Stories of Hope

  Let me say first off, that this story is not of the usual calibre of Hopeful Stories. But, it is a story of hope! As I interact throughout my week, I encounter many peoples, and their situations. (names have been altered to provide confidentiality).

  As a staff member of the church, I am blessed with the opportunity to attend Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit. This is a two-day event described as ‘drinking from a fire hose’ in regards to learning leadership skills.

  Have you ever checked out our prayer room?  Did you know we have one?  It's a multi-purpose room, really, but at least twice a week people gather there to pray together. Our praise team and pastor meet there every Sunday morning to pray together before leading our services.

An update from Sheila Dykstra   Guy is a public school teacher who has participated in Educational Care trainings since 2016 in Benin Republic. Since the beginning of our training time together, it was evident that Guy was passionate about teaching as well as working with other teachers.  He has a gentle demeanor, is a good listener, and has a wise way of correcting and encouraging other teachers during the training sessions. After module 1, Guy shared that this training has been such an encouragement to him, but also that through it, he has heard a call to be involved in Christian Education development and training. He diligently completed Action Plans for each module, and directed others in fine-tuning their own action plans.   The year 2018 brought about many challenges for teachers in Benin. Teachers went on strike to advocate for better working conditions, and teachers were not paid for 5 months. Guy has a wife and 2 children to support – and has found these time...