By Tammy Werth
Are you interested in supporting an STN pastor without money or even leaving home?
We all benefit from having someone pray for us. How much would a pastor in another country benefit from your prayerful support? We may never know how important it is to have others praying until we get to heaven. I’d like to share the joy and excitement God has given me praying for a couple STN training pastors and their classes in India.
A few months ago, Paul Brown sent a request for prayer partners for the pastors being trained in India. I noticed someone had signed up to pray for seven pastors, one for each day. I thought, I can pray for a couple pastors and his class. I requested pastors I had met when I visited India. I thought I could easily pray for a pastor familiar to me. I didn’t realize I would be given everyone’s name in the class. Overwhelmed by the number I wondered how I would faithfully pray for all these pastor students. I broke down the list by class and wrote all their names on index cards. This seemed a little more doable and would help me to keep track of the ones for whom I had prayed. I committed to specifically pray for three or four names each time I set aside times to pray for these pastor students.
What happened next overwhelmed me.
I thought my familiarity with the pastor teachers would get me started but God in His omniscience has not allowed me to rely on my strength or wisdom. The first day I prayed for the two pastors I already knew and met in India. That seemed easy enough. The next day I had three cards with names on them before me and I pleaded with God to help me because I had no idea what or how to pray. In an instant “unity” popped into my mind. I thought, even if this was wrong or my own thoughts I could pray for so many things that had to do with unity. The next time I prayed and asked the Lord for help and “protection” popped into my mind so I prayed for protection. In the middle of praying for protection someone else on a mission trip popped into my mind so I prayed for them as well. Wow this was overwhelming and brought me so much joy to be a part of what God was doing in a place I could not see.
The Lord has faithfully directed and guided me to pray for what these men and their wives need. Each time I’ve asked the Lord what to pray I haven’t been without a thought or direction from the Holy Spirit for these pastors who are on the front lines in the darkest areas on our planet, where they face the greatest opposition to the gospel. As a bonus, when I got further down my list of names a few ladies, probably pastors’ wives or ministry leaders are taking the classes making praying more thrilling. The Lord has given me clarity and direction whenever I have asked and caused me to be excited about praying for the classes.
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Ephesian 6:18
If you would like to join this prayer ministry, please email STN at info@shepherdingthenations.org and let us know how many names you would like. We will send you the name(s) and approximate location of where they live.
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.