SURVEY TRIP and SHORT COURSES

The students of the Asuncion Bible Academy were very busy this past month with a series of short courses for
their studies and they also participated in a survey trip/campaign to the city of Encarnacin in the southern part
of Paraguay.

Hands On Training
Some of the key points that we really try to emphasize
in the teaching at the Asuncion Bible Academy is the
necessity of personal evangelism and church planting.
We recognize that the church will not grow in Paraguay
without these two fundamental principles firmly
established within the thinking of the local disciples.
Much of our curriculum is built around these two points
while, at the same time, we are teaching them the entire
Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
In addition to classroom time, we also take one week
out of every quarter and dedicate it as a campaign so
that the students can put into practice some of what
they have learned. With that in mind, the campaign
week that was scheduled for this quarter was used as a survey trip to the third largest city in Paraguay, where
we pray to be able to plant the Lords church one day. We made it a school project for the students and they
used a specific research format to determine what were the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
(SWOT) of any given city where we might develop a congregation. Once there, they hit the streets in several of
the neighborhoods and carried out surveys with the local residents. They also went to the office of the
municipality to interview city officials to learn more about the city. Upon returning to the classroom, they
continued to work on the project by gathering more information about the city and compiling what they already
had gathered. This is the second survey campaign that they have executed and there is still one more to do,
which is the second largest city of Paraguay, Ciudad del Este. We will be going to that city in the next quarter.

Honored Guests
For this past campaign, we were also blessed to have with
us two brethren from the Margaret Street church of Christ,
Jack Locklin and Ed Temple. Jack is an elder in the
church and Ed is a deacon of missions. They came to
Paraguay to see how the work was going and had also
previously offered to help the church with one of its goals.
Since the church had decided to use these survey trips to
help with future church planting, Jack and Ed decided to go
along with us. They participated in many of the activities and
they also provided some of the necessary funding for the trip.
The students had a great time getting to know them and
especially learning from experienced leaders of the Lords
church. Furthermore, Jack and Ed provided some wonderful
encouragement, as well as, some very useful teaching for our
morning devotionals during the trip. We greatly appreciate
their help and enjoyed having them with us during the
campaign week.
Supported through the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver Extension School Program
MONTHLY REPORT - JULY 2014 Vol. 1 No. 2
Evangelist Eliezer Perez and ABA student,
William Arzamendia, completng surveys in the
neighborhoods of Encarnacin.
The students, members of the church, and some visitors from
the USA heading out for a survey trip to Encarnacin.
SHORT COURSES and GUEST TEACHERS

This past month we had several weeks of short
courses with some of them including guest
teachers. Short courses are just like every
course that is taught in the Academy, except
that the entire class is taught in one weeks time
instead of over the course of several weeks.
Every course offered in the curriculum consists
of thirty (30) classroom hours with some classes
receiving extra workshop or laboratory time.

This month, we had brother Josh Blackmer
teach Hebrews. Josh will be returning to the
USA in September to begin working with the
Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ. He may
possibly return in the future to teach another
short course, or may utilize video conferencing
to teach the class. We greatly appreciate the
contribution Josh has made to the effort here.
Congregational Development
As one of the short course that are offered, Congregational
Development is a very important part of the students training.
We were blessed to have had brother Chris Fry and brother
Ethan Hardin come and teach the class. They were part of
the original team that planted the church here at Avenida
Sacramento back in 2004. Chris now serves as pulpit minister at
the West Dyersburg church of Christ (TN) and Ethan is a
programmer for Teradata and lives in Henderson, TN.

Both Chris and Ethan have considerable experience in
ministry and their class material was invaluable to the Academy.
They divided the class up into sessions and used a series called
La Cancha de Crecimiento Cristiano (The Playing Field of
Christian Growth). The developed subjects such as a disciples
individual responsibility, spiritual maturity, ministry involvement,
and missions. The students responded well and we pray the
information will serve them for years to come.

Upcoming Courses and Investigation
This next month will have the students studying I, II, III John
with brother Eliezer Perez and then Biblical Greek with brother
Troy Spradlin. They will also have a week of Investigation where
the will be finishing up several projects that they have been
assigned in other classes. Our next edition of the ABA Newsletter
will include update letters from the students on their progress.
Josh Blackmer teaching Hebrews
Encarnacion Survey Trip (L to R) Early morning devotional in the hotel before heading out; the boys getting ready to load up in the
minibs that we rented for the trip; listening to our guide, Ms. Castorina, explain the history and development of Encarnacion.
ABA students with Chris Fry (top) and Ethan Hardin (bottom)
William Arzamendia
is 26 years old and is
from Argentina. He is
our class clown and is
always full of energy. He
is a member of the
emby congregation
and highly involved in
personal Bible studies.
William loves to play
soccer and is very
involved in the lives of
his two little brothers. He
is a very talented
preacher and evangelist.
He wants to possibly serve as a youth minister if the
opportunity presents itself. He also has a desire to
return to Argentina and strengthen the church there.
His current GPA is: 85.2
CLASSES SCHEDULED FOR QUARTER 6
(June 9 - August 22, 2014)

Class Teacher
Advanced Hermeneutics - Denton Landon (BVBID)
Poetic Books I - Perry Hardin
Major Prophets I - Perry Hardin
Hebrews - Josh Blackmer
Congregational Development - Chris Fry, Ethan Hardin
I, II, III John - Eliezer Perez
Biblical Greek I - Troy Spradlin

Laboratory / Investigation - Perry Hardin
Practical Ministry - Troy Spradlin
Student Housing

The Asuncion Bible Academy is blessed to have a few
dormitory spaces available to be able to house students.
The facility has three rooms and a study area in the
entrance. Its not very big and it currently doesnt have
air conditioning (which were hoping to resolve before
summer time), but is very comfortable and quiet. The
dorms have bathrooms as part of the facility but one has
to go around the outside in order to get into it them
(because they also serve as changing areas for the
baptistery located on the front side of the building). If the
students want a snack or to prepare a meal, they have to
walk to the church building at the front of the property
and use the kitchen there. As you can see, they are not
exactly a full service apartment. However, despite
these few inconveniences, the best part is that they are
rent free for the students while they are attending the
Bible Academy.
Ramon Paredes
is 27 years old, is a
native Paraguayan, and
his native language is
Guarani.
Ramon recently married
Elvira Dominguez on
February 8th, 2014. His
brother and sister-in-law
are also faithful
members of the church.
Ramon has a servants
heart and works very
hard at everything he
does. He did not know how to type or to use a
computer when he came to the Academy and now he
is able to write research papers without too much
effort. His current GPA is: 80.1
Karen Giminez
is 26 years old, she is
native Paraguayan, and
is a member of the
Centro congregation.
Her mother was among
some of the first
converts in Paraguay
who studied with the first
missionaries. She used
to work at McDonalds
and also has experience
in retail sales. She is
often quiet, but a very
studious and dedicated student who is always
inquisitive regarding the Scriptures.
Her current GPA is: 90.0
STUDENT PROFILES
BETA CLASS (2015-2017) UPDATE

This section has been designated to bring information regarding the next, upcoming class, known as the Beta
Class. There are currently ten brethren who have manifested that they would like to attend the Bible Academy for
the next enrollment. Here is information regarding a few of the prospective students. Next month we will feature
some more of the others.
OUR SUPPORTERS

Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ (Stateside Administrator)
4067 Leo Lane, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 561.848.1111

Central Avenue church of Christ (GA)
Jay church of Christ (FL)
Poolville church of Christ (TX)
West Dyersburg church of Christ (TN)
Palm Beach Lakes church of Christ (FL)
Anonymous Families / Individuals ( AZ, FL, TN, TX)
PARAGUAYMISSION.COM iglesiadecristo.com.py conocerlapalabra.com
Administration
Director (Administration) - Troy Spradlin
Asst Director (Academics) - Perry Hardin
Secretary - Mirta Vera

Committee Members
Luis Yegros, Ale Yegros, Pedro Vera,
Troy Spradlin, Perry Hardin, Ike Yegros
Teachers:
Eliezer Perez Pedro Vera
Ike Yegros Jorge Vera
Josh Blackmer

BEAR VALLEY (BVBID) SUPPORT
Extension School Director - Bob Turner
Stateside Coordinator - Luis Camacho
THE ASUNCION BIBLE ACADEMY
Leticia Riveros
Letty is 20 years old and is the adopted
daughter of our church secretary, Mirta Vera.
Letty has always been evangelistic and
regularly invites her friends to church. She
would like to have more Bible knowledge so
she can be a stronger disciple and to better serve in the
kingdom, especially with teaching children. What a
wonderful heart and attitude for such a young lady!
The Umaas
Isaac and Isabel Umaa are two
of our potential students for the
upcoming Beta Class. They were
just married this past month, on
July 4th. Isaac is the son of my
classmates, Moiss and Maritza
Umaa, from Southwest School
of Bible Studies in Austin, TX.
He wants to be a preacher and
she wants to serve in the Lords
kingdom, so when they heard
about our school in Paraguay, he contacted us to see
what the possibility would be to attend. They want to work
with the church while they are here and we believe they
will be a huge asset, especially for our youth group. They
will be coming in August to visit, submit applications, and
interview with the committee. Were looking forward to it!
Since the last report, we have had another young man
express interest in attending the Academy for the next
class. This has made us think a little more seriously about
classroom space and logistics. We may have to make a
decision to limit the class size, which means we will have
to deny someone a place in the student body. Each
student must fill out an application, go through an interview
process, and give a commitment to the church for after
graduation. We are praying that if it is the case that some
arent able to attend this next class, they will still be
interested two years from now for the Gamma Class.

We are still in need of support for some of the students for
the upcoming Beta Class (2015-2017). If you are not
currently supporting the Asuncion Bible Academy, wont
you please consider this in your upcoming budget
planning? We would greatly appreciate it!
For more information, please visit our webpage at:
www.paraguaymission.com Or, you may contact Troy
Spradlin directly at (595) 0981.630.886 (Paraguay cell
phone), troy.spradlin@yahoo.com, or through our brother
Luis Yegros at luisyegros@hotmail.com (he speaks
English and is the treasurer for the church ). Please keep
this opportunity in your prayers! Thank you!