Asia
Esther traveled all the way from Kenya to Asia for ministry training.
Multiplying beyond Asia
Debbie Lamp, Equipping Women International, a ministry of Barnabas International
After searching the internet for training opportunities, Esther came all the way from Kenya to take Facilitating Relational Learning (FRL) in Asia in 2015.
Working for Sheepfold Ministries among unreached people in several African nations, Esther trains full-time Christian workers who are preparing to establish local sustainable businesses. She came to Asia desiring to learn how to apply adult learning principles to her training. She found so much more; not only new skills, but also fellowship and friendship with like-minded sisters in ministry.
Esther writes, “Some of the things that stood out for me were the idea of ‘giving voice’ to those who may be internal processors, use of open questions to stir discussion and generate shared learning, and preparation of lesson plans with objectives. I also realized that when teaching adults, I am not the only one with all the information, but there’s a wealth of information among adults. My role is to stimulate shared learning.
“This year (when I facilitated) I was more relaxed because I was better able to develop a lesson plan with objectives. Despite the fact we had to translate from different languages, I used a lot of discussion times and the participants were able to engage, generating shared learning. FRL gave me skills which made my work much easier. I enjoyed training much more.” Esther reports that, thanks to this training, ministry workers in Mozambique, for example, are more equipped and effective for the work God has called them to do.
Another example of ministry training multiplying from Asia to points around the world, is found in Tricia. Working in a closed country for a coaching organization, Tricia took Developing a Discerning Heart (DDH) in October 2016. Within days, she was using what she learned.
Tricia wrote, “Today I used [a tool I’d learned in DDH] with my discipleship group for the first time … I was quite surprised and touched when one person said she is feeling loving, because she feels so loved and accepted by our group. We’ve only had 12 meetings and she’s made 7 of them, so for her to say this really surprised me. She’s one who has been far from father [God] and not usually willing to pray but tonight, I think for the second time ever, she closed us in prayer. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have invested in creating and delivering this course. It is very practical and beneficial to my/our spiritual growth.”