by Joe Leinen
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to travel to India and spend time with STN graduates and visit a number of churches and believers there. Although I had heard many stories about India for years through my parents’ travels, this was my first experience in the country.
I had the privilege of teaching, preaching, and leading in worship many times over the course of 2.5 weeks. In that short time there were so many great experiences, wonderful people, and lessons that I learned.
One of the most wonderful things that I experienced was the joy of gathering with fellow believers in Jesus. My first Sunday in India, I attended El Shaddai church. Although I didn’t understand the language, hearing these precious people sing joyfully to the Lord and pray to Him was overwhelming. I had never met these people before, and yet I knew that we had everything in common that mattered, because of Jesus. Every opportunity to gather with believers provided a similar sense of unity, which is hard to put into words.
The Lord also taught me many things, and exposed areas of weakness in my own life. God used this trip to expand my view of the way that He is reaching the nations. I was often in situations that were far different than I was used to, and this caused me to rely on Him through prayer more than I ever had before. The traveling challenges and long days made me realize how weak I truly am, and how desperately I needed the Lord’s strength. The Lord also grew my love for the people I met, and I am praying I can return again to see them. It was truly a life-changing trip, and I’m so thankful to God for this opportunity.
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.