Training Pastors Worldwide

Africa [internet slow] would not let me upload videos so here are a few for you to enjoy. Plus a few new pics.

Great trip. Great time in Makeni, Sierra Leone, teaching the story of the Bible. Students are progressing very well. I’m ready to return in March.

Reciting the story of the Bible and how each book fits. It’s perfect. And from Moses!

Avi, who travels from Ivory Coast for our training with his appeal and mine.

They cook breakfast for four of us, then lunch for forty, then dinner for four. With a smile.

Singing at 8:30am as they come to morning devotions.

Straight from the market. Paper or plastic? Plastic.

That’s it for now. Thank you for praying and asking and giving and reading.

Bob and Vickie Burris

We have 30 pastors, leaders and student in our classes this week. Here is our summary sentence for Course Two, the story of the Bible: For His glory, God is reconciling the world to himself under King Jesus, and God has revealed His plan and work from Genesis to Revelation.

That sentence sums up 5 days of teaching. There are no words available to describe the privilege of presenting, discussing, and teaching skills to interpret and apply the story of the Bible to church leaders who have never heard this approach to Scripture.

Thank you for praying, encouraging, and giving so that these men and women can be more effective as church leaders in Africa.

Late Saturday night on the 3 hour trip from the airport in Freetown to Makeni.

55 lbs. bags of rice for a struggling city where most live at a subsistence level. The Bridge of Hope brings the light of the Gospel, schools, medicine, and hope for the hungry. TheBridgeofHope.us

Life is lived-out, outside.

In a remote village the tire toy bring hours of good play.

Sunday is washing day.

Church.

In this church the men are with their kids!! The “lonely” ladies are on the other side.

I preached for 40 minutes and then saw this: my 20 minute time slot.

Our energetic breakfast lady delivers with style.

It’s Thursday evening. We’ve had a great week teaching and interacting with the students. We’ve fielded a multitude of questions and pushed through 9 lessons. We will finish tomorrow morning and begin the trek home. Thanks again for praying,

Bob

On the way to preach at a new church. Sunday is laundry day.

It is a day of “rest” with many chores. Hauling water, cooking over coal, washing, taking care of children… it never ends.

Church at “Sevens”. That’s the name of the town.

Tears.

Morning preparation. Electricity was fairly spotty. My rechargeable lamp and fan worked well.

Morning reading moves outside when the sun comes up. You can see, look closely, I share the space with my termite friends.

She keeps the floors clean! Vital. Sweet, sweet lady.

Seventh grade history lesson on how Liberia was founded. On a ship from Georgia and Virginia.

The school kids are always excited to see us.

Group work.

Lesson summaries by one of my fellow teachers.

Building materials. The work is progressing but stops when we come. Too much racket.

Apocalyptic sunset.

And lastly, my grandson practicing on his equine friend.

This week I’m in Sierra Leone. Teaching the story of the Bible. Thanks for looking, reading, praying and giving.

Bob

After a long trip (including 11 hours in the D.C. United Airlines lounge watching the World Cup with other enthusiasts) I arrived safely to my comfy home digs in Liberia late Sunday night.

Progress is being made on the second story of the education wing! Plastering is continuing on the walls, the front gate is almost built, air-conditioners are installed on the first floor and materials are being gathered for more work.

Below: students bringing chairs upstairs to unfinished classrooms.

Monday morning, with 25 eager students, we jumped into the messages of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. Five days, five hours a day we looked at world history, biblical history, the drama of redemption and the unique messages of each of the books. The students are growing in their understanding and are very open to new truths. They come from Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Liberia. They will stay another week to learn how to interpret and communicate poetry in the Psalms.

Please pray for Africa. The church is inundated with false prophets, health, wealth, prosperity teaching, and immorality. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel warn of all these in stark terms.

The items shown below are essential in Liberia: rechargeable battery lantern/bug-zapper, instant coffee, and drinking water.

Monday we will begin teaching Understanding and Communicating Poetry. My two teaching team members arrived safely last night.

Commuting ( is there room for one more?), classroom photo, and laundry day. Notice the air conditioner on the wall in the classroom. Total. Game. Changer!! And! The rug. And the lights!

Below: drying laundry on the grass before it rains. Almost every day we have several hours of good hard rain. And notice the razor wire that now sits atop the fence around our compound.

More essentials: Story of the Bible review cards (I will be teaching this at church in January to introduce the book of Jeremiah), TLI pens as classroom motivation, ditto with the candy, rechargeable battery fan for hot days, 220v to 110v converter, CPAP back-up battery for power outages.

I will send another update next week. Thanks for praying.

Bob

Note my world famous grandsons.