Finding Shalom Seminars
We praise the Lord for all He is doing through His people during these challenging times! Recently, our ministry had the opportunity to host 5 seminars on our new Bible study materials- Finding Shalom, a journey from addiction to new life. Read through the testimonies following and see the photos for a glimpse!
Brief: DR Congo September 17-19
Equip Disciples USA and DRC led a virtual and in-person seminar in the city of Goma, DRC for 32 Bible Study leaders. Due to Covid outbreak, we held three one day seminars, dividing up the number of participants into three groups. Here in the USA, we made several instructional videos along with testimony videos to share during the seminar time. The DRC staff also taught and trained the Bible study participants in using the new Bible study materials.
Brief: Rwanda September 18 and 20
We held two seminars in Rwanda, one for 77 Bible Study leaders, and one for 33 deaf Bible study members. In these seminars we used USA made videos along with in-person teaching using our partners on the ground in Rwanda to train and lead the sessions.
Full Reports of the seminars are written below.
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Congolese Seminars, Goma, DRC
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One of Three Congolese Seminars
The participants are holding bags with Bible study booklets for their groups.
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Testimonies from Congo...
"I am MBALIBUKIRA. I thank Almighty God very much for his spiritual strength. I am a man, today I learn a lot from the Bible lessons that I did not know. I use alcohol a lot with my colleagues, when I get paid my money I call my friends to go drink together with them, I sacrificed my money unnecessarily, I thought I was a good man who has a lot of friends. I even took the money from my house to meet the alcohol needs of my friends. I was spending money unnecessarily on giving drink to others. One day I had given 300000Fc ($154) to my wife for a development project. After 30 minutes my friends called, "Where you are, without you we are all empty, help us drink." Because we were all in stresses, I quickly ask my wife 100,000Fc ($51) and go to drink. Arriving there, I gave drinks to all my friends. One of the friends started hurting his colleague, we were all already drunk. The Police Department came and locked me up in jail . In the morning the police asked me to pay 500000Fc ($256). so that I was released. I asked them to go to my house with them to take the money. When I got home my wife and kids all screamed. Ohhhh, ohhhh are you arrested again because of alcohol? What a pity? The police explained to my family all the story by asking for 500000Fc ($256). My wife and child had to borrow money to pay the fine. After listening to the HOW TO FIND SHOLOM lessons, I think Equip USA worked hard on these lessons to help others because the lessons touch me a lot. I'm a leader but when I find the money I take all the money in silence to go drink. I struggle in my relationships. I make my family impoverished. As of today, I refuse addiction, and I will ask my wife for forgiveness. I am so touched, I say thank you very much to Equip Disciples who gave these lessons to the Congolese. God bless them!"
"Good morning all. I am MARKO biblical leader of Equip Disciples of USA in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I highly commend the Bible teaching on addiction. For my part I thought that to have peace it is in alcohol, but today I found it is not peace. I am in a Christian family. When I started to make an engagement with a girl also from the Christian family, I was addiction free. We were well with my fiancee and we all follow Jesus Christ. But when I lost the relationship with the girl, I was too too disappointed. I missed who can help me comfort myself while I was in stress. I began to drink wines and beers so that I could find peace inside. While drinking wine I feel good and sleep well without thinking about my sorrows. Everyday it was like medicine for me to console me. When my parents saw that I was learning to drink alcohol, they chased me out of the house. I had spent a year away from my family's house. Eating and sleeping was difficult for me. I was starting to create a friendship with a young person in the neighborhood. This gentleman was a student of the Equip Disciples Bible study. While we are eating at his house he will invite me to come to his Bible study group. I had to come because I ate at his place. After 90 days of Bible studies, I started to stop drinking alcohol. After 150 days my parents were informed that I no longer drink, they accepted me and welcomed me with joy. But even though I was accepted and welcomed by my parents, I continued to cheat on drinking to reduce my anxious thoughts. I was separated from my parents once again because of addiction. From today I decide to give up the addiction because it makes me bad against my parents and God. I am well understanding the teaching on finding shalom. It is in GOD alone that one can find shalom. I thank Equip Disciples USA and the teachers very much for the lessons. God bless you."
"I am Faida one of the Equip Disciples DRC Bible Study Group Leaders. I'm so happy to follow the teachings on HOW TO FIND SHOLOM that Equip Disciples USA has prepared. First of all, I say thank you very much again thank you very much to mom Tammie for her Bible research she did. Today I am no longer in confusion. While I was a high school student in general education, my colleagues had led me to alcohol. There came a time when I ran out of money to buy it, I would go to hotels to look for a man who can help me with money to buy alcohol. I was in a virgin girl but lost my virginity to get alcohol. I even took the money my parents gave me to pay for high school fees. My heart has remained in addiction. At school, there was a student who was doing Bible studies in Equip Disciples RDC here in Goma. This student was interested in me every time and wanted to teach me, but I was suspicious of her ideas. One day she interested me to participate in her studies in her Bible study group, I excepted her invitation. She had invited me for the second time and third time, I was now interested. I will go to school but when I need alcohol and I run out of money I would go to my old boyfriends to give me money. I did not know the destruction of addiction, I thought it was prestigious, but today I understand well and problems of addiction at home and with God, today I know that addiction and drunkenness are a sin against God. I ask forgiveness from God and my fellow leaders. In front of MANDELA and BERTIN and in front of you and in front of God I reassure you that I abandon the total addiction as of today. I will teach others that addiction is a sin against God. Even I ask MANDELA and BERTIN to go and teach the pastors of our church because they say that drunkenness is not a sin against God. I say and thank you and may God be with you Mama TAMMIE for the bible Study and MANDELA and BERTIN for the teachings."
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Printing Bible study materials is very expensive in Congo. So we purchased our own printer and bookbinder and made our own books. It is still costly as all materials are imported and taxed. But, it does keep the cost down by making them ourselves. This year, we made 10 booklets for each of the participants who attended the Finding Shalom seminar. In addition, we have 15 new Bible study groups. For the new groups, we also provided a Bible. Thanks to our staff for preparing all of the details for the seminar. They printed over 600 booklets in four languages, organized for food, cleaned and prepared the office meeting space, prepared their teachings, went through trainings with Equip Disciples USA, invited their Bible study leaders, purchased supplies, and taught for three days!
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All six of our staff members took part in leading Bible Study sessions. Jeannine, one of our women staff members, leads one of the study sessions pictured above. Women are not frequently in teaching positions in churches or ministries, so we are very happy to empower women through teaching and training for leadership. The women are outstanding teachers and have both women's Bible study groups and mixed groups they teach and supervise in Goma and beyond. Our deaf staff member also taught a session with the help of other staff members to interpret.
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Our seminars were comprised of both pre-recorded teaching sessions and live teaching from our staff. On the wall, you can see a tv monitor and Joe teaching a Bible Study session. We had seven staff and former team members from Equip Disciples USA lead sessions. Some of the sessions were biblical teachings and some were testimonies of how God brought former team members out of addictions. Here is a testimony about the testimonies! "The testimonies encouraged others who were like, 'How can I serve God after coming out of addictions'?' Sometimes they were ashamed and have a fear to share their testimonies of what they went through in life. They fear to share it with others, like their students in Bible study class and others. These videos from the USA have encouraged all to have no fear and shame. Much thanks to all of them who took the time to: prepare, organize, and speak to us through these videos."
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Each day the staff served a small breakfast and lunch for participants.
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Isembo, our minister to the deaf, greeted each participant as they registered for the seminar, and gave them their Bible Study manual, a little notebook, and a pen.
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