Asking and Listening before Helping

By Moses Odel

I appreciated the training on types of poverty...that really opened up my mind to understand what poverty truly is and how debilitating it can become especially without a relationship with God...that is the ultimate poverty of a soul.

One personal change is how I will help people change. How I intervene in helping people needs a pause. Also being careful to listen to people rather than rush into help. Repentance of the many mistakes made in the past and present. The other is about fighting poverty through reconciliation by focusing on the broken people...this is key especially in the North but also in the East of Uganda where war has ravaged and destroyed relationships and community pride.

Obviously I would recommend the training especially for pastors because they deal with larger communities and their reach and influence is strong. I'd also recommend it for political leaders especially with the hope that true leadership that cares for poverty alleviation can be espoused and become a blessing to our corrupt leadership but also bring about transformation and transferring of a godly response towards poverty of all forms.

This training has opened my eyes first of all to understand in depth what poverty really is and how interconnected the different types of poverty are to spiritual poverty, unlike what I have been taught in economics or social development. Secondly this training is challenging me to tear down perceptions about poor people especially my own approach to their predicament (the God Complex) and simply ask like Jesus would often ask even when it was obvious - what can I do for you...rather than do what I think the poor need. Thirdly this training needs to be at the forefront of fighting the false prosperity Gospel and revealing to both genuine church leaders who teach falsehood and also the false teachers - the truth about poverty, work and Gospel true prosperity.