NEWS FROM HQ

December, 2023

Dear co-workers of missions, we greet you in the Name of Jesus Christ, who came into this world to save us from our sins. By your prayer and financial support throughout this year, we were able to fulfill the tasks the Lord entrusted to us. Therefore, we would like to share the works of this mission to remind you of our Lord’s grace.

1. Bible College of East Africa – Tanzania

(1) BCEA Tanzania ended its semester on November 23^rd. On the evening of the 22^nd, the faculty members and students had an End-of-Term Thanksgiving dinner and a worship service the next morning.

• The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Khoo visited Tanzania to deliver God’s Word to the students. Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Khoo is the principal of Far Eastern Bible College (Singapore) and the pastor of True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church (Singapore), which supports the Tanzania campus.
• The Rev. Dr. Mark Kim also visited and delivered a helpful message to the students.  
• Additionally, a group of brethren from Singapore and Kenya came and attended the worship service together. Their visit was an encouragement and comfort to us all.

(2) We traveled to BCEA/Kenya on November 24^th and attended their graduation service on the 25th.

• Four men from the Tanzanian campus, who studied in Kenya have now graduated. (pictured on back). One received an award for academic excellence. We thank and praise God for the students who were strengthened by the support of the believers and bore good fruit in diligent studying.
• Two students from the Tanzania campus will study in Kenya next semester. Please pray for them to adapt well and learn with their utmost best to prepare themselves for future ministries in Tanzania. 

[Prayer Request] Please continue to pray for BCEA Tanzania, That God may send students who have the true calling in the ministry of God’s Word,That the students may understand the seriousness of the ministry of the Word and do their best in studying God’s Word,That the faculty members may go deep into the Word and teach the students well, That God may grant strength and wisdom to the faculty members who are teaching and furthering their own studies at the same time, That God may protect all the faculty members and their families in faith and provide for their needs,That the preparation and execution of the BCEA/TZ Archive Project, which will be newly introduced next year, will be carried out smoothly,That God will provide the financial needs for running the College, which is run entirely free of charge.

2. Chemchem Kindergarten

(1) The Kindergarten also ended its semester well and had the graduation service on December 2^nd.

• Twenty-eight students, one-third of the total number, graduated. (pictured above)
• The surprising thing is that although it is a Christian kindergarten, exactly half of the twenty-eight students came from Muslim families.
• At the graduation service the children sang children’s hymns and recited Bible verses. We prayed earnestly that the Gospel seed may be sown in their hearts and bear the fruits of faith in due time.

(2) To provide a better educational environment for the children we began “singalong” sessions (hymn                      singing with piano accompaniment).

(3) Kindergarten Renovation and Extension

• The first Kindergarten building is very old and needs to be repaired and renovated so that the work will proceed during the winter vacation period. 
• The playground is too small to accommodate eighty children and there is a risk of accidents as children flock to the limited equipment, so we plan to expand the playground as soon as possible. It will not be easy because we must buy or make equipment ourselves.
• To provide better educational opportunities for children who have almost no educational benefits and are neglected after school, we are planning to provide a children’s library. We are looking for ways to provide good Christian English books for children, storybooks in English, and Tanzanian textbooks. The furniture needed for the library needs to be custom-made.

[Prayer Request] Please continue to pray for ChemChem Kindergarten, That there will be smooth admission of new students,That the financial and environmental provision for the Kindergarten renovation and extension will be smoothly prepared,That the financial and environmental provisions for the Kindergarten library will be prepared,That the Kindergarten may bear the responsibility of Christian education to sow the Gospel seed and to take root in their life (especially to children from Muslim or unbelieving families that they may lead their families to the Gospel), That God may provide heavenly wisdom and strength to the Kindergarten teachers to teach the Gospel, the Word of God, and other subjects well,That God may always keep all the teachers and staff of the Kindergarten physically and spiritually, and provide for their needs.

3. Glory Bible-Presbyterian Church

(1) We had Vacation Bible School (VBS) from December 4^th – 6^th. (pictured below right)

•  Miss EunYoung Bai, with three Kenyan students, held our VBS; nine Tanzanian students joined her.
• There is no concrete program for childhood education in Tanzania. So, this VBS became an excellent opportunity to train Tanzanian students to learn and apply it to the children in their own churches.
• VBS was held before the school vacation in Tanzania, so the children were mostly from the ChemChem Kindergarten along with others who had time to attend it.

(2) VBS Outreach Project

• We are planning and preparing for a project to spread the VBS program starting this year. We discovered a great need for this after a survey of the current situation in Tanzania.
• This year, under the leadership of Dr. ChaeWon Ra and Miss Angela Park, there will be a VBS outreach with our Tanzanian students at the local church from December 21^st – 23^rd.

(3) Christmas Worship Service – Gospel Preaching and Bible Recitation Contest

• As before, the church will hold a Christmas service and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• As a special Christmas gift, we plan to distribute unga (corn flour) and sugar to each family.
• In addition, to encourage the believers to be closer to the Word of God, this year, we will hold a Bible Recitation Contest with core Bible verses related to the Gospel selected by the Rev. Dr. SeungKyu Park, the leading pastor. We will also prepare generous gifts to encourage the participants to read and recite God’s Word.
• Soon we will tear down and expand the wall in front of the chapel, which is at risk of collapsing.

[Prayer Request] Please continue to pray for the Glory Bible-Presbyterian Church, That the faith of the believers may grow daily,That the registered believers may participate more actively in keeping the Sunday worship service, along with reading and memorizing the Bible so that they can enjoy the rich grace of the Word,That the Gospel may be preached to the villagers who do not  know Jesus Christ yet,That the VBS Outreach Project, which will begin this year, may be well prepared and settled so that its distribution to Tanzanian churches will be carried out smoothly,That God will give us wisdom and strength to handle the Sunday School teacher training program that will be prepared next year,That God may grant the ministers in charge of the church and their families the wisdom and strength to care for the sheep entrusted by the Lord with His Word.

                                                                             May the joy of Christmas be with you all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            &                                

                                                                                     Rev. Dr. SeungKyu Park and Dr. ChaeWon Ra