“All Aboard!” shouted out Captain Heard, as the IM’s exhibit at the ABC Mission/Summit Biennial, The Caravan, prepared to load the passengers onto the deck. All the IM staff at the biennial arrived on time and climbed aboard.

Not only was the deck shared with animals in their crates, other things were happening, too. A modern-day Ann Judson was in the helm, sharing her personal challenges of traveling on the Caravan – being just a two-week bride and handling her intense seasickness on their 4 month trip.

Captain Heard could be seen on deck, speaking to passengers giving his account of his traveling adventures on his first owned brig, the Caravan, a merchant vessel. He shared his observations about the passengers, Ann and Adoniram Judson, who were on their trip across the high seas to overseas missionary service.

He did take time to pose at the helm for a photo op with passengers who came aboard.  And hanging along the bulwarks were paper bags of rice with the names of the passengers who gave to IM’s “Rice for Refugess on the Thai-Burma Border” (see http://www.internationalministries.org/projects/100 ).

In the quiet moments between the presentations of Captain Heard and Ann Judson, the benches along the bow of the Caravan were used for meeting places for private conversations.

This replica of the Caravan represents the vessel that carried Ann and Adoniram Judson to their overseas mission, eventually arriving in Burma, 200 years ago – a celebrative anniversary for the arrival of the first International Ministries’ missionaries.

And celebrations don’t stop there!

The Nepal Baptist Bible College (NBBC) just celebrated its 15-year anniversary!

It started as a 3 month training program for rural pastors and lay leaders. During our time of living in Kathmandu, I led a basic discipleship class. Eventually that small training program transformed beyond its humble beginnings to become a college. It now provides a three year Bachelor of Theology Program which has just graduated its fourth class of students.

In support of rural pastors with limited education, NBBC also provides a Certificate Program of Theology. This program is decentralized into 4 remote areas and meets for one week quarterly – taking the education opportunity out to nearly 100 rural pastors. One location takes 4 days of overnight bus rides and walking on precarious mountain paths to reach, and is totally cut-off during the monsoon months of June-September.

These pastors, appreciative for this opportunity, say:

“It is necessary to be trained in God’s word if we want to reflect Christ through our life or through the life of our church members. This program is being very supportive for me to be like Christ and to lead people in His way.”

“We preach every week, but after the (homiletics) class, it showed my mistake… and now I know where I should focus to prepare a good sermon.”

Your gifts to the World Mission Offering make it possible for very remote rural pastors to get a limited theology education enhancing their limited education.

Your gifts to the World Mission Offering make it possible for educated young Christian adults to receive theological training, developing them into the future leaders of the Nepal Baptist Church Council.

Thank you for your gifts to the World Mission Offering.

Carole