activities included in training

Besides classes in the classroom, the students are given opportunities to grow in various aspects of life. Here are some of the extra activities included in the training: Fasting Prayer On each last Friday of the month, all the students and staff spend the whole day in prayer and fasting. Indeed, some of the students fast for 40 days, having one light meal in the evening while continuing classes. It has been really encouraging to see the students growing in intimacy with the Lord Jesus, and not only in the academic exercises. In this way, they maintain both mind and spirit during the training. Bible Reading As per the requirement of the training centre, the students complete a reading of the entire Bible from cover to cover at least once during the training session. As the training centre is named the Bible Training Centre, we try to prioritize and help students learn the Bible more than any other subject. Of course, we include other subjects, such as the Major Religions, Church History, Leadership, strategies of church planting, pastoral care, effective preaching, and so on. We are glad that all our students did complete the reading of the entire Bible at least once within the given time, and some of them read it twice.

Blood Donation As seen in the picture above, two students of the HBTC and the principal donated blood in a campaign initiated by Itram Christian Church on National Democratic Day (19 February). The blood donation campaign was held in partnership with Nepal Red Cross Society and it was our pleasure that HBTC also could take part in it. Bible Verse memorization The students are encouraged and required to memorize selected verses. The students need to memorize about 100 verses of the Bible during this five months. We believe the memorization of Scripture helps on many occasions. Outreach experience As in previous batches, the students of this session were sent for outreach experience for two weeks (May 20- June 1) to four different places of Surkhet and Dailekh districts. The first group comprised four members and the cook and went to Battichour (Surkhet) and Khadgawada (Dailekh). This group managed to start a new fellowship group at Khadgawada with 6 new believers. Let us pray that they would grow in their faith in the future. Another group was sent to help the newly planted Baptist church in Birendranagar. They participated in the city sanitation campaign as well, and shared the good news to many people, with one man starting to attend church. The third and the fourth group were sent to help the church in Malarani and also Smarna church in Birendranagar. Altogether more than 2,000 Gospel tracts were distributed, and they shared the Good news with the help of singing and testimony. Altogether 150 New Testaments were distributed and 9 people believed in the Lord. Meanwhile, HBTC national director Dil reports from his recent work in Bhutan, for many years a closed and hard to reach nation. Jaimashih. I am still in Thimphu Bhutan training 25 grassroots church planters. I am glad that I could have email access here in Thimphu as well. I have requested pastor Suresh, the principal and pastor Yam, the director to communicate with you now on, so that we all would grow in communication skills and also in leadership. However, I will be available, whenever it is needed. It has been my prayer and effort to get my colleagues to grow in every aspect of life and ministry, so that this work would continue even if I am gone one day. Thank you once again for all you have been doing. In His harvest, Dil, Thimphu, Bhutan. Next month, we have news of the successful graduation ceremony for this session. Meanwhile, please pray for the upcoming 12th session beginning July 16, 2012. 'Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful...that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ' (Colossians 4:2-3) Yours in Him, Rod.