Brothers and sisters, this is one of our alumni, Curtis Baker, writing to us about the church in Slaton.  There have been two congregations there for some years, but the Division Street congregation grew old and few and gave the building to the other group.  This is the grand opening.  Perhaps you would like to join them on April 11 at 3 p.m. for their moving in.  I’m planning to go.  Let’s encourage them if we can.

It is amazing to see our Executive Director, Truitt Adair (standing), and a classroom of students from the Quito School of Biblical Studies in Quito, Ecuador studying at the feet of Armando Alaniz from the Texas Gulf Coast Bible Institute in Houston, Texas!  Brother Alaniz, who taught at Sunset when I was a student in the late '80's teaches Spanish speaking students in the USA, Central America and South America from the classroom in Houston by interactive videoconferencing.  Armando can see the students and the students can see him and even ask questions in real time.  What an incredible way to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus around the world!

Mark Samsill and I traveled to Malawi five years ago to visit native preachers supported by the College Hill congregation in North Richland Hills, Texas. Mark (pictured here preaching in Malawi with Brother Malik Ghambi interpreting for him) was one of the mission deacons at College Hill at the time, and is now one of the Shepherds there. We were so excited to see the work of the preachers in the Lakeshore area of Northern Malawi and in the city of Mzimba. They were faithfully preaching the Word of God in multiple congregations, planting new congregations, and were so evangelistic.  We encouraged them and were blessed to teach them. The only problem we saw was that these preachers were spread out among multiple congregations and doing all that was possible for them to do, and there was no one trained to assist them and no one being trained to take their place.