All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.
Psalm 86:9-10
by STN Board Member, Tammy Werth
In October, I had the privilege of traveling to Panama. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am thankful the Lord allowed me to join Pastor Eddie and his wife, Xiomara, in Panama. I’ve always wanted to see the Panama Canal, and the city and the people exceeded my expectations. The start of each group brings the exciting opportunity to meet new pastors and students.
It was a blessing to meet Pastor Moreno, his wife, and his brother, who welcomed us with hospitality and made us feel like family. The joy of the Lord is evident in Pastor Moreno, who always has a big smile and a contagious laugh. His beautiful wife Giovanni is gentle and quiet and the mother of seven. Pastor Moreno’s brother, Kenny, graciously became our driver, and tour guide and even cooked us a special meal.
I couldn’t contribute much because I don’t speak Spanish, but the Lord allowed me to experience Panama’s beauty. Unlike the densely packed streets of India, Panama presented a different kind of busyness. Its roads were filled with much traffic but had a more relaxed Caribbean atmosphere. I truly appreciated your prayers; I felt safe throughout my travels and the Lord’s comforting peace as we explored this exciting country.
The American influence is evident, especially near the canal, but I didn’t sense the spiritual oppression I’ve often felt in other cities. Even while driving through a dangerous neighborhood near the historic area of Casco Viejo, I felt the Lord’s peace. Our driver, Kenny, on the other hand, experienced quite the opposite when he was forced to take unexpected detours that forced us into unfamiliar streets. We traveled through El Chorrillo which is a red zone area, and tourists are advised to avoid it. We saw many neglected, overcrowded apartment buildings, noticeable poverty, taxis everywhere, dusty streets, and lots of people sitting outside or walking around. These scenes are typical in impoverished areas or countries. The contrast was striking against the backdrop of the beautiful preserved colonial area of Casco Viejo and the sparkling modern and affluent downtown Panama.
On Friday, we attended a class that just started. Over thirty-two students are participating at this small church, which is impressive. There are now two more classes in Panama, one has thirty-six, and the other has twenty students, which is equally exciting. I thought I’d be able to grasp a few familiar words from the teaching in Spanish. I quickly realized I couldn’t understand anything until the end when the students recited the names of books in the Bible. I even tried using Google Translate and about halfway through the class, I leaned over to Xiomara and asked, “Are you following this?” She replied, “No.” It turned out the teacher was speaking many words in an Indigenous language from Panama, which made it impossible for me to understand anything. 🤦
On Saturday, our drive to the church was interrupted by strong winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Nadine in the Caribbean Sea. Although the hurricane didn’t make direct landfall in Panama, the area still experienced its effects. Pastor Moreno called his wife, Giovanni, who was driving me and Xiomara, and asked her to pull over to safety because strong winds and heavy rain were approaching. This prompted us to pray and ask the Lord for travel mercies while we waited. Until then, we had only experienced light rains, heat, and a lot of humidity in the afternoons. The dangerous winds and flooded impassable streets made the journey to church dangerous. This serves as a vivid reminder of how quickly life’s storms can catch us off guard but He is with us and our hope is in Him.
Please pray for the pastors and students in the three new groups that launched in Panama in the fall of 2024, as well as for the new group that started in El Salvador. These dedicated individuals passionately serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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.