Spotlight: Lights, tiles and growth

ALBANIA
TIRANA
Church members hosted a ground-breaking — actually, it was a tile-breaking — for a reconstruction project that will provide a facility for several ministries.
The multi-purpose building will be used by the Tirana church, the International Bible Institute of Albania and the World English Institute ministry.
Church member Flori Pollo and his mother drew up plans for the reconstruction project, said Dick Ady of World English Institute.
BANGLADESH
KHALMEGA
Church members in Bangladesh and Alabama banded together to help Kajoli Bala, a church member and widow in Khalmega, said missionary Mike Brooks.
Members of the Atlas church in Killen, Ala., provided funds to repair Bala’s dilapidated house. Bala’s son, Steven, recently began working as a security officer at the church-supported Khulna Bible College, Brooks said.
BRAZIL
RIO DE JANEIRO
While North Americans sweltered in the summer heat, children in Brazil enjoyed their winter vacation from school. The Jacarepagua congregation sponsored a one-day Vacation Bible School for about 50 children. Russell McLaughlin, minister for the Midway church in Hitchcock, Texas, spoke at a three-day gospel meeting.
As the winter break ended, members of the Victory church painted faces and distributed school supplies to more than 300 children at the church’s “Back to School Party,” said missionary Daniel Baird. The party, which included a “moon bounce,” was one of many recent community outreach projects sponsored by the church.
FIJI
SUVA
After a long, frustrating wait for visas, Mike and Timbra Wiist arrived in Fiji recently to work as full-time missionaries with the Capital City church, said
fellow missionary Allen Wright. The Wiists formerly worked with the Placerville, Calif., church.
They are the sixth family to work full time in Fiji since Wright’s parents moved to the South Pacific nation in 1966. The couple has launched a Web site, www.missionfiji.com.
GUATEMALA
PAXOT
About 50 women from eight congregations met at the Paxot II church in the mountains of southern Guatemala for a women’s seminar, said missionary Kemmel Dunham. It was the first women’s event at the church, and “the first time that the women in Paxot II took on leadership roles in directing, leading singing and in praying,” Dunham said. The women — and the church’s elders — said the event was well-received.
“The women here sing with more enthusiasm and confidence than any of the countries I have visited in the past,” said Linda Henry, longtime missionary to Central America.

KENYA
NAIROBI
Two floors of classrooms and offices, a library and a garden cafeteria comprise the newly dedicated B.R. Cox Family Bible Building on the campus of the 2,000-student Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute. Pat Cox of Dallas gave the keys for the four-story, 20,000 sqaure-foot building to Martin Musyimi, one of the school’s board members, during a recent ceremony, said missionary Berkeley Hackett.
The school celebrated its 15th graduation recently, conferring degrees on 600 students, Hackett said.

MALAYSIA
MALACCA
A group of ministers from Singapore and Malaysia gathered in Malacca for a three-day study retreat with John Mark Hicks, professor of Bible at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. “This was a great time of strengthening bonds of fellowship between ministers and leaders from Singapore and Malaysia,” said Singapore missionary Dave Hogan.
NIGERIA
ABUJA
The Gwarinpa church hosted its second annual Kids Seminar recently, said minister Rambi I. Ayala. The seminar allowed Christian youths to showcase their talents and interact with youths from other congregations. Though about 300 youths attended from 14 congregations, Ayala considered it a “not too impressive attendance,” due in part to reconstruction projects in the Nigerian capital.
PARAGUAY
ASUNCION
The Sacramento church “turned our auditorium into something akin to Chuck E. Cheese” to celebrate Day of the Child, said missionary Vanessa Hardin. Members of the church and other congregations played games and gave prizes to more than 70 visitors.
Members also visited a nearby orphanage to celebrate with children there. The members “promised to have them over for a movie day as soon as Cars comes out on DVD,” Hardin said.
Oct. 1, 2006