It is a great blessing and joy to us to be invited to minister in different places – countries and cultures. We have wonderful memories from various ministry trips to India, Nigeria, Tenerife, Athens, Macedonia, and the Philippines.
You may have noticed a photograph on the website giving a background to who we are – a photo of myself in the foreground. Geoff and I were ministering to a number of churches in the Philippines, and on this particular occasion, spending time with a local church near Manila, who had established a wonderful school for young children from the nearby shanty town. The photo we share on the website was taken whilst I was speaking at a day seminar on the topic of parenting.
I had been facilitating parenting courses in England for some ten years, but this was challenging! The culture was entirely different to that in the Chilterns! These parents were living in complete poverty, their home not much more than a one room flimsy shack perched on a hillside in a precarious way, and that might well be swept away when the rains came.
We went with a team from the school to look for families who would like their children to receive free education – it was quite an experience – somewhat scary at times!
When the pastor asked me to present a parenting seminar for these parents, I wondered how the ideas and suggestions would fit their situation – for example, how could the children be ‘sent’ to their rooms, and as they did not have internet or computers, how could restricting their access to such joys be taken away from them as a disciplinary measure!
However, with his encouragement, and his specific request that I would share the gospel of Jesus Christ at the close of the day, I went ahead, with Geoff’s support.
We had an amazing day – and I discovered that with some small adjustments, I was able to share some extremely helpful tips and advice. I have found over the years that one of the most effective tips from the parenting material (Positive Parenting – Time out for Parents – see Care for the Family) is the lesson on communication skills. I have been reminded very recently of the times I have shared these tips – learning to listen properly, giving full attention to the speaker, showing value and interest, and understanding of the speaker’s feelings. Another point – not interrupting!
Good communication – speaking and listening is such an important skill to learn! It has been said that men tend to be ‘fixers’ and women are inclined to launch into speech before quantifying what they think and feel. I think Geoff and I may well be typical! I am certainly going to review those lessons for myself! How about you?!
