Welcome Justin Speer
It is with joy that we introduce Justin Speer to you as a new member of the WEI Board of Directors. We believe Justin is a Godsend. He is a man of uncommon talent and a deep commitment to Christ and the great commission.
Justin’s relationship with WEI spans almost a decade. But let’s let Justin tell his own story:
“Nearly ten years ago, I was approached by Tom Gillson, an elder of the church of Christ in Katy, Texas. He approached me with a gentle request to investigate and learn about an evangelism tool he encountered when visiting his daughter at the Lord’s church in Austin, Texas. In his wisdom, Tom recognized promise and potential in World English Institute. It would not take me long to see it too.
“In the decade since, I have been captivated by this wonderful organization and the opportunities, challenges, and relationships born through it. The Lord has granted me the bonds of friendship and fellowship with faithful, brave, and loving people who share a wise and lofty aim: serving and loving the Lord by serving and reaching others with His light throughout the entire world. I have seen the Lord’s hand in it all. What an adventure it has been!”
Justin is too humble to tell you how God used him to save WEI from the brink of bankruptcy in 2010 when we lost $3,000 a month from a generous contributor. On October 30, 2010, Justin and the church in Katy sponsored our first WEI fund-raising dinner at a hotel in West Houston. Justin’s wife Mindy and her helpers decorated the dining room with beautiful flower arrangements and table settings. Justin invited hand-picked mission-minded churches and church leaders in the Houston area and paid for their dinner in many cases. As a result, we had a very successful fund-raising dinner which put WEI back on a sound financial footing. Since then, the Speers and the Katy church have been active supporters of WEI.
Justin says, “In recent years, I have served as a deacon administering the World English Institute platform within the local congregation at Katy. This job has been made easy by brothers and sisters in Katy who happily volunteer as short-term missionaries and Internet teachers, and who devote countless hours developing materials and teaching the WEI curriculum to our neighbors, near and far.
“As all WEI teachers know, it is a blessing to work in the Lord’s vineyards. The work and its fruit are the rewards, made sweeter still by relationships forged with people from diverse backgrounds. I’m grateful to God, the elders, the church at Katy, my friends at WEI, and to missionaries abroad for granting so many people like me the opportunity to share in this important mission from the Lord.
“I’m especially grateful for my amazing wife, Mindy. In addition to helping manage our home and raise our daughters Jessie Jo (10) and Macie Joy (7), Mindy serves as director of Yellow Brick Road pre-school and has been my life partner and a steady source of support in the local WEI effort.
“As I told my friends on the board of directors at World English Institute, I look forward to this new chapter and avenue to serve as a board member in an organization that is dedicated to fulfilling the Lord’s will. May the Lord grant continued growth to His glory through this and other evangelistic efforts throughout the world!”
We welcome Justin to the WEI board.
Exciting News from Uganda
John Mark Malimbwe, a gospel preacher in the Bududa District in eastern Uganda, sent us an exciting email dated January 3, 2020.
John Mark writes, “I forward this message of joy concerning Simon Musoba’s baptism.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank you for the innovative WEI material. The approach is so good that I quickly managed to get into a staunch Catholic family. After only the introduction and lesson one, I had made friends with Simon and others in the group with whom I was meeting every Sunday night after worship. [This meeting] was mobilized by Emma, my son, who is their schoolmate. We, therefore, invited Simon to our youth conference where he got baptized.”
John Mark, himself, was immersed into Christ on January 31, 1991 and will be celebrating his 29th new birth day about the time you read this newsletter. He calls it “that great day in my life.”
Recently, John Mark learned about WEI from his son who lives in Nigeria. John Mark enrolled as an Internet student and was taught by Jackie Steen. Upon completing his studies, he decided to use WEI in his outreach ministry and ordered teaching materials from our office in Gresham. He says, “I started using WEI materials because the broader approach of English/Bible study was the best way to capture the youth in schools. Yes, it is a double edged sword.”
John Mark’s exciting message is a graphic illustration of how God patiently works through his people, over long stretches of time, to accomplish his eternal purposes.
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” – Romans 10:14
WEI Summit Is Planned for April 25
All current WEI Teachers, past WEI teachers, and prospective WEI teachers are invited to participate in our first West Coast WEI Summit which is scheduled in Portland, Oregon Saturday, April 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Invitations will be sent to churches and individuals in Alaska, Arizona, California, Canada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. People farther east are more than welcome. Details of the informative and inspiring program are forthcoming.
Please circle April 25 on your calendar and plan to come.
An Appeal from Tom Langley
Frequent readers of this newsletter are familiar with WEI-India under the leadership of Brother Prabhu Kumar. Students are taught the WEI courses year-round by the church of Christ preachers at the location where they worship. The thousands of WEI booklets needed for these schools are printed in India each spring to save money on printing and shipping.
Once a month, Brother Prabhu sends a report detailing the work done by the WEI teachers under his direction. These reports are full of stories of baptisms as a direct or indirect result of work done by scores of WEI teachers scattered all over central and southeast India.
Below are the 2019 statistics from the WEI schools and teachers.
- The total number of Indian teachers in 2019 who taught the Bible using WEI: 73
- The total number of students who studied with these teachers: 3,650
- The number of students who graduated from the Intermediate course: 2,230
- The number of locations where WEI schools were conducted in 2019: 92
- The total number of baptisms as a direct result of these WEI schools: 47
- The total number of baptisms from Brother Kumar’s comprehensive ministry: 96
I’ve personally visited the work there on three occasions and can attest that it is one of the most fruitful works being done in our brotherhood using WEI as a tool to teach the word of God. Brother Prabhu is a Bible scholar, a gospel preacher, and a gifted manager and organizer.
The WEI-India mission effort is currently under the interim oversight of the elders of the Maryville Church of Christ. Unfortunately, Maryville’s budget is insufficient to fully support the work. Therefore, we are again making an appeal to individuals and churches in order to raise the funds necessary to sustain this good work. We are also seeking a congregation of the Lord’s church to assume sponsorship of this work and thus provide a more substantial and long-term commitment.
For the year 2020, we are several thousand dollars short of the money needed to sustain this outreach ministry. If you have some discretionary funds available, please prayerfully consider supporting this fruitful mission. You may send your check to Maryville Church of Christ, Maryville, TN 37802. Be sure to memo the check WEI-India so that it will be accounted for accordingly. Thank you!
Tom Langley
More Hindu Conversions in India
During the past three months, Prabhu Kumar, the Director of WEI-India, has reported the baptisms of nine WEI students, eight of whom have come from Hindu backgrounds.
In his October report, Prabhu wrote, “Our WEI teacher, Bro. Chakravarthy is working in Tiruttani. In this village, he has taught two Hindu women for two years. Now they are convinced to get baptism and Bro. Chakravarthy baptized them in the local pool.”
In his November report, Prabhu wrote, “Our WEI teacher, Bro. Parandhamaiah is working at Narayanavanam, in the Chittoor district. He has taught three Hindu men for 14 months. Now they got ready for baptism, so he baptized them in the local pond.”
In his December report, Prabhu wrote, “Our WEI teacher, Bro. Durairaj is working at Kalthur, in the Chittoor district. He has taught three Hindu people for 3 years. Now, they are all convinced for baptism. So he has baptized them in the local pond. Please pray for these new souls.”
W.E.I. NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!
More and more national preachers around the world are using WEI courses in their local outreach ministries. National preachers are our most efficient and productive partners in world evangelism. Your donations provide funds for printing and mailing these materials.Keep Sowing
In Matthew 13, we read that “the farmer went out to sow.” The word picture this paints is of a man with a sack of seed slung over his shoulder, walking to the field to sow. He had the seed, but he had to sow it. He had the sack, but the seed had to be taken out and distributed.
We have the seed of the gospel in the Bible, but unless we open the Book and take the seed out and distribute it, it will not germinate in the hearts of those who must hear it or be lost.
Below is a man from the Philippines whose study was interrupted for 6 years, but returned. He realized he had not fully obeyed the gospel and wanted help. After hearing he was actually living in Bangkok, Thailand, he was put in touch with a preacher there who baptized him and wrote, “His tears of joy show his sincerity, and his heart had been searching for the meaning of his life.”
Don’t leave the seed in the sack! There are many tools with which to sow, but the Internet has made it possible to sow without even leaving our homes and has enabled us to reach fields not easily reached any other way.
We know not all seed with fall on “good ground,” but some will. Some seed takes time to germinate, but we have the promise that “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:10).
Keep sowing!
Bob and Jan Towell
WEI Students Baptized in Chad
Some time ago, Vicki Murphy taught several WEI students who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Chad. Two of them were ultimately baptized into Christ. Vicki received photos of the baptisms only a few days ago.
Vicki writes, “It’s funny how writing can be deceptive. The first one [baptized] wrote in such a gentle way that I had the impression of a delicate, aesthetic man who spent all his time writing poetry.
Then he asked me to friend him on Facebook, and I got to see his picture. He looks like a very mean Rambo on steroids.”
Thanks for the chuckle, Vicki.
Wouldn’t you like to lead someone to Christ? Chances are you can. You can become a WEI Internet teacher by logging on to our website and signing up at
www.worldenglishinstitute.org/register/teacher.
WEI Missionaries in Panama Need Help
Richard (Dick) Haines and his wife Pamila have been WEI missionaries in Panama for about two years, and they have laid the groundwork for an excellent WEI year-round school there.
We just learned that Dick has developed a growth on his vocal cords, and he must return to Oregon for surgery at Veterans Hospital in Portland. Since the Haines are self-supporting missionaries, they do not have sufficient funds to make the trip.
They are wondering if someone might have airline frequent flier miles that he or she would like to donate to help them get home for the surgery.
If you want to help the Haines at this difficult time, please contact Dick Ady at 503-621-2334 or by email at :
Edwin E. Vicente, the famous dance instructor in the Philippines, has an amazing testimony about his spiritual journey with WEI. He writes, “During 24 years of teaching dancing, I was made famous by local and international achievements. But I felt empty. I had not found my fulfillment.
“Then, one afternoon, in my search for an affordable online course in dance, I found World English Institute. I went to the website and, surprisingly, the institute was offering a free online English course at no cost at all. That encouraged me to give myself another try at refreshing my English knowledge.
“In the end, I found that it was not only an English course but a road to meet God and to become closer to Him—something that was missing in my spiritual life. It [WEI] opened my eyes and enlightened my mind about the disappointments, hardships, and failures I had encountered. This worthy course helped me find the way, the truth, and the life with Jesus. It made me become a more mature person.
“Thank you, teacher Rocky Thurman, for your patience in assisting me in my study and supporting me during my weak moments when I almost wanted to give up. Thank you WEI for returning me to the right way. I like most the chance of returning to our Creator, the Almighty Father”
Editorial note: Edwin is currently studying with me via email and has just completed Lesson 9 in my latest book, Blessed Assurance, even before the book has been printed or posted on the WEI website. He has indicated that he is ready to be baptized. Arrangements are being made for his baptism.
Strong Earthquake Shakes Albania
Çimi Kafexhiu, minister of the church in Durres, Albania writes, “The city of Durres was hit by a strong earthquake of 6.4 magnitudes on November 26th at 3:55 in the morning. The earthquake has left great damage to the city. There were 7,900 damaged buildings countrywide. Over 6,000 homeless are being sheltered in hotels, public buildings, tents, and with relatives. More than 3,000 people were injured, and 51 people lost their lives. Forty-five individuals were rescued alive from the rubble, and 40 people are still in the hospital. It was the world’s deadliest earthquake in 2019.
“We praise the Lord for sparing our lives from such a deadly earthquake. This earthquake brought lots of damages to our city but we praise the Lord for using us to serve people. No Christian was hurt, but many families from the church have had great damage in their homes or have left their apartments because the buildings were considered not safe or livable until they are repaired.
“The church in Durres opened its building to welcome church members and those who were left without homes in the community. We used our church building as a relief point in Durres. For two weeks we provided food, shelter, and care for many people of our community. . . . We became the hands and feet of Jesus for our people.”
Cimi reports that churches of Christ in Albania quickly responded to their needs. The church in Tirana provided beds, food, and a water heater so that people could take showers. The church in Lushnja provided a washing machine so that people could wash their clothes. The church in Korca brought clothes and food.
Cimi says, “God has opened new doors to witness Jesus at this time in our city. I’m confident that, in the future, we in Durres will not remember November 26th as a terrible day, but we will remember it as a demonstration of the goodness and mercy of God. It will be a day to celebrate God’s faithfulness and grace among his people.”
We praise God that not one of our Albanian brothers and sisters was killed or injured by this horrific earthquake. May God bless them with food, clothing, water, and shelter during the winter.
WEI-IDEA Is Launched in Nigeria
Visionary preacher, teacher, and educator, Aniefiok Akpan, has used WEI materials for nearly two decades to teach English and the Bible to students at Rhema Christian Academy and his ministerial students at Uruk Otong, Nigeria.
Having discovered the effectiveness of WEI for leading people to Christ, Aniefiok is launching a nationwide evangelistic effort called WEI-IDEA (International Digital Evangelism for Africa). He has mobilized preachers in every state in Nigeria who plan to work together to create a network of trained Internet teachers who will teach WEI students all over Nigeria. Aniefiok hopes that WEI-IDEA will catch on throughout Africa.
This outreach ministry is still in its formative stage. The WEI board of directors is working closely with Aniefiok to be sure his plan is biblical, reasonable, sensible, and sustainable.
On Sunday, January 5, WEI-IDEA was launched at the Campus church in Uruk Otong, On that day, Aniefiok also baptized his late brother’s 15-year-old son, Emediong Emmanuel Akpan.
Have you considered including WEI in your will?
By naming WEI in your estate, you will accomplish two important things:
1. You will lay up treasures in heaven;
2. You will help others get to heaven, too.
Blane Anderson’s Mission in Brazil
Since Blane Anderson retired from the University of Oklahoma several years ago, he has personally taught WEI students in Albania, Romania, Mongolia, Guatemala, and other places. Most recently, he has spent several weeks teaching ten students in Campinas, Brazil where Allen and Robin Dutton serve as missionaries.
In Brazil, Blane wrote, “During my time in Campinas, I have been blessed to study God’s word with some great students. One student told me he had never studied the Bible before. Have no doubt—yes WEI helps people improve their English, but our first and foremost objective is to tell our students there is a God who loves them and has a plan for their life.”
W.E.I. THANKS ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Your contributions and donations continue to allow WEI to reach people in all nations with the word of God.
Teachers Needed for Mission in Peru
Jon and Yellmi Rawlings are looking for teachers for a short-term campaign in Arequipa, Peru in July this summer. If you are interested, please email them for more information at jrawlings07@gmail.com.
Jon and Yellmi met in Peru in 2005 when Jon was on a Latin American Missions medical campaign in Lima. Yellmi (a native of Peru) served as a translator for Jon’s group.
To make a long story short, Jon has returned to Peru again and again since 2005, and he and Yellmi were married in 2014. Since then, they have made annual trips to Peru to serve Christ.
The church in Arequipa has invited them to come this summer and teach WEI lessons to local university students. If interested, contact Jon.
Honorariums and Memorials
Robinson, Lois
In Honor of David & Lola Crouch
Cole, David & Barbara
In Honor of Sandra Gordon
Gough, Sean & April
In Honor of Clyde & Marcie Richardson
Murphy, Robert & Bonnie
In Honor of Bob & Jan Towell
Bodine, Gary & Brenda
In Honor of Faithful Teachers
Robinson, Lois
In Memory of Lisa Adam
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Betty Allen
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
White, Diane
In Memory of Phyllis Atchley
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Ken Ball
Koontz, Don & Kay
In Memory of Bill Blanks
Blanks, Julia
In Memory of Charles T. Bryant Jr.
Adams, John & Ginger
Allen, Lee & Lesa
Blanks, Julia
Bryant, Marlene
Byrd, Herbert & Resa
Draper, Ann
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
Gallaher, Roy & Carolyn
Haynes, Rodney & Linda
Huff, David & Laura
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
McDonald, Joy
Meade, James & Tena
Nunn, Danny & Emily
White, Diane
In Memory of Henry Burden
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Gary Carucci
Samuels, Larry & Linda
In Memory of Becky Holloway Cretsinger
Morton, Maxine Holloway
In Memory of William Dotts
Graham, W.L.
Adams, John & Ginger
Allen, Lee & Lesa
Anonymous
Barker, Gene & Linda
Bishop, Joy
Blanks, Julia
Byrd, Herbert & Resa
Campbell, Ben & Joyce
Draper, Ann
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
Fleeman, Arvle & Helen
Gallaher, Roy & Carolyn
Harris, Randall & Judy
Hawkins, Laura
Haynes, Rodney & Linda
Huff, David & Laura
Jordan, Leon & Dottie
Langley, Tom & Angie
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
McDonald, Joy
Nunn, Danny & Emily
Pittman, Carter
Pittman, David & Presty
Puryear, Randy & Libby
Rogers, Katherine
Samuels, Larry & Linda
Shelton, Tyra
Spencer, Danny
Stephens, Dick & Cloe
Stevenson, Rob & Nancy
Wagner, James & Wanda
White, Diane, Kevin, & David
Winstead, Randy & Wendy
In Memory of William Eastman
Eastman, Alma
In Memory of Mike Hale
Hale, Genie
In Memory of JoAn Haws
Wolford, Wes & Diane
In Memory of Howard McDonald
Draper, Ann
Hawkins, Laura
In Memory of Bill Morgan
Campbell, Ben & Joyce
Draper, Ann
Edwards, Jerrell
Hesselrode, Robert & Billie Sue
Metzer, Robert & Cathryn
Richards, Randy & Pam
Stewart, Jeffrey & Juanita
Winstead, Randy & Wendy
Wolford, Wes & Diane
In Memory of Donna Petrowsky
Adams, John & Ginger
Edwards, Art & Bonnie
Gallaher, Roy & Carolyn
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In memory of Doris Pollard
Pollard, Paul & Cheryl
In Memory of Charles Schultz
Haynes, Rodney & Linda
In Memory of Suzanne Blanks Snow
Blanks, Julia
In Memory of Bill Van Horn
Van Horn, Beverly
In Memory of Flavil Yeakley
Yeakley, Maydell
