Ryder gives Christmas Message, December 2017
The Lord gave fruitful ministry in a remote village where J.S. and his family have been ministering for several years. J.S. is a graduate of STN and presently teaching in several areas of India. Our hearts are touched by the sacrifices of His people.
The gospel is reaching remote villages and homes. 300 students at J.S.’s school where he’s the principal heard the Christmas message. J.S. is also a Pastor, having a congregation meeting in his home. The contractor who built this school building along with his family became believers and started attending the church. What a joy to witness what God is doing.
I left Los Angeles Thursday, October 27 and arrived in Hyderabad Saturday, October 30th. My first flight into Dubai was excellent but the second into India was crowded. After twenty-two hours, I was happy to see the smiles of Ryder and Flory waiting for me at the airport greeting area. Getting through customs didn’t seem to be a problem and it was such a blessing to see the Kumar’s for the first time in over a year.
My second day in India was Sunday and we attended worship services at Ravi & Shanthi’s church, Rehoboth House of Worship. Worship started at 10:00 a.m. and ended three hours later. Lunch and tea with the congregation and then a wonderful time with Shanthi’s ladies group. I could not have asked for a better day with brothers and sisters who love the Lord and His Word.
Ryder and Flory were full of hospitality and encouragement. Getting from place to place was always interesting and a bit time consuming but Ryder assured me the traffic was light.
Flory and I visited a church outside of Hyderabad for a children’s after school program and a ladies meeting. This church ran the program for local children who come every day for bible action songs, a lesson, tutoring and food. We started out with a few songs and half way through the songs the church was full of little ones singing the songs and doing the movements. Please pray for the children you see in the pictures. The Gospel is shared but most of these children are from Hindu families. My prayer is that God would use the pastor, his wife and all the after school workers to plant seeds that would grow in these children. After the children’s program, Flory and I were able to share with the sisters who attended the evening meeting until about 9:30 pm.
Mid-week,I spent time with the sisters at El Shaddai Church. I attended this church during my visit in 2014. Pastor Paul preached that morning and many remember him. Traveling around the city I visited the STN India offices that was dedicated to the Lord’s work a week or two after I left.
I also had the incredible opportunity to visit a Christian orphanage which was not what I expected. The children were beautiful, smiling and enthusiastic and the young couple responsible for helping heal these little ones hearts and shape their lives were obviously well suited for this special ministry. Please pray for this couple and the children in their care.
The highlight of my trip was the special graduation in Vijayawada. I was able to watch and participate in the graduation ceremony. There were 35 students and about 200 in the audience watching and cheering the graduates on. It was a delight to see the Kalapala family who are faithful to what they have learned and who are growing, training and disciplining others for the Kingdom of God. My heart was immediately joined to all these brothers and sisters and I will not forget them! I wish I had more time with this special family.
As we look to God for more resources as there are scores of servants waiting for an opportunity to be trained in the program. There is an equal number who are in need of financial support and need your help. Would you pray for God’s enabling? The King is coming soon! Would you partner with us? Philippians 1:5 “in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”
In partnership with the Shepherding the Nations we were able to conduct a one day conference for the ladies of our church and surrounding churches with the theme, “Your Effective Growth in the Body of Christ.” Brother Ryder Kumar gave an inspirational and insightful devotional study from John 6:1-14 speaking on “Incredible Blessing.” Flory Kumar spoke with clarity and burden based on the theme. She focused on six aspects of growth, “Worship, Fellowship, Membership, Serving, Discipleship and Giving.” The 62 ladies present were motivated and blessed by the teaching.
Ryder Kumar is serving as our International Director. As one of the founding members of Shepherding the Nations, it was Ryder's vision to see pastors trained and equipped for ministry that became the foundation of Shepherding the Nations.
Shepherding the Nations has identified qualified and called men who are already working in unreached areas of India and Nepal. We are providing the training to better equip them and the financial resources to support them in their ministries.
Our directors have been equipped to teach our ten-volume training curriculum. These key men are training indigenous pastors and church planters while also providing accountability, resources materials, and support. 
During our training program, we provide our ten volume set of curriculum from the Biblical Training Centre for Pastors (BTCP) in their local language. We also provide essentials resources such as Bible Concordance and Study Bible. We have been able to provide these books to all of our pastors through the generous donations of our donors. These books can be purchased for about $10 each or an entire set for $100.