The students have now completed half of their first year. These four men have traveled a great development distance over the last seventeen weeks of classes. They have now completed 13 courses. In each of IBIA’s required two years, they will take 26 courses. They now have a week off from classes. This is a research week for the students. Five weeks ago they had a one week seminar on, “The Christian Home” taught by Alfred Zike. He graduated from the branch school in Athens, Greece. He works full-time with the congregation in Durres. This week they will work on the assignments Alfred gave them for that course. After this week, we will have our final four week term before we have an eight week break over the summer.

This next term I will teach “Topical Preaching” and “The Book of Acts” while Alfred Zike will teach “Greek 2”. After that term my current plan is to take a week to make a quick visit to the congregations throughout Albania and then fly back to the States. While in the States we want to spend some time reporting and raising funds. We are looking for the opportunity to inform interested congregations about the exciting things happening with IBIA. If you know of any mission minded congregations that you think would be interested in what we are doing please provide me with some contact information.

Our goal is not only to train these men in the principles of truth from God’s Word, but to train them and provide opportunities of testing to allow them to develop the character of Christ. Men with heads full of knowledge and hearts empty of the character of Christ are not the servants God needs for His kingdom.

The knowledge takes time but the character takes patience.I thank God that there are men such as these that are willing to be taught, rebuked, corrected and trained in righteousness with God’s Word. They really do desire to be God’s men that are thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Before we left the States back in January, we had shipped some computers to Albania to use as a resource network. The CPU tower that was to be our server was broken in transit. We had configured the laptops to be able to read the resources off of the server. Only three of them have adequate hard-drive space and processor speed to handle the software that was only going to be on the server. Thanks to Deborah’s hard work, we were able to make the computers available to the students this past week. They were excited to have access to all the resources. They were eager to begin work on their papers that will be due soon for “The Christian Home”. We have almost 800 volumes in the Libronix Digital Library. They kept commenting about having so many books available in IBIA to study and do research with. Thanks again to those of you that assisted us in getting these computers.

Some of our needs:

Travel fund – This enables us to fly to the States at least once a year to report and continue to raise funds for IBIA. These funds will also be used as I travel throughout Albania, The Balkans and Europe recruiting students and raising an awareness of the school. We would like to raise $5,000 to $6,000 per year. Costs of flights continue to increase as I am sure you have noticed.

Working fund – There is current funding of $330 per month. It is only for a year ending in December. Beginning in January of 2007 I will need to match at least this amount. This is used for maintaining our Home Office; IBIA advertising; Hosting morale building events for student and staff; Hospitality for IBIA guests; and, Maintenance and development of IBIA computer network for research library.

Computers – We would like to have four more laptops. Used would be fine. We need a minimum of 40G hard drive; 448 MB of RAM; a CD drive reader; a processor speed of 1.58 GHz.

Student scholarships – The amount we need per student varies based on the number of students. Our current operational expenses for the school and residence are $2,200 per month. As we add a new group of students in January of 2007 our expenses will increase. We have been working with a figure of $400 per month per student. Up to now this has not been adequate. We are hoping with the increase of student numbers that this amount will be sufficient. If you want more detailed information we will send it to you as you request it.

We realize that without your sacrifices this school would only be an idea. It is humbling to see what God can accomplish through all of us partnering together with Him utilizing our various God-given capabilities for his glory and to expand His kingdom.

We don’t have to wait for two years to see the impact of our combined efforts. As I interviewed the students in January, part of the application process requires that they sign a statement that - among other things - they will not smoke. One of the students told me he smoked. I told him he would have to quit. That was four and one half months ago. On Wednesday we had completed our classroom lectures for the term. I scheduled an off day on Thursday for a morale boost and to give them a little extra time to prepare for their Finals on Friday. So, on Thursday morning we all went bowling and then went for coffee after that. The group next to us in the bowling alley was smoking cigarettes. Our young man who had the smoking issues leaned on my shoulder, indicated the group next to us and said, “That was me not long ago. Destroying my
body and not really understanding my value. Now I am strengthening my body at the gym and my soul in the school. I am so grateful to God for this school.”

For His glory,
Steve

Deborah’s Details

Spring has arrived since I last updated you. The weather has been mostly sunny and very comfortable. The available produce reflects the change from winter to summer. As the months have passed, I have become more at ease running the daily errands. I know what to expect weekly and monthly with the IBIA supplies and finances for which I am responsible. I know my culture shock is not over, but I do have the comfort that routine offers.

Betty Crocker

In May, I decided to bake a chocolate sheet cake…the kind they make in Texas! Collecting the ingredients was straightforward except for the pecans and powdered sugar. I chose not to worry about the pecans. Walnuts are so easy to find here, I thought I’d substitute them. (Please forgive me, you Texans and Southerners!) The powdered sugar, on the other hand, seemed indispensable.

The “Big Market” did not have powdered sugar. (FYI the “Big Market” is the real name and the store is about the size of two 7-ll stores. Mini-marts are a little bigger than an American suburban walk-in closet.) I went to the stores/mini-marts in my neighborhood asking for powdered sugar…in Albanian. I was encouraged that the first mini-mart I tried, answered my question with “po” which means “yes.” Then I discovered that powdered sugar comes in 100 gram packages (less than a cup). I asked for four…the man only had one. I continued on asking at a total of 13 stores/shops and found two more shops that had one or two packets each. I felt victorious!

I have since learned that there is a shop five minutes from my house that sells “everything” one needs for baking. I visited there this week, and they have powdered sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chips, candles for cakes, and big bags of tortilla chips! Oh, does that sound incongruous? Not for Albania…I’ve seen a store that sells only rugs and televisions.

Mark Twain
A couple of weeks ago, I needed to buy a few small things, all from different places. I had no small change, only a 5,000 leke bill, ($50). Every place I went, the shop keepers and vendors could not or would not make change. They insisted that I take the merchandise and just pay them “neser”—TOMORROW! I came home and had to make a list of who I owed money to! 40 leke here, 250 leke there, 10 leke, 20 leke…I felt like the guy in the Mark Twain short story The1,000,000 Pound Bank Note who got tons of credit at all the stores in town because he had BIG money, not small money.

I thank you so much for praying for me, Steve and IBIA. We need your prayers on our behalf. God is keeping us safe. He continues to give us strength and resolve when we think we cannot do anymore. Our God is truly an awesome God, raising us up with His mighty arm and refreshing us with His enduring truth.

Love,
Deborah