As Bev and I move toward an emphasis on Nepal this year, we can see in faith that the Lord has given us a wonderful opportunity for expansion. In our February pastors' conference in Nepal , we ministered to about 100 leaders. Most of them had only been pastors for a few years, and few of them had been born again more than five years. Though they are from small villages, some of their congregations are over 200 adults! I was amazed and encouraged, when at the close of our conference, they committed in faith to double the number of their churches this year from 54 to over 100 congregations. Following is Shane's account of one of his experiences at the conference.

We had the privilege of participating in a pastors' conference in Nepalgunj, which is in the Southwest end of Nepal . There were about one hundred pastors, church leaders, and their wives attending the conference. These humble leaders sat on the floor for three days greedily absorbing everything we were teaching them. I heard incredible stories about them. How God was using them to heal the sick and cast out demons. Some of these pastors leading churches of 75-100 people were just teenagers, and God has been using them greatly. They have sacrificed family, friends, and worldly wealth to minister the Gospel, but God has blessed them with an abundance of spiritual wealth.

I met two blind evangelists who would walk for miles in the vast Himalayan Mountains with only their feet as a guide. They hike from village to village, and simply preach the Gospel. A man they were witnessing to asked one of them, “If your God is so great, why doesn't he heal your blindness?” This evangelist's reply was, “I don't care about my eyesight; only the eternal condition of your soul.”

Jesus taught us that in His kingdom, the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. In order to be great in His kingdom, you must become like the least. These precious Nepali pastors will truly be great in the Kingdom of God . Please continue to pray for them.

Rick & Shane