In June 2020, Geng Garang Deng, a young man in the northern sector of South Sudan, registered as a WEI Internet student, and Virginia McPeak of Roseville, California became his teacher.
Virginia writes, “It was a challenge to teach Geng Garang Deng. His English comprehension was poor. At that time, he was still in grammar school as an older student. He persisted in taking the lessons, and I continued to encourage him.”
The story of Geng’s spiritual journey is a graphic illustration of how God works through a series of people to accomplish his divine purposes. Virginia learned that Geng’s brother, Gabrial Garang, was also a WEI Internet student studying under Bob Patterson of Beaverton, Oregon.
When the two brothers decided to be baptized, Virginia contacted Barry Smith, who contacted Bartholomayo Lang Akol, who taught the brothers, baptized them into Christ, and trained them to be evangelists.
Fast forward to the present. Geng Garang Deng has grown in faith and knowledge and has developed a passion for leading others to Christ.
On March 14, 2025, Geng wrote, “My brother [Bartholomayo]Lang Akol and I planted a new congregation in a small area called Arenpiny within my state. We journeyed deep into the heart of a forgotten village, a place where the word of God had never reached. With courage and conviction, we began to teach them about the love and mercy of God and His promise of eternal life.
“At first, they were skeptical and resistant, but as we continued to share our faith, they listened intently, their eyes filled with wonder and amazement. It was a truly humbling experience for us to see the light of understanding dawn in their eyes, to witness their transformation from spiritual darkness to the warm embrace of God’s love.
“In that moment, we knew that our mission had been successful. We had brought the word of God to a place where it had never been heard before, and we had planted the seeds of faith in the hearts of these simple, innocent people. We felt a deep sense of gratitude and joy for having been chosen to spread the word of God in this remote corner of the world.”
The following day, Geng and Lang returned to the same tree, taught the people further, and baptized three of them into Christ thus establishing the Lord’s church in the village of Atenpiny.
That day, Geng wrote an email to Bob Patterson saying, “About World English Institute: I completed all the courses in WEI. If I didn’t learn in WEI, I would not have gotten this knowledge of the word of God that I share with the lost sheep.”
A week later, on March 21, Geng wrote, “I am excited to share with you, that I called my friend, Jacob Marial, to accompany me to a denominational church in a small village, Dokkul. We taught them what God wanted them to do. I am thrilled to share that our efforts with God’s words have borne fruit. In that congregation, my brother and I have welcomed 13 new souls into the kingdom of God.
On May 6th Geng reported that he had conducted a three-day seminar in Rum-Achol, a small village where the word of God had never been preached.
On the second day of the seminar, eighty people came to hear him speak under a tree.
On the third day, Geng wrote, “Good News!! Good News!!! Today, we concluded a three-day teaching event and added 21 souls to the kingdom of God. We have established the Ram-Achol Church of Christ. The shortage of water is one of the greatest challenges, but we managed to take them to the riverside. It is about three hours on foot.”
Editor’s note: Geng is a part of THE most exciting and productive mission work in the world today. Chuck Dennis reports that national preachers (WEI graduates) in and around Aweil, South Sudan have baptized 2,839 people into Christ and planted 74 new congregations so far in 2025. By the time you read this, there will be hundreds more.
Geng needs two things to enhance his ministry: First, he needs Dinka Bibles for new Christians. Second. He needs a light motorcycle to take him to remote villages that are inaccessible by public transportation. Is there a church or an individual who would like to provide funds for Dinka Bibles and/or a motorcycle to solve Geng’s transportation problems and help him reap a greater spiritual harvest?
YOUR SUPPORT AND
ASSISTANCE MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
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. The costs of printing and mailing has continued to increase over the past two years, additional funds for these materials are needed.
In late April, a team of 8 Bible teachers of the Church of Christ Plants Ministry taught the Gospel to WEI online students in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for 8 days. The team, left to right: Adam Dollen, Paulo Ross, Murray Stewart, Keli Stewart, Tom Langley, Tim Davis, David Montague, and Bill Warren.
Everyone on the team did a superb job of teaching the Gospel. WEI sent out invitations to almost 2,500 WEI Internet students inviting them to attend and sign up for Bible studies with us in English.
Approximately 200 WEI students registered online to attend the WEI reception and meet the Church of Christ Plants teachers. On the day of the reception, 51 WEI online students showed up. The traffic and public transit in Abidjan is beyond crowded and chaotic. Many of our students simply did not make it to the hotel venue where we hosted the reception and conducted our studies. The students who did show up traveled for many hours within the city limits just to get to the hotel conference room. We ended up conducting 60 Bible studies that took 71 hours of study. All future receptions will be conducted in big city central locations so our students will have easier access to us. We’re still making adjustments to our planning so as to be as effective as possible with these mission efforts.
Working in partnership with the II Plateaux Church of Christ in Abidjan, many students were under conviction and came close to obeying the Gospel. Two did make that all important decision and put Christ on in baptism. Please pray for these two new brothers, Victor Kouakouble and Darlington Sheriff, Victor is an Internet student of our teammate, Bill Warren.
Darlington Sheriff is a student of Murray Stewart, the Director of Church of Christ Plants. Both of these Internet teachers had the honor and unique privilege of baptizing their online students. Another individual with whom Murray studied was restored to the church. Praise God.
Interested in going on a short-term mission?
Email Tom Langley at tom@worldenglishinstitute.org.
God is working wonders through his humble servants, Albert and Jona Cepi in Korca, Albania. The lead article in their current newsletter reads “Light for the Blind: Our ministry to the Blind Community.”
Twice each month, Albert and the church meet with the blind community and their families for a Bible study. According to Albert, this makes it easier for blind people to transition into the church community, and at the same time, it provides “an opportunity for the church members to actively live out their faith by ministering to this special group of people.”
Albert writes, “One of the beautiful things my smart and humble wife has done is opening an ‘online woman Bible study’ where a group of women come together virtually to study God’s word and discus different faith-building topics. Summer is a season when some [women] can’t make it to physical Bible study, so they are meeting online. This has turned out to be very beneficial and a real blessing for all of them.”
When Edwin E. Vicente enrolled in WEI as an Internet student several years ago, he was a Roman Catholic and a well-known Ballet instructor at a high school on Luzan Island in the Philippines. As Edwin studied under Rocky Thurman, he found something for which his soul was yearning. He found God. That is, God found him. As he studied the WEI lessons, he heard Jesus say to him, “Follow me, and I will make you a fisher of people.” He responded wholeheartedly to the Lord’s call, and he discovered that following Jesus gave him great spiritual satisfaction.
Edwin writes, “Since moving to Tuguegarao, by the grace of God, I have baptized 4 new believers into Christ. Attached to this email are three photos of the most recent baptism, my dear friend and laundry woman, Mrs. Luciana B. Ramay, 63 years old with three children. She works as a laundrywoman and a nanny. This is her only source of income which supports her family.
“She washes my clothes weekly. One day she asked me about WEI. That is how it started. Then we began the classes.
“After studying the Bible with her, she accepted the Lord’s invitation and supported my mission wholeheartedly. Her transformation gives me renewed strength and confirms my calling.”
“Now I am pleased to tell you that there are 5 more people who are about to undergo baptism.”
Editor’s note: Edwin has been supplementing his income by teaching ballet dancing, but his heart is in ministry. He has decided to resign from his work as a ballet teacher and transition to full-time ministry. To accomplish his goal, we need to raise an additional $100 a month to supply his needs. Edwin is a man of tremendous faith. God is blessing his ministry, and he believes that God will not forsake him in his time of need. For more information, contact Dick Ady at weiady@aol.com of call 503-621-2334.
W.E.I. THANKS ALL OF YOU!!
WEI would not be able to reach people in all nations with the word of God without your support, contributions, and donations
Our Brother Prabhu Kumar, who directs the WEI-India ministry, is currently on a mission trip hand delivering WEI Bible teaching materials to 26 year- round branch schools. He is traveling north to Nepal and east to Myanmar meeting with WEI teachers and encouraging the Christians. Brother Prabhu also directs the Mike Hale School of Theology. This one-year school trains local India Christians to preach, teach, and serve their local India congregations.
Brother Prabhu has been directing WEI-India for 18 years. Thousands of souls have been taught and hundreds have obeyed the gospel as a result.
The Maryville Church of Christ in East Tennessee has been the sponsoring church for the last 12 years. Maryville took over the sponsorship of this work as a step of faith to raise most of the funding from outside sources, as our mission budget is fully committed to many good works focused mostly in the country of Albania.
WEI-India has a modest budget of $1,800 a month. We struggle to raise the support each year. The 2026 budget of WEI-India has not yet been pledged or committed. If you or your congregation are moved to help the funding of this good and fruitful work, please send your support to Maryville Church of Christ/WEI-India, PO Box 5293, Maryville, TN 37802.
Teaching English with a Purpose, Not Perfection
Language is a fascinating feature of human nature that happens to be one of the likenesses we share with our Creator. God gave us the skills to form rules of grammar so that we can shape our thoughts into meaningful words. In His wisdom, God used these very rules of grammar that we have created to reveal His own thoughts through His written word. Consequently, we have both the commission and the privilege of teaching His word while teaching our language. When we utilize the teaching of English grammar as a tool to share the gospel, we elevate the English language to a higher purpose.
I am often asked when recruiting teachers, “How much grammar will I have to teach?” My answer is simple. We only ask our teachers to model good communication. Another question that comes up is, “What if a student asks a grammar question that I can’t answer?” That rarely comes up, but occasionally, a student may ask a question, and we need help. So I ask Google or Grammarly. Feel free to ask me. I will find the answer.
A common grammatical mistake involves the subordinating conjunction “because.” Often, students answer a question, such as, “Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?” with, “Because God wanted to test Abraham’s faith.” Their answer is correct, but grammatically, it isn’t. It’s only a dependent clause. I encourage students early on to avoid beginning sentences with “because until they’ve had more practice. Instead, have them say, “God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac because he wanted to test Abraham’s faith.”
You don’t have to be a grammar expert to be a WEI teacher. Just remember, your students can get to heaven without perfect Englih, but they can’t get to heaven without knowing Jesus. That’s what matters most. Don’t Quit.
INVITATION:
We invite you to include WEI in your church budget planning for 2025 and future planning for 2026. Please join us in a concerted effort to lead the whole world to Christ.
Wouldn’t you like to lead someone to Christ? Chances are you can. Become a WEI teacher by logging on to our web site and signing up at www.worldenglishinstitute.org/register/teacher.
On June 30, 2025, in Kabul, Afghanistan, “Mark”—a young Afghan man in his early twenties, was buried with Christ in baptism—literally giving his life to the Lord after discovering that Jesus was really the Son of God.
He had enrolled in WEI just two months earlier on the first of May. But he had a tender heart. Early on, he told his teacher, ‘My plan is to serve, not only my country’s people, but also people in other countries like Iran and Pakistan. I just want to make a peaceful world.”
Always he was in a hurry to learn. On May 31, he wrote, “Der teacher, I have learned that I should stay away from sins like lying, stealing, committing adultery, and we should respect our family and understand the value of life. All these studies from the Bible are extremely influential to me. Can you send me the lessons faster please? I want to know what happened after Moses!”
On June 3, when he got to the story of Isaiah, he said, This says the Lord God defends humanity. If we notice the community is unfair, we should try to change their lives. But right now, if I do something to change the community, the Taliban will kill me.”
A week later, on June 8, he made his decision: “He [Jesus] is the Son of God. He changes the souls of the people. He brought light in our world.”
On June 17, he wrote, “I don’t know how I should explain it, but I studied all the rules of the Bible, and they made me better than I was”
Finally, on June 30, the day of his baptism, he wrote,
“Right now, I am full of happiness and calmness. And I want to meet my Christian brothers.”
He continued his lessons, now in the advanced course, and on July 4, he said, “I hope Lord Jesus forgives me what I have done when I was Muslim.”
Just hours before I sent out this report, he said, “We can tell the way of God and encourage the Taliban to be Christian. I am not scared of death if the Taliban arrest me, because right now, I am pure and sinless person. If I die, I will be happy.”
During the past seven years, WEI teacher/preacher, Arthur Tatara. has become one of the most influential church leaders in Papua New Guinea. In addition to preaching on Sundays in Lae, and directing huge Christian Youth camps at various sites every December, he teaches a weekly WEI class in a public high school during the school year. He also teaches WEI courses at Melanesian Bible College every school term.
Arthur writes, “Just returned from church camp in Singapore and back in classroom [at Melanesian Bible College] continuing our study of Trinity and Christian Evidences before graduation on 26th July.
“William James Kewo, one of the instructors at the college, is using [WEI courses] Who Is God?, Who Is Jesus?, and The Holy Spirit to teach students. These are very in-depth studies, and students are very happy with the materials as they study them.
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THANK YOU!
Honorariums and Memorials
Wagner, James & Wanda
In Memory of Darol Ady
Karkosky, Lewis
In Memory of Maudine Ady
Banks, Linda
Davis, Wanda
Deighton, Rick & Della
Edwards, Bonnie
Elliott, Roger & Pam
Green, Ray & Leatrice
Hinds, Paul
Hitzemann, Richard & Marlene
Knowles, Victor & Evelyn
Partlow, Steve & Kalene
Smith, Jim & Alice
Strawn, Greg
Tate, Jean
In Memory of Peggy Agee
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Bill Biszmaier
Smith, Jim & Alice
In Memory of Bill Blankenship
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Peter Bowman
Ostroff, Mark & Genette
In Memory of E.R. Brannan
Brannan, Virginia
In Memory of Ron Clark Sr.
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Ralph Creighton
Edwards, Bonnie
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
Edwards, Bonnie
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Bill Eckelberry
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Carlene Elmore
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Miles Haberley
Edwards, Bonnie
Gallaher, Roy & Carolyn
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
White, Diane
In Memory of Diane Little
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Joyce McElroy
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Jason Milliken
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Judy Odom
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of Janet Ostroff
Ostroff, Mark & Genette
In Memory of Dean & Ida Partlow
Partlow, Steve & Kalene
In Memory of Steve Riley
McClellan, Bruce & Brnda
In Memory of Jackie Dean Robinson
McClellan, Bruce & Brenda
In Memory of Katherine Rogers
Edwards, Bonnie
McClellan, Bruce & Bfenda
In Memory of Janice Sims
Edwards, Bonnie
In Memory of C.W. Whitten
Carden, Robert & Virginia
