For two years, I have felt the urge to give more attention to Latin America. Church leaders in the United States have been asking for an English-Bible course that they could use to reach Hispanic farm laborers and other Spanish-speaking people in their communities. Other church leaders who support missionaries in Central and South America have been asking for a simple English course that could be used to evangelize Latin America.
We are happy to announce that Books One and Two of the Beginner’s English Course for Spanish-speaking students are now available. Raúl and Kim Solis, missionaries in Toluca, Mexico, have translated the Spanish portions of these books and are working on Book Three. Book Three should be ready by the end of this year.
The Beginner’s English Course consists primarily of a series of dialogues about life in the United States with some references to spiritual matters—including a home Bible study, a worship service, and a sermon on the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
When students finish the Beginner’s English Course, they will have an English vocabulary of 1,200 words and should be able to handle the WEI Easy-to-Read Bible Course with relative ease.
If you would like to help us field-test this new course, we are eager to work with you.
A terrific Pan American Lectureship was conducted in Managua, Nicaragua November 3-6. Jim Frazier, Howard Norton, and Dan Coker put together an excellent program that ignited a holy fire in the hearts of the participants.
On Saturday night, November 2, eighty Christians from the United States landed at the Managua Airport and checked into the Intercontinental Hotel across the street from the convention center—site of the lectureship and of a joint worship service with local Christians.
This joint worship service was scheduled to begin at 9:30 Sunday morning, but by 8 o’clock, busloads of Nicaraguan and Honduran Christians began arriving. Long lines formed at the main entrance as people filed in. By 9:30, all 1, seats in the convention center were filled. The Fire Marshal said, “No more,” and two busloads of people were left stranded on the parking lot. The Nicaraguan church leaders solved the problem by sending 150 children upstairs for a special Bible class. The final count was 2,100—making this one of the largest assemblies of New Testament Christians in the world that day.
The worship service was conducted entirely in Spanish. Nationals led prayers in Spanish—prayers that were punctuated with resounding “Amens” that nearly blew the roof off.
Nationals also led the songs and served the Lord’s Supper. We sang, “Jesus Loves Me,” “We’re Marching to Zion,” and “There’s Power in the Blood”—all in Spanish.
Benny Baker, minister of the church in Minden, Louisiana, preached on the subject, “We Are God’s Fellow Workers.” Dan Coker, missionary from Toluca, Mexico, interpreted. What an unforgettable experience!
The 40th Annual Pan American Lectureship began Sunday evening and continued through Wednesday night. Lectures and mission reports were given in English, but dozens of Spanish-speaking preachers and ministerial students attended—many of them students from Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Dozens of nationals gathered around the WEI display booth every day examining the new Beginner’s English Course and other WEI materials. By Wednesday night, every WEI book was gone—even the display copies. Two different groups offered to field-test the Beginner’s English Course and promised to start giving feedback within ten days.
For nearly a decade, God has been using WEI to teach people in Latin America. Now, the Lord has used the Pan American Lectureship to introduce WEI to dozens of missionaries and mission-minded people who might not have heard about WEI otherwise.
Let us pray that, during the next decade, God and his people will use WEI to reach millions of people in Central, North, and South America. To God be the glory, honor, and praise both now and forever.
Forty years ago, in 1962, Reuel Lemmons organized and promoted the first Pan American Lectureship. At that time, there were only a few New Testament churches in Central and South America. Today, there are hundreds of churches and tens of thousands of New Testament Christians. Only God knows how much the Pan American Lectures have contributed to the growth of the Kingdom in Latin America.
Reuel also deserves credit for helping us launch World English Institute.
When my family and I moved to Taiwan in 1968 to work as missionaries, we discovered that Chinese young people were eager to learn English. So, we taught English to attract students. At the same time, we taught them the Bible. Some of these students are now church leaders.
Upon returning home, I talked to Reuel Lemmons about the possibility of developing a course similar to World Bible School—a course designed to attract unbelievers by teaching English while using the Bible as a text. Reuel quickly saw the potential of such a course, and he encouraged me to start writing. If it had not been for Reuel’s encouragement, World English Institute might not exist today.
May God bless the memory of Reuel Lemmons—a man who cast a tall shadow of influence across our brotherhood for more than half a century. Today, Reuel Lemmons lives on through WBS, WEI, and the Pan American Lectureship.
If you can speak, read, and write Spanish, God needs you.
Dozens of Spanish-speaking students in Honduras and Nicaragua have signed up for the Beginner’s English Course. Some of these students speak very little English but are eager to learn. We expect other Latin American people to enroll soon. Can you help them?
If you would like to learn to speak Spanish, teach the WEI Beginner’s English Course. All three books and the cassette tapes contain English and Spanish side-by-side. Thus, you can learn Spanish while your student learns English.
If this challenge strikes a responsive chord in your heart, please let us hear from you.
The church in Rancho Cordova, California has started an exciting ESL program for Russian immigrants. Approximately 100,000 Russians have settled in the Sacramento area, and the Rancho Cordova church is trying to reach them with the Gospel, using WEI as an evangelistic tool.
Providentially, Semeon and Maria Tsurkanenko started attending the Rancho Cordova church even though they spoke almost no English.
Every Sunday, following the services, Leo and Lenette Bryant spoke to the couple and tried to make them feel welcome. Leo says, “We would stop, smile at each other, hug, try to talk to one another without sign language, and wave goodbye until next Sunday. There was a complete communication void. This bothered me.”
Leo talked to Bill Mara, the chairman of the Missions Committee and said, “What can we do about this? Semeon and Maria don’t speak our language, and we don’t speak theirs. Can we either go out and find more Russians and teach them English, or can we find an interpreter for Semeon and Maria?”
Bill said, “Let me think about this. I’ll get back to you.”
About a week later, Bill approached Leo and said, “I’ve talked to the elders. They think your idea is a good one. Let’s find some more Russians and teach them English. We want you to head the program.”
That wasn’t what Leo had in mind. So he said, “Bill, you’ll have to let me think about this. I’ll get back to you.”
Feeling called by God, Leo called the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, got in touch with Oleg Butin, head of The Russian Community Forum, met with the forum one Thursday night, and invited the Russians to study English at the Cordova church. Soon, the Russians were coming.
In the beginning, Leo had to “twist some arms” in order to line up teachers. Now, a dozen teachers are involved, and prospective teachers are asking to have a part of the Russian Ministry.
On October 9, nineteen Russians attended classes at the Cordova building during the morning Bible School hour. Then, at 6 o’clock that evening, another group of Russians (who were not able to attend the Sunday morning classes) came to study English grammar and the Bible.
Leo says, “I am in awe when I sit in any of the Sunday morning and Sunday evening classes. The teachers who began only nine months ago have bonded with their students. The students love them. The patience and finesse of the teachers are paying off in a solid, steady learning rate, both in English and Bible knowledge.”
Leo asks, “Where do we go from here? It is up to God. The field is white. We praise God for the opportunities He has given us. It is my sense that the Lord Jesus, who commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel wasn’t quite satisfied with the way we went, or didn’t go. As a result, he has sent the world to us—in droves.”
Leo concludes, “This experience has been the greatest time of my Christian life.”
We encourage churches throughout the United States to follow Rancho Cordova’s example. If you have an ethnic group in your community that is eager to learn English, please use WEI to draw them into the kingdom of God.
Virgil Jackson reports that three people have been baptized in Vlorë. Joana Dëraj, youngest child of theDëraj family, was baptized on her thirteenth birthday. A large group of family and friends gathered to celebrate her new birth.
More recently, Skënder and Vera Mejdiaj, a couple in Orikum with whom Danah Nelson and Kay Banta lived last summer, have obeyed the Gospel. Skënder and Vera are the first adult converts in Orikum.
Listen to Virgil’s exciting story: “Skënder and Vera came to church services here [Vlore] this morning and were both baptized. Skënder asked to speak afterwards, and he talked about all the years he had spent as a commissar telling people there is no God. It was very moving to hear what he said. We’re trying to have a class at the school [in Orikum) on Thursdays. On Sunday, after church, we are doing an English class, as we promised those who came to register for WEI classes and knew no English. Some of them come to church first.”
Doug Smith reports that Benjamin (Beni) Cakrani, 58, and Ylli Benaj were baptized into Christ shortly before midnight October 31. “These [men] will be great assets to the Fier church as the number of adult men now increases to five. Brent [Parr] will continue studying with Beni and Ylli as well as eleven other men over thirty years of age. God has truly blessed the efforts in Fier the past four months.”
Rosalie Waymire reports that Vlorajon was baptized into Christ one evening, and Miranda Haxhinasto and her son Gerti were baptized the next morning.
Ellen Walker reports that two more people were baptized in Tirana during the month of October: Ardit Hamza, who studied with Sharon Saenz in 2001 and with Jim Fox and Wes Wolford in 2002, is now a child of God. Erika Haxhi, also, was baptized into Jesus on October 28, her twelfth birthday.
Praise God for the fruitful harvest that he is providing in Albania.
Thanks, Beloved Friends
The financial statements on pages five and six reveal the generosity of our partners-in-Christ. Thank you for your caring response to our recent financial crisis. May God reward you for your commitment to world evangelism.
One-time gifts have pulled us out of a deep fiscal hole, and we are grateful. But in order to stay in the black, we must find some mission-minded congregations that will put us in their budgets.
If your congregation would like to have fellowship with us in taking the Gospel to the WHOLE world, please include WEI in your 2003 church budget.
This is our last Update in 2002. You still have time to send a tax-deductible year-end contribution.
As we approach 2003, we hope that you and your loved ones have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a new year filled with peace, love, and prosperity.
May God bless us as we work together for His glory. We love you with the love of God.
—Dick and Maudine Ady
