapa said, ‘Though we are working as Bible teachers since 13 years, we never experienced like these lessons, and I feel that I am so lucky to go through this 6 months course from WEI. These lessons are so helpful to us to equip ourselves to present God’s word in a different way to reach teenagers in the days to come.’”
Prabhu continues, “Today, I have come to Vyasarpadi upon the request of our WEI teacher, Bro. Dinakaran, and have taught a special class for the four students who were prepared for baptism. Then, I baptized them in the tub that was constructed for the local church.”
Bonny Moore writes, “I traveled to Asunción [Paraguay] with two other Freed-Hardeman students. While there, we worked with a team of missionaries, most of whom have been there since 2003.
“Our primary purpose was to teach English using the Bible through World English Institute course materials. We, along with a few other English teachers from the U.S., offered one-on-one classes to the general public. Each of us had between 6 and 10 students who studied with us in fifty-minute sessions three times per week.
“I was encouraged by my students’ interest in the Bible, and I hope the seed that has been planted will grow. Some of my students who did not complete the entire WEI course plan to continue with me through e-mail.”
Olga Foster, a former WEI student in the Ukraine is now a WEI teacher in Iowa.
Olga writes, “I was looking through one of the Christian Chronicle issues the other day, and in one of the articles I read about WEI. Then I recalled that after I got baptized, I didn’t know much about the Bible, but your program helped me learn and grow. I was a WEI correspondence student at one time, and it happened in Ukraine.
“I am a Church of Christ member since 2000, married, and have a son who is 10 years old. Recently, he got baptized, and it brought back so much happiness to me!
“Right now, my family and I live in Muscatine, Iowa. We also attend church here. I have an Iowa license in teaching English as Second Language. My native language is Russian. I can also communicate in Ukranian, and I have a basic knowledge of Spanish. I work as a teacher’s aid at an elementary school here in town.
“I have been dreaming about some sort of Bible class where non-native speakers could learn English through the Bible. It is hard to find time to do that, having a family and a full time job, but [WEI] Internet teaching has that flexibility and lets you reach out to many people.” Olga is now a WEI Internet teacher.
On November 11, Julio Valverde, a WEI teacher in Lima, Peru, wrote, “This past week, we baptized an old lady at her home in her bath tub. She is very old and sick, but she understood and wanted to obey this biblical teaching. She speaks Quechua, the language of the Inca descendents. I preached [in Spanish,] and Maximo translated.
“We made arrangements for this new born to see all her children and grandchildren.”
On December 5, Julio wrote, “I reported to you that Maximo, the preacher in Los Pinos, and I went to the mother of Antonio Lopez. Finally, she was baptized in her own bath tub, and we prayed for her in her delicate old age and sick. Now, we learn that she passed away this past week.
“We are waiting to go to this family to express our sorrow but also our hope in Jesus.”
After teaching English at a university in China, Ryan Campbell went to Taiwan and partnered with Enoch and Jeannine Thweatt as an intern. For two months, Ryan taught WEI students at the Tien Mou church building north of Taipei.
Jimmy, a college student, was one of Ryan’s students. Ryan writes, “Jimmy’s mother accepted Christ years ago. As is often the case among the Chinese, his father came to Christ later, influenced by his wife’s life of faith and love.
“Jimmy decided to be buried with Christ in baptism after eight weeks of studying The Conflict Between Good and Evil, The King Is Coming, The King Has Come, and The New Birth.
“Let us join in prayer as we lift up our new brother, praying for his faith, influence, and strength.”
Lisa Metzer joined Ryan in this ministry toward the end of his internship in Taiwan. Ryan said, “A kindred spirit, she provided a breath of fresh air for the church. Her soft heart, inviting aura, and amiable nature created an instant bond with many of the students.”
These words of adoration came from Ryan’s heart. Ryan “popped” the question at the Metzer family home on December 23. Ryan and Lisa are engaged to be married June 20th. In the coming years, they would like to serve overseas, sharing the love of God with the Chinese.
Aniefiok Akpan, WEI worker in Nigeria, writes, “Following the WEI Conference on November 1, the [new] Uruk Otong congregation is witnessing rapid growth. Yesterday, November 24, the number of worshipers increased to 70.
“An amazing event occurred yesterday. We told you about the baptism of our WEI converts Unyanga Sunday Archibong and Ekemini Sunday Archibong, and the restoration of their mother Aniema. Yesterday, their father, Mr. Sunday Archibong Offiong accepted Christ and was immersed in the jungle stream at Uruk Otong.
“Another young girl and a member of Offiong’s family, Nyakno Sunday Archibong, accepted Christ and was baptized at Uruk Otong Church of Christ on December 07. She is a sister of our WEI converts Unyanga and Ekemini who brought their parents to the Lord a few weeks after they came to Christ.
“World English Institute is indeed a great and effective tool for both local and global evangelism.”
Çimi Kafexhiu, minister of the church in Durrës, Albania, reports that on September 4th, God added Faosta Haka to the body of Jesus. She started to practice English, and she came to realize that she needed Jesus more than English.”
“On September 12th, Dorina Plaku was buried into Christ and raised as a new creation.”
In December, Çimi wrote, “A new soul joined the body of Christ in Durrës. On December 5th, Enxhi Bejzo confessed Jesus as her Lord and Savior of her life. Enxhi has been studying the Word of God one of the AIMers (Dan), for many months. She is now our sister in the Lord, and we praise the Lord for his active love by sending Jesus to the planet Earth.”
Steve Byrne, missionary in Fier, Albania, writes, “Last month, Ruth and I requested your prayers for Edlira, a mother of two and a school teacher. We are thankful to report that Edlira was born of water and the Spirit on the 1st of November.”
Serendipity is the discovery of something good when expecting something else. This happened when Jonathan Towell and Colby Blaisdell installed Version 2 of the WEI teaching website. The improvement we expected with Version 2 did not include the 10-fold increase in the registration rate that resulted, nor did it include the percentage of registrants who returned the Introductory Test increasing from 15% to 30%.
WEI’s Internet Program had set a goal for 2008 of 500 people per month answering the Introductory Test. With Version 2, that goal has been reached and exceeded to 900 new students per month. A brotherhood-wide appeal was made for additional Internet teachers. Many responded. Some of these have already started teaching, and some are still preparing to teach.
Because of the huge increase in students without a comparable increase in the number of active teachers, the Google advertisements of the website were suspended for 2 weeks in November and 4 weeks in December. These ads will be resumed after Jonathan and Colby finish writing the code that will automate much of what we have been doing manually to get new students assigned to teachers.
Our Lord Himself commanded us to “go into all the world and teach the Good News to everyone.” For the first time in the history of the world, the Internet has given us the ability to teach everywhere without physically leaving our homes. WEI’s Internet Program can attract as many students as there are Christians to teach them.
Remember, in the Lord’s story of the talents, the servant with the least ability is the one who didn’t work. Maybe you can’t go to another country on a short or long term mission, but please don’t use what you can’t do as an excuse for doing nothing.
What will you tell the Lord when He asks you about how you used your time and money to teach the Good News?
— Bob and Jan
The Great Commission was not a suggestion by Jesus to his disciples. He ordered them to go into the entire world and make disciples of all nations.
Through WEI, and particularly the explosive growth of our Internet ministry, God’s word is now being taught in 195 countries of the world. I know I speak for all of our teachers in stating that it is truly a blessing to be a part of this worldwide effort.
Angela and I are excited about the children’s curriculum we are currently developing. While serving as missionaries in Romania we observed that parents would bring their children to Bible class especially if we offered to help improve their English skills. Our hope is that this curriculum will become an outreach tool as an English language Bible supplement offered to children at mission sites. We also would like to adapt it to be offered and taught through the Internet.
We have big short-term mission plans for 2009. We are hoping to recruit enough teachers to go to many international sites that have requested teams. A few of these sites include the countries of Romania, Albania, Indonesia, Thailand, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil, and Paraguay.
We need more teachers. Most of our short-term mission efforts occur in the summer months, and many of our teachers use their vacation time. You can commit for two weeks, four weeks, or six weeks. Most of our students have never read or studied the Bible. This is a wonderful opportunity and life-changing experience. If you are interested, please contact our office by phone or email for details.
It became apparent during our annual board meeting last month that we have many financial challenges to meet in 2009. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. If you are not currently partnering with us, we ask that you give prayerful consideration to joining our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission and take the gospel to the entire world.
—Tom and Angela-
WEI has a bold mission that is getting meaningful results—not because of what we have done, but because of what God is doing. WEI is one of God’s most effective instruments for taking the gospel to every nation.
Who would have thought that, by the end of 2008, God would be using WEI to (1) introduce Christ to people in 195 countries that represent 99.97% of the world’s population, (2) to teach people about Christ in EVERY Muslim nation, including Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, (3) to teach people in EVERY Communist nation, including China, Vietnam, and North Korea, and (4) to teach people in jails, prisons, and Hispanic outreach ministries throughout the United States?
Who could have dreamed that God would send us 100 to 350 new Internet students per day?
The Lord is using WEI to help Christians grow spiritually as they get involved in sharing the Good News with others, and as they give sacrificially to a cause greater than themselves.
2008 was an incredible year for WEI. It presented challenges and opportunities beyond our wildest dreams. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of WEI students were baptized into Christ and are now serving God in communities around the world.
God is also using WEI to lift people out of poverty—by giving them tools that can be used to generate income and provide for their families. WEI is a non-profit mission ministry. We are totally dependent upon churches and Christian individuals for funding. Funds are needed for developing the ministry, printing materials, mailing them abroad, and providing other services.
In spite of our national economic downturn, we must move forward, trusting in God. If you would like to partner with us in this ministry, please fill out the coupon on page seven that is provided for your convenience.
Thank you for your partnership in the cause of Christ. You will not lose your reward.
God loves you, and so do we.
—Dick and Maudine
The Grant Street Church of Christ in Lebanon, Oregon, a small mission-minded church, is teaching hundreds of WEI students.
Jim Vice, the local minister, writes, “We have another student who has requested baptism. Aye Aye Mar, from Yangon, Myanmar, has just finished The New Birth Bible lessons and has indicated that he is ready to be baptized for the remission of his sins.
“What’s interesting is that, before he did this lesson booklet, he said that “sprinkling is just as good as immersion” for baptism. God does work in wondrous ways on the hearts of people. Please let me know, and I will send information to a contact person in Myanmar to assist Aye Aye.
“Thanks a bunch. This makes 22 students that have requested baptism! Praise God!”
“We have had people from age 10 to 85 working on WEI courses at different times, and all of them agree that the experience is faith-building. It has increased their awareness of the broadness of the kingdom, and has encouraged their own Bible study habits.
“Mildred Buettner states, ‘I feel like I am contributing something meaningful to the church.’
“Boyd Roberts comments, ‘It’s really got me thinking and studying, not only the Bible, but geography also.’
“Rhonda Vice says, ‘Working with WEI students gives me opportunity to pray for specific individual students.’
“For me personally,” says Jim, “it is exciting to see the growth of both teachers and students, to hear of those individuals who submit to the Lord in baptism, and to communicate with students and WEI workers from around the world.
“I always tell our workers that even though the numbers of the Lord’s church may be declining in our country, the Lord’s church is healthy and growing by leaps and bounds in other countries. Thanks for the opportunity to work with WEI.”
What the Lebanon church is doing, your congregation can do also. The sky is the limit if we all work together.
Future historians could look back on this generation and say, as Luke said in New Testament times, “So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (Acts 19:20).
