“When we select leaders, we don’t usually pick the person with the strongest leadership skills. We frequently choose the person who talks the most. It’s called the babble effect. Research shows that groups promote the people who command the most airtime — regardless of their aptitude and expertise. We mistake confidence for competence, certainty for credibility, and quantity for quality. We get stuck following people who dominate the discussion instead of those who elevate it.” (“Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant)

We have a vision to plant 2,500 emotionally healthy spiritual family groups in our province in Thailand — one spiritual family for each village able to create a safe space for anyone in their community searching for healing and hope. Our AFM team is praying and searching for 25 people — a leader for each of the 25 districts who will be able to provide support for all the spiritual families in their area. In our search to find and train local leaders, we must be mindful that we invest in people who show a willingness to listen more than speak. Learning to listen is a critical skill in helping people heal from their heart wounds and share that healing with others.
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5).

Teacher Ming has been training our team in the concepts she learned from the Trauma Healing Institute. She is also facilitating trauma healing groups in our area. She has been demonstrating how important it is to listen without judgment when someone shares their pain. Ask three questions. What happened? How did it make you feel? What was the hardest part for you? Then, she instructs participants to listen and thank the person for sharing their story.

Please continue to pray for our efforts to connect with and develop local leaders. We want to help them discover and unlock all the potential that God has created in them and train them to heal their communities. Pray that our team will learn to listen more and elevate others like Jesus did.

If you would like to know more about biblically-based trauma healing and how you and your local church can get equipped to start trauma healing groups, please visit www.traumahealinginstitute.org to learn more.

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