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International Update March 28, 2008
Dear Family, Friends, and Members of the On Target Support Team,
HAITI IS A HAPPENING PLACE! Anna and I are thrilled at what God is doing in Haiti. Our March ministry trip gave us great hope that a school for the training of national pastors is not only needed, but also an imminent possibility! A meeting with the leaders of the Haitian pastors convinced me that we need to start the Haiti Bible Institute as soon as possible!
Over 180 men and women eagerly received the teaching of the Word. Dr. Wayne Vanderwier taught Introduction to Biblical Counseling and I taught the Doctrine of Salvation. Some of the men testified that our teaching helped them understand truth that was previously unknown or unclear to them. One pastor was so excited about my exposition of John 10 that he told me, “I finally understand the truth about how God saves the sinner!” He added, “Now I am so full of spiritual food, I have no room left to eat lunch!” What an amazing spiritual appetite!
GOD PROVIDED LUNCH IN HAITI! Speaking of lunch, the donations we received enabled us to provide a very nice lunch for every pastor during the seminar. Thanks for sending your “Extra gifts” to meet this vital need.
THE HAITI BIBLE INSTITUTE So what does the future hold? Only God know for sure, but we are anticipating moving forward quickly o bring the Haiti Bible Institute into existence. Here is the plan: I will return to Haiti this August (Yes, I know it is very hot there then!) I will speak a the National Pastor’s Conference and promote the school and make applications available. Then in October, I will return to interview and select 25 applicants. These men will comprise “Cohort One.” Their education will take four years. Next year we will select another 25 applicants to begin. This will be “Cohort Two.” After five years we will have 50 educated pastors who will then be used to help us train the next Cohorts. This is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action-the very best way to train men for effective, productive ministry.
Here is the need: One student can be trained of $250 per session. Each session includes four Bible courses, room and board, books, and materials. This is an amazing value! To fully train 50 students, we will need 400 Scholarships of $250 each. God can meet this need! Ideally, we should have all 400 scholarships in hand before we launch the program. However, we are willing to start the first session with Cohort One as soon as we receive 25 scholarships. I believe God wants this school to happen, so I know He will provide the full need. Will you help us? What a great way to invest in eternity!
WALKING BY FAITH-PART 3 In January, we announced that in 2008 we will focus on doing the work of teaching overseas (instead of focusing on raising our support). We are currently at 58% support. Our prayer is that we will be at 100% by year end. We are trusting God to complete our Support Team as He sees fit. Currently, our Support Team consists of five churches and 43 individuals. If you have not yet made the commitment to support us financially, please pray about joining us in 2008. We are serving God in many needy places this year. By helping us, you will be investing wisely in the cause of Christ. PRAY FOR AN IMPORTANT NEW PROJECT We have a great opportunity to do a major upgrade to our website. $4000 is needed now to fund this project that will greatly improve our presence on the internet. Some of the new features include: Live teaching broadcasts, newsletter archive, online giving, interactive online Bible lessons, daily devotionals, instant updates, more! Pray that God will meet this important need. The most significant benefit would be our ability to stay in live contact with my overseas students while I am stateside!
MORE WORLD-WIDE PRAYER REQUESTS 1) Pray that God will send the right buyer for our Wisconsin home. We had a “looker” in March! 2) New full time supporters for On Target Ministry. We are now at 58% support. The 2008 goal is to be at 100% by year end 3) Full funding ($19,000 total) for our 2008 Ministry 4) Funds to take Anna and James with me occasionally 5) Upcoming trips in 2008 a. Jamaica-June 1-14 ($2500) b. Uganda-June 28-July 12 ($5000) c. Jamaica-August ($3000) d. Haiti-August ($2000) e. Haiti-October ($2000) f. Egypt-November 1-19 ($4,500) Thank you for your faithful prayers and loving support, Dr. Jim & Anna Betsy Bearss |
