Jeju Update: Raising the walls, and praying for the roof.

We told you a few months ago how a gift to the Jeju campus is helping the Bible Institute move ahead in finishing up the buildings that are needed to run the school. Here's an update on how the project is going from Steve Nicholes, Word of Life's director of Northeast Asia.

The container for the roof trusses should arrive next week. We need to purchase an I-beam with three steel pillars and have them installed as soon as possible. We were able to get the price down to $7,390 today.

We have seven volunteers working with this project-on site. With the I-beam and pillars, we will have everything we need to get this building under a roof. Please pray. If you are willing and able to give you can do this online.

Superstorm Sandy: Help and hope after the devastation.

By Joe Bartolo, first-year student, Whitman, Mass.

Superstorm Sandy swept across several states, but it seems that New Jersey was hit the worst.

A group from the Bible Institute volunteered to help those dealing with the devastation, and 16 of us ended up going for four days to serve those in need. Many homes were left completely unlivable by Sandy, and some families lost almost all their belongings due to water damage. The flood damage was devastating, and many houses required more manpower to rebuild than most residents could offer.

We were asked to fulfill the need of doing the dirty work. Walls and floors need to be demolished due to mold buildup. Some houses had to be fully gutted, and in some of them, all the belongings were completely destroyed. With the help of the RAINE Foundation, which provided tools and food for us, we were able to help many families with dire needs.

With a common goal in mind, our team instantly bonded and formed close relationships. We had "family time" each night, sharing what happened during the day and what God was doing in us. We realized what a great opportunity we had.

Many people were completely overwhelmed after the destruction, and as we worked, we saw looks of relief on people's faces. Some were brought to tears. With the commitment and willingness of all of our team members, we completed several projects quickly, and the thankful looks were a tremendous reward for all of us. Our team strove to show the love of Christ to the people in New Jersey, realizing that is what they needed most. We did the physical work but also showed that we cared about these people.

We didn't want to be another religious group doing work -- we wanted to be a group of guys showing the love of Christ in our actions.

Alumni Gathering: Cedarville.

A special event for alumni. Check it out:

TRACS Accreditation: Success!

By Mark Strout

I am very pleased to report that this afternoon, the TRACS Commission in Chicago reaffirmed the accreditation of Word of Life Bible Institute without conditions for another 10 years! Our appearance lasted 20 minutes, during which time John Nelson, Marshall Wicks, and myself fielded a total of six or seven questions. Thankfully, none of them were difficult to answer.

I have to admit that it was a bit intimidating sitting in front of 17 commissioners and seven other people seated in the back, but the atmosphere in the room was extremely complimentary toward Word of Life!  One commissioner commented on the excellence of our self-study and supporting documentation as being “one of the best that I have seen.” The chairman commented on the low number of issues (recommendations) that we had needed to resolve. All of this is a credit to the excellent work of so many over the last 18 to 24 months. Thank you! Job extremely well done!

Following prayer, we were then excused from the room. The commission deliberated for about three minutes and then called us back in to give us the good news. Needless to say, we came out smiling!

Thank you all for your prayers today and throughout this entire process. I would also like to thank the administrative team and Marshall Wicks in particular for the diligent work that has led to this great result. Most of all, we praise the Lord for His direction and for granting us success. May we continue to pursue excellence as we educate our students in a rigorous academic and structured discipleship atmosphere, preparing them to live a life of maximum effectiveness for the Lord. It’s a privilege to serve with all of you.