Eager to Attend Training in Madagascar
The world over, pastors and church leaders need solid training to do their jobs well. TEN offers short seminars to train pastors in French-speaking Africa in pastoral care, the Bible, discipleship, theology, and women’s ministry. Our African Director said the demand for TEN training is at least double what we are able to provide with our current funding. Jesse Hinrichs, a TEN board member, provides insight into how determined some of our students are to access our training.
My first trip to Africa as a new TEN board member brought me to a remote village in Madagascar. Poverty, heat, few roads, occasional electricity, and simple restrooms greeted me. The room I sat in had a tin roof, open sides, and small wooden benches. TEN held its training seminar here. I watched tired students in old shoes and dusty clothes arrive throughout the morning that first day. Their worn-out Bibles with missing covers and missing sections caught my eye. Some pastors smiled and greeted others, but many just took a seat and relaxed. Later in the morning some fell asleep in their chairs.
During a break, I befriended a young pastor. He came from a small village about 120 miles away. He explained that he walked several miles to another village and then took a motorcycle taxi to a larger village. There he bought a seat in a van which brought him near the TEN seminar. Finally, he caught another motorcycle taxi to bring him to our location. He traveled for three days to attend the TEN seminar. His church had helped him with the travel expenses. Happy and grateful to have finally arrived, he was excited and ready to learn. Later I found out that most of the other students’ travel stories echoed my young pastor friend. Some walked, some rode atop goods on the back of a truck, others took motorcycle taxis.
I noticed the pastors treated each other kindly. No one complained about their travel, their shoes, the heat or the small wooden benches. They all seemed grateful to be together. Throughout the pastoral training they eagerly listened and learned how to improve their teaching and preaching. Three days later when the seminar concluded everyone wanted to take pictures together and enjoy one last meal together before the long trip home.
I saw that what I, as an American, considered a hardship they accepted as normal.
Prayer Points
Many church leaders need and desire training in pastoral care, doctrine, discipleship, women’s ministry, and Bible basics.
Praise God for pastors’ heart's’ desire to know how to serve the church better
Pray for safety in travel to and from seminars
Pray that seminars would be offered near their villages