Cake for 8 … plus

by Laurie Lind, Entrust staff writer

 

Eight women completed Entrust’s core training modules in the country of Georgia in November 2019 with a special party and a highly unique cake. More about that cake in a moment. First, how did they come to this point and where do they go from here? The answers to both questions illustrate two Entrust values: partnership and multiplication.

 

Partnership

Judy Wood and Diane Thomas of East-West Ministries International, an Entrust ministry partner, shared the original vision for equipping Georgian women. A local pastor, Gia Bakhtadze, supported the idea. Through Entrust connections, the women and Pastor Gia got in touch with Leah Schwartz who serves with SEND International in Ukraine, speaks Russian, had received Entrust training and who agreed to travel back and forth to Georgia to co-facilitate. Pastor Gia's wife Nino organized and participated in the trainings.

 

In 2015, Diane Thomas and Leah Schwartz began facilitating Entrust modules with 11 women—10 from Georgia, one from Ukraine. Eight of the original eleven ladies completed all four core modules. They were faithful and worked hard. Four of them had babies or were pregnant during the courses, but still managed to finish.

 

Multiplication

Some of the graduates are from Savior Bible Church in Tbilisi; a few are from other cities. Several are current or former IFES staff members in Georgia and another served the Lord cross-culturally in this country for many years. That first generation of 11 learners took the courses in Russian. Now, with all the courses translated into Georgian, the plan is to train people from Savior Bible Church and other churches, as well as IFES students and staff, in the local language.

 

Each of the participants is a capable and creative facilitator. Two have traveled to Ukraine to co-facilitate Facilitating Relational Learning with Leah, training a new group of 12 women leaders in the Baptist Union in Ukraine.

 

Graduation

In November 2019, the eight women who’d completed the training in Georgia enjoyed a celebratory dinner with their husbands. Each graduate received a certificate of completion.

 

And now we come to that cake, an inspired idea from the mind of Nino Bakhtadze. She took a photo of a graphic design depicting Entrust’s theme verse, II Tim. 2:2, to a bakery, where the design was printed onto a cake.

 

We look forward to seeing how God will use these eight faithful women to multiply their training to others, just as described in Entrust’s theme verse and so artistically depicted on this cake.