Faculty Retreat

The fifth annual Bear Valley faculty retreat was Monday and Tuesday of this week (August 25, 26, 2008). What a great event this was. Reports were given on the various works that the Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver is involved in, including the extension schools and the home campus in Denver. This was my first retreat and it was a tremendous experience.

It gave me a chance to see some old friends and get better acquainted with new ones. The retreat was held at Kamp Koinonia in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver.

Hearing all the good work that is being carried out by the Bear Valley Institute was exciting enough, but when the conversation turned to goals being set and plans being made for the future, it was truly an uplifting experience.

As you have read in the previous post on this blog, we are beginning a new school in Honduras, with classes scheduled to begin in January 2009. There are also plans to begin new schools in several other parts of the world. Our goals are ambitious (including the need to raise $20 million dollars for this work), but our God is greater than our goals. With your prayers and His blessings, we can take the Gospel to the whole world in our lifetimes.

God bless,

Donnie Bates