I have six wonderful volunteer teachers working with me to teach seminars using SOWERS methods to the evangelists of our nation of Nepal. We gave evangelism training of Levels 1 and 2 in five different places to church groups at different times throughout these six months. John Edwards, Nick (Philippines) and myself gave Level 3 training to the Bethesda Bible College students in Kathmandu. There were 13 persons trained. They can now teach Level 1 seminars.
We shared the gospel to 3,000 people. We have shared gospel tracts with them and 35 were counselled from the counselling booklet as we used in our seminar. They are in Christ now and doing fellowship in different churches according to their local place. Of this number, 9 people were baptised.
1,000 Level 1 manuals and 1,000 Level 2 manuals have been printed in Nepali. 300 Level 3 teachers manuals and 500 counselling booklets were printed too. 25 sketchboards have been prepared for seminars. The gospel has been shared in 19 different places.
Also 300 people have received rice, blankets and first aid in Gorkha district near the epicenter of the earthquake (made possible by generous donations from New Zealand).
One new church has been planted and the fellowship is continuing at Sakhindara village of Dailekh district for three months.
I have four brothers and two sisters in our team who are helping with SOWERS ministries by volunteering their help. They are elder Dinesh Chand, Pastor Ram BK, elder Sher B Tamang, deacon James Tamang, Mrs Somati Gurung and Hannah my wife (teaching in photo on right). They are always available to teach in seminars as well as when we need their help in our ministries. They have joined with me in our ministry since the beginning.
They are from different denominational background churches like from Assemblies of God (AOG). Pastor Ram BK is from an AOG church. Some are from National Churches Fellowship Nepal (NCFN). Elder Dinesh Chand and deacon Somati Gurung, and Hannah and I are from NCFN background. Elder Sher Tamang and elder James Tamang are from Free Church background. They are not affiliated with any denominational group but they have good relationships with all. They all are from different states of Nepal.
We have also formed a committee with members from different states. We keep in touch by phone and email from time to time to share prayer points and also to share ministry activities with each other. The members are Pastor Ganesh Paudel from Presbyterian Church (East Nepal), deacon James Tamang from Kathmandu, and Pastor Jhaggu Gahatraj from Baptist Church. I am also a member of the committee. These seminar teachers and committee members are employed persons in their church and mission. They have an evangelistic heart for God’s kingdom and are very helpful people together in our team. They are contributing their valuable time for SOWERS seminars and for the gospel voluntarily.
Age: 40
Male/Female: Male
Family situation: Married with a family
Dinesh Chand is a keen evangelist. He is not engaged in any mission and is looking for an opportunity to join with SOWERS ministry to win souls for God’s kingdom. He attended his first seminar 8 years ago and he is very excited to use these methods and tools for evangelism. He is giving time for our seminars according to my request so we are being partners together.
Dinesh was born in a Hindu family. His parents had a general and poor family background. While he was growing up he left his family and went a far distance to study by earning finance alone. It was not an easy time for him so he thought about suicide but a great person came in touch with him and provided work. He is a Christian and he shared the gospel with him. So Dinesh believed in Jesus and was baptised. He learned about spiritual context and he is now an elder in the same church where he accepted Christ. He is doing great work for the Lord Jesus. He is very keen to live his life by being an evangelist of his Savior and Lord.
Age: 43
Male/Female: Male
Family situation: Farmer background
Pastor Ram was also born in a Hindu family. He is a very simple man and was living in poverty. He received Jesus by hearing the gospel. He was baptised and took discipleship training and earned a B.Th. Degree from a Bible college in India. He came back to his own home and church and joined in church ministry. He has been a pastor for 13 years. He does work in the field and does pastoral ministry voluntarily in his church. There are around 50 members in a remote village.
He has been requested to provide SOWERS evangelism training and has partnered with us. He started to share the gospel in his place and also started a new branch church in another village. He is available for our seminars to teach so I am using him in most of our seminars.
There are some people who are keen for evangelism and to teach SOWERS seminars in different places of the nation. Praise the Lord for those faithful brothers and sisters.
Pastor Ram BK’s mum is in trouble because of a cardio problem so he has more struggles to provide funds for her treatment.
Communities responses are good from church groups actually. Our SOWERS program is a great help to the churches by providing its seminars so they learn to evangelise and mobilize their members so their churches are growing. We are currently not able to provide more seminars because finance is lacking and disaster has affected our nation. Our seminars are so unique and are much needed for churches and training centers - that is the response of different communities.
We want to continue providing seminars and would like to also do social activities among children and widows, schooling and income generate etc.
We are experiencing hard and difficult situations because some political and religious people are attacking church missions and organizations to try to stop us as they do not want us to share about Jesus. Wherever evangelical groups are doing evangelism they come and bring difficulties. Many evangelists are a target for arrest and punishment from police because the government is against Christians, so pray for us to have been written in the constitution book and to have a healthy environment to do God’s work in our nation. Hindu people are more than 83% so they are claiming to write Nepal as a Hindu kingdom in the new constitution.
We are very much thanking the SOWERS International executive board and BHW partners who are providing financial help for God’s mission in our nation Nepal.
Pastor Nabin and family