Dear Parents and Guardians,
It seems as though the campus has come alive once more thanks to the students’ return! We’re thankful for God’s hand of protection as we begin the spring semester, and we appreciate your prayers during this time. As we navigate through the “new normal,” I can’t help but be reminded of Psalm 111:7-8, “The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy. They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.”  What a relief to know we can trust our faithful and eternal God no matter what is going on in our world.
I hope you find these updates helpful. As always, let me know if there is anything I can do to serve you.
 
Academics
Dr. John Oglesby and General Loren Reno will be joining us the week of 2/2-5 to teach our first and second year classes, respectively.
The first year class began Systematic Theology with Dr. Tom Davis, New Testament Survey with Professor Mark Strout, and Hermeneutics 1 with Dr. Paul Weaver as their resident classes. The second year class is taking Dispensationalism with Dr. Tom Davis, as well as Public Speaking and Preaching with Professors Mark Strout and Brian Baker.
Dr. Paul Weaver will also be teaching an elective on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons called The Writings of C.S. Lewis. This is a Junior level Davis College course, so all incoming Davis students will be required to take it, but we will also allow WOLBI students to take it as an elective. Mr. Joe Schenke is also teaching a Biblical Counseling elective on Thursday evenings from 7-9 p.m. Students will need to contact Debbie Wallace at debbiewallace@wol.org if they are interested in taking these electives.
 
Student Life
This spring, we are excited to continue in discipleship through individual relationships, small groups, and corporate relationship during chapels and in the dorm. This semester, we plan to cover topics in our chapels that will meet the students where they are. We would ask you to pray as we approach a very special time in the life of our campus.
 
Admissions
This spring, we will be welcoming 21 new students. We are praising the Lord for each one, and we are in awe of His work– we started the month of January with only seven students confirmed for the Spring semester! Many students who had to leave due to financial or COVID-related reasons last year are returning to finish their first year and continue growing in their relationship with the Lord. We even had one student get all of her paperwork in two days before she had to get on a plane and fly in from Wisconsin! What a leap of faith.
 
Missions Conference
Missions Conference is a great time for students to open their hearts to sharing the gospel around the world. This year, we’ve decided to hold Spiritual Emphasis week leading up to Missions Conference, where the students will be challenged to begin doing what it takes to hear from God. The goal is to turn down the noise of the world and attune their hearing to the voice of God. We’ll be kicking off the week on Feb 6th with a challenge to list the distractions in each of their lives and commit to giving them up until the Missions Conference is over. We are providing daily scripture reading, prayer prompts, and designated prayer rooms for students to use all throughout the week to help them focus on intentionally listening to God’s guiding. We would love for you to join us in prayer the week of Feb 6th-14th as we ask the Lord for revival in the students’ hearts and direction for their next steps after the BI.
If you would like to join us for Missions Conference, you can do so online.
Click here to join: wol.is/missionscon
 
Rooted Conference
We’d like to invite you to join us on February 6, 2021, for Rooted Apologetics Conference, an online event featuring some of the best teachers in the country. Rooted Conference will give both students and leaders biblical answers to some of the toughest questions asked when sharing the gospel. We hope this conference will help equip you and your students to share Christ with confidence and stop avoiding the hard questions.
rootedconference.wol.org
 
Cross Cultural Internship
Every year at the Bible Institute, we are privileged to see about two dozen of our second year graduates transition into our Cross Cultural Internship (CCI) program. This internship allows students to serve for two years alongside full-time WOL missionaries in one of the 81 countries where WOL ministers. Interns get the opportunity to grow in their walk with God through a variety of ministry experiences, developing their spiritual gifts, talents, and skills, learning another culture and language, and pursuing the completion of a Bachelor’s degree at a significantly discounted rate.
In early January, we were blessed to have a week of training for all our interns at Word of Life Florida. We saw about a dozen interns graduate from CCI, having successfully completed their two years, and we launched almost 20 new interns who are just now completing their support raising and other logistical work in order to move overseas. In addition to these groups, we have about 20 more interns who are now moving into the final year of their internship.
We are thrilled to see God still working in and through our CCI interns despite the unique obstacles presented by COVID! Next month, we will be opening the CCI application to the current second year students. We are praying that God will raise up yet another class of students who will be willing to obey God’s call to make disciples of all nations through CCI.
 
Life Change Student Fund
Would you prayerfully consider donating to our Life Change Student Fund? Even though the cost of Word of Life Bible Institute is less than half of many colleges, most students are still in need of financial assistance. Of last year’s student body, 92% received assistance!
The Life Change Student Fund allows young leaders to attend the Bible Institute and get a firm foundation that will last a lifetime. By donating, you’ll be directly investing in these young people as they prepare to make a difference for Christ wherever they go.
Learn more: Life Change Student Fund
 
Harry and Millie Bollback
If you would like to read the memorials for Harry and Millie Bollback, they can be found below. Harry and Millie are already incredibly missed, but it’s a great comfort to know we will see them again in heaven, and we are grateful for the incredible years of ministry and impact they had while on earth.
Harry’s memorial can be found here: wol.org/harry
Millie’s Memorial here: wol.org/millie