Several years ago at a missions conference in Canada a missionary serving in Kenya came by the ICM booth. He was actually living and serving young leaders in the Kisumu, Kenya area, only a few hours from where the Jeske’s used to live when they first moved to East Africa in the early 1990s.

ICM often donates materials to those serving overseas and so we gave him a copy of our leadership training materials, Mentoring thru Intentional Relationships. Subsequently, we gave him permission to use the PDFs for the ministry as we do with our network coaches around the world.

Well that is often the end of the story and we never hear from the person again. We then have to wait for eternity to see what became of those seeds that were sown. However, in this case, Greg (working with Seas of Life Missions, Kenya) contacted us after getting back to Africa and beginning to use the materials with his team and other young leaders. Since then we have remained in regular email contact.

Through his ministry, Greg is involved in training young leaders practical life and work skills, such as computer and IT, music and public speaking and various other vocational training. The vision of the ministry is to plant youth centers across the nation (61% of the population of Kenya is under that age of 24). With a Christ centered approach they use various activities to introduce youth to Jesus. This includes helping them spiritually with morals and character, practically with training and entrepreneurial opportunities and physically with activities and sports.

Greg has been using our Mentoring leadership guides to help develop his team and those who show the potential for leadership. Each Guide has six chapters that usually take a month to work through in a small group and in one-on-one mentoring sessions. Topics are discussed such as understanding one’s personality, giftings and calling, learning how to exercise life and spiritual disciplines, what servant leadership looks like and finally helping each participant understand God’s mission on this earth and how they are uniquely equipped to join him in that mission from the church to the marketplace.

Following are responses from some of the participants, who are youth leaders in the program:

Through answering the questions, we have been brought closer to God and each other.  The relationship between mentor/overseer and students/leaders has improved greatly and brought us closer to one another.  It is not so much a class, but more so of a way to find God’s will for my life together with friends who love me.

Kevin

I have found this mentoring book a manual for my life.  Before we began these teachings two years ago, I was confused about my purpose and calling. Now it has redefined everything for my life, learning what is required by God for myself.

Floice

 

This mentoring manual has helped me so much more in leadership, relationships, spiritual growth and emotional knowledge.  I have greatly improved as a leader due to these teachings.  I now relate better with my fellow leaders as well as the youths I serve.  Because of the dialogue inspired through the sidebar questions I have learned so many valuable truths through fellow leaders.  I have really grown spiritually as well. Emotionally it has helped me so much as through these teachings, I have learned to listen better to others without thinking they are against me. I’m so thankful for our overseer Rev. Greg, for his sacrifice he has made to do this mentoring class weekly as it has helped all of us so much.

Christeen

I am so grateful for these weekly mentoring teachings.  It has helped me become a better minister.  There is so much wisdom, insight and revelation in these teachings.  I have learned so much about personality types, spiritual gifts along with God’s will for my life.  Because of the teachings on different personalities, it has helped me to be far less judgmental about others…and to deal with them in love always.  I have greatly improved my relationships with others due to the mentorship teachings.  I am thankful to Phil Jeske, the author, for the great revelations he has shared and pray continues to use him to bless others.  I am anxious to learn from other teachings of the author.

Gloria

 

Our materials are made available electronically through the website (and then printed by local ministries in their own countries) and so often we do not hear the testimonies of how God is using the various materials in people’s lives. This is particularly the case when the materials go into countries and regions where we have not personally visited as a ministry. However, since our materials “travel” to places that we may never visit in person, they are designed so that a local leader can understand it and then implement it within their own ministry with others.

Last year we just had our series of eight workshops translated into Swahili for our partners in Tanzania and so now Greg will also be able to use these in the local language. Many of these overseas ministries do not have the funds to cover the full costs of the development or printing of the materials. We believe God has called us to provide these for such groups so that they may be able to do quality leadership training in their region. . .often in places that our ICM team will not personally visit.

Thank you for your partnership which enables us to provide these resources free of charge to ministries such as this and leaders such as Greg. While we personally equip our own network of Ministry Coaches through our MCNet (Ministry Coaching Network)to train others with our materials, we are also encouraged by ministries such as Greg who are using our materials for the Kingdom as they train the next generation.