The first session of the Youth Leaders Training 2021 organized by Charitos Transformation Africa took place in Witu, the Western town in Lamu County, at Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya Church. The training was funded by Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) that has partnered with Charitos to do Ministry among some vulnerable groups for a number of years now. The trainers went to Mpeketoni on Monday where they stayed in a Guest House and they commuted daily to Witu. The training took 4 days, that is, 13^th to 16^th April 2021.

The participants came from different Evangelical Churches in Witu, Kipini, Chakamba, Sendemke, Soroko, Maisha Masha and Katsaka Kairu. This time motorbike transport (commonly known here as Bodaboda) was provided daily for the participants who came from far. There are no guest houses or Churches with dorms in Witu for mass accommodation.

Sixty Youth Leaders from the different Evangelical Churches participated in the training.

Unfortunately, the four trainers from Nairobi could not come due to Lock-down as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Instead, the training was done by CTA staff on the ground and one medical officer working in Mokowe Health Centre as a Nurse.

Topics Covered:       

 Daniel Kariuki (Nurse, Prayer Coordinator)

Prayer Life of a Youth Leader

• Why should we pray
• What we need for a good prayer life
• Hindrances to prayer
• How to overcome the hindrances?
• Types of prayers

    An effective prayer life will be necessary if we are to be co-workers with God. Matt 6:9-10

Joseph Chege (Software Engineer, Youth Mentor)

Youth Leaders in the Modern World [21^st Century] The 4 Pillars of a Youth Leader

• Community – we are all created for relationship and connection. Belonging to God means belonging to a larger family with brothers and sisters Matt. 18:20, Ps. 68:5-6. Your community helps to point out your character flaws and strengthen your skills. Accept constructive criticism or feedback.
  • Salvation—is the Foundation that holds the pillars
  • The Holy Spirit – is the roof

The participants had a healthy discussion on:                                                                                           

• Why we don’t share our faith
• why we should share our faith
• how we should share/witness Acts 1:8, Matt.5:16

Michael Mbugua (Charitos Country Director)

The Health of a Youth Leader

“Your diet is not only what you eat, it is what you watch, what you listen to, what you read, and the people you hang around with. This will affect you Emotionally, Spiritually and Physically.”

Michael highlighted five areas that the Youth Leader needs to ensure good health if he/she is to be effective, namely

• Spiritual Health
• Family Health
• Emotional Health
• Relational Health
• Intellectual/ Professional Health – Daniel 1:3-5

In this area of Health, Michael emphasized that the teams will only be as good as the leaders who lead them. Health in all the 5 areas determine their ability to lead Spiritually and Professionally, and to model the kind of Faithful, Fruitful, and Connected Life the New Testament describes. 

More emphasis was on Personal Spiritual Growth where the facilitator taught on eight areas of growth:1.) Bible Study 2.) Prayer 3.) Fellowship 4.) Witnessing 5.) Discipleship 6.) Family Life 7.) Financial Life 8.) Other Ministry Involvement.

Finally, there was a lively discussion on 10 ways to be a great Youth Leader.

Alice Mbugua (Charitos Director)

Reading and Studying the Bible as a Youth Leader

Areas covered:

1. God’s call for us to read His word
2. Why People Don’t Read the Bible
3. Benefits of Reading and Doing God’s Word
4. How to Read the Bible
5. Bible Study Tools
6. Types of Bible Study – There were several Bible study tools that were displayed at the back of the class from Charitos library, e.g. Commentaries, Bible dictionaries, Bible Background information books, Bible Atlasses, Concordance, etc. The participants had an opportunity to interact with them in the course of the training. Many of them had never seen or even heard that there were such tools.

The facilitator emphasized that the Bible is a Love Letter to us from God, and if we love God, we must love His Love Letter.

Facilitators’ observations:

1. Three quarters of the Youth Leaders did not have a Bible at all. About three had only the Gideon’s New Testament. It was shocking to say the least!
2. Several could not trace different books in the Bible. Some were looking for a New Testament Book in the Old Testament, and vice versa. It took the facilitators time to go through the Books of the Bible with the participants, helping them memorize their order. These being leaders recommended for training by their Pastors, one can only imagine the situation with the youths in these Churches.
3. The hosting pastor confessed to us that even in his own Church, members do not have Bibles.
4. There is little or no discipleship classes at all in their Churches.
5. The integrity issues and morality of some Pastors were raised during the discussions. This will be handled during pastors training.
6. 2 Youth Leaders re-dedicated their lives to Christ.  

Spiritual Habits were emphasized by all facilitators. These are decisions, behaviours, and the rhythms that help us grow spiritually over time. That is reading the Bible, Praying, fellowship. The Spiritual Habit that has the least impact on someone’s growth is church attendance! While Serving has the greatest impact. Therefore, the Youth Leaders were encouraged to grab every opportunity to serve.

VOM had helped Charitos purchase some Bibles for the youths, both in English and Kiswahili. Biblica (International Bible Society) had also donated through Charitos copies of the Treasure Hunt Bible. At the beginning of the training, each one of the participants received a copy of the VOM donated Bibles, either in English or Swahili depending on their preference. They also received a copy of the Treadmill Hunt Bible donated by Biblica.

It was such a great joy! Many confessed that they almost couldn’t believe that someone could give them brand new Bibles. They expressed their gratitude to VOM and Biblica for donating the Bibles, and to Charitos for facilitating the gifts and the training that transformed their lives.

The next session is scheduled for July. It is hoped that the facilitators from One Tribe Church in Nairobi will make it for this July session.

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