Category: Solar Mission

THE GOAL OF 2,000 SOLAR PLAYERS REACHED AND FINAL STAGES OF DISTRIBUTION DRAW NEAR

For the second year, you have responded to this incredible opportunity to help the Kingdom of God grow. With just under three months left in the year, you helped us reach the goal of funding 2,000 solar-powered audio players to be delivered to Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Nigeria. Three-quarters of the solar players have already been delivered and are in use. The rest will be delivered in two remaining trips, including the delivery of the solar players to Ethiopia with the Sunset materials and the Bible in Amharic.  We will report on this milestone around the first of the year.

This last trip to Kenya where over 350 solar players were distributed brings the total number of players sent in 2015 to Nigeria, Kenya, and South Sudan to 1,500.  Tim Burow, Bob Jackson, and Jeff Smith delivered the players in Nairobi and in Eastern Kenya. They were able to witness what God is doing in that country and celebrated 32 baptisms in the brief time they were there. Two final trips will take the remainder of the solar players including those to Ethiopia in the Amharic language.

Phase II Halfway Complete With the latest trip to Nigeria the distribution of 2,000 solar-powered audio players in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Kenya has passed the halfway point. Truitt Adair and Doug Reeves returned from a very productive and rewarding mission to Nigeria in May.  They spoke at the West Nigeria Christian College Preachers’ Workshop and Graduation and distributed 200 solar players to the Nigerian preachers and church leaders who attended.  Paul Akinwale was a student at Lagos School of Preaching (1973-76) during the time that Truitt and his family served as missionaries in Lagos, Nigeria.  Paul is one of only two graduates from that school still alive.  Paul is still faithfully preaching after almost 40 years and he brought several of his converts with him, who are also now preaching in Nigerian congregations. “Thank You Hundred Times” Augustine Akpoke, from Nigeria, was excited about the results of the solar player he received.  He used the solar player to teach his congregations in their Bible classes. He also used it to teach a WBS student about baptism.  He just had to say “thank you hundred times” for providing him with this teaching tool. Other Nigeria Distributions Dan Goodyear and Tim Burow distributed 280 solar players in a different region of Nigeria. As a part of their journey, Dan and Tim were able to hear from a select few who had previously been given players. They reported 32 baptisms as a result of their ministry. Praise God! A Blind Man Helps People See the Light Aweye...

First Deliveries! Phase II of using hand held solar powered audio players (solar players) has been launched and is already being implemented. Even as the nationwide funding effort continues, steps of faith were taken as deliveries, distribution and training have already begun. FIRST DELIVERY – MARCH 1-3 – MERU, KENYA Geoffrey Mwaura Njoroge finished his studies at Sunset International Bible Institute and returned to his home country of Kenya. He went back to Kenya with a dream and a plan of planting a church in the city where he was born and raised. With the help of Tim Brumfield and Speedy Hart, instructors from Sunset, Geoffrey began planting this future congregation. As Bible studies continued during the day, services were held each evening, allowing those who worked to attend also.  Men and women listened intently as they let the Word of God speak to their hearts. Solar players were given out and received with great pleasure and joy. The Lord’s church will continue to meet every Sunday in Machegene. The solar players will be used to mature the saints and grow the body of Christ. Two were clothed with Christ, and prayerfully others will soon come to obey the true gospel. Additionally, the three men made a delivery, distribution and training at the Meru School of Theology. Preachers from around the county of Meru gathered and 70 solar players were given out and will be used in the Meru area of Kenya to train more preachers and leaders and evangelize among the villages in the county....

Read the latest update about Ukraine and of UBI (12/1/2014) UPDATE 8/10/2014: Sasha Kolbzev has been released and is among the refugees living in the church’s building in Mariupol. As most are probably aware, since late February there has been a great deal of turmoil in southeastern Ukraine.  Beginning with the Russian annexation of Crimea and then progressing to the formation of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk the citizens and Christians of this part of Ukraine have endured a lot. These conditions have had an effect on SIBI’s associate school in Donetsk. The war in Ukraine with its unstable and dangerous conditions forced us to close down UBI two weeks earlier than normal.  This also caused us to have to cancel the graduation ceremonies.  Jay Don and Mary Lee Rogers (Jay Don is the director of the school) left Donetsk the middle of May.  Because flights had been canceled out of Donetsk, they had to fly out of Dnipropetrovs’k’k.  They are presently in Canada doing what they can to keep up with the staff, students and multiple needs. It was very hard to make the decision to leave but the Rogers knew that their presence might put the UBI staff and neighbors in danger.  There was a lot of anti-American propaganda being put out by the Russian separatists. The original desire was to go ahead and finish the term and have graduation in August but as most of you know, right now Donetsk is one of the hot spots where heavy fighting is taking...

In early June I carried many of the solar players provided by generous donors into Liberia and began distributing them to a large group of preachers that gathered from Monrovia, Liberia Bible College, the surrounding area and rural villages in the Grand Bassa area.  We were blessed to distribute 124 players at the seminar held in Monrovia. The preachers were so excited to have this teaching and study tool at their disposal. I was then able to travel to Weala, Liberia, where Sunset has an international ministry training school.  George Tengbeh, Dean of the school, gathered 80 current and former students scattered throughout rural Liberia to receive their own solar players at a seminar that was presented. The preachers and students there were excited to receive them and look forward to using them in villages throughout the country.  While in Liberia, we were able to take the solar players to schools and share the Bible teachings on the player with a large number of children and even take the players and use them in local markets.  As the Bible and Bible teaching Sunset provided would began to play, Liberians would gather in large numbers to sit and listen to the teaching. They would call out to others and they would run to the market to hear the gospel being taught on the solar players.    I was blessed to see clusters of Liberian men, women and children gathered in homes, schools and marketplaces listening to God’s Word together, to see preachers standing guard over their players as...