October 7, 2016.
A lot has been happening in India and Nepal since this story was originally published! Thanks to Trans World Radio, the SD cards are now in 5 languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Malayalam, Nepali, and now Gujarati. The latest launch, in the Gujarati language, included 1000 SD cards distributed through TWR-India to local churches!
Overall, the SD card project of David C Cook and Trans World Radio has equipped 25,000 pastors and leaders who do not have any theological trainings. The two regions where the church is growing the fastest are Punjab in Northern India and Nepal. With this growth, there is continued and growing need for more discipleship content in these two regions.
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March 18, 2015.
A few weeks ago, we shared how God is touching hearts in India and Nepal with the gospel and raising up leaders like Pastor Rajan Neupane.
In Nepal, Christianity is spreading so rapidly that emerging Christian leaders—who are barely more than new believers—are stretched thin. Written materials are helpful in some places, but many of the leaders are semi-literate or oral learners. Seminaries and training programs cannot reach them or keep pace.
Audio recordings on a secure digital (SD) card provide an ideal solution. Families typically own at least one cell phone, and many church leaders support themselves with a second job, so the recordings let them listen and learn throughout the day and share the message with their congregation later.
David C Cook, in partnership with Trans World Radio and Greater Grace Church of Kathmandu, developed a tiny digital card that delivers an entire library of training resources, giving pastors access to:
- 162 lessons derived from 13 commentaries by Warren Wiersbe, adding up to 90 hours of audio material
- Translations in Punjabi, Hindi, and Nepali languages
- Punjabi cards with 12 translated songs from Integrity Music artist Sheldon Bangera’s album, Nachoonga
When the SD cards arrived in Nepal, pastors desperate for knowledge came in droves—more than 600 of them, easily double the number expected.
Some men and women traveled two or three days by foot or motorcycle to get a copy—people like Abraham Dahal from Nepal. Abraham says,
My family and I serve inside a Bhutanese refugee camp. We share the gospel with people and bring them to the Lord. We have started seven churches. I received an SD card and learned how to use it with my phone. Every morning I listen to the commentaries and discuss them with other leaders. I thank God for this card. It is an answer to prayer.
We thank God for the spread of the gospel in India and Nepal. To date, 13,000 SD cards have been distributed, reaching 260,000 people with tools to learn and grow in the Lord. In 2015, as donor support enables, 20,000 pastors and 500,000 congregants will receive cards with four new translations.
Please pray for the spiritual formation of Christian leaders like Rajan and Abraham, and that God would raise up more leaders like them. As Pastor Rajan explains,
