Rev. Sonam Kabo – BMI Regional Director for Nepal and the Nepali Diaspora
Rita Kabo – BMI Women’s Director for Nepal and the Nepali Diaspora
We are so thankful for the over 25 year relationship we have with Rev. Sonam and Rita Kabo. They are warm-hearted, faithful servants of the Lord! All attention is on Ukraine in the world today, but Nepal continues to face many challenges. There is ongoing recovery from the 2015 massive earthquake which killed upward of 9000 people. Nepal has a continuous struggle with poverty and challenges the government poses to the spread of Christianity. In fact, Sonam and Rita actively meet with government officials, including the Vice President of Nepal, to remind them that Christians are good Nepali citizens and need to retain their rights of worship. Sonam and Rita not only minister all over Nepal, but the also minister to Nepali people living in the countries of India, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Bhutan and Malaysia. See below for additional updates:
ELIM WORSHIP CENTER AND SCHOOL
After the Covid-19 subsided into normality, church services resumed running physically, with more than 100 believers participating. The Elim Christian Academy also resumed physically and has more than 200 students from primary to tenth grade and 28 full time staff. Rita Kabo is the principal of the school.
SEVEN STEPS TRAINING and ENCOUNTERING CHRIST CONFERENCES
Dr. Jonathan Burnham has visited Nepal twice in 2022. He taught Seven Steps of Christian Living and Encountering Christ to key Nepali Christian leaders, selected by Rev. Sonam Kabo.
In addition, Sonam has taught these courses in Eastern Nepal, Far West Nepal, and in the Pokhara region. All the training events have been done in partnership with local Bible schools and seminaries.
MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS: multiplying national leaders for sustainable national mentorship movements
Sonam is currently developing mentoring relationships with eight leaders. Each relationship is unique. Some are new, some are long term. Some are in person, and some on Zoom. Sonam makes it a ministry priority to develop and to partner with key leaders. These relationships are already bringing fruit not only in Nepal, but also in Bhutan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and United Arab Emirates!
WOMEN’S MINISTRIES
Rita Kabo has been highly involved in developing women’s ministries in Nepal. She is one of the top, Christian women’s leaders in the entire country and is a very effective trainer in women’s Bible studies, training events, even national days of prayer, educator conferences, and leadership gatherings in both Nepal and India.
The Global Nepali Speaking Christian Fellowship, which took place in November in India, was a unique event: for the first time in their history GNCF had a woman speaker, and it was Rita! Rita powerfully spoke on the role of women in global ministry!
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RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BELARUS
With careful planning and caution, Jonathan has begun traveling again. He conducted five conferences this fall in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey. Multiple training events are planned throughout 2022. In January, Jonathan will hold 3 events in Africa. Our Regional Directors, Ministry Partners and Women’s Ministry Directors have also been busy this year continuing online training and live training where possible. We have highlighted just a few of these events in pictures. Thank you for your partnership and prayers!
New Regional Director for Russia:
We are excited to announce that Rev. Sergey Naboychenko will lead the BMI mentorship movement in Russia. We have known him since 2014. Sergey was a former aeronautical engineer who became ordained as a pastor in 2000. He is a gifted teacher who is well qualified and thoroughly trained in the BMI materials.
Pictured here Sergey and his wife Diana with Jonathan Burnham:
Other Updates from the Region:
Call him “Dr. Dr. !” Dr. Vitaly Sorokun, BMI Regional Director for Eastern Europe, received an honorary DMin degree from Irpin Bible Seminary in Ukraine. Vitaly already has an earned doctorate in international law! We are so thankful for his life and how the Lord has blessed him with such a keen mind and a warm heart for God!
Additional Pictures of Vitaly’s training this year:
NEPAL:
Rev. Sonam Kabo is beginning a new online teaching session to Christian leaders of Encountering Christ, Biblical Themes Focused on Christ (written by Jonathan Burnham). The pandemic has crippled Nepal and they have had many lock downs. Please pray for their country and the Covid situation. We are thankful for the technology which provides pastors with a learning experience as well as fellowship together!
Ministry is expanding throughout Nepal, India and the United Arab Emirates
Over the last several years, Rev. Sonam Kabo, the BMI South Asia Director and his wife, Rita, have traveled to the United Arab Emirates to conduct ministry training in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to the Nepalese population there. In November Jonathan Burnham joined them and held a BMI conference for church leaders and met with leaders concerning future plans. As well as traveling to the UAE, Jonathan traveled to Kathmandu Nepal and Bangalore, India in 2019 conducting training and strategic planning.
Biblical Training and Mentoring Program (BTMP)
BMI Regional Director, Sonam Kabo and his wife, Rita have been training students with the BMI curriculum at many Bible Colleges throughout Nepal: Nepal Ebenezer Bible College (NEBC), Nepal Bible College (NBC), Pokhara Bible School (PBS) and All Nations Theological Seminary (ANTS) in Siliguri, (North East India). They train more than 100 graduate students each year at these colleges and also at Nepal churches and in India as well! This is part of our BTMP curriculum which is designed to accompany the theological and ministry curriculum in seminaries and Bible colleges. Many seminaries, not only in Nepal and India, but also in many other parts of the world, are using this curriculum!
Sonam and Rita Kabo – Representatives for Nepali Christians
Rita Meeting with United States Officials
In addition to her travels with her husband, Rita Kabo is the principal of Elim Christian Academy, a school of over 300 children in Kathmandu, Nepal. She is a strong leader in Nepal for human rights and the rights of women, and also travels throughout Nepal, India and the UAE training women! This year Rita had a few special honors. She was invited to Washington D.C. to represent the Christian Community of Nepal and speak on the marginalized religious community and human rights of Nepal. She was chosen for this honor by the FNCN (Federation of National Christian Nepal). Rita has a law degree and is a strong advocate for religious freedom and the rights of women in Nepal. She is one of the top women’s leaders in the country advocating against the trafficking of women.
Rita was also invited to meet United States Ambassador, Sam Brownback during his visit to Nepal. She was chosen by the US Embassy to represent the Evangelical Christians in Nepal. This was a great honor to speak with him on behalf of the Christian population in Nepal! Ambassador Brownback is the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom!
Sonam and Rita Meet with Vice President of Nepal
Nepal recently passed a legislation to outlaw the observance of a Christmas holiday in Nepal. However, Rev. Sonam Kabo, BMI Regional Director for S. Asia, his wife, Rita, and other Christian representatives continue to lobby the government that Christians in Nepal should be able to observe at least one day, Christmas holiday, annually. Sonam and Rita are on the Board Committee of the Federation of National Christians of Nepal (FNCN). Together with the FNCN president, they were allowed to meet with the Vice President of Nepal to give him New Year’s greetings on behalf of Christian community of Nepal and also, to remind him about the Christmas holiday. Sonam and Rita were welcomed into his office and also, he allowed them to pray for him! Please pray that the Nepal government would reinstate Christmas as a public holiday in Nepal! (pictured Rita with Vice President of Nepal and Sonam speaking at an FNCN program.)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam:
Dr. Jonathan Burnham and guest, Dr. Austin Shaw, were privileged to attend the graduation ceremony for the MBMP (Marketplace Biblical and Mentoring Program) students! These students are young professionals working in many different areas. Dr. Joshua Nguyen, BMI Regional Director for SE Asia, has designed a year-long program which meets weekly and covers the BMI curriculum (7 Steps of Christian Living, Encountering Christ, and Joshua’s own Leadership course. These students are learning discipleship, Christ-Centered theology and how to be leaders for Christ at their places of business, medicine, law and beyond!
