New Road Church of Christ

Our Missionary Efforts

Hamrick Report

FAMILY NEWS

         We are all doing well.  Bailey is participating in Special Olympics again.  Only this time she is adding to 50 yard dash to her events.  Since Bailey’s cerebral palsy prevents her from walking you may ask “how then can she run?”  Bailey’s school purchased a “gate trainer” that is basically a walker on wheels.  It has “supports” that keep her upper torso upright and enables her to “walk”.  To this point she has only been able to get around by scooting on her back.  Needless to say this has changed her life.  She walks down the hall at school and goes to the water fountain and gets herself a drink.  The first time I saw her in the walker she almost ran me over because she can move much faster than I ever dreamed.  We are so happy for her and look forward to her continued progress.  Caleb is really growing and changing everyday it seems.  Our congregation is growing and we now have an active youth group.  Caleb is enjoying staying very busy with youth activities.

VISIT TO FREED-HARDEMAN LECTURES PROVES TO BE VERY PRODUCTIVE

            I was happy to visit my old stomping grounds for the first time in years.  It was good to see some old friends and catch up with some of my former instructors.  The lectureship is always an encouraging week and this one was no different.  In addition to the great lectures I was able to work our booth to promote the BVBID Extension Program.  While at the booth several people expressed interest in our work and some showed an interest in teaching for us.  So we were about to recruit more sound men to teach in our preacher schools overseas.  I also had the privilege to meet Robert Curry face to face.  Brother Curry was one of the speakers for the lectureship and has expressed an interest in working for us.  It was a pleasure to meet him and it is our prayer that he can have an active role in what we are doing.  I also made some great contacts for potential financial support which is always a much needed blessing.  I do not enjoy asking for money but when you believe in a

work of the Lord like this one it is much easier to do.

ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN BANGLADESH

         In my last report you may recall that Mark Hanstein (Bear Valley elder), Ralph Williams and I had the privilege to study with nine leaders of the Bangladesh Christian Fellowship denomination.  I recently received an email from our contact in Bandarban which reported five baptisms from among those people.  I am not certain if they were from this group of men or from the local denomination.  Either way we are happy to hear of the new converts there.

         We are making a return trip in April to study with them again.  We are also visiting a school of preaching in Khulna, Bangladesh.  A congregation in Alabama has requested our help.  They want us to consider “taking over” the running of the school and adding our degree program.  We will take a look at the program and meet with the elders upon our return to discuss the details.

OUR NEW SCHOOL IN UGANDA TO START CLASSES SOON.

            We are very excited about our newest school starting classes in March.  Brothers Ralph Williams and Donnie Estep are heading up that project for us and will be working closely with native Ugandan Francis Wechesa (Pictured here in the blue shirt with the rest of his teaching staff).

Francis worked with us to start the Andrew Connally School of preaching in Arusha Tanzania some seven years ago.  He will serve as the Director of the school.

We are starting with 24 students.  They will have to use the church building while construction on the school building takes place.  We have 16 acres and plan to grow food to help feed the students while in school.  We will also build a dormitory and classrooms hoping to be completed before the end of the year.

 

 MEETING CONCERNING A NEW WORK IN HONDURAS

            While in Henderson, TN for the FHU Lectures I had the privilege to meet with an elder from Missourri about a new opportunity in Honduras.  They had made a go with a preacher school but were unable to keep it going.  Rather than giving up they called us for help.  We will be going to look at that work around the first week of April. I already know of 17 men from Central America that want to study to preach.  We should have no trouble recruiting students.  If we decide to take on this project Donnie Bates from Hugo, OK will serve as the BVBID coordinator.

GREAT STORY I HAVE TO SHARE

             

While working on getting the school started in Uganda a wonderful opportunity opened up. The war in Congo (just west of Uganda) resulted in several refugee camps along the western border of Uganda.  Three congregations of the Lord’s church were established among those camps.  When the violence subsided 8 Congo Christian families wanted assistance to go back home and spread the gospel.  Ralph Williams and Francis Wechesa raised support for these “missionary families” and strategically relocated them in Congo.  As the result, 145 people were baptized and 8 new congregations have been established in Congo.  Three of the new congregations now have buildings in which to worship.  Our new school in Uganda will have four students from those new churches in Congo.  Because of the instability and violence which characterizes that country it is very difficult for Americans to evangelize there.  However, we can train men from Congo and send them back to evangelize their own people.

 

NEW WORKS ON THE HORIZON

●India (Asia)       

●Malawi (East Africa)     

●Bangladesh (Asia)

●Botswana (South Africa)

●Columbia (South America)

●Honduras (Central America)

●Dar Es Salam (Tanzania East Africa)

●Ghana (West Africa)

David W. Hamrick, Director of Extension Studies

Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver