Dear All,
Wednesday’s Bottom Line:
Scott was able to do his presentation to the conference pastors on Tuesday afternoon, and 13 pastors signed up to join Disciple-Makers (DM) groups! He is working with Mohan, one of our key contacts there, to figure out how best to place these pastors in groups and begin training them. Scott is also eager to feel better and very much appreciates your prayers.
Wednesday’s Prayer Requests:
1. A powerful upcoming meeting with the regional coordinators (details below).
2. The Holy Spirit to guide the five members of our “Go Nepal!” mission team as they prepare the messages they will share at the youth camp and in church services in Nepal. They are here at home now and will head out on November 3rd.
3. Healing for Scott; specifically, no more body aches or painfully sore throat.
Wednesday’s Details:
Here’s a bit more information about the religious climate in Nepal and this particular pastors conference. According to the most recent census in 2021, Nepali religious affiliation breaks down roughly as follows:
81% Hindu
8% Buddhist
5% Muslim
3% Kirat (focuses on worshiping ancestors and nature)
2% Christian
As you can see, Christianity has been a very small part of the picture, so the fact that there even are 150 Nepalese evangelical pastors is significant, and that they have gathered from all over the nation for this conference in K is quite impressive. These pastors are from 15 regions, each of which has a “regional coordinator” who likely has significant influence with the pastors they lead or oversee. Scott has attended some of the conference sessions and was honored to speak to the whole assembly during his session on Tuesday afternoon. Afterward, these pastors all registered to join DM groups.
All these pastors want to become disciple-makers!
As I write, Scott is meeting with Mohan (standing, third from right in white shirt) to plan which pastors should be placed in which group led by whom. They need divine insight!
When the conference wraps up, most of the 150 pastors will return to their homes, but the 15 regional coordinators will stay on for more targeted sessions. And Pastor Thomas, who I believe is one of the conference planners(?) has now invited Scott to speak directly to those regional coordinators. This is a wonderful opportunity for Scott to share truths to stir them up and encourage them, realizing that whatever God directs him to tell them, they will likely pass on to the pastors in their regions. That is exciting because we really want this biblical pattern for raising disciple-makers to expand beyond the relatively small local areas of Nepal where DM groups are currently meeting.
Here are a couple more cultural notes. In Nepal, the work week is Sunday through Friday, so Christian churches have their services on Saturday morning. Scott will be preaching at a church on Saturday morning and then holding a Disciple-Makers seminar on Sunday. Also, it is common in Nepal to remove one’s shoes in places of worship—be they Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries, Muslim mosques, or Christian churches—which explains some bare feet in the photo above.
Here’s a gorgeous picture from the mountaintop conference center. Scott captioned it, “This is the view from my breakfast table.”
AAAHHH!
We will have more good news for you soon. Scott especially asked me to “thank the partners for their prayers.”
Thank you for your prayers. Please don’t stop now!
Blessings,
Patty