WISE Staff

They say here it takes a village to raise a child, which is an incredible opportunity and task.  It also takes a village to get a school going.  We currently have three instructors (Bro. Arlington, Bro. Brice and Bro. Pearson) with moreinstructors coming on board in the fall as WISE grows.  Sis. Angh volunteers part-time in our office and deals with accreditation and immigration, which is actually a full-time job.  After Sis. Anne graduated in December, she came to live and work on campus with us.  She oversees the students’ work-study program and assists in the office and withimmigration as well.  Sis. Rosita just joined us this January as our full-time cook, which we needed desperately.  We quickly discovered some positions could go unfulfilled for a while–but not the cook’s job!
 

WISE Students

In our wildest dreams of planning for the opening of WISE in Barbados, we never imagined the nightmare it would become to get our students here–that it would take a year and a half to get those students on campus.  And while we made plans and were so excited when we received government approval and had students applying and ready to come, we found that only a few of our students were able to get into Barbados for our first semester of training.  Incoming students from other islands must have student visas three months prior to coming, so most of our students were pushed back to September.  We are still in alearning curve regarding the whole process of getting our students to Barbados, and we’re very thankful for the students’ patience and persistence in waiting as we iron out these kinks. 
 
 

Waiting Update

Waiting is hard.  At least for us!  We have been working hard to get the one-year degree approved, to get students to Barbados, to get the campus running smoothly, to fill job roles we have here.  And now so many stateside board members and staff members here are working to get the associate’s degree approved for more students to come.  We have thought 18 months seems like a long time to wait for the Barbados government to approve us on various items.  But…Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel and even Joseph had to wait 13 years in prison until he was free and God had a position for him.  Wow!  We aren’t even close to half the waiting time those men of God had to wait!  However, we have learned that God shows us other things during the waiting times and works out His will in different ways.  In 1 Samuel it speaks of “a lack of patience can cause you to miss blessings.”  We have seen and felt so many of His blessings during this waiting and growing period for WISE. 
 
Thank you for your faithful prayers – we do continue to ask for your prayers for the following things:

  • for the properties in St. Vincent to sell

  • for the full purchase of the property here in Barbados

  • for the Associate Degree program to be registered by this Spring

  • for more students to come and to be diligent in getting paperwork completed early

  • for the new teammates who will be joining us in August and are now raising support and preparing their transition.
 

Barbados Perspective

We love visitors, but we know it is not always possible for some to come.  So, we thought we would share a little about the culture from our American eyes.  We have only been here a year and a half, so we’re still far from experts. But here is our take so far:

  1. Pepper sauce is a must for flavoring on everything here.  (It is a local hot sauce that is so great!)

  2. You drive on the opposite side of the road…but not really.  Because of pot holes and vehicles parking on the roads, you really swerve whenever…wherever you can!

  3. There are no speed limits – but, again, potholes in the road don’t allow your speed to be too fast.

  4. Honking and lights flashing at you are good signs–someone is letting you in or saying “thanks,” “you’re welcome,” or a friendly “hello!”

  5. Monkeys (at least the ones on campus) are not friendly.  They will eat your plants and any food youleave out.

  6. The weather always says 81 degrees here, but the “feels like” temperature is in the 100s with the highhumidity.

  7. We live in the section of the country known for being “centipede territory.”  So far, bleach down the drains and powder around the house work best in keeping these pests away.  But checking beds each night and checking inside shoes each morning is a must, as the centipedes still seem to come in cracks we can’t see.

  8. Barbados has the highest number of amputees in the world because of diabetes.  Who knew?

  9. Barbados is a small island – only 21 by 16 miles–and yet it can take an hour and a half to get somewhere even without traffic because of the windy, country roads.

  10. The beauty is everywhere–in the people, in the cliffs overlooking the ocean and in the blue, crystal clear waters. 

  11. A yummy local dish – grows free on our trees – breadfruit!
 

WISE Wish List

  • Windows for Kitchen (10 windows for $200 each) Birds are continually flying in and eating the food, so we are hoping to replace these windows.

  • Fridge for Kitchen – $800

  • Stove- $800

  • Books- We are reworking our curriculum and have to purchase many new textbooks.  The average cost is about $20.  You can give money or a gift card to Amazon to help us with these costs. 

 
 

2 Groups Needed

We do have new staff moving to Barbados in August.  We are looking for two more teams to help renovate homes.  If you can help, please come!

 

Online Giving

WISE has integrated a new online giving system. This is a very easy system for you to give online (it does cost about 3% of your total gift). If this is something that you would like to do, please go to this link: https://app.easytithe.com/g3/. On the left side of the page you will click “First Time,” and it sets up the new account. Once you create your new account, you can choose if you would like to make a “One Time donation” or an “Automatic Reoccurring Donation.” These options can be chosen on the left side of the page. If you have any questions please email andrew.stout@wisebiblecollege.org.
 
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If you would like any videos to share at your church – we have several we can send if you ask!  We have teachers, local pastor speaking, and a missionary kids one available. 

If you would like our stateside coordinator to come share at your church for speaking, please contact us!
WISE Contact Info:
WISE
PO Box 8098
Columbia, MO 65205
(573) 321-7906
www.wisebiblecollege.org