Soroti - When Helping Hurts

I had the opportunity to do my "When Helping Hurts" training in our town of Soroti through the IBS program (In-Service Bible teaching) for PAG pastors in the district.  But we invited the larger community to join in with the IBS students.  I was able to stay at home throughout the week.  Each morning we began by singing some praise songs together as you can hear briefly in the video below.

Many people showed up late, but it was still a successful training.  We had church leaders joining us from different denominations from all over town.  We started with only about 40-50 participants, but as people heard about the training, more showed up on subsequent days.  By the end of the training 77 people had purchased manuals, with probably another 10 people who participated without buying a manual.

Pictures from small group discussion times:

We still had to translate into Ateso because many of the IBS students were from the wider district and struggled a bit with English.

 

Below are drawings of what community development means to them.  In this photo, on the right is Martin who is helping me teach Timothy Leadership Training in Amuria.  The IBS coordinator planned my training, but Martin was a big help to me as well, especially with advertising to the community.  I'm learning how important it is to have a good team of gifted, passionate, service-minded people around you who can help you in your work.  If you try to do things alone, you won't be successful.

On the left in this picture below is Tom, who is chairman of the board for the development organization that World Renew partners with in Kaberamaido, but he also goes to Soroti PAG where the training was held.  This is his second time to come to this training of mine because he is so passionate about it.  He also was a big help in advertising and helping with participant registration.

 

Several church leaders from Soroti PAG hope to teach the training to more people in the 2,000 member church.   I've also been invited to teach it to more people in Soroti and will do so if I have time.  Clearly this training has been helpful in transforming people's mindsets in Uganda, so I'm going to begin working on a third revision of the manual.

Testimonies:

- "I have known that work is a gift, and not a punishment."

- "I am too also a donor."

- "I have learnt to start with the little I have."

- "In any situation, I must not feel inferior, humiliated, depressed, or voiceless."

- "All people are very important in the community and we are all equal."

- "I need to change my mindset and begin a new life and give to the needy."

- "I will not be always to give money to the poor alone but I will always give skills, counseling, and encouragement."

- "I am going to start with my family to change."

- "In my attempt to help people I have always kept them in shame and voiceless."

- "People in Teso no longer need relief but development."

- "Your teaching is exceptional and pray that you stay longer teaching the people."

- "In Africa, Uganda, we can do development.  We have all that can make us to achieve the goal."

- "I am starting a life that is different from the one I have been living.  I feel you should continue teaching this message to all people."

- "Perhaps not giving is the most loving thing to do sometimes."

- "I have learnt to extend a helping hand to any person, not only a relative or from our denomination."

- "This training has awaketh my understanding to forgive even those who does wrong things to us."

This one is pretty funny and over the top:

- "The teaching/trainer is really a reality, no error.  It is wonderful, perfect, beyond doubt."