Kathmandu, Nepal: Â
CHRISTMAS IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL: BMI Regional Director, Sonam Kabo, and his wife, Rita, hold special Christmas events each year for their church and community. Here is a video showing the gathering in their home for singing, food, and fellowship! They also visit any home where they are invited!Â
(If you are on Facebook, see this link to a special video! )
https://www.facebook.com/kathmandupost/videos/599617633945385/
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. Â 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. Â
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!Â
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. Â 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! Â This year Rita had a few special honors. Â 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. Â
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!
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.)
NEPAL: February 2019
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.
November 2018Â
The Persa District of Nepal is near the border of India and is an extremely remote region. A pastor who was in the Indian Army, and gave his life to Christ there, requested that Rev. Sonam Kabo come to the region to start a BMI Biblical Training and Mentoring Program (BTMP). It is interesting to read Sonam’s account of his journey to this region: “The journey by bus was 13 hours one way – 8 hours by national highway and 5 hours on a riverside, muddy road through dense forests. This village was in the midst of a jungle and the pastor told me that on occasion there have been cases of wild tigers who come near the village and attack the children while playing outside their houses. There are also snakes that come inside the homes and bite people while they are sleeping. I felt that I was being taken to be slain while traveling by bus in this dense forest road which I have never experienced before in my life! However, by God’s grace, I was able to arrive in this village safely and the training went very well. Despite all these challenges, I was able to train 16 needy pastors and leaders of 14 house churches of this district!”ÂSonam also sent the number of participants of each region that were trained with the 7 Steps of Christian Living and the BTMP (Biblical Training and Mentoring Program) in just two months: 1. 16 people were trained in Persa District 2. 250 people were trained in Hetauda region 3. 30 people were trained in partnership with SMM in Siliguri region 4. 195 people were trained in Darjeeling 5. 160 people were trained in Nagaland 6. 11 final year students of Nepal Ebenezer Bible College (NEBC) 7. 45 students of NBC ( Nepal Bible College) Sonam’s wife, Rita, has trained hundreds of women this year alone in Nepal and India!  She also is the Principal of Elim Kids Academy, a Christian school of 300 children in Kathmandu, Nepal. Pictures below include Sonam’s bus into the jungle area, the pastor there, and other pictures of Sonam and Rita’s ministry. Click on picture to view larger:
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