City of Faith Word Center–Mount Barclay

August 30, 2015, we preached for one of our Bible school students. His church and setting reminded us so much of similar services in Malawi. It felt like home. Augustus and Mot Quaye are the pastors of this relatively new church plant in Mount Barclay.

Rains this season caused the roof to collapse, causing some structural damage to the building, but they are re-building.

 

We arrived in time for the last bit of Sunday school. Then it was time for praise and worship
led by the pastor’s wife.

 

Offering time

 

Preaching

Faces in the crowd

 

Prayer time

They presented us with gifts at the end of the service.

Group shot before saying good-bye

 

Zion A/G Revival–Caldwell

Wednesday night, August 19, we began a four-day revival at Zion A/G with Pastors Abenda and Comfort Tamba. The church had a month-long set of revival services with different speakers and all-night prayer meetings. This was the third week, and we were sure that the people would be tired. Were we ever wrong!

 

The pastor introducing us to the congretation

  

Praise and worship and the choir

   

     

Random pictures of the congregation.  Notice the little boy with the umbrella.  I told you it rains a lot here!

             

Fredna greeting before the preaching

Preaching and altar service with Fredna praying for those who responded to God calling them into ministry

           

Pastors Abenda and Comfort Tamba with their little girl and the meal they prepared for us on Sunday

 

A couple of cute little children

   

The pastor and elders took us on a short walk to the church school, which is in need of some updates

           

Scenes from the neighborhood and route to/from church

                   

Funny Story

I recently completed teaching an English composition class at one of our Bible school campuses.  We studied the steps necessary in pre-writing and editing to ensure the quality of the final product.  I assigned a writing project and specified that 25% of the grade would be for the rough draft. 
This was a hard concept for the students to comprehend.  They wanted to clean up their rough copy before submitting it, but I stressed that I wanted to see the process and steps they took in writing.  When they realized that failure to submit a rough copy would automatically cost them 25 points, they relented and turned in the project as assigned. One young man told me that he had left his rough copy in town at his parents’ house and asked if he could turn it in the next day.  I agreed.
The next morning he came to my office early with something behind his back and said that he needed to show me something.  Now I have heard the excuse my dog ate my homework, but I was not prepared for what came next.  As he slowly moved his arm forward, I saw a small, blue plastic sack.  He placed it on my desk and opened it.  Inside was a torn-up copy of his rough draft. Imagine my surprise!

It seems that one of his brothers had torn it up and thrown it in the trash.  He retrieved it and asked if I wanted it.  I took a quick look and saw what I needed and told him that he was free to take it, and he would be getting credit.  In all of my years of teaching, this was a first for me.  I think it was for him as well.  We both looked a bit embarrassed.  Final project grade of 93 instead of 68.  I’d say it was worth the effort.

Owensgrove Bible Institute (OBI)

Classes began last night for the latest session of OBI. Gaylord and I will teach one night a week for the next twelve weeks. This session we are team teaching Sociology and Research Methods.. Though it took us almost three hours to go and two hours to return, it was well worth the investment of time and energy to equip men and women for the ministry.

Notice that some of the students are using the flashlights on their phones to read.  That is what you do when the sun is going down and there is no electricity. My last English composition class had to write an argumentative essay on the topic "Cell Phones...A Necessity or A Nuisance?" Add another point to the necessity side of the argument.