Reverend Moana speaks about how Trauma Healing can help his church
“God is moving everywhere all the time,” says David Estrada, World Impact’s Senior Ministry Developer. “When we see Him, we should celebrate.”
God is at work in East Africa. Recently, World Impact sent four teams to East Africa. They returned with breathtaking accounts of God’s mighty hand at work. Visionary leaders are advancing the gospel, cultivating healthy churches, and impacting communities.
Their experiences also heightened a sense of urgency to pray earnestly for what God is doing. Looking forward, World Impact plans to return to Kenya next May to provide critical trauma healing training to the leaders there.
Thousands Equipped Through Evangel School of Church Planting
During their time in Kenya, Estrada’s team met with World Impact’s partners to encourage them and provide training. God is greatly blessing their faithfulness and integrity, and the church is growing at a breakneck pace. Under the leadership of Bishop Boaz, church planting movements are forming networks across Kenya, into Uganda, and beyond. Thousands of pastors and leaders have been equipped to lead through World Impact’s Evangel School of Church Planting.
Al Ewert, Senior Leader of International Partners at World Impact, jokes, “Every time you turn around, [Bishop Boaz] is at another graduation and another commissioning service.” These emerging leaders are guiding us to new leaders. “Because they understand the various contexts of where people are at, we’re witnessing these partnerships move from country to country to country,” says Ewert.
Estrada’s teams also initiated conversations with the African leaders about trauma healing. “I was able to give them a taste-and-see” session of the trauma healing training, he explains. This ministry had a profound impact on the leaders. Reverend Samson Moana from Macau Evangelical Ministries shares, “I came to realize that in all my years of life and ministry, this was the missing link.”
Trauma Healing is Critical to Any Ministry
The Word of God can’t penetrate a hard heart, but trauma healing helps heal the heart so the Word can be planted and grown. “We’ve come to know that sometimes people need to be spoken to, [they] need to be given a place to be heard ,” Reverend Samson explains. “Most of the time, people are hurting in their hearts. They’re having personal issues. They are suffering trauma.”
The need for trauma healing is urgent.
“We can’t keep up with the need,” Estrada says. “We’ve seen a tremendous desire for our partners already in Tanzania and Kenya.”
With additional training, leaders intend to start Healing Hubs, which are hubs of trainers that will spread throughout the country. “We have the opportunity to train and certify over 150 facilitators in Africa this May,” Estrada explains.
Reverend Moana agrees. “I’m grateful on my own behalf and that of the Kenyan team that [World Impact] sent missionaries to give us tools on how to handle these matters,” he says. He is trusting God to use trauma healing training to open new doors of opportunity for the ministry of the Word of God.
“This is the calling we’ve been given: to care for the people of God,” Reverend Moana adds.
We see God at work in East Africa and are humbled to join Him there. He is blessing their unity and fervor for the Gospel.
How can you participate?
We invite you to partner with us in prayer as we prepare for our upcoming trip to provide trauma healing training. We’re watching Him do what only He can do.
Donate today and help us provide critical ministry training to church leaders in East Africa.
