The last two months have been very fruitful for the Lord in many ways. The continued progress of our six students is a source of encouragement and light that shines throughout the whole country. It shined when they returned to their home congregations, often in small villages, during the Nepal New Year holiday in April. They also went on a campaign and visited four congregations high in the mountains in June. The light shines daily / weekly here in Kathmandu. The school has an areawide fellowship the last Saturday of each month with classes for children, the youth, ladies, and men. The students are active with these classes as well as showing servant leadership by serving lunch, something seldom found in the old style leadership that the members have seen in the past.
July began with a visiting teacher, Bro. Steve Smith from Mission Viejo, Calif. Steve became a student before he came as a teacher. He inquired about specific ways that he should approach his responsibility as a teacher in a poor country with a low literacy level. He began to get to know his audience months before he landed at the airport. His lessons on the Sermon on the Mount were terrific. He related everything to a change that begins on the inside [heart and mind] before it can become a part of our behavior, speech, and Christian fellowship.
We were blessed by the return of Bro. Don Prather to the school for the second and third weeks of July. Don was our first visiting teacher in July of last year. He was accompanied by his wife Janie [last year also] and by Bro. Art Gibbs [first time]. The first week Don taught the students about the Life and Work of an Evangelist. The second week we had 30 Christian leader guests from outside the Kathmandu Valley attend. In June they were given reading assignments to study, take notes, and prepare questions in order that they could come to the class for some deep discussion and learning. The theme for the week was How To Use The Bible To Understand God’s Message. The class participation and enthusiasm was contagious.
Some of the comments by the visitors were along this line ……………
** Coming prepared, having discussions, and coming with questions and leaving with answers was much better than having a preacher talk and the audience sit and listen.
** They were impressed with the attitude and fellowship between all those attending, whether teacher, school staff or students, and all the guests.
** The words “fellowship” and “family” were frequently heard.
** They would like to have these type of classes every 2-3 months.
Note: We will begin to work on raising the money needed for their transportation, food, and lodging. It is a much desired and greatly needed project that will touch the church all over Nepal.
We also had a guest preacher for three days during the third week of July. Bro. Mike Brooks has been coming to Nepal for 16 years, averaging two trips of about two weeks each. His three days of classes was also attended by over 30 Nepali preachers, many of whom attended at the school the week before. His lessons on Basic Bible Beliefs were well received, needed by the church everywhere, and also gave our students another view of teaching method and style.
In addition to our guest speakers, we have been blessed with more active teaching participation by three Nepali preachers. Brother Parsuram Sunchuri taught a class on The Christian Family in June and will teach a class on Fruitful Methods of Evangelism and Church Maturing in Nepal beginning in August. Bro. Pramod Dhakal will also teach a class in August. He has become more active with the school and this will be his first teaching responsibility. Bro. Kirish Maharjan has been active about one day per week for over a year and has expressed a desire to increase that time at the school plus visit our soon to graduate students with special assistance in their ministry in their home congregations. We are very blessed and pleased with this increased Nepali leadership activity.
Our first group of six students will graduate on September 21. The first two years at any school have to be full of frustrations, joys, ups, downs, and so many first experiences for so many Christians. This has been true for our students, Gajendra as the Director, our teachers, and those who have been knowledgeable of the school’s progress.
All of us wish to thank Bear Valley Bible Institute of Denver, the congregations in east Texas that supply the monthly funds to run the school, the members at Mission Viejo, CA, Lakewood, CA, and Reno, NV for their support, the visiting teachers, and for the prayers of our American brothers and sisters, who are our unseen, but loved and appreciated, spiritual fellow-workers in the kingdom of God’s dear Son.
Jerry Golphenee