Author: ENW

21Dec

December 2023 Update – Ivory Coast

ENW just returned from the Ivory Coast. We enjoyed two full weeks of training including our annual pastor’s conference and our bi-annual Institute class. Both were well attended and seemingly enjoyed by all who did.

The pastor’s conference covered the following topics (and more) from Unit 14: Foundations for Advanced Biblical Counseling:
● The Doctrine of Anthropology: The Secularist’s theories were laid out and then the strong Biblical Theology was given. We must know who man is before we can effectively diagnose and or bring the biblical solution to help.
● Help to Deal with Your Past God’s Way: Many are confused and stumble when thinking about and responding biblically regarding their past. These 8 sessions brought clarity and help for these pastors.

The second week included a class full of young men training for ecclesiastical ministry. The week was consumed with a thorough study of The Doctrine or the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic Movement. This was an exciting, robust discussion and interaction.

Dr. Robert Mach is the missionary pastor and church planter as well as the director of the Bible Institute. It is always a blessing to be with him, his wife Becky and the church/Institute family.

I may have mentioned in our last report about the newest book available through CLR (churchliferesources.net), The Biblical Doctrine of Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage. This comes as the result of years of study, discussion and series preaching on the subject. My desire is that it will not only be an at-the-ready handbook for pastors but will provide help, hope and clear answers for any touched by this issue or those seeking to help others think biblically about it.

It was a joy to be with our Myanmar pastor and his new congregation in Tucker, Georgia the weekend before Christmas. Pastor Dal Go Mang (from Tedim, Chin State in Myanmar) is stateside working toward his PhD and pastoring this assembly. We met Saturday and Sunday afternoon to discuss The Christian Family. The teaching was very well received. One of the obvious characteristics of this church is the number of young people. Out of an attendance of 65-70, nearly 40 are youth which provides a wonderful future ahead for this group.

It is an honor to be associated with and an integral part of the development of this work as brother Mang pursues a ministry of revitalization and leadership development.

It is a blessing to announce ENW’s newest ministry available for pastors and churches. We are launching a Pastoral Consultation ministry: To Come alongside God’s Shepherds to bring Help, Hope, Encouragement, Networking, and Loving Accountability is our desire.

Following is a sampling of the areas ENW can offer help and hope for pastors looking for the next biblical options to consider:
● Helping pastors think through difficult church scenarios such as church
discipline and complicated divorce cases
● Assistance with difficult counseling scenarios
● Identifying and evaluating young, aspiring shepherds; thinking through the
biblical process to identify their gifts, qualifications and biblical desire, and
setting a plan to train them in the context of local ministry
● Offering refresher studies in Homiletics and Hermeneutics
● Training in Biblical Counseling and Discipleship — building a team of couples
and singles who can assist the leadership by handling difficult, more
advanced counseling needs as well as train other disciple makers
● Provide pastoral friendship, encouragement, loving accountability and potential networking with other pastors for continued encouragement and
ministry input
● Provide help to churches looking for a pastor
● Provide short term pulpit supply

Here is what one leader said about this ministry:
My relationship with Dr. Hill spans twenty-five years. We met when I was a university student studying for Pastoral ministry. As my mentor, he helped answer many of my questions about the ministry. I served under Dr. Hill for several years while he was pastoring a local church. We have been together in six foreign country visits to train national pastors for the ministry. In God’s providence, I began a church plant in my home town in Pennsylvania. Dr. Hill began and continues to help me with that journey.
Pastor Mike Faidley, Grace Bible Fellowship, Somerset, PA

Another says:
I want to express my sincere recommendation and endorsement of Dr. William (Bill) Hill to your congregations. I have known Dr. Hill as a mentor and as my dear friend. His wisdom and academic credentials are stellar and those that know him have witnessed a life reflecting that wisdom. I know of no single individual that has the depth and breadth of spiritual wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God that Dr. Hill possesses. I have watched and witnessed his drive and desire to edify the body of Christ, the local church, and in particular, train and prepare men for ministry.
Pastor Bill Dudley, Beacon Beach Baptist Church, VA Beach

Please pray for Chris. She will have full knee replacement surgery January 26. We pray this will truly give her relief and much more pain-free mobility. Chris and I trust each of you have had a wonderful Christmas season and that your new year will hold many of God’s richest blessings.

Thank you for your consistent prayer and financial help through these 18 years of ENW’s training ministry. We could not pursue all that we do without the ministry you have to us and we truly count you as fellow helpers to the truth (III John 8).

28Mar

March 2023 Update – Uruguay

In the most biblical way, you all are indeed partners in ENW’s mission of equipping the next generation of Shepherds. John characterizes the sender and the one sent with this phrase in III John 8—“we are fellow-helpers to the truth”. For this, we are deeply grateful.

ENW just returned from Uruguay, South America. God gave us a fruitful ministry among the pastors as well as some of their churches.

The first Sunday we were in two churches. Calvary Temple, pastored by Gustavo, in the AM. Sunday evening we had the opportunity to be with pastor Ovidio in El Cerro.

As well, Pastor Ovidio asked me to do three nights of focused ministry with his men, his youth and once again, with his church family (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).

It was a joy to have Kevin White as my translator this year. He is our partner in Bolivia. He and his wife, Beth, are serving the Lord as church planters and we have had the opportunity to be with him and his young pastors several times … the next training scheduled in Bolivia is this coming September.

Our primary focus, as usual, is the pastor’s training conference. This year it was at Camp Emmanuel outside of Montevideo.

When considering dates and topics this year, Gaby, the pastor in charge of arranging these, said the men wanted a study in Psalm 119 and they desired the focus to be on them for enrichment as men of God. I believe the Lord granted that desire.
It was a blessing to walk through (only halfway) Psalm 119. This man, facing all sorts of life scenarios, faced each one with his God and the word of his God. His sole resource for spiritual direction, strength, encouragement and wisdom for all the challenges he faced was truth found in Scripture alone. Under nearly every pressure you could imagine, he walked consistently, dependently, and successfully—the word of God was sufficient for each difficulty.

It is always encouraging to hear of how these pastors implement what they are being taught through the ministry of ENW. Following are some examples:

The men who attended this year’s conference seemed to be very encouraged, some mentioning plans to bring these truths to their church families soon.
One pastor told me he had done a series from our family training. He testified that the truths taught restored marriages that were on the edge of separation and divorce—to God be the glory.
Another pastor said he taught his congregation the series we did last year at the pastor’s conference—The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and the Charismatic Movement.
One of the ladies, Chicha Rodriquez, who has been a faithful servant for over 50 years in Uruguay, told me on the first Sunday that the ENW training through the years has had a wonderful impact on the pastors and ministries. Coming from her, this was, indeed, a wonderful encouragement.

So, please continue to pray and give as you’re able, that God continues to use both investments to equip the next generation of Shepherds.

ENW leaves for the Ivory Coast in May and then, as mentioned above, for Bolivia in September.

Your support and encouragement are very much appreciated. God is not unfaithful to forget your work of faith and labor of love… we continue to serve with and for you as “fellow-helpers to the truth.”

31Dec

December 2021 Update – Ivory Coast

ENW just returned from our Ivory Coast tour. This was the first “out of country” tour since spring 2020. It was great to be back face-to-face with these dear pastors and theological students.

Dr. Rein Allweil was my traveling/teaching partner for this training. He also was very helpful in getting us all set up for filling out travel forms/documents, lining up Covid-19 testing required to travel both ways, and more. It was a blessing to have him along for many reasons. We flew out of Greenville the day after Thanksgiving and returned home on December 15th. It was wonderful to be back in time for Christmas.

It is always a joy to serve alongside Bob and Becky Mach. They have been church planting in the Ivory Coast for 25+ years. God has used them to not only plant several churches, train the national men for these churches, establish a literacy center (made up of a huge majority of Muslims), spearhead a very effective medical ministry (used to penetrate villages for potential church planting, organized along with their very competent co-laborer, Kristine McLaughlin who is a Physician’s Assistant), and also begin an institute and seminary. It is ENW’s privilege to serve as adjunct professors in the seminary as well as to conduct annual pastoral training conferences.

This tour was especially encouraging in several ways. First, the pastor’s conference was much better attended than expected. We were thrilled to have 24 pastors attend. The topic for the conference this year was “Foundations for Biblical Leadership” which was very well received by the pastors. A couple of the highlights from the training were sessions on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and Leadership Principles from the Life and Work of Nehemiah. Equipping men to lead the churches of Christ is crucial for our day and is always an honor to contribute to this end.

Second, the Institute/Seminary course was “Foundations for Church Administration” and was received with enthusiasm and many great questions. These students are sharp, alert, and encouragingly inquisitive. What a blessing it is to interact with young men so eager to learn – to God be the glory! A couple of the highlights from the training were sessions on “Who I am Determines What I Do” and “Maintaining Priorities Without Neglecting Responsibilities”.

ENW is already making plans to return to the Ivory Coast for another training opportunity in May. That week will feature teaching on Foundations for Participation in Local Church Life.

ENW will also be in Uruguay and Bolivia in June. If you would like to help with travel expenses or join ENW’s team of regular supporters, please see our website for a PayPal option. If sending a check is easier, please send it to Grace Bible Fellowship at P.O. Box 1015, Somerset, PA 15501. Notate it to be for ENW support or applied to ENW’s travel expenses. Please know we do our very best to make sure the finances are invested in the way and for the purpose for which it was given. Thank you to each of you who give and regularly contribute.

One of the new opportunities for ENW is to fill the pulpit for a church in Maine. Cornerstone Baptist Church, near Portland, is searching for a pastor. Their search team has asked if ENW could help provide some consistent pulpit help as they pursue a man to fill this needed role. ENW will be helping them until the beginning of April. I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers for their search.

On a very seasonal note, Chris and I pray that each of you had a very Merry and Hope-filled Christmas. Christ is The Hope for our hurting world. May He be at the center of all your holiday activities. We are humbled and grateful for His kindness, sovereign care, and answered prayers. He is truly a Faithful, Loving Heavenly Father. May He be exalted during this season as well as throughout the year.

17Sep

September 2021 Update

As I begin this report letter, ENW is in the middle of a Family Conference by Zoom in the Philippines. Pastor Vanni Solores, in the greater Legaspi region on southern Luzon, is our host. He has been such a blessing, working diligently to prepare and promote the training to many of his church and pastor friends. Besides his church family, there have been at least fifteen other families and/or individuals join us from various places around the Philippines. ENW is very grateful for brother Vanni’s leadership for the cause of equipping the wonderful Filipino people.

The third week in August, ENW was privileged to participate by video in a conference in India. Dr. Billy Judson is the host and organizer of this conference – Good News 360 Church Leaders Conference. The teaching was translated into English, Telugu, and Hindi. Billy was anticipating scores of pastors to benefit from the various sessions offered. ENW hopes to partner with him in the future for more training opportunities.

September is certainly a full month of travel and ministry. The second week Chris and I will be at our sending church in Somerset, Pa. participating in an ordination service for two of our elders. It will be a great day to officially set these two men aside for gospel ministry. Both have traveled with ENW, served our church for years, and have proven themselves desirous, qualified, and gifted for ministry.

The third week in September will take ENW to my childhood church for a day of training for a pastoral search. It has been a challenge and blessing to prepare for this opportunity. I’m anticipating a wonderful day of teaching and fellowship around what God says about the kind of shepherd needed for the church and how to go about searching for him.

By the way, if your church is searching for a shepherd, I’d be more than happy to come for a day of training. One of the sad realities is that churches often don’t know who to search for, how to go through the process, or have never had to do so.

The last week in September ENW will be in a Bible Conference for one of our supporting churches in Virginia Beach. Pastor Gordon Ellsworth and his team have worked diligently to prepare for this five-day conference. The theme is “How to Study the Bible.” The study is designed with the discipleship model of training in mind (being with your disciple and doing the study together rather than simply lecturing to someone about how to do it). It is a hands-on demonstration of working through a book, using resources, tools, creating and answering specific questions, and applying certain processes to show how these various Bible Study aids can be used to think and work through a passage personally. This series has been a significant challenge as well as a blessing to prepare. If your church could benefit from this emphasis, please don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss the possibility of leading your church family in this perspective of studying the bible.

Travel has been somewhat limited because of Covid 19. However, we plan to leave for the Ivory Coast at the end of November. If you would like to help with the cost of this tour, please send your designated gift to ENW Travel, P.O. Box 1015, Somerset, PA 15501. $2500 is the average amount required to make one of our international trips. Maybe you or your church would like to underwrite the entire cost of one of ENW’s tours. Your contribution will be marked as such and used for that purpose. That would be a blessing and take a little pressure off as well. Thank you for any part you might have in this financial expense.

Please pray for our dear pastors and their families in Myanmar. Since the Chinese military has taken control, life has been lived in a terrorized state much of the time. There have been murders very close to our contacts in Myanmar. Our sending church is doing what we can to help supply basic food for several of the pastors we are training as well as some of the families involved in our church plant. A good quality bag of rice costs about $35.00 and can last a family about a month. If you’d like to contribute to that need, you can earmark your gift and send it to the same address above. One of the obstacles we’ve had to overcome just to get the money to them is the fact that the Western Union in Myanmar has been out of order most of the time since the military takeover. We are sending any money received through Western Union when the window of opportunity is open.

On a personal note, Chris and I both have survived the delta variant of Covid. It kept us pinned down for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, we are past it and doing well; praise the Lord.

It often sounds trite, but believe me, it is anything but that when I say “Thank You” to each of you who continues to support and pray for the ministry of ENW. By the grace of God, we will remain faithful to our purpose to train the next generation of shepherds. Our desire is to steward your prayers and financial contributions well and represent Christ with integrity.

06Feb

February 2021 Update

God continues to accomplish many things around the world despite all that is going on in the world. In many respects for ENW, 2020 was a whirlwind and 2021 is off to a great start!

India Mini-Module Course

It was a joy to teach a mini-module course via Zoom in India last month: January 14^th through 18^th (Sunday through Thursday). This mini-module course was taught for Heritage Baptist Bible College and Seminary, Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. Rein Alweill and I had the privilege to team teach that class. This was a change in venue for us, as ENW was able to be in India “face to face” in 2018 and 2019.

Uruguay Pastoral Training Conference

The next thing on ENW’s agenda was an ENW series of video recordings for Uruguay’s Pastoral Training Conference. “Foundations for Advanced Biblical Counseling” was the module. We will meet at Park Avenue Baptist (Pastor Dave Robinette) February 8^th through 10^th and begin the training on Monday morning.

Brother Dave and I will be doing this training. Kevin White, our missionary contact in Bolivia, is home on furlough and joins us to do all the verbal translating. ENW is incredibly grateful for this providential timing. Rossana, pastor Gaby’s wife, did all the hard copy translation work for the men in Uruguay.

The sessions for this year include:

How to think and what to do about your past
The Cultural Doctrine of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image
Anthropology: The Scriptures Speak
Biblical help for stressed-out people
Replacing sinful pride with Christ-like humility
Dethroning the god of materialism

Philippine Youth Conference and Pastoral Training Conference

ENW will be conducting a second youth conference via Zoom in the Philippines at the end of February (26th). Pastor Vanni Solores (pastor of Anchor Baptist Church in Legaspi) is the host pastor and is working diligently to make all the technical connections as well as to get as many pastors and youth in his area involved as possible.

In addition to the youth conference, Pastor Vanni is organizing a pastoral training conference to be conducted on three consecutive Saturdays for the Filipino pastors (Friday evenings from 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 A.M. for us). This Pastor’s Conference will also be conducted through Zoom on March 19^th, 26^th, April 2^nd. The training will be from Unit Two — Foundations for Biblical Counseling.

Please pray that the devices, electronic equipment, and internet/Zoom connections will all be functioning at peak capacity for all these training sessions.

Myanmar Training Conference and Special Need

ENW had tentatively set up a tour in Myanmar for June, but this will most likely be postponed based on the latest political happenings there. Please pray for wisdom in this decision and for the people of Myanmar through the challenges occurring.

One of our concerns in addition to the pastor’s conference is our church plant in Tedim. The pandemic has affected Pastor Mang’s meetings with the church plant group. Also, the basic food needs of the study group are serious. One individual told Pastor Mang that they boil 2-3 cups of rice for 8 to 10 family members. One bag of rice can last a family for one month and the cost of each bag is approximately $35. If anyone would like to sponsor one or more bags of rice for these families, please send the money to our sending church, Grace Bible Fellowship (address at the end of the update). Please mark your donation for the “Mang Rice Fund” and we will be sure it all goes for this project of supplying rice for the Myanmar families under Pastor Mang’s pastoral influence.

Doctoral Work on Ordination

On sort of a personal note, I have gotten my doctoral work published and will receive my first hard copy in the mail soon for final edits. I would love for this to be a help for many churches/pastors as we prepare the next generation of shepherds. The title of my doctoral work is ORDINATION: Rediscovering & Restoring the Biblical Process to the Ecclesiastical Context. This is the biblical process whereby young men are identified, recognized, evaluated, prepared, and authorized by the church based on their passionate desire (I Timothy 3:1), character qualifications (I Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-9) and sovereign gifting by God (Ephesians 4:11). Please pray with me that God will, indeed, use this work for His glory and His church.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support especially during these times of uncertainty and readjustments.

04Apr

Bolivia March 2020 Update

This is the shortest ENW tour report to date. Our trip was providentially cut short because of the COVID-19 virus. Thanks to all of you who prayed as God certainly answered in amazing ways.

I left the U.S.A. for Bolivia and Uruguay on Thursday, March 12th and was joined by my travel/teaching companion, Dan Hicks, on Sunday, March 15th. Dan is a good friend and serves on the ENW board. It was a joy to have him with me. Here is a personal note from Dan:

The success of ENW rests in the Biblical pattern modeled by Paul with Timothy and with the idea that church growth should focus on equipping godly men to further train other godly men. Our time in Bolivia was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, but even with limited time, the fruit of ENW’s work was so evident. To be with men who desire to learn more about teaching God’s Word and to know that your work will be multiplied exponentially is a true joy. I pray that God will continue to use ENW to impact the lives of churches throughout the world.

The tour began with a brief couples conference Friday and Saturday evenings. It was encouraging to see the couples (as well as some singles) attend both sessions. Some very basic yet helpful principles of Biblical Communication and Conflict Resolution were presented and well-received by all which was a wonderful start to our 2020 Bolivia ministry.

Sunday brought local church opportunities which are always a highlight to serve with and among national believers. It was “Father’s Day” so the services and preaching were geared toward that emphasis. Dan preached in one church while I preached in another.

The beginning of our 4th annual pastor’s conference was Monday. As we began, we were aware of “what was happening” in Bolivia, as well as the United States. As we kept our eyes on the news, as Kevin White (our host) continued to monitor his resources and proceeded to conduct the training conference, we learned early in the week that Dan and I needed to “get back home” as quickly as we could.

So, as we prepared and trained (we were able to complete three days of training), we, along with Kevin, began to check on exit options. My travel agent, Jay O. at Golden Rule Travel, was a blessing as he worked diligently for us to find flights/schedules that were quickly vanishing. In God’s good providence, Jay found us the very last two seats on a Thursday morning flight out of Bolivia. We were humbled and grateful for God’s wonderful provision and His timing was perfect.

We both left Thursday morning and arrived in Miami, FL about 3:00 P.M. We made connections to our respective airports late Thursday night and drove home from there. As I arrived home at about 2:15 A.M., Chris and I were very grateful for God’s timing and provision in it all.

We give glory to God for His watch care over us as His gracious provision was evident in every way getting us out of the country and back home to our families. Both Dan and I are very much aware and grateful to all who were concerned, prayed, and assisted during this exit strategy.

We were saddened that we were unable to finish the conference, but by the grace of God, there will be another time. It was encouraging to see the eagerness of those pastors who attended, listen intently to the biblical instruction, and respond with comments and questions. It was a beneficial three days together for sure.

The portion of the tour that did not work out at all was Uruguay. So much work had gone into this conference. A new ENW unit had been translated into Spanish (which takes scores of hours) by Rosanna, Pastor Gaby’s wife. Pastor Dave Robinette from Wilmington, my teaching companion from last year, had invested much time and money preparing for his second tour with ENW there in Uruguay. And Pastor Jim Bledsoe, who has accompanied ENW several times to several countries, also was invested with time and finances in preparation. My heartfelt gratitude to these two men for their willingness, preparation and personal time given to help. Dave and Jim, Thank You and by the grace of God, we will do it again!

I was recently reading in my quiet time from A Gospel Primer (which I would heartedly recommend) by Milton Vincent. I hope the following excerpt from that book will encourage your heart in these troubled times.

More than anything else I could ever do; the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and more; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.

Thank you again for your prayers, concerns, and kind words along the way. By the grace of God, we will press on through this hour of testing. God will be glorified and His people will be sanctified.

We continue to humbly appeal for personal support as well as travel expenses. ENW is a faith-based ministry and is tax-exempt for any who desire to invest in equipping the next generation of shepherds.

Our website provides information for giving, or you can send a check to the following address and mark it ENW “monthly support” or ENW “travel expenses”. Thank you!

29Feb

Myanmar February 2020 Update

ENW recently returned from our third tour in Myanmar. The opening comment that essentially summarizes our time there is “blessing on blessing”.

God met every need for our trip. The financial need (over $8K for this country where the average pastor’s salary is $20-$25 per month), the need to re-schedule our flights within about 48 hours of departure (to avoid China), and the need of a teaching companion. Nevin Hersch, an elder-in-training from our sending church in Somerset, PA traveled with me along with his oldest son, Nevin Steve. Another blessing is that we all sustained health and safety throughout the three-week time away (we never take this aspect for granted).

The teaching emphasis this year was on Foundations for the Christian Family. Because of that focus, we invited the pastor’s wives to accompany them to the conference, breaking the cultural precedent of the wives virtually never traveling with their husbands to these kinds of meetings. They typically remain at home with obvious responsibilities there. God gave us 16-17 wives to attend both weeks of the training which was exciting to be sure. Our total attendance this year, including the wives, was about 65 for each week of training.

One of the highlights of having the wives there was our desire to make sure each couple left with a set of wedding bands which virtually none of them had because of the cost. One young couple told me they “borrowed” rings for their ceremony since they simply could not afford them. We had a “ring ceremony” of sorts as each couple determined the sizes needed. We then bought little “gift boxes” to package the rings, then the following day was “ring presentation” day. The couples were very excited and grateful for their new bands.

My travel companion, Nevin Hersch, helped me with teaching at the conferences in Myanmar this year. Nevin did a wonderful job in preparing as well as communicating family truths to these faithful men and women. It was a joy, help, and personal encouragement to have him along. Following are some of Nevin’s comments regarding his three weeks with ENW in Myanmar:

Have you ever beheld a beautiful sunrise, sunset, or some grand geographic feature, and snapped a picture only to be quite disappointed at the uninspiring photographic reproduction? I believe my words here will be much like that photograph. It was a delight to have my oldest son as a traveling/ministry companion as we joined with Pastor Hill for the Myanmar ministry. This was my first ENW trip where I had the opportunity to minister alongside of Pastor Hill. Both my son and I greatly enjoyed our time of ministry together with him. It was such a joy to fellowship around truth pertaining to the Biblical Christian Family with these pastors and their wives. Unpacking the rich biblical truths that are highlighted below with these dear brothers and sisters was such an encouragement personally. It was a great privilege and incredibly humbling to see the hunger of these pastors to grow personally and for ministry in their local assemblies. It is very exciting to know God will accomplish His purposes through the Truth we were able to declare in Myanmar!

Foundations for the Christian Family Training included:

The Theology of Marriage
Conflict Resolution
Becoming God’s Kind of Wife
Becoming God’s Kind of Husband
Defining the Role of a Parent
Nurture and Admonition
Evaluating & Responding to Manipulation and Disrespect
The Bible, Teens, and Sex
Helping Your Child Have a Heart for God

By the grace of God, the pastors and their wives returned to their church ministries better equipped to shepherd their own families and teach their church families to do the same. An added blessing is the training of men and women who are eager to learn and grateful for what they are taught.

Another highlight to our time in Myanmar was having several of the men who attended the conference for the first time indicate they wanted to “catch up” by obtaining the training ENW offered the first two years (Unit One: Foundations for Biblical Ministry and Unit Two: Foundations for Biblical Counseling.) This training will be done under the leadership of Pastor Dal Go Mang, ENW’s point man (organizer, translator, and II Timothy 2:2 man for Myanmar) and his selected group of six pastors that he is mentoring in between our annual conferences. Pastor Mang and the other pastors will prepare for and provide the training for these men. “Nationals equipping nationals” is a challenge we are thankful they are willing to embrace.

Another component of the ENW ministry is getting into the churches of these local pastors. This year we visited and ministered in two village churches: the villages of Lum Zang (Pastor Pau Hau Zung) and Dim Lo (Pastor Khai Hem). As we left the village of Dim Lo, it was such a blessing to give a month’s salary worth to both the pastor and youth pastor. Pastor Khai Hem and his youth pastor receive 60,000 kyats (apx $41) and 30,000 kyats (apx $20) respectively. Praise the Lord for the men willingly and faithfully serving Him in these local ministries on such a meager monthly income!

On a practical note, Pastor Dal Go Mang and his family were grateful to receive enough money from donations given to them during this trip to install a hot water heater for their bathroom shower (which is detached from their house). Brother Mang said it “hurt” to take a shower because of the cold temperatures. This new equipment was the result of a generous gift from the First Emmanuel Baptist Church of Summerville, SC and an anonymous gift from a couple from Grace Bible Fellowship in Somerset, PA.

Travel and training in this country is the most expensive of all the ones ENW has the privilege of serving. Because these men have virtually nothing to contribute to the overall cost of their training, we simply want to be as much of a blessing as we can while God supplies the needs. With that in mind, please consider a generous gift as ENW plans for next year’s training in Myanmar. Every personal gift is tax-deductible (www.equippingnationals.org).

Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers, support, and interest in preparing the next generation of shepherds for the churches of Jesus Christ. Chris and I hope this letter is extremely encouraging for each of you!

18Nov

Philippines November 2019 Report

ENW just returned from our 13th Tour in the Philippines. This year was our third conference on the Island of Bohol where we taught on “Foundations for the Christian Family”. Once again, God showed Himself strong as we served these wonderful pastors, wives, and workers.

The tour began on the island of Cebu where we spent the first weekend teaching in two of the churches pastored by men who are an integral part of our conferences in that area: Pastor Roudini and Pastor Alfred. Rein Allweil, my traveling/teaching companion for the third year, and I were privileged to speak to two wonderful congregations.

From Cebu, we flew to Bohol for the main Pastor’s Training Conference. Having printed 60-65 copies of student notes this year, we still ran short which is a great acknowledgement of the interest and investment of the pastors in this area. Three days of aggressive teaching and listening was such a rich blessing. The goodness of God was expressed well in the “end of conference” testimonies. Interestingly, two of the most robust testimonies came from a single lady and a pastor’s wife. ENW encourages all who can to attend, especially the wives of the pastors.

Another significant blessing was to hear the discussion of the pastors around the “de-briefing” table at the end of the training discussing our 2020 conference. It was such an encouragement to hear them talk of inviting many other pastors, determining a suitable venue, and challenging themselves to take on a large percentage of the cost of the 2020 conference.

From Bohol, we flew to Legaspi for a “One Day Youth Conference” hosted by the Anchor Baptist Church and Pastor Vanni. This was a first for us in that area, but not the last as we are already planning for this “One Day Youth Conference” in 2020. It was very well attended, and attention was riveted on the Word of God by the youth. It was also an honor to preach in that church Sunday morning and in the Bicol Bible Baptist Church, Pastor Ulysses’ church, in the evening.

It is such a blessing to ENW that the following conferences are already booked for 2020: the “Pastor’s Conference”, the “Youth Conference”, as well as a one day “ENW Introduction Conference” for the Legaspi area pastors.
Thank you for your interest in equipping the next generation of Biblical Shepherds through your prayers and support of the ENW ministry. We are humbled by your continued prayers and support.

Please continue to pray for the needed funds for our Myanmar tour in February. We still need three or four thousand dollars to bring training to 40 pastors and their wives for two weeks. This is a rich opportunity to train in this part of the world.

Chris and I are still looking for “ENW Presentation” opportunities. If you know of churches that are interested in the type of equipping the ENW ministry provides, please let us know. I am happy to contact pastors to request this opportunity. Also, if you have friends you think may be interested, please send them to our website which provides an overview of the ENW ministry as well as provide a link for donations for those interested: www.equippingnationals.org. Financial gifts can also be sent to: Grace Bible Fellowship, P.O. Box 1015 Somerset, PA 15501 and checks can be made out to Equipping Nationals Worldwide. Any financial gift to the ENW ministry is tax deductible, so please consider us in your year-end giving.

Thanks again for your partnership in this much needed and growing ministry. It is to the glory of God we serve together with you all.

15Apr

Bolivia and Uruguay March/April 2019 Report

The last couple months flew by with much travel and training accomplished. ENW’s travel has included the India and Myanmar tour (which you should have received an update for) followed by the Bolivia and Uruguay tour from which we just returned.

The Bolivia/Uruguay pastoral training conferences held blessing after blessing. To begin with, I praise the Lord for providing a teaching companion(s) for each conference.

In Bolivia, Landon Brown (longtime friend) and Ovidio (pastor from Uruguay who has sat under ENW training for nearly 20 years) both helped share the teaching responsibilities and both did a fine job. For the last few years, Landon and I discussed the possibility of him traveling with ENW. Ovidio volunteered with eagerness to come over to Bolivia and be part of ENW training. He was very earnest to share with these men what he has been learning and implementing over the last several years, which is a joy to be sure.

Dave Robinette, pastor of Bible Baptist Church of Wilmington, NC was my teaching companion in Uruguay. Dave and I considered this possibility for quite some time. In God’s good providence, this was the right time and the right place for him to make his initial tour with ENW. Dave quickly fell in love with these dear folks and they with him. So much so that he has already committed to teaching next year as well (and possibly beyond). This was truly a life changing experience for him. The reality of having a part in equipping the next generation of pastors for the churches of Jesus Christ was quite impacting. A huge thank you goes to all three of these men for their sacrifice and theological contributions.

One of the principles ENW tries to practice is being “with” the men we train in as many contexts as we can. It was a blessing to minister in several of their churches and fellowship around the table as family and ministry were discussed.

Though everything is not measured by sheer numbers, it was thrilling to see an increase in attendance for the Bolivia training conference. As ENW’s contact, we are grateful for Missionary Kevin White’s efforts in preparing for the conferences. This was ENW’s third year in Bolivia and the attendance has at least tripled since our first year, to God be the glory.

Ovidio, (faithful pastor, co-laborer and friend from Uruguay mentioned earlier) has certainly embraced the “II Timothy 2:2” model of perpetuating pastoral training. He and his church gave ENW a significant love gift to help sponsor next year’s training in Myanmar. When I mentioned to the Uruguay conference last year of ENW’s ministry in Myanmar and the conditions in which these pastors exist and minister, Ovidio was heavily burdened for them. As you may already know, next year ENW is planning (if we can raise the needed $7K) to bring the wives of the pastors in Myanmar to the conference as well (we will be teaching Unit 3 – Foundations for the Christian Family). We have already purchased nearly 90 wedding bands to give as gifts to these precious couples who cannot afford them. It is amazing to see how the needs are met through godly men like Ovidio. Again, to God be the glory.

In summary, Landon, Ovidio, and Dave helped teach Unit 2 (Bolivia) – Foundations for Biblical Counseling and Unit 11 (Uruguay) – Foundations for Advanced Biblical Counseling. The preparation often impacts the trainers as much, if not more, than those being trained. God’s word is our sufficient resource for all of life and godliness. It is an honor to continually study, apply, and teach it.

One of the other very recent blessings was hosting Dal Go Mang, ENW’s point man in Myanmar. Pastor Mang has been in the United States for the month of April. This past weekend (April 5-7) Grace Bible Fellowship of Somerset, PA (ENW’s sending church) was privileged to have him in our fellowship. The leadership met with him for nearly 3 hours on Saturday discussing future opportunities in his country, spent lunch with him, and had him with us during a birthday celebration Saturday evening. Brother Mang testified Sunday of the impact and blessing of ENW’s ministry in Myanmar. Mang does all translation work; both hard copy notes for all pastors as well as the oral translation for teaching. ENW is excited about returning next year for our 3rd tour there in Myanmar with Pastor Mang.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial help. Chris and I are still seeking to be fully supported by years’ end. Any contribution is tax deductible. We are sincerely grateful for all that God has used to provide toward equipping the next generation of shepherds.