Blog

Joseph’s Burden: Now is the Time

Posted on May 11, 2023

Finally, with all anti-pandemic measures lifted, we can reconnect with our national trainers in person! Our head trainer, Joseph, was able to come meet us last month. We trust his testimony below will give you a clearer picture of their current challenges. "After the sudden relaxation of COVID control measures, all of us trainers got infected. So, we only managed to conduct one training from last December to mid-February. Training gradually resumed as we recovered, and we completed 18 trainings from mid-February to late April. Things appear to be returning to...

Work While It Is Day!

Posted on March 3, 2023

Three months ago, East Asia suddenly canceled its strict anti-COVID policy. This caught us by surprise. The unexpected relaxation of restrictions led to a nationwide explosion of cases. All our teachers and family members, plus most of our training partners and students, got infected. With no teachers available or students to teach, we had no choice but to stop training again. As a result, we were unable to attain our original goal of running 40 training sessions and graduating 100 students last year. Despite our initial disappointment, we felt relieved knowing...

Ringing in the New!

Posted on January 6, 2023

As we ring in the new year, there is much to celebrate at SALT! Since our founding 27 years ago, we have compiled over 30 courses covering not only the histories of the Old and New Testaments, Bible teachings and Christian living, but also Bible Study and preaching skills. Ten years ago, we began the process of revamping outdated content. Today, we rejoice over the completion of our latest revision project, the new and improved Homiletics course. Indeed this journey was full of twists and turns, as described by our curriculum colleague, Music,...

Carpe Diem

Posted on December 6, 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, we bring you a story of SALT trainers and students who seized the day, despite hazards and hard work. One Monday in November, two of our SALT trainers hurried to the SC site. They were slated to teach our Old Testament Survey 1, 100 Steps (OT 1) course the next morning. En route, they heard that several other trainings got postponed due to the pandemic. They had only one plea in their hearts: "Lord, please don't let this training be affected." PTL that classes began as scheduled, but the crisis...

Advancing with Vision

Posted on November 7, 2022

What a special opportunity we had last month to video chat with two of our founders, Rev. Steve Wible and Dr. Steve Torgerson! In discussing the future development of SALT, our focus naturally turned to the rapid changes taking place across East Asia. Like some of you, they raised concerns about how these changes are impacting SALT's ministry. Yes, we are facing greater and greater challenges, but yes, we are experiencing God's grace in greater and greater measure. As our Director of Training, Joseph, explains, "COVID has repeatedly broken out in different...

When Plan B Is Best

Posted on October 10, 2022

Sometimes, Plan B is God's best for our lives. Such was the case for 25-year-old Wing who graduated from our 3-Year Certificate Program last year. Among the first cohort of SALT graduates, Wing was determined to become an "unashamed worker who will be also qualified to teach others." (2 Tim 2:2,15) Committing to full-time ministry was no easy endeavor, even for a second-generation believer like Wing. A college grad with a bright future ahead of him, Wing could have simply stayed on in the secular world, but he finally let go of his original...

Reversal of Roles

Posted on September 6, 2022

What pride and joy we feel at SALT as our national trainers take on greater ownership over curriculum design and course development. More than a decade ago, we created the "You Preach I Write" approach to tailor-make Bible courses for pastors in the East Asian church. While lacking expertise in writing, our national trainers excelled in preaching, using cultural illustrations and application points familiar to local believers. So, our job was to transcribe their pilot teaching and discussion recordings into text, then edit and compile the materials into manuals. In this...

Truth AND Dare

Posted on August 4, 2022

Training in East Asia is no game. The reality is that if you choose to teach the Truth, you inherently put yourself at risk. Even favorable conditions are no guarantee for smooth sailing, except for God's grace. SALT's recent ministry at the Millet site is a case in point. Despite sporadic COVID outbreaks in his hometown, seasoned trainer Joshua braved the danger of being sent into quarantine and missing his scheduled training of the course we call Practical Church Management (PCM). Upon arrival, Joshua was immediately ordered by health authorities to serve a two-week isolation...

Open Doors!

Posted on July 7, 2022

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." (Jeremiah 32:17, NIV) Last month, we requested prayers for God to open doors so that we could resume training after three months of closure. How faithfully He has answered! As COVID restrictions began to ease, training has resumed one by one since mid-June. PTL that in total, six training sessions have already been completed in just half a month, far exceeding our expectations. This was due in large...

Purpose in the Pause

Posted on June 11, 2022

"Lord, please bring us back to normal!" This has been our heart’s cry since mid-March when all training in East Asia came to a standstill due to the pandemic. Perhaps such desperate pleas echo your sentiments as the world continues to recover from COVID. Well-meaning advice to pivot to online training sounded appealing at first. But for two reasons, we felt it prudent to wait upon God's timing to re-open on site, in-person training: SALT courses rely heavily on in-person interaction, and more importantly, online Bible training is no longer safe...