Final assignment completed.

 

Yesterday and today was my final teaching assignment for this visit to Africa. It was a joy to spend time with a group of 10 Tanzanian church leaders who all have a heart for prison ministry and have spent the week exploring what it could look like to set up a Tanzanian hub for Good News Global, the international Christian charity that seeks to take the gospel into prisons across the world.

I’ve been doing some training for GNG hubs already in Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi, so it was lovely to add Tanzania to the list today. During times in the training, they spoke about the challenges that they are facing as leaders relating to the increase in mental health issues that they are seeing amongst those in the community and those in prisons – challenges that are being faced in so many countries, although often with their own cultural and contextual nuances. It’s so heartbreaking to hear these stories, but so inspiring to be with those who care so much about trying to do their part to improve the lives of others.

The training went down well, and the feedback at the end was humbling and encouraging. I feel so honoured to be able to play even a small part in these prison ministries, and to come away with the knowledge that the information that I’ve shared has helped to equip the prison chaplains to better support the inmates and staff who are living and working in such over-crowded, under-funded, under-resourced conditions. No wonder mental health spirals downwards in such conditions, quite apart from the impact of previous traumatic life experiences that will so often make the individual more vulnerable to mental health issues in the first place.

As always, the requests for me to return to carry out more training in different parts of the country were many – and as always I avoid making any promises. Never say never, but my real desire is to train up trainers in the countries so that they can do the delivery in their own language and with relevant cultural awareness. So that is my aim, and it was good to identify some folks today who are keen to explore taking on that role.

The training was a wonderful way to finish what has been an incredible 8 weeks. So many memories, so much achieved, so many experiences and conversations and thoughts and insights to process and work through. And so many prayers answered in so many ways, including the unexpected and the unsaid prayers, but all answered to perfection. Thank you God!