Seeing beyond intellectual needs

“Before I enrolled in MMD courses, I thought what God expected of me as a Christian educator was to be a good teacher for my class,” Samson* told me, explaining how he would go out of his way to meet the intellectual needs of his pupils.

 

But when he started taking MMD courses, it was as if God opened his eyes to see what he did not see before. Previously, whether the children had food to eat at their homes did not concern him. Whether the children had good uniforms to wear to school … he did not see as his concern. Samson says now he can see the children’s needs, beyond their intellectual needs.

​

In addition to teaching, Samson enjoys farming. He has one hectare of land where he raises vegetables for his family and raises chickens.

 

Samson gave some of his land to five of his pupils. The children are now raising their own vegetables, meaning they have vegetables to eat and to sell for money to buy books and other things. The children’s performance in school has changed since they started to earn their own income, Samson says. They’ve developed self-confidence and self-respect.

 

Samson told me he now understands the meaning of “transforming communities through holistic engagement,” one of MMD’s goals.

 

“Indeed,” he told me, “MMD ministry is ministry to a complete person, just like Jesus’ ministry.”

 

*Name has been changed