CHE training inspires participants

“You are the light of the world.  Let your light shine before others,” was the challenge Rev. Ambwa gave to the 19 participants at the closing of the recent CHE (Community Health Evangelism) training.  Truly that a key CHE principle and teaching  – those who have been trained are to be a light in their community and to pass on to their neighbors what they have learned.  As a symbolic reminder during the closing worship that we are the light of the world, our villages, each of the participants lit a candle while we sang and prayed. 

December 1-5, 19 representatives from the Olosan, Banga Kungu, Bodokola, Bokonzo and Bobadi church regions attended the Training Of Trainers 2 (TOT2) in Gemena.  After a day of review of the lessons in TOT1, which most had attended almost 2 years earlier, the new material of TOT2 started.  Dr. Delphin Kapasa and M.

Delphin teaching

Adamon Tumbula, CHE trainers in Kinshasa, came to lead the training.  Having never gone through TOT2 before ourselves we participated with the others. Over the next 4 days Delphin and Adamon taught 18 lessons working from 8am to 4:30 pm.  The lessons subjects included:

• Christian growth
• Planning and setting goals
• How adults learn
• The transmission of God’s word and how Jesus taught
• How to build a community based program
• The learner centered, problem solving, solution oriented teaching method
• Reporting
• Mapping your village
• How to share your testimony
• The importance of a baseline study
• Training the village committee

a village map

small group discussion

Through the teaching we were reminded several times that knowing and sharing the Scriptures are a fundamental part of CHE.  During one lesson Delphin demonstrated the story telling method of sharing Biblical stories.  In teaching this way he was also challenging the participants to do the same, to learn a Biblical story really well and tell it just like we tell other stories to people. Excellent.

we used leaves to vote for the obstacles we thought were the biggest impediments on the road to development

During the training we also heard testimonies of changes that have already taken place in the participants’ villages.  There are more toilets and more people are washing their hands regularly.  For hand washing more are pouring water over hands rather than washing them in one common basin.  An encouraging result is that in some places there has begun to be a change in the mentality of the villagers.  This is a reminder of another key CHE objective – seeing a change in the mentality of the local population.

giving “flowers” after a presentation as a way of showing appreciation

We ask for prayer for each of the participants as they return to their villages and begin to share what they learned with their families, neighbors and church leaders.  After the holidays Rev. Elenga, the CEUM CHE facilitator, will begin to visit those trained and work with them and their village leaders to form CHE community development committees.  This involves a lot more training, but that is key to CHE – training and more training.  Fundamental CHE principles that will be repeated many times in many ways are:

• Reliance on the Holy Spirit and prayer
• Multiplication
• Prevention over cure
• Local ownership

the TOT2 participants