Return for a Reason
Prayers answered: Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
It is little over 1 ½ months since Flory and I left the US with many people praying for us. If it is not for a reason the return to India wouldn’t have been possible. We are so grateful for different groups lifting us up in prayer. God has been abundantly answering prayers on our behalf. The prayer of Paul Brown flashes thru my mind over and again when we see several surprises coming our way.
- Found a house to live: Meeting a couple (who happened to be the US citizens) within two hours of our search for a house and then this couple offering their house that is unoccupied for six months for a price which is less than half the price at other parts of the city is a surprise. The owner has air conditioners in each room and good curtains for the doors – all for the same rent!
- Gas connection to cook food: When I went to book cooking gas connection, the manager who was opening his lunch box to eat stopped and took my work to process and give a permit within half hour is a surprise.
- Room for storing luggage: Ravi and Shanti whose church premises is now in their possession allowed us to keep our 10 suitcases for several days as we couldn’t keep them all in our hotel room. No charges and everything was safe. Surprise!
- Big purchases were made: Immediate purchases for household needs, getting to know lot of new systems (never existed while we lived here), and encountering challenges in day-to-day life such as finding helpers for cleaning the house, taxis and volunteers to drive us around for errands have become part of life.
- Ministry in the midst of all that is going on: Except for one Sunday when I was sick with high fever all other Sundays, I have been preaching and Flory has had a Sunday school ministry. The church had 1st time youth retreat with 200 youth gathering for 5 days; I was one of the speakers for the 5 days, Flory, too, was involved in counseling sessions and interaction groups. Talking to our graduates in the North and West Bengal has been very encouraging. Everyone appears to be waiting for our visit to their regions. All of them are aggressively involved in the ministry. Conversions and baptisms are taking place.
- STN India: Board meeting and Annual general meeting that were essential were held. The board was able to discuss logistics, legal aspects and FCRA matters at length. Two significant meetings were held with a renowned CPA (handling the work of Bill Gates in India). I have also started talking with Suresh; he is officially retired from Every Home Crusade.
- Abraham’s office and home: This continues to be a blessing as I am getting some work done through this office and stay at home and get the help of transportation in Delhi.
Pilgrims: Psalm 119:54 “Your statutes are my songs In the house of my pilgrimage.”
- Both Flory and I aren’t feeling at home yet, though Flory has made the home beautiful to live in over just a couple of weeks. We do feel like pilgrims. Flory is battling with the language. Tears have been flowing as she misses worship in English/Hindi.
- On November 8th we had some pastors with their spouses and Christian leaders with their spouses come for a house warming and to introduce them to STN India. We were able to combine our 10th marriage anniversary with this event.
- Opening bank accounts and operating ATM has been quite an experience. At Lucknow my cards didn’t work.
- We had made a special devise for getting water purified for daily use at home, with monthly servicing.
Expenses incurring in such new systems/adventures never occurred prior to making budget. But blessing in disguise, we can put some of these expenses into house rent and it will still be much low than what we have budgeted.
Program: 1 Corinthians 16:9 “For a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”
In the midst of growing hostility towards the Gospel there is a tremendous open door for evangelism, and planting churches. STN India has a significant role in training and equipping. The past nine years of work has become a model.
- There is a need to identify a large number of people who need support and training.
- Making proposals, policies and budgets, visits to regions, sending out newsletters and making a prayer partner lists are tasks to be undertaken in next weeks.
Pray: There are specific requests.
- Visits to regions such as North (two areas), West Bengal and Nepal. The Lord to give us directions as we make plans starting in January 2016 to meet with our graduates, pray with them and work with them. There are requests to start BTCP programs. What is God showing us?
- Suresh Mathews to be led by God as Suresh desires to be associated with STN India. We do need help in teaching in North India and Nepal. He can be asset. We also need help in STN India administration.
- I see a need to mentor, train several graduates such as J., D., L. and WB brothers. There is a need to hold TTWs in different parts. Both Flory and I have made ourselves available for helping Ravi and Shanti. Also there would be openings in local churches. We need God’s leading to know what to accept and what to reject.
- There is a significant meeting coming up in the 1st week of December @ Lucknow to discuss on problems at Unnao Church, Suresh’s future involvement, probing into CPA’s work, D.’ requests for naming their churches. This trip will also enable me to bring luggage that is left at our son’s home in Gurgaon.
- This time coming to India is a return for a reason that persuades and motivates us to press on. We are very thankful to the STN International board for being a great support in our commitment to serve the living God.
Update – Eddie in Bolivia
Eddie with friends in LaPaz
Communication from Eddie during his research trip to Bolivia has been brief as the wifi has been spotty. Praise God – he is doing fine.
He has been to Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija and this monday he arrived at his final city, La Paz, which is also his hometown.
He has been able to meet and speak with a number of pastors in the cities he has been to and was very encouraged by their enthusiasm to the plan of work he presented to them. He will be meeting other pastors this week to present the plan of work and sunday he will be preaching in one of the churches.
Please pray for the Lord’s direction and wisdom as Eddie explains what the training can do to expand the Gospel.
Answered Prayer for Rehoboth
For over 10 years there has been a legal battle over the property where Reheboth church meets in Hyderabad, India. This little church, led by Pastor Ravi Kumar, has been a bright light in Hyderabad for many years. For a while it looked like they might have to find a different place to meet. But praise the Lord that the battle is over! The property, which contains a church and a home, is now fully owned by Reheboth church. This is a tremendous answer to prayer. Thank you to the many people who prayed on their behalf for so many years. May the Lord continue to bless this congregation for His glory.
Today as I was getting ready to post this, I came across Genesis 26:22 in my daily Bible reading about how the Philistines were quarreling with Issac over the wells that he was digging. He dug a third well and the story reads,
“He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”
The name, “Rehoboth” means “enough room,” and what a blessing to see how just as the Lord gave Issac this well, so he gave Ravi and His church in Hyderabad the provision of this church property so that they will “flourish in the land.”
Susan with Shanthi in front of Rehoboth church (center and right) during 2009 conference.
Randy and Mike Amoroso after services at Rehoboth church in 2009.
A Testimony of Being Equipped
We were pleased to receive the following testimony from one of our Bible Conference pastors:
“The Lord worked in an amazing way when He led us to Rev. Kumar through my brother and Pastor Paul Brown.
As a result, both my brother and I were able to attend STN training seminars in Hyderabad that were of great help to me as I had no knowledge of preaching or teaching and a great need of being equipped as a pastor.
The course material of BTCP and the other tools like the Concordance, the Study Bible and Dictionary have been of great help to me in my studies and in preparing for my sermons with the interaction with the teachers influenced me and left an indelible impression on me to grow into a spirited pastor and preacher.
Due to such effective training, by the grace of God, two churches have been planted in Andhra Pradesh with one having 70 people in attendance, the other 50, all of whom regularly attend the worship every Sunday with their families.
Every Sunday, I teach the Bible and, as of now, have completed the Books of Malachi and Nahum. My brother and I also started the BTCP Training Centre for 35 pastors in Vijayawada, my home-town, where I am also teaching as a member of the faculty.
Thanks to the help of STN, I am now in a position to preach sound doctrine at my church. I profoundly believe that God Himself has given me this rare and wonderful opportunity to grow in Christ spiritually through STN.
I witness His blessing in every family that attends our church. The church attendees also often express their gratitude and gratefulness to the STN for being instrumental in thus fortifying their lives and families spiritually.
Presently, STN is supporting me financially since in each of my churches the monthly offerings are as low as 600 to 1000 rupees (USD $10 to $17). At times, one loses sleep thinking about making both ends meet as such scanty creature comforts often pose a threat even to one’s spiritual growth.
But, by God’s grace, manifest through STN financial aid, I am living a better life than in the past.
I wholeheartedly acknowledge with thankfulness that STN has changed my life’s destiny and helped mold me into an unworthy servant of Christ.
Please know that I am forever grateful to STN for enriching me through sound teaching and for giving me the enviable mission of bringing about a multi-dimensional transformation in our community.”
Pastor I. K.
Savara Tribe Update: Baptisms, Building and Beauty
Shanthi and Ravi Report on a Field Visit in January of 2013
Day One – Eguva Seedi Church with Pastor S. K.
Our January visit to Srikakulam was a very special one as we were joined by some of the sisters from our Rehoboth church in Hyderabad. After an 18 hour train journey and some time to refresh ourselves, we traveled by Jeep to the interior to visit Eguva Seedi, where members of the church there welcomed us in their traditional way by washing our feet and serving us coconut water to drink.
Shanthi & Ravi arrive at Eguva Seedi
Pastor S. K. ministers to the Savara tribe in the village, about 150 believers, as well as those Savara Christians in surrounding villages. The people there speak Telagu and work mostly in agriculture with the whole area full of cashew nut trees. A very beautiful place in God’s creation!
The church at Eguva Seedi has been under construction for the past three years as the work has been slowed by the difficulty in raising funds. We pray for God’s provision to complete the work.
The church in Eguva Seedi has been under construction for three years.
The believers currently worship in a thatched hut and praise God with music produced on instruments made from bamboo.
Despite lack of a church building, worship continues in a thatched hut.
Day Two – Venkatapuram Village Pastor N.S.
On the second day, we traveled to Paata Barna and stopped for a time to see the church construction at Venkatapuram village. We received a warm welcome there and were very happy to participate in the dedication of the beautiful church there that stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Pastor N. S. led the dedication service, which included several baptisms, and all present expressed their joy and gratitude to the Lord for his gracious blessings.
Ravi speaks at joyful church dedication service.
Maliveeduguda, Kotha Barna, and Eetamanuguda
Following the baptisms, we visited Maliveeduguda, another Savara tribal village, where the church building is also under construction. We then traveled on to Kotha Barna, where we participated in an evening service at their church before driving to Eetamanuguda, where three new converts testified in baptism in a beautiful nearby waterfall and spent some time in prayer.
Ravi and Shanthi participate in an evening service at Kotha Barna.
Baptisms near a waterfall
Ministry in Puligummi
From Eetamanudguda, we left for Puligummi, where we conducted a service for the believers there (IMAGE 7) before returning by train to Hyderabad.
Ravi and Shanthi conduct a service in Eetamanuguda.
Thank you for your faithfulness in continuing to pray and contribute so much to the Lord’s work here. Much remains to be done, but God be praised for all that He has done and promises to do I the future through you!
Field Updates – B. Laxman
Gospel outreach is done in seven different villages and includes distribution of tracts, street preaching and door to door ministry. There are also evening Gospel meetings. Because most of these people are less educated and have only a tribal background, it is important to make regular visits to counsel them. It is very hard for them to come out of their deep-rooted beliefs and false religions. Praise God for a couple who are new converts and are attending church. Praise, too, that we could dedicate the newly built church. Please pray for the remaining finishing work to be completed, especially the toilets and a bore-well for water. Please also pray for a woman and her daughter infected with AIDS. Her husband has deserted her. She is a born again believer. Please also pray for this pastor as he visits believers and tries to reach unbeliev-ers with the Gospel.
Field Updates – M. Balasundaram
Praise for a Gospel outreach program where the response was good. Approximately 600 tracts were distributed. As a result of “cottage meetings” conducted recently, 10 people came to saving faith! Please pray for Bro. Dayakar suffering from epilepsy. He encountered opposition from Hindu fanatics when he was doing open air preaching. Pray, too, for the spiritual growth of the new believers. There are many more open air meetings planned for the coming weeks.
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.