We have been spending a lot more time as a team in the last few years learning about depression, anxiety, trauma, healing-centered workplace practices, Christian leader burnout, and other mental health topics. Our Thai Village artisan community liaison “Nat” has been particularly focused on learning about mental health and how it may affect the local community artisans. She has shared about mental health at several of our Thai Village seminars and events with great success.
A few months ago several of the local WELS Lutheran churches organized a conference together. Nat went along as a member of Promise Lutheran Church and, because of her knowledge in this area, the church leaders asked her to share about mental health practices and how they could serve the church leaders.
After Nat shared many of the pastors, evangelists, and church leaders from the various Lutheran churches responded very favorably. They appreciated hearing about ways they could understand and better support both their leaders and their community. They said they had never had anyone talk with them about mental health and had never had an opportunity to learn about this issue from a Christian perspective in their churches. They asked if she could travel to each of the churches and do follow up sessions on mental health with their leaders and congregations.
At this point Thai Village is considering ways to coordinate these educational mental health participatory trainings as there is a great need and desire to learn more among the village church leaders. Please pray for good ideas, partnership, funding, and opportunities for this program in the future!
