On November 1, 2015, Lee Allen (elder, family man, and missionary at heart) joined the WEI staff as Director of Development and Support.
For twenty-two years, Lee worked for Tennessee Valley Authority rising in rank from Accounting Officer to Senior Manager of Accounts Payable.
All the while, Lee and his family were faithful members of the church in Maryville, Tennessee where Lee now serves as an elder.
Lee praises his wife Jan as a “godly woman, wife, and mother! She has been a great and wonderful supporter and the hub of our household.” Jan has worked as a nurse, a preschool teacher, and a teacher’s assistant. Lee says, “She has a great desire to help raise and spoil grandchildren if we are blessed to have them.”
Lee and Jan have two adult children: Joshua and Hannah. Joshua is married to Brittany and is serving as a minister with the Brentwood Hills Church of Christ in Nashville.
Hannah is a recent graduate of Freed Hardeman University and is engaged to be married in Nashville June 11, 2016.
WEI has needed someone like Lee for a long time, and when Lee retired from TVA, the WEI board jumped at the chance to bring him on board. Lee’s work experience with TVA, his leadership experience in the church, and his twenty mission trips to Albania have prepared him for such a time as this.
Lee made his first trip to Albania in July 1998 at the age of forty. He says, “Little did I know at that time that God had begun a new and exciting mission in my life. He was changing my life forever. Now, the Lord is changing him again.
I have watched Lee teach in Albania, and I can verify that he is a tireless worker. I accuse him of teaching all day and visiting his students and their families all night. He replies, “I didn’t come here to sleep. I came to teach people about Jesus.” Lee Allen is one of the most effective short-term missionaries I know.
As Director of Development and Support, Lee will talk to church leaders and mission-minded individuals about WEI, recruit teachers, raise funds, and get people involved in world evangelism. Pray for Lee as God sends him out on this new mission. (Read more about Lee in Tom Langley’s column.)
WEI teacher, Katheryn Haddad, has been teaching this young Muslim social worker in West Africa for three years. She calls him “Aaron.”
Katheryn writes, “During those three years, his country has been attacked by the ebola virus, and some four thousand have died. Four members of his own family contracted the disease, and one died. The life expectancy in Sierra Leone is only 57 years because of yellow fever, cholera, and meningitis, in addition to ebola.
“In 2000, Aaron and his family were caught in the crossfires of civil war. He writes, ‘During the civil war in my country, the rebels captured me and my family and burnt down our house. Later on, they took us to another place and locked us in a room to kill us. With the help of the almighty God, the Ecomog peace-keeping force arrived there and freed us from the trouble.’
“In the past three years, Aaron has obtained an upper-level degree. But most of all, he left Islam for good and embraced Christianity.
“After his first year of studies with WEI, he concluded, ‘Jesus is not just a man, but God himself, and he came to save mankind.’ Further, he stated, ‘I learned that the death and resurrection of Jesus actually took place, and all the prophecies about him were fulfilled. There is no other way to receive salvation except through Jesus Christ. He alone can erase our sins.’
“Aaron wanted to be baptized into Christ, but he also wanted to remain a Muslim. He thought the two religions were compatible. Then he dropped out for six months. His teacher sent him a chart contrasting scriptures in the Qur’an with scriptures in the Bible. This helped. He finally came back and completed the intermediate course and started the advanced course, then dropped out again. (Remember what his family was going through at this time.) Finally in May of this year, he resumed his lessons.
“In July he wrote, ‘I was baptized to gain salvation, Mum. I assure you that I will no longer be a Muslim. I am saved. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
Under Sharia law, it is a capital offense for a Muslim to convert to Christianity. One can only imagine how difficult it was for Aaron to cut his ties with Islam and become a follower of Christ.
We praise God that another Muslim student has had the faith and the courage to become a Christian.
Ellen Walker, veteran missionary in Tirana, Albania, reports that one of her WEI students has been baptized into Christ.
Ellen writes, “The highlight, for me, of the campaigns this year was the baptism of one of my students. Denis Sula began studying with my friend Brent several years ago. When Brent left, Denis began studying with me.
“Denis is one of those young men who have an old soul. He’s just more mature than most kids his age.
“Denis thought he was a Muslim, and he had that concept of balancing sin against good things. If you’ve done more good things than bad at the end, you get to go to heaven. This idea is quite common here. Anyway, gradually Dennis saw a difference. Yet even when he realized that he needed to be baptized, he thought long and hard about whether he could put God above his [Muslim] family. Would that more would take the decision seriously.”
Snezana Benitez is one of the sweetest, most dedicated Christian women you will ever meet. She was born in Bosnia, educated at Harding University, and served as a missionary in China before meeting and marrying Byron Benitez, missionary in Guatemala City.
Snezana’s mother was baptized into Christ ten years ago after studying the WEI courses in Bosnia. Byron, Snezana, and their co-worker, Hawatthia Jones, went to see her mom while they were in Europe for a workshop in November.
I asked Snezana to tell me about her mother, and this is what she said: “It aches my heart to tell you that my Mom’s spiritual journey has had some tough roadblocks, and it seems she has been drifting away from the truth little by little.
“When she first studied the material from WEI and the Bible, and when she was baptized in Zapresic, Croatia about ten years ago, she was on fire for the Lord. She went out and shared her faith with everyone who would give her an opportunity. Although she was all alone in her city of Banjaluka and had no other Christians that we knew of in the area, she kept her faith and boldly talked about Jesus and the Bible.
“But unfortunately, she has been rejected, along with the message of Jesus, over and over again. . . . Her zeal for reading the Bible has died down, and she now reads it only from time to time. She still strongly believes in the Lord and tries to live a good life serving people, but it is visible that Satan has discouraged and distracted her.
“Please pray that she will open her heart to God and his Word and that God will guide me as I reach out to her
Snezana’s heart is breaking, I promised her that I would ask you to pray for her mom. Please stop right now and utter a prayer for her, and put her on your prayer list. Let’s keep Satan at bay.
Willy Yudah, national preacher in Mbeya, Tanzania, wrote a short note in November saying, “There were 8 baptisms as a result of WEI teaching in Tanzania. Please plan to visit us with short-term missionaries.”
After ten years of struggling to make ends meet financially, Aniefiok and Etang Akpan have been blessed with enough funds to erect the multi-purpose building on the campus of Rhema Christian Academy, and classes are now being taught.
Aniefiok is using WEI courses to teach English and the Bible to elementary and high school students at the academy. He has also organized a WEI mission team to help spread the gospel throughout Nigeria and beyond.
Aniefiok writes, “We inaugurated a new World English Institute Mission Team at Rhema Christian Academy on 27 Dec 2015. The team will recruit new WEI students, teach them, follow up on them, plant the Seed of the gospel, and establish new congregations on virgin lands.”
We pray that God will grant this team a great harvest of souls as they recruit and teach WEI students and establish new congregations.
Aniefiok has asked us to assign each member of the WEI Mission Team to an American teacher so that the team will be thoroughly familiar with the materials they will be teaching.
Who would like to volunteer to tutor a Nigerian preacher?
Most of our WEI postal teachers have either dropped out or transitioned to Internet teaching. We now have more postal students than we can teach. We need more postal teachers. If you are interested in teaching people about Christ through the mail, please contact me, Dick Ady, at the Gresham office, weiady@aol.com, or write to me at WEI, 1525 NW Division St. in Gresham, OR 97030.
Katheryn Haddad reports that a second generation of Christians is arising in Afghanistan.
Four years ago, one of Katheryn’s Internet students in Afghanistan (she named him “John Mark”) and his wife baptized each other in their bathtub. Immediately, John Mark started sharing his faith with his friends and enrolling them in WEI.
The following year, the Muslim authorities learned that John Mark had converted to Christianity, and they threatened to send him to prison unless he paid $50,000. John Mark’s wife immediately took their four children to another province, and they changed locations every night. The Taliban is known for kidnapping children and demanding a high ransom to save them from slavery or death.
After several weeks of moving around, John Mark made arrangements for them to fly to India. They stayed in India for a month, ran low on funds, and decided to return to their home country. They avoided their house, and John Mark went back and forth to work in disguise until he felt confident that he and his family were safe again.
Upon their return to Afghanistan, John Mark’s older brother (whom Katheryn named “Ananias”) took the WEI course and was baptized by his father. Recently, at age nineteen, Ananias, said he would like to preach even if he is killed.
When Ananias’ younger brother (named “Samson”) turned sixteen, he enrolled in the WEI lessons. He told Katheryn, ‘I learned the Kingdom of Jesus is the righteous kingdom in the universe, and his resurrection is an important message for human beings. Christianity is the righteous religion in the world; it is God’s kingdom. All human beings should accept Christianity.”
By the time Samson completed the basic course, a survey of the Bible, he knew enough that he could make an informed decision, and he asked his father to baptize him. This was in mid-October. He wrote, “Dear teacher, I have been baptized by my father this last week, in our bathroom, in the name of Jesus. Now I feel very happy that I am one of the family of God.”
Let us praise God for Christians in Muslim countries who risk their lives to share their faith with others. The Prince of Peace is God’s answer to radical Islam.
Several months ago, Charles Yambasu Mungu, a national preacher in Sierra Leone wrote saying, “I am currently a WEI student. I am a member of the churches of Christ. Since I enroll through this course, I find it very unique. I have told lots of people about it, and they express interest in the studies.
When I go through the WEI courses, I am so happy for this vision which you have established. There are a lot of people here in Sierra Leone who are in the process of welcoming this vision. I am ready to work with WEI in any way so that we can obey the great commission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . . The Lord being my helper, I will make sure WEI teachings spread across Sierra Leone.
Without any financial support from us, Charles has taught twenty students two hours a day, Monday through Saturday. His first class has graduated, and he has started teaching a new class. As you can see below, his first graduation ceremony was important to the students and their families.
Charles says, “I give God all the praise for the glorious work that is going on here by using WEI resources and bringing souls to the Lord’s kingdom. I have made up my mind to work with WEI as long as I continue to live in good health.”
As we write this newsletter, Tom Langley is in southern India wearing himself out traveling with Prabhu Kumar, speaking to WEI students at graduation ceremonies, handing out diplomas, and preaching to churches along the way. WEI-India is one of God’s most exciting and productive works.
The WEI Internet ministry continues to grow and, yes, we still need more teachers. Maybe you are asking yourself, “Do we really make a difference?”
To answer that question, here are two messages from students, and one from a teacher.
From Greece: “It has been a great experience for me to learn with your help. Thank you very much for your comments and kindness. “Best wishes for the New Year. I pray for all people and you too, since you and all teachers in WEI are real persons, not cool electronic machines. God bless you for the great job you all do!”
From Rwanda: “Words are not enough to tell you the difference you have made. I lacked confidence and courage to walk on the road to success till the day you came along and turned me into a more confident and brave person and to help me realize my dreams and fulfill my aspirations. I hope to learn more in the coming years.”
From Kay Banta, a teacher who never gives up: “Recently, two of my U.S. students from seven years ago restarted. Then two local friends registered, one from high school years, and one from my exercise group. A local home study group started, and I’m sending lessons to Mama’s cancer surgeon who was raised Catholic but wants to be just a Christian.
“I could easily give up. Don’t let me. Hold up my arms in the battle. Join me and find others whose arms need holding up. Many will say, ‘No one will listen.’ Satan will tempt us to quit. We need courage to be on fire.
“Pray that we will be bold, that our hearts will be soft, and that we will say the right words. Pray that the church will be pure, zealous, studious, prayerful, and a beacon. Ships are crashing on the sandbars of human doctrine.
“Come on! Let’s make a difference. Never give up even if every effort seems to fail. Believe! Help my unbelief, Lord.”
Amen, Kay!
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field” (Matthew 9:38, 38).
—Bob & Jan Towell
It is an honor and privilege for me to use my column this quarter to introduce to you the newest member of our staff at WEI. For the last several years Dick and I have seriously discussed the need to hire another staff member. We both recognized that we desperately needed full-time help in teacher recruiting, support, and professional fundraising.
After much prayer and counsel, the executive committee of the WEI board agreed on one candidate: Lee Allen. Lee is an elder at the Maryville church of Christ and he is also the co-Chairman of the Maryville mission committee. He’s a people-person with a background in professional management and finance with strong public speaking skills. He is intensely mission-minded, and he has taught WEI for over 17 years in Albania. In fact, he is on the board of directors for WEI-Albania. His prayer life and passion for God’s mission is unsurpassed and truly inspirational.
Lee and Jan have future plans to relocate to Nashville, TN to be near family. This was important to the board and to Dick and me because Nashville is considered the heart of the Bible belt. Their upcoming move to Nashville is a positive.
We have the utmost confidence in Lee’s ability to quickly learn and become effective. He’s anxious to refine, improve, and grow our WEI teacher base and fundraising network. He officially began working full-time with WEI on Nov. 1st and played a major role in our successful 2015 direct mail campaign. You will see him waving the WEI banner at lectureships and mission workshops moving forward. Please get to know Lee. You will be spiritually blessed.
Dick Ady welcomed Lee with the following words: “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you will be working with WEI full-time. I am elated. . . . WEI is just beginning to evangelize the world. The greatest limitations are (1) the shortage of teachers, and (2) the shortage of funds for growth and expansion. Now, the Lord has brought you on board to fill the gap. Our prayers are with you and Jan as you transition into this important Christ-centered ministry.” Contact Lee at his new email address: lee@worldenglishinstitute.org.
—Tom & Angie Langley
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to his followers, “You are the light of the world.” In the original Greek text, “You” is in the emphatic position meaning, “You, and you alone, are the light of the world.” What did Jesus mean by that?
In the Bible, “light” is a symbol of good, and “darkness” is a symbol of evil. God is totally good, so it is written, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
Likewise, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
We have no light of our own. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so we reflect the light of God and his Son. Reflected light is what we are. Reflecting light is what we do. Our reflected light illuminates the way to God and exposes the dangers of evil. It opens people’s eyes to truth and righteousness, and it warms their hearts with the love of God.
Satan is trying to put out our light (2 Corinthians 4:4). He is trying to keep people from seeing the glory of Christ who radiates the glory of God. Satan is also trying to blind people to the light reflected by Jesus’ followers.
The God who spoke light into existence on the first day of creation is the God who makes his light shine in our hearts (2 Corinthians 4:6).
We are called to let our light shine to the whole world by living godly lives and by sharing our faith with others. If we, the followers of Christ, do not let our light shine, there is no hope for the world. That is what Jesus was saying.
Jesus is saying to us, as he said to Paul, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they can receive forgiveness of sins” (Acts 26:17-19).
Jesus is asking you to let your light shine. You can do that by sharing your faith with WEI students all over the world. Enroll as an Internet teacher today by logging on to our teaching web site at www.worldenglishinstitute.org/register/teacher.
To our friends whose lights are shining as teachers, and to those of you who partner with us financially, we say, “Thank you. We love you.”
—Dick & Maudine Ady
More and more national preachers around the globe are using WEI in their local outreach ministries, and they are leading numerous people to Christ. This is perhaps the fastest growing and most productive facet of God’s WEI ministry. Printing materials and mailing them abroad is costly, but effective. Please consider helping us defray the costs of providing free teaching materials for gospel preachers in other nations who will use them to save souls.
Another way you can lay up treasures in heaven is by including WEI in your will and thus extending your service to God beyond your lifetime. By including WEI in your estate plan, you will be sharing the good news about Christ on a perpetual basis after you have gone to meet the Lord.
