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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VIETNAM: Dr. Joshua Nguyen and his wife Linh hosted the 5th graduating class for the MBMP. There were 10 of 12 graduates in attendance. The dynamic Marketplace Biblical Mentoring Program trains young professionals in reaching their communities and workplace associates for Christ! It is encouraging to see that there are young people today who would go through this year-long course to tell others more effectively of the joy of Christ!
Currently, BMI has ministry occurring in Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Last January and February Jonathan was in Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana. BMI appreciates our Rwanda ministry partner, Emmanuel Ndolimana, who facilitated all the conferences.
In Lusaka, Zambia, Jonathan held a 7 Steps conference with 16 Christian leaders from 4 countries. There was a very positive response from the participants, and they look forward to Jonathan returning in late 2021 or early 2022 for the 2nd of a 3-year training program.
Following Zambia, Jonathan traveled up to Nairobi, Kenya, and held a training event on Encountering Christ, part 1. The participants represented some of the leading Christian universities in Kenya along with a group of denominational leaders. BMI’s regional director for Eastern Europe, Dr. Vitaly Sorokun was able to join.
After the Nairobi conference Jonathan traveled to Rwanda where his wife, Faith, flew in, and they conducted a seminar on “Technology and the Family” and also a marriage conference.
Faith, Jonathan and Emmanuel then traveled over to Accra, Ghana, for an investigative trip. The host for this trip was BMI’s good friend, Samuel Boateng, who works with Sustainable Medical Missions.
HANOI, VIETNAM: Dr. Joshua Nguyen training Technology and Your Family to a group of Christian leaders! In Vietnam, they are allowed to gather together now!
NAIROBI, KENYA: February 2020
Encountering Christ Conference, Part 1 with Dr. Jonathan Burnham, Rev. Emmanuel Ndolimana and Dr. Vitaly Sorokun. We were blessed this year to have new to the group, Archbishop Mussa Magwesela, Archbishop of Africa Inland Mission, Tanzania, and Dr. Mateusz Wichary, President of the Polish Baptist Union and the Polish Evangelical Alliance and Vice President at the Higher Baptist Theological Seminary in Warsaw.
