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Back in the US Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I finished up my time in Ethiopia and headed back to the states this month. It has been a pleasure to work with the missionaries in creating a member care plan for them. We are putting together a tentative plan to hold an Initial Equipping session for the Trauma Healing training the first week of February in Ethiopia. Finally, I spent a few days with Compassion Family International where I continued to help them develop documentation for an income generating project they are conducting with their parents and guardians. And in my spare time I have been working on some promotional materials too; look for a brochure and prayer card coming your way soon! Trauma healing groups continue in Uganda and we are seeing the fruit of our training's there. A group has been held this month with South Sudanese refugees. There were 25 women who attended. The importance of training nationals? One main reason is they can hold the groups in the local language. We had several testimonies from this group. I will share a portion from Tabu: Tabu's husband was killed in the war by rebels and she also lost a child. She moved to a refugee camp in Uganda but was struggling to find work and to send her kids to school. She made her way to Jinja, along the Nile river, where there is another refugee camp. She started selling mukene (little fish) from the river and making tablecloths to be able to provide for her children and send them to school. This is what she says, "I called out to God, if you are really there, why am I suffering? My husband, my brother and my father have all been killed by the rebels. God, show me a way I can work and provide for my children. And He did. I thank God that you came here and fed us with God's word. Now we must tell others in the camp that God is there; that He is faithful and though you suffer God will bring something good. Thank you and God bless you for coming." The facilitators of the group shared the following: "We experienced many successes while leading this trauma healing group. Our greatest success was seeing the women we were leading open up about the trauma in their lives and come to the realization that God is still with them. It was a huge blessing seeing the Lord work in their hearts. We had quite a few challenges while facilitating this trauma healing group. The women in the group were refugees from Sudan and many of the women were not able to read or write but we were able to altar some of the activities to fit the groups personal needs. It was incredible to see the Lord work through these challenges and reach the hearts of people. It was a huge reminder that when we are faithful and obedient to show up He will work through our weaknesses." As the mentor for these facilitators, it is a joy to see them putting into practice what they have learned and being obedient to what God has called them to do. I look forward to sharing more in the future of how God is using Trauma Healing groups in Uganda. I have jumped right in to a full travel schedule since my return to the US. I spent a week in Omaha, Nebraska. I had an opportunity to co-facilitate an Advanced Equipping session for Trauma Healing. We had 9 participants who work in various ministries, including jails, a homeless ministry, mental health, and a nursing school. This was the next step in my own training and as a result, I was able to earn my Master Facilitator status, meaning I can now lead both initial and advanced training's internationally and this will allow us to plan an Advanced training in Uganda in March. It was an honor to serve with my co-facilitator, a chaplain with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. We really worked well together and our strengths and weaknesses complemented each other. The suicide lesson we presented was very challenging, due to the level of experience in the room but the openness of the group and their willingness to be vulnerable was insightful and inspiring. One of the participants shared how the training impacted him: "I have gained new info, become more confident, realized and addressed my own traumas, and have a renewed 'gas tank' of energy/motivation toward facilitating the material." It was a great week!  Prayer Requests:
Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as [email protected] Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence!
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Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It has been one year since I stepped out of faith and became the Executive Director of Ministry Care. In that year, I have traveled to 9 countries, 14 cities, and slept in too many beds to count! It has been an incredible year of multiple confirmations of the need for Ministry Care both among the missionaries and the nationals and it is a real honor and privilege to walk side by side with them. We wrapped up our time in Uganda with one more Initial Equipping for Trauma Healing. Our Jinja group had 39 participants; for a total of 69 (both Ugandans and Missionaries) equipped to facilitate trauma healing groups in their communities. Some of those groups started before we left, 5 have already been completed and 4 are in progress, which is awesome to see the groups already implemented. We praise God for a powerful reconciliation and restoration of relationship between 2 missionaries that occurred during our Forgiveness Lesson. We also learned some valuable lessons as facilitators for the next time we lead these training's, such as 3 days is not enough time to cover the material adequately. We have been asked to return in February and March to lead additional training's. Some of the feedback we received from our final group:
Rumbi came to Uganda, participated in the Trauma Healing and facilitated an all-day workshop at Good Shepherds's Fold with me. The topics for the day included stress and burnout, secondary trauma, and self-care. We had 57 participants who work in a variety of helping professions. It was a real joy to be able to teach with her again and watch her network with other Africans in similar professions. She also shared a bit of her testimony, which had a powerful impact on many of the participants and something they commented on in their feedback. There have been requests for additional workshops on topics such as grief and loss and helping children. I will continue working through email with the social workers at GSF to help them put together materials for these lessons. Rumbi's schedule was packed and we did not have a lot of free time to spend together, though we did get in some sightseeing, taking a boat ride down the Nile river and visiting Kalagala Falls. This was a trip of many firsts for her: first flight, first boat ride, and first time on a Boda (motorbike). After leaving Uganda, I spent the next month in Ethiopia. The main goal of my time in Ethiopia was to put together the nuts and bolts of a member care plan in partnership with Highland Harvesters. Over 3 weeks and multiple meetings with the missionaries involved, we were able to sort out the details of that plan. I also spent time sharing about the Trauma Healing Training and look forward to seeing what the Lord does in further discussions of conducting the training in Ethiopia at the beginning of 2018. A reoccurring theme in my time with the missionaries here involves the challenge faced on the field with education. There are limited schooling options, which often leaves homeschooling or boarding school as the choice. If the child has any kind of special needs it is very difficult to address those with the resources here. Please spend some time this month lifting up the missionaries you know as the navigate these challenges and make decisions that is best for their children. In closing, here are two memorable highlights from September 2007! Ten years ago, I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in Simba and Rumbi's wedding. Happy Anniversary Simba and Rumbi!! May the Lord bless you with many more years together serving Him. My 2nd highlight is when I moved to Zimbabwe in July 2007 I had just been diagnosed with a pituitary gland tumor. In September 2007 I returned to the states to discuss treatment options and learned the tumor "disappeared". Thank you Lord for the mighty work of healing that took place!!!  Prayer Requests:
Ministry Care is a 501c3 organization, therefore, your donation will be tax deductible. You may donate one of 2 ways. You can make checks payable to “Ministry Care” and send them to:
Ministry Care 14934 Pacer Ct. Carmel, IN 46032 Or you can make an online donation, using Givelify, on our website at www.ministrycareinternational.org or click the button below If you have any questions feel free to email us as [email protected] Thank you so much! And may God bless you richly with His presence! |
AuthorMisty Bodkins has a Master's degree in clinical psychology. She has worked both stateside and internationally doing counseling, training, teaching, and research. Her passion is working with people who are in crisis. Archives
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