by Frank Dimmock
This morning we said good-bye to Debbie Wolcott, who has been helping to facilitate the audio trauma healing training, and officially welcomed Thaddeus Gichana to facilitate the adult trauma healing session through Friday. The photo helps to demonstrate how this effort is a partnership between the American Bible Society, Serving in Mission (SIM), The Outreach Foundation and the Sudanese-American Congregations in the U.S. (specifically the one in Gallatin, TN).
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Today was a happy – sad – happy day as we presented certificates to the 19 participants in the first audio trauma healing training for refugees. The four-day training finished on Sunday evening and certificates were presented this morning – Happy.
All but two of them then departed back to their camps with notes and certificates to begin listening groups in their churches and communities. They are not "professional" counselors but are equipped with basic mental health knowledge about trauma and scripture to support their listening ministry. Trauma is universal in the camps and also with caregivers in clinics and relief organizations. There is great work to be done here.
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Beautiful and hot Sunday today. We worshipped at the West Gambella Bethel Church along with 3,018 others on the inside and at least 200 outside the windows. It was HOT. We sat in plastic chairs beneath a tin roof and listened to eight choirs and several speeches in addition to the 45 minute sermon and 15 minute benediction. We arrived a few minutes late for the 8:00 starting time and it all concluded at 1:00 p.m. So is worship here. It is a highlight of the week for so many, a truly joyous occasion. David and I brought greetings from The Outreach Foundation and told why we were visiting.
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Today was another good day in the audio trauma healing training. It was also a difficult day as we covered some sensitive areas of compound and complex trauma. We began by looking at loss and the stages of grief. This was followed by taking our pain to the foot of the cross and releasing that pain to Jesus. We then covered the audio lesson that focuses on domestic violence. This topic raised a lot of discussion and it was good to bring out some of the cultural traditions and practices that have shaped relationships within families.
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Yesterday was a travel day from Addis to Gambella in western Ethiopia. We spent the afternoon meeting local church leaders and preparing for the trauma healing training sessions.
Wow, what a great and busy day today. We began with the first two core lessons on trauma healing with 16 participants. They included six women and eight men from the six South Sudanese refugee camps and two pastors from our Ethiopian church partners (and hosts).
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The day began at the airport where the prayers of many were answered with the arrival of the missing suitcase. Thank you all and praise God. From there I went to collect the electronic keyboard for one of the camps that was being repaired in the market (eye-opening experience).
During the few days here, I have met some amazing people. One of them is Dr. Thomas Doguande, a South Sudan medical doctor who is halfway through a residency training in Obstetrics here in Addis. His tuition is paid by the Ethiopian government and his living costs are supposed to be covered by the government of South Sudan. But…
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After spending the early morning at the ARRA (Refugee coordination office) to successfully gain permission to visit schools in three of the Gambella camps, I traveled to the EECMY Mekane Yesus Seminary. I had the opportunity to meet with the Seminary President Rev. Dr. Bruk Ayele (PhD). The Ethiopian Evangelical Church, Mekane Yesus is a large Presbyterian partner with over 9.3 million members. There are fewer than 4,000 trained pastors serving in 14,000 congregations and preaching places across Ethiopia. There are 32 Synods of the denomination.
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As I traveled from the U.S. to Ethiopia on Sunday, I was reminded by the Coalition of Advocates for South Sudan (CASS) to engage throughout the weekend in lamentation and prayer for peace, forgiveness, reconciliation and an end to conflict in South Sudan. A lament is an expression of grief, suffering and sadness. It is a cry of sorrow. It may reflect the experience of an individual, family, community or nation. And, it is an integral part of the trauma healing training.
Read Moreby Rev. Lisa Johnson, for the team
“The Iranian Diaspora wants to bless others and receive from others for the sake of the Kingdom. It is not hard to see that we are not the only broken people.”
-Pastor Shapoor, Liverpool Iranian Church
Early this morning our team boarded a train in London and rode a picturesque two hours to Liverpool where we were greeted warmly with flowers and hugs from the two bi-vocational pastors of Liverpool Iranian Church, Shapoor and Mehrdad. Their church is made up of 120 people all of Muslim background and they are uniquely blessed that 30-40 of those church family members are youth and children.
Read Moreby Brian Stewart, for the team
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold,…” Psalm 19:7-10a
I’m not sure but I must have a heart for theological education given all the tuition I’ve paid for my three theological degrees. Now I’m studying for a fourth, and my father half-jokingly asked me once whether there was not a pension plan available for career students like me. My answer, of course, was “no,” but there are no doubt incredible dividends for Christ and his Kingdom when leaders are trained to faithfully teach and embody his Word.
Read Moreby Tracie Stewart, for the team
In 1979 I was a young teenager. I vividly remember the televised images of the Iranian Revolution and Ted Koppel’s nightly report, “America Held Hostage,” with its count of days. Our media often portrays Iran as a violent, backward place frozen in time. What an incredible experience our team had today as we visited the British Museum and encountered artifacts from Iranian history. I knew of Cyrus and his celebrated role in returning the Jewish people to their homeland after the exile. But I had no idea of the beauty, power and sophistication of his empire. It had seemed just a short stop between Babylon and Greece on our way to the Romans.
Read Moreby Dana Allin, for the team
And he said to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Luke 10:2
This passage struck me in a new way today as our group learned more about the ministry of Pars Theological Seminary. Pars is led by Mehrdad Fatehi as its founder, president, and executive director. His daughter, Shadi, is the director of programs and our wonderful and attentive host.
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