The WAAST extension center in Angola, launched in 1999, has graduated about 15 pastors. The center is not currently operating, but the need remains. The Assemblies of God in Angola has grown to almost 2 million, and the leaders estimate that at least 10,000 men serve as church leaders with little or no Bible training. Syncretism with traditional beliefs is a constant danger. Some graduates are involved in a new training program given around the country, called “Roots of Faith.” Four training sessions take students through the Bible and ground them in the Word.Please pray
- for the reopening of this center in God's time.
- for the hundreds of workers being trained through “Roots.”
- that some Angolan graduates can come for the M.A. program to become still better equipped for training.
Last year MAPS Builders set up a fabrication plant on the WAAST campus. Here teams put together steel tabernacles, then transport them to erect in 6 target countries: Togo, Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Côte d'Ivoire. Last fall teams placed 18 tabernacles in Togo and Benin. Once the trusses and roof are up, the receiving church or Bible school finishes the building as they please.Please pray
- for safety and health for building teams that come twice a year.
- that God will give favor at the port as materials are shipped in.
- for the team leaders as they work with the national churches.
Please pray
- for the director and staff and for those who preach on the radio.
- for the final permission and funds to place a relay antenna to reach central Togo, home to many Muslims and unreached people groups.
- for funds for more equipment; thanks, STL, for your giving!
It's Sunday morning, and singing resounds as people fill the WAAST International Chapel. This church on 
campus welcomes some 2,500 adults and 500 children each week. As many as 2 million people join the service by radio. Every day people come for prayer meetings, Bible studies, and departmental activities. The building has been extended to hold 3,500. Even during the construction, the congregation increased their giving to missions and to other outreaches and needs, and God is blessing them. Please pray
- for strength and wisdom for Pastor Jean Bandé and the others.
- for plans to mother a new church this year.
- that God will open the door to broadcast services on the Internet, particularly to reach Africans living overseas.
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
WAAST and AGGST students are encouraged to write about issues in the church and society that affect their people. Some students and grads are now publishing tracts, newsletters, magazines, and books. Some create websites, finding the Internet to be an accessible and inexpensive outlet. Others work to translate the Bible and other materials. Some spread the Word through radio and television.Please pray
- that more will feel the burden to spread the gospel in relevant ways through publishing on paper and electronically.
- for resources for publishing; funds are often a serious obstacle.
- for those working in Bible translation and literacy training.
- for those working in radio and TV, broadcasting church services and other Christian programming.
In Sierra Leone, people maimed by war seek relief in drug abuse. In Nigeria, street children beg or steal to eat. In Togo, families lose their homes in a flood. Jesus ministered to the whole person, and WAAST and AGGST students, as His ministers, consider how to respond to such heartbreaking needs. Some work with AIDS victims, orphans, and street kids. They pray for the sick. Their churches help provide for people hit by natural disasters or war. In many ways they model God's compassion for the whole person.
Please pray
Please pray
- for God's wisdom and resources for these ministers and their churches as they help those affected by life-changing problems.
- that many hurting people will respond to God's love.
Throughout West and Central Africa, Islam is growing and presenting new challenges to the Church, competing for land, children and youth, and the very souls of men. Some WAAST and AGGST students and graduates work in Muslim areas. Some grew up in Muslim homes themselves and are well equipped to speak and minister to them. Because of opposition against Muslims who convert, these workers and their congregations often become responsible to care for outcast believers.Please pray
- that God will protect and give wisdom to workers and believers in Muslim areas and help them to be effective witnesses.
- for the salvation of the families of Muslim-background students and alumni; this is a heavy burden many carry.
Classes begin this week for AGGST students. Over the next 10 weeks professors from several African nations and from the U.S. will come to teach 2-week courses. Students who have completed their 3 years of coursework are at home working on their thesis projects. Many AGGST graduates go on to teach in Bible schools and also help provide a pool of qualified professors for WAAST's extension centers and for the central campus.
Please pray
Please pray
- for the students as they juggle studies and church and family responsibilities.
- for more qualified African professors to teach at this level.
- for funds to help with scholarships and travel for teachers.
Some WAAST and AGGST students and graduates specialize in ministry to tomorrow's church leaders. In churches and schools, through relief efforts and ministry to AIDS orphans and street children, they reach and teach kids. Some train more children's workers to help these little ones to grow up serving the Lord.Please pray
- that the Lord will give these pastors and workers strength and wisdom as they minister to children.
- that many kids will come to the Lord and become witnesses to unsaved family members.
African youth today are confronted with many issues that the global village has brought, such as gay marriage and Internet pornography. Poverty tempts many to join Islamic sects or follow other false teachings that promise fortunes. They need pastors who can model godly living and ground them in the Word of God. Young converts may be rejected by their families. Some WAAST and AGGST students and graduates work with youth in the high schools and universities, showing them the Way to right living and true riches.
Please pray
- for the young people of Africa as they face temptations from the world, that the Holy Spirit will draw them to the Lord.
- for the youth pastors as they teach these young people and as they help those who face opposition from their families.
Please pray
- for the women studying at WAAST and AGGST, that God will bless their various ministries and their families.
- that the Lord will provide for still more to come for training.
- that churches who are not as open to women in ministry will recognize the women's mandate to serve in the churches.
More than 100 AG Bible schools and extension programs are training workers in West and Central Africa. Many of these are led and staffed by WAAST and AGGST graduates. Some graduates have begun new training programs or schools. Graduates from non-AG denominations apply their knowledge to improve their own church's training programs. It's still not enough! More well-trained teachers and administrators are needed as the churches and the need for leaders grow.
Please pray
Please pray
- for those graduates working in Bible schools and training programs as teachers and administrators.
- that the Lord will call more potential pastors to attend these schools; currently more than 6,100 are enrolled.
- that the Lord would meet the material needs of these schools.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: yellow; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Happy Resurrection Sunday 2009!
Every WAAST and AGGST student learns that completing missio Dei—the mission of God—is the responsibility of every believer, and Africans are becoming a great missionary force. Graduates are answering God's call to serve as missionaries in other African nations and in other parts of the world. Some are burdened for Muslims and go to difficult places. The teaching they have received in WAAST's multicultural setting helps them as they adjust to new cultures and challenges.Please pray
- that the Lord will call still more students into His harvest field. Often they can go where American missionaries cannot.
- for strength, perseverance, and peace for these missionaries in times of difficulty and even persecution, and that their lives will be an example to those around them.
Most WAAST and AGGST students serve as pastors in their respective countries. In many countries there are many more churches than pastors, and some must oversee several churches. Other students are planting churches in new areas. WAAST's flexible format of 6- and 9-week sessions allows pastors to immediately apply and teach what they have learned in their courses to benefit their churches.
Please pray
Please pray
- that the Lord will bless and keep these churches during their pastors’ study leave.
- that these students/pastors will be able to train good lay leaders.
- that newly-planted churches will get off to a good start under the teaching of their pastors.
Bernie and Brenda Smith - Missionaries to Togo
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