Category Archives: 2013 Newsletters

Thank you for your continued prayers, support and encouragement.  It has been encouraging to see the work continue in Africa.  I have just returned from South Africa and Rwanda.

Pretoria, South Africa. (Graduation picture below)

I have been working with the school in South Africa since 2008.  The school that we just finished in September was a great blessing. 

On the day we started there was such an aptitude for prayer. It is not often you get a school where everybody comes together with a desire to seek the Lord. Sometimes the prayer meeting is a bewildering time for new comers who have not had prolonged seasons of prayer by themselves.  To pray for an hour without entertainment is a stretch for the flesh to come to terms with. By the end of the school the students were all testifying and sharing how God had dealt with them, spoken to their lives and taught them during the school.  One of the highlights was a gentleman who came from an area near to the city of Durban.  He is a pastor from the Zulu tribe and was excited about taking the teaching back to his home town, where there are at least 50 pastors that he says want to go through the school. He is requesting us to come there next January / February 2014.

Bugesera, Rwanda. (Graduation picture below)

After South Africa I was able to visit the school in Rwanda for the graduation. 35 leaders attended this school from the local area.

Nairobi, Kenya (Nairobi graduation, August 2013)

On my departure I was able to meet with Joseph Ngigi who is heading up the School of Christ in Kenya. They are running the school 2 days a week and also full–time schools during the school holidays.

Burkina Faso

This report is from Shalom who is working in Togo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

“From September, 5th to September 15th (a conference) was held in Burkina Faso Ouaga. This was an introduction of the School of Christ training program.  This meeting has gathered 15 head pastors of churches who greatly appreciated the lessons of the school. After the introduction program it was concluded that the real training program will be held in the month of November with 27 pastors and their assistant pastors before we open the school to the other pastors of the country. In the training program was also the secretary of the Assemblies of God Council.”

Lilongwe, Malawi.

I have recently received this report from Pastor Joseph who is running the school in his church.

“We have just finished our September class of School of Christ, today Friday, September 27, 2013. We had 14 students (pastors and church leaders) who attended this class. Through their testimonies you could tell that God was at work in their lives during the classes and they have gone back to their respective areas changed people.”

Ivory Coast

Brother Shalom is in Ivory Coast at the moment conducting the School of Christ there. He recently sent a report as follows:

“I have been leading training programs but this School of Christ program we are having here in Ivory Coast, I can say it is the best I have ever lead in this year. We start the school early in the morning with a prayer and start the classes. Next Saturday will be the graduation ceremony with 28 pastors from influential churches in Ivory Coast.”

Benin Republic (below is a picture of the school that was run in August)

Please be in prayer for the schools in November that are going to be running in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. God willing, I will travel to DRC for the running of that school and also Nigeria and Uganda later in the month.

The focus and vision of LITWM continues to be running discipleship schools to train pastors and leaders. Our burden is that these pastors who have gone through the training would return to their churches and be a blessing, and that the churches would be a blessing to their communities and nations.

We have arrived safely back in the States and are settling back into our old home again. We have been traveling and reporting back to the churches that helped sponsor the work in Africa.  It has been so good to see friends and family again.  I will be leaving on the 12th September to run a school in South Africa in the city of Pretoria. From there I travel to Rwanda for the graduation of the School of Christ that started on the 9th September.  I will arrive back in the States the 3rd October.

In the month of June we were able to run two schools. The first was in Yaounde, Cameroon, although it was a small school, we are trusting God to add fuel to the fire and spread the good tidings of Christ and His salvation throughout that country. The second school was in a place called Bugesera, Rwanda this was the first time we have run a school in this province. In this month of July we are presently running a school in Mubende, Uganda we have had 4 pastors who were not able continue in the school owing to sickness and problems in their family. Please remember to be in prayer for these men and the other students in the class.

Photo Above: Bugesera, Rwanda

Photo Above: Yaoundé‎, Cameroon

Schools run in May

Malakal, South Sudan

  Malakal is a city located near to the border of North Sudan. The difficulties in running this school were numerous, but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory.  The food prices were exceptionally high because food had to be imported in.  There was no running water or electricity for the school, so we had to hire donkey carts to bring river water for the bathing of the students and we used a generator to run the lessons.  The food we imported in via boat from Juba (capital city of South Sudan) was delayed and we had also hired a tent from Juba to run the school.  So we had to use a rickety church building and buy local food for the first week.  The temperature was hot, the water to bathe in was filthy, but the students were hungry for the Word of God.  There was such an openness and receptivity to God’s Word that made up for the difficulties.  Upon my departure I was not allowed into the checking area because I had not got CID (Criminal Investigation Department) clearance. I disputed with them because the day before my departure when I had visited the immigration office to get the clearance, they told me that I didn’t need it.  At the airport the immigration officers arranged my clearance for a fee!  I left the country saying to my myself I would not return, but repented later for my rashness.

Okitipupa, Nigeria

Okitipupa is located about 6 hrs drive east of Lagos, the capitol of Nigeria. It was a great school and such a blessing. We had 30 students, some of which were leaders in major church organizations in the local area.  One man who came to the school was the pastor of a church group called the Celestial People. I don’t know all the doctrines of this group but they are a cult; they walk barefoot and wear white garments; their actions are determined solely by the prophets within the church.  This man after the third day of being in the school was completely broken and turned to the Word of God.  He ended up wanting the school to come to his church in the future

Mubende, Uganda

This school was at the right place at the right time.  There was such a demand for the training in this place that after the registration of 38 pastors, other pastors had to be turned away and asked to come to the next school we were planning in July.  During the middle of the school something wonderful happened as God moved by his Spirit in touching the pastors hearts.  I am quoting Richard Kairu who is our director for Uganda as he explains what happened in the class.“Dear brother, this has never happened before.  The revival broke since yesterday evening in one hour of prayer, pastors were crying, repenting for their carnal and false preaching and now today we are in fasting, and I told them that we shall use the time of lunch for prayer and in the middle of prayer, brother, the wind of God blew and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  We are now on the lessons of the Holy Spirit, it has been great.”

Liberville, Gabon
We did an introduction to the school in Gabon and look forward to running a full-time school here in the near future.

For the month of June

We are running schools in Rwanda and Cameroon.

SOC, Malakal, South Sudan. We ran the school in the building.SOC, Malakal, South Sudan

SOC, Mubende, UgandaSOC, Okitipupa, NigeriaSOC, Okitipupa, Nigeria. In class

Goma, D.R. Congo –  For those who are familiar with Eastern Congo, you may already know about the rebel army groups fighting for dominance in the area.  The city of Goma was recently overtaken by a rebel force called M23 and the United Nations was forced to move out of the city. It is a very unstable region.

Kinshasa, D.R. Congo –  On the Western side of DRC we ran the school in Kinshasa. There were 38 students in attendance.

Nairobi, Kenya.  This school had been a long time forthcoming. We have been in Kenya now for almost two years and my heart was concerned that the school had not progressed like I had hoped.  The good news was that we had a brother who approached me with the intent to run the school during the holidays when he could use a school building to run the School of Christ teaching.  He got the building for free. I said I would help with the food cost and he said that his church would cover the water and electric, Praise God.  There were 15 pastors graduated from this training.

Abidjan, Ivory Coast –  I spent a week with Pastor Shalom from Togo running an introduction class in Ivory Coast for the School of Christ. This was the first time the school has been introduced here.  It was a good challenge to the leaders of the churches. We plan to bring two of their leaders from Ivory Coast to go through the complete school in June in Cameroon.  This will enable them to know fully what the school is about before we run it in Ivory Coast at a later time.

March 2013 – LITWM Update

Photos at bottom of update.

Thankfully, the elections here in Kenya are finished, and there has not been a repeat of the violence experienced in the 2008 elections.  We are all doing well, and have had a great month of ministry.

March started with me travelling to Nigeria to conduct a school in the area of Ikorudu outside of Lagos.  The more I go to Nigeria the more I understand and appreciate the people.  Worldwide, the country has a reputation of being corrupt, and it is very corrupt.  But then, so is a lot of Africa. I think the best place I have traveled to is Rwanda.

Nigeria, Ikorudo – We had 16 students gather for the training. (I was informed there would be over 50.  No matter how much a man positively confesses something, does not mean it will happen :).)
In one of the pictures at end of the update, you will see the name of the hall called “Battle Axe”.  This has come from the popular teaching of spiritual warfare stating “we are going to destroy and pull down the enemy’s strongholds.”  This thought then leads to hour- long sessions of “binding and loosing,” which has absolutely no focus on Christ.  During the school God had his own battle axe to wield; to cut to the root of the tree; to turn our hearts from selfishness to Him.  One of the attending students stated, “No longer will I preach a gospel with its appeal to man’s selfishness, but will proclaim the truth to awaken men to their need of God.”  This kind of understanding can only be given by God through a revelation of His Word.

Burundi, Mwaro – It has been over 2 years since we ran a school in Burundi.  The previous schools we had run were in Bujumbura which is the capital.  This time we took the school to the village called Mwaro.  There were 34 students in attendance and we had a wonderful graduation.  I was amazed that over 300 people came from the surrounding areas to be present for the graduation.

Uganda, Iganga – This is the last school that we are running in this area of Uganda.  I heard some great testimonies from the students in this school.  During the graduation former students gathered from the surrounding areas and were very supportive to see the school continue on.  We have plans in May to move the school from Iganga to a place called Mubende.  Thankfully people have offered the use of their buildings, which means we will provide the food and electricity while the school is running.

Upcoming schools the month of April we have schools running in Kinshasa, DRC; Goma, DRC and Ivory Coast.  The school in Ivory Coast is new territory.

All of the schools listed in this update are financially supported by “Light in the World Ministries”

Battle Axe Hall, SOC, Ikorudo, Nigeria

Who’s taking Who’s picture, Ikorudo, Nigeria

Students of SOC, Ikorudo, Nigeria

Burundi, Mwaro, Methodist Church where we held the graduation.

Burundi, Graduates.

Burundi Graduation, church was packed.

Uganda, Iganga, Graduation

Thank you all for you prayers, encouragement and support. We have had a great start to the new year. Listed below are the countries where we have run the School of Christ in January and into February.

South Sudan, City of Yei. 8th-20th January – This is the third school that we have run in this country and the second time it has been done in the city of Yei. We had 28 students that graduated and all were hungry for the Word of God. During the school we allow an opportunity for questions to be asked. This is usually done by the students writing the questions down and then when the opportune time comes, we answer it. Many of the questions reveal the dire need for biblical training and helped me understand why God has allowed us to come with the School to meet this need.

Tanzania, town of Nyaishozi in Kagera province, January 14th – February 1st. There were 40 students in attendance for this program and about 20 of these were pastors. This remote town required a long commute from Rwanda across the border and through one of the Tanzanian national forest areas. We had held a fasting prayer conference in this town last year, and it is great to see results of that time reflected in this school. We started another school here on the 10th February.

Uganda town of Iganga, Eastern province. We held our second school in Iganga 2nd -30th January with about 23 graduates. The testimonies out of this school were a blessing. You could clearly hear that the students understood the Word of God as they communicated the truths they had learned.

Nigeria, city of Ibadan January 20th – February 10th – It was wonderful to see these students hungry for God. As many of you know, Nigeria is the largest populated country in Africa and represents a large spectrum of religious ideas. Apostasy, corruption, and an “if it works must be right” attitude, have left their mark on Christianity in Nigeria. The belief in the Bible being the final authority on doctrine and practice of life, has been undermined by the popular trend of “prophets” and people with their “visions and dreams.” This has led to completely erroneous ideas being held to. There is a great need for the School in Nigeria and we thank God for the opportunity to reach these with the truth of the Word of God.

South Africa, Pretoria – The local church has been running the school in the evenings. I visited at their request, to be present for the graduation of the school in Pretoria. So thankful to the faithful brothers who are laboring to see the message of the School go forward in this country.

In February, we are presently running a school in Tanzania in the same town of Nyaishozi. In March we have schools planned in Nigeria, Uganda and Burundi. In the coming months of 2013 we have openings into Ivory Coast, Gabon and there is a school planned in May for the town of Malakal (which borders North Sudan) in South Sudan.

Tanzania, Nyaishozi, January 2013

In Tanzania with Peter, Bishop & Tony