by STN President, Dr. Paul S. Brown
STN began its work in Latin America in 2016 under the direction of Pastor Eddie Bueno (Hispanic senior pastor at The Bridge Bible Fellowship – Iglesia Cristiana Puente de Vida). At one time we had a total of six training institutes in four countries offering BTCP courses. Several groups completed the 10-volume curriculum, we held some graduation ceremonies, and we were ready to offer courses to new people. Then 2020 came and most of the work came to a halt due to Covid-19 restrictions. Pastor Bueno and I were supposed to travel to a graduation in Tapachula, Mexico in late March 2020 but all flights were canceled.
The Lord has once again opened the doors! Classes are being offered again in Bolivia and Honduras. By the time you read this, Pastor Bueno will have gone to Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Sept. 26 – Oct. 1) to offer a Teacher Training Workshop (TTW). BTCP requires this training for anyone who is going to use their curriculum to teach others. One of the men attending the TTW already has a group of 20+ students waiting for their new class to start in October.
Pastor Bueno will also be going to Tapachula, Mexico (Dec. 1-4) to preside over the graduation ceremony we were supposed to have 2 ½ years ago. The trainer in Tapachula is preparing to start a new BTCP class early in 2023 with 20+ students. There is a possibility that I will join Pastor Bueno early in 2023 for a graduation ceremony in Honduras. And there are other men and locations we are evaluating for possible STN Institutes in the future.
Thank you for your prayers for STN’s ministry in Latin America. Please continue to pray for Pastor Bueno’s health, for wisdom in restarting some of the Institutes and launching new Institutes in new regions. Ask the Lord to use STN’s training to raise up many new church planters who will go to currently unreached areas all over Latin America. And give Him praise for allowing us the privilege of resourcing native workers to reach their own countries with the gospel. To God be the glory great things He is doing!
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.