Mental Health Program - Weekend in Abomey

Mercy Ships runs a Mental Health Program which is led by Dr. Lyn Westman. Last weekend Lyn asked me to accompany her up north (4 hours drive away) to Abomey where she is in the middle of a 16 week (2 days per week), training program with Church Leaders in the area. The topic of the training is "Healing the Wounds of Trauma". The training will really help the Church Leaders here as they counsel their people and deal with situations they face daily. Unlike Liberia, the people of Benin do not suffer from the aftermath of war, but do however deal with many difficult situations resulting from extreme poverty, sickness including HIV and AIDS etc..

The training topics covered during the two days I was involved included:

• If God loves us, why do we suffer
• How can the wounds of our hearts be healed
• What happens when someone is grieving

My role was somewhat limited, but I did help with reading scripture, (remember all communication has to be done through a translator in French). In addition to that, I helped with an impromptu role-play involving a counsellor and a counsellee. It was done in two parts: 1. How NOT to counsel someone 2. How TO counsel someone. I played the part of the counsellee.

In the first picture I am sharing my fictional story with "my counsellor". In the second picture one of the training participants was giving feedback on the role-play.

During the 2 days in Abomey we stayed in a local Children's Home started and run by an ex-Mercy Shipper. Approx 35 children live in the home. We were there from the Sunday evening just till the Tuesday evening. I had my own room, very simply furnished with just a bed (complete with mosquito net), table and chair and toilet & shower. From 9am till 4pm were were at a local church were the training sessions took place and then we travelled back to the children's home for our evening meal, enjoyed time with the children before going to our rooms which were pitch dark until the generators come on.

It was a very successful two days and I appreciated the opportunity to be involved in something very different.
I am pictured here dressed in one of my African dresses with Dr. Lyn Westman and Arlette. Arlette is the leader of the children's home in which we stayed and was also one of the training participants. Many of the children in her care had a traumatic early start in life.

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Tomorrow, once again I will be going out for my regular visitations with the Palliative Care Team. We have some very sad cases, but it is a privilege to have the opportunity to visit and show the love of Jesus and His care and compassion to people in the midst of their serious sicknesses and final days.