One of the highlights for me on our short-term trips to India is the opportunity to teach God’s Word to Indian Christian women. If you had told me in my early 40’s that I would be traveling to India and teaching the Bible to women there, I would have laughed out loud! I never saw myself in that kind of role, but here I am, 14 years and four trips later and it has become my passion! Not only has the Lord taught me to study and teach, but He has given me a true love for His daughters in India. It’s this love that motivates me to go back every time there is an opportunity to bring the Word to those who desire to learn.
Women’s Retreat – Indian Style
This banner is used in India to promote the conference – note the headline – “Good news for those who delight to preach nothing but the Word” That’s me!
This year will be a little different from past trips where we have focused on a small group of pastor’s wives from rural villages. This year we will be teaching 125+ women during a three-day women’s conference, and then holding a second one-day conference for 75+ women the next week in a different area. Our attendees will be Christian women who are coming from local churches. Flory, Tammy and I will all have opportunities to teach and there will be time for small group discussion, singing, testimonies and prayer.
This might sound similar to women’s retreats or conferences here in the states – except for the translation into Hindi and Telegu… and the cultural differences… and the political persecution against believers… and a whole host of life experiences and hardships that I would never experience. To be honest with you, we will really need your prayers and the Holy Spirit to open hearts and illuminate His Word to these precious women. What we all have in common is our salvation, the authority of God’s Word, and a high calling as the people of His church – and that’s everything!
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- 2014 S.R. translates as Susan Teaches (Tammy and Flory in background; PC – Diane)
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- 2014 – Pastors wives from remote villages during conference
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- 2014 – M.M. translates as Susan teaches pastor’s wives in North India
My Topic – Contentment
The Lord has put the topic of Christian Contentment on my heart this year. It was the theme of our College and Young Adult camp this year and I had the opportunity to teach the young women on this topic. As every teacher knows, the first thing I had to learn was how much I had to learn! Praise God that He has changed my heart and helped me to grow in this area of my life and I am so excited to share it with these precious ladies in India.
What is Christian Contentment? According to Puritan preacher, Jeremiah Burroughs,
“Christian Contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”
The Apostle Paul told us in Phil. 4:10-13 that he had “learned the secret” of contentment and that the strength to be content comes from Jesus Christ. May the Lord continue to teach me this secret and reveal it to those I’m called to minister to in India.
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.