| Gladys K. Mwiti, M.A., a counseling psychologist, is the | | | | cancel my appointments and I would call her from |
| Founder and Execute have Director of Oasis | | | | the hotel. When I entered the hotel's lobby, there |
| Counseling and Training Institute in Nairobi, Kenya. In | | | | were bags and people everywhere. |
| addition to her work at Oasis, Gladys is the Chairman | | | | A woman met me and took me to a small room: |
| of the Christian Counselors Association of Kenya. Her | | | | Gladys, she said, we need you to do something for |
| husband, Gershon, is the national team leader of | | | | us beginning now. We have a fax here from New |
| African Enterprise, an indigenous African counseling | | | | York, from the U.N. headquarters, stating that all the |
| ministry. Gladys and Gershon have three daughters | | | | people evacuated last night need to be debriefed. |
| and one son. At the 1997 AACC World Conference in | | | | The instructions are that we debrief them before |
| November, I spent some time with Gladys, talking | | | | they are deployed anywhere or sent home because |
| about her pioneer work in Kenya. | | | | they have seen such horrific things in Rwanda. We |
| Tell me about yourself, your background, and how | | | | have set up a room for you and you can begin your |
| you encountered God. | | | | first group as soon as you are ready. I called my |
| I was born in Meru District in Kenya, which is near | | | | office and said, reschedule everything for the next |
| the snow-capped, northern slopes of Mt. Kenya. Its | | | | two months! As I counseled and debriefed the U.N. |
| quite a cold area indeed. I grew up in a Christian | | | | staff, I was joined later by the head of a counseling |
| home. My mother loves the Lord. She has always | | | | unit from New York, and two professional counselors |
| been a woman of prayer, and Id love to be like her. | | | | consultants from Canada. For two months, we |
| She used to take me to church and to huge | | | | worked with the employees and their families, and it |
| conventions. | | | | was such tiring stuff. |
| In Africa, we have the huge, evangelistic meetings, | | | | How did you care for yourself in the midst of that |
| people sitting on the green grass under the sun. | | | | work? |
| That's the kind of setting where I receive the Lord | | | | I could not get self-care until the end of the two |
| as my Savior. We were at a 3,000-strong convention | | | | months; it was crazy. But my husband is a great guy; |
| and the gospel was preached from John 3:16. I | | | | he can just sit and listen to me for hours, so he did a |
| remember that the preacher said, It is not so much | | | | lot of debriefing for me. But by the end of two |
| the sin you have committed in your life; it's that the | | | | months, I scheduled some time with a professional |
| Lord loves you so, so much, and what he is asking | | | | counselor. I saw him for several sessions, but I was |
| you is, Could you love me a little bit in return? As a | | | | in such a state of mind that I could not go back to |
| seven year old, I did not see my sin as such a bad | | | | work for another month. What I realized about the |
| thing. I knew I was guilty of licking the cream off the | | | | U.N. staff is that very few of them had really |
| top of the milk when my mom was not looking or | | | | experienced any trauma. Their experience of trauma |
| taking and eating bread from the cupboard. What I | | | | was hearing gunshots and grenades go off. A few of |
| really saw in myself that day was a heart that was | | | | them remembered seeing gory stuff. For example, |
| desired and longed to know the love of God. | | | | one of them said, I remember seeing a dog chewing |
| I probably should mention that my father used to be | | | | a human hand as we drove out of Kigali to |
| a Christian. He brought my mother to the Lord | | | | Bujumbura in Burundi and then airlifted to Nairobi. I |
| before they got married. She had never been to | | | | appreciated the fact that the U.N. wanted counseling |
| church, so when they met, my father took her to | | | | for its staff, whether the people felt traumatized or |
| church, and she accepted the Lord as her Savior in | | | | not. And some of them did not think they had been |
| the East African Revival of the late 1940's - 1950's | | | | affected until the middle of their sessions. Then they |
| that transformed most of the church is in Kenya to | | | | just broke down in tears. I had even more concern |
| evangelical church is. Mom got to know the Lord in | | | | about the Rwandans left behind. The U.N. was so |
| that revival, but then Dad backslid. He left Christianity | | | | concerned about their employees, who hardly had |
| he got richer, he became a businessman, a farmer, | | | | lost a single member of their families (thought some |
| and its as if he did not need much from the Lord. He | | | | of them had seen colleagues killed) but who was |
| even married a second wife, and there was a lot of | | | | concerned about the millions of Rwandans? Men, |
| tension and stress at home. Sometimes as a child I | | | | women, and children who had seen blood, some of |
| wished there was more peace in my home. Dad | | | | them lay under dead bodies for days, some of them |
| would drink alcohol, come home sometimes, and | | | | live in holes for months who is counseling the |
| rough up my mother. I longed for fatherly love, a | | | | Rwandans? |
| father I could trust. There was so much insecurity | | | | I asked the head of the counseling ministry, the |
| with my dad, that when I heard the preacher talking | | | | offices in Nairobi, and the counseling unit in New York |
| about a God who loved me, I longed for that | | | | what they were doing to help the Rwandans. The |
| security. | | | | answer came back the same: Nothing. So I went to |
| I knew that if this God was the God of my mother, | | | | the All Africa Council of Churches is, the overseeing |
| I could rely on him as a father. When the altar call | | | | body of the Protestant churches is in Africa. What |
| was made that day, I literally ran to the front, joining | | | | are we doing about Rwanda? I asked. What can we |
| hundreds of other people. Now, it's not unusual to | | | | do, Mrs. Mwiti? I went to the Association of |
| dismiss or take lightly the fervent commitment of | | | | Evangelicals of Africa, the body that looks after the |
| children at the revivals. Some people think that young | | | | evangelical churches is. Nothing! I went to people that |
| children cannot make a decision for the Lord. But | | | | I knew had regional offices working in Nairobi but |
| when I went to the front among the crowd of | | | | working in Rwanda nothing! I got very frustrated, |
| adults that day, an old man around 70 years old he | | | | and so my husband one day looked at me and said, |
| was wearing a huge coat, and he had such big, soft | | | | Gladys, you seem to be spending a lot of time asking |
| hand same to me, bent on his knee, and just | | | | people what they are doing about Rwanda. What are |
| gathered me to himself, hugging me. I remember | | | | you doing about Rwanda? Me? I asked. I am too |
| disappearing into his coat, and it was so sweet and | | | | small. Too small? he replied. If the Lord wants you in |
| comfortable, I did not want to leave there. I still | | | | Rwanda, is he not big enough to do that? |
| remember the smell of his coat today. He just | | | | I started reading, writing, and researching. By the end |
| hugged me to himself, and that symbolized | | | | of 1994, I had materials for training, but I did not |
| acceptance of me, a child, in the church of Christ. It | | | | know what I was going to do with them. Someone |
| also represented security and a sense of belonging. I | | | | heard about me and published those materials. By |
| was one of the brethren. | | | | February 1994 we had materials published. By April |
| From then on, the church took me seriously, because | | | | 1994, they were translated into Kenya and Rwanda, |
| the next Sunday, they put me up on a table and | | | | and we were beginning trauma counseling in Rwanda. |
| asked me to share my testimony of what the Lord | | | | Since 1995, we have trained 216 counselors in |
| had done! I spoke out, and I am told today that | | | | Rwanda. But they, each of them has counseled or |
| some people were challenged and they cried as a | | | | trained 60 others since then. So we have over |
| result of my testimony. From that time, I have not | | | | 10,000 people today counseling in Rwanda. Counseling |
| stopped talking about the Lord. I have talked to | | | | and small groups are mushrooming all over the place. |
| thousands of young people in schools, women | | | | We take them through a process of healing |
| ministries, and couples ministries. After I married my | | | | themselves, because you cannot bring healing to |
| husband, Gershon, who is an evangelist, we went on | | | | others until you are healed yourself. They go home |
| preaching together. I went to college, got my | | | | with Bible-study materials and pastor's notes that we |
| education, and taught physics and chemistry in school | | | | have prepared. In group counseling, they support one |
| for about 14 years before the Lord called me to the | | | | another as they complete their healing. By the end of |
| ministry of counseling. How have you seen the field | | | | the 10 weeks of Bible study, they already are |
| of counseling center and change the part of the | | | | addressing the needs of poverty, the needs of |
| world where you work? Some of us are literally | | | | AIDS, and they are setting themselves up in small |
| pioneers in the field of counseling in the countries. | | | | inter development projects, such as chicken and goat |
| When I began the Oasis Counseling Center in 1990, I | | | | keeping. The are some of the programs that we are |
| knew very few people who were in full-time Christian | | | | involved in at Oasis. Our three-week lay counselor |
| counseling in Kenya. So I have actually been a part of | | | | training has evolved to other programs during the |
| the ministry of premiering professional Christian | | | | year, such as training for people working with |
| counseling. There's very little lay counseling, so most | | | | disadvantaged children, street children, orphans, and |
| of my time is spent in equipping the church to be a | | | | abused children. |
| counseling community, rather than waiting for people | | | | What are some of your goals for the future? |
| to crumble and then coming to Oasis. | | | | The need in Christian counseling on the continent of |
| The changes that I have seen are changes that have | | | | Africa is not in just addressing people and problems, |
| come through some of us in the field. The counseling | | | | but to be involved in helping to shape people's |
| ministry in Kenya is professional, Christian, and boldly | | | | behavior. I am referring to the whole issue of values. |
| prevent have in nature. Many people have opened | | | | Values that keep families from crumbling, values that |
| the door to us since my husband and I have worked | | | | keep kids from drugs. I am talking about |
| with the church for a long time. We have been able | | | | biblically-founded beliefs that people sometimes do |
| to introduce programs like couples seminars along | | | | not want to be bold enough to teach, and I think |
| with our preaching and evangelism. | | | | Christian counselors have the goal of teaching. More |
| The credibility of our lifestyle encouraged people to | | | | and more Christian counselors need to be trained to |
| trust us. We found doors swinging open from bishops | | | | boldly analyze what is happening and then help |
| to lay people, and I think this is what has helped | | | | parents to teach values to their kids, help leaders |
| counseling to progress through Africa. Yes, it's true. | | | | understand the principles of servant leadership, help |
| The reason I decided to change professions was | | | | fathers to be better fathers. |
| because of the students who kept bringing their | | | | My dream for Africa is for an all-African training |
| problems to me. I discovered that the kids had so | | | | institute of Christian counseling, where people do not |
| many problems that I was not able to help them | | | | just learn the skills but are able to come up with |
| adequately. What actually drove me into counseling | | | | materials and strategies for reaching the masses. If |
| was the following story. I was a deputy principal in a | | | | we do not teach people how to live, we are leaving |
| girl's high school. One morning I was just about to do | | | | them in a vacuum. We'll continue with the training of |
| assembly for the Morning Prayer when a girl came | | | | lay counselors, but we need more professional |
| running into school crying. I could see she was really | | | | counselors who will take a place in theological |
| stressed. Mrs. Mwiti, I need to talk to you right now. | | | | colleges, training schools, and universities, and make |
| Susan, I cannot talk to you now, were just about to | | | | sure that Christian counseling is part of the curriculum |
| do assembly. But I have got to talk to you! She said. | | | | in those places. |
| OK, I said. Go to my office, and I will talk to you as | | | | That's my dream. What would you want to say to |
| soon as I am through with assembly. When I finished | | | | AACC members about their contribution to counseling |
| assembly and went into my office, she was still | | | | in Kenya and Africa? I am excited about AACC |
| crying. Now this girl was about 15 years old, and I | | | | members looking beyond America. Whether I like it |
| had led her to the Lord the year before, so I knew | | | | or not, America is our world influence today. The |
| she was a Christian. I said to her, Susan, what's up? | | | | dollar has become an international currency. The |
| And she began to tell me this story: Since I got | | | | whole world is hard on the heels of America. We are |
| saved, I have been able to handle the stress in my | | | | getting more from you than dollars. When a movie is |
| family. | | | | released in Hollywood, it hits Nairobi in the next |
| There has been a lot of stress in my family for a | | | | couple of weeks. With the Internet, communication |
| long, long time. Dad drinks heavily, comes home | | | | between Los Angeles and Nairobi is instant. My |
| drunk, and then starts fighting with my mother. We | | | | prayer is that AACC members will realize that they |
| live in a marionette, and often, I have to climb up the | | | | are shaping Christian counseling around the world by |
| stairs when Dad comes home. I have to put my ear | | | | the very fact that we in Africa know you love the |
| to the keyhole, because I know anytime he will start | | | | Lord and we are following your lead. You cannot |
| beating Mom up and I have got to jump in to | | | | stand back and tell us, Do not follow. So we hope |
| separate the two. I am the firstborn and I have got | | | | that God is in people's lives not just on their currency. |
| three other siblings, younger than me, and the baby | | | | Wherever the dollar finds its place, Christian |
| is about two years old. This week, the tension has | | | | counseling needs to find its place. |
| been very high at home. Last night, Dad came in | | | | So I would like for AACC members to remember |
| again at 3:00 A.M., and I stayed up to make sure he | | | | that Africa is bigger than a country; it's a continent |
| was fast asleep before something erupted. But last | | | | with Islam, Christianity, and animistic religions. It takes |
| night they did not fight. This morning I came | | | | me eight hours to fly from east to West Africa. The |
| downstairs, dressed for school, and my little brother | | | | Lord may lead AACC members out there to help us |
| who never goes anywhere this early in the morning, | | | | in other ways and we shall appreciate it, but basically, |
| was also dressed up. | | | | I want to encourage all of you to keep following the |
| Our house help, a young guy that lives with us to | | | | Lord, because we are following you. Sounds like a |
| help with the baby, was also dressed up. I said, Mom, | | | | challenge to a higher accountability! Let me add briefly |
| where is John going? and Mom said, We are leaving. | | | | that about fI have years ago, the Lord put on my |
| Where? I asked. Who is leaving? Susan, stop asking | | | | heart the need for a Christian counselors association |
| so many questions. What I want you to do is go up | | | | to be an accrediting body. Because the need is so |
| to your room, get whatever stuff you think you | | | | great, anyone can set himself or herself up as a |
| need and come down. We are leaving in the next | | | | counselor. We have individuals, who go for a week's |
| five minutes. Even Dad? I asked. I am not talking | | | | training, and they return saying, I have been through |
| about your father; I said we are leaving. I knew | | | | training and now I am a professional. I have been |
| something was horribly wrong. So finally I said, But | | | | praying and working so hard, and finally in 1996, the |
| we cannot leave Dad alone. If you think you love | | | | Christian Counselors Association of Kenya got |
| your father so much, then you can stay with him; if | | | | registered. I am the current chairman, and the |
| you think its me you love, you come with me. | | | | accreditation committee is working hard to set |
| But Mom, its not a matter of love. Who's going to | | | | standards of training and accreditation. Its a dream |
| cook for him, look after him...I am confused. | | | | come true. Already, many other countries in Africa |
| Someone has to stay with Dad! I finally said, I do not | | | | are saying, come over and help us to form our own |
| know what I am going to do, but I am going to stay | | | | associations. Very soon we are going to start visiting |
| with Dad. Then I picked up my schoolbag and I ran all | | | | various countries, bringing all of them together, and |
| the way to school. Mrs. Mwiti, I want you to tell me, | | | | helping them to set up Christian counseling |
| did I make the right decision? Now, in teachers | | | | associations in their countries. |
| college they taught me how to teach physics, how | | | | This will encourage training, it will encourage |
| to check substances in chemistry, and how to do lab | | | | standards, and it will also be able to push for |
| projects, but they did not teach me how to minister | | | | universities or theological colleges in their countries to |
| to kids who are hurting. I examined my heart and | | | | set up Christian counseling departments. When this |
| said to myself, Gladys Mwiti, you have had enough | | | | happens, we shall be looking for AACC to send us |
| teaching physics and teaching chemistry get out of | | | | people from time to time to come and teach in some |
| here! For quite a while, I had been feeling this | | | | of the places. At Oasis, we hope to have a diploma |
| frustration of seeing hurting kids in class unfocused, | | | | in Christian counseling, teaching it at the Institute, and |
| hungry, in pain, emotionally frozen. I went home, and | | | | also a Masters program. We need people from the |
| I told my husband, I am in the wrong place, and the | | | | America to come and help us set it up as well as |
| Lord is saying get out! So by faith, I had to go back | | | | people in publishing to help us with book |
| to school to study psychology. The only place I could | | | | old_resources. How large is your staff at Oasis, and |
| study in Kenya was a secular university, the U.S. | | | | how would you characterize your approach to |
| International University they have a campus in San | | | | Christian counseling? There are six full-time staff |
| Diego, California (the mother campus), and this | | | | members, including myself, and then four part-time |
| campus in Nairobi. I studied psychology for fI have | | | | professional counselors. We have 33 professionals on |
| years. I kept reading and integrating the work of | | | | the training staff, because we have got a huge |
| Larry Crabb, James Dobson, and others. Soon the | | | | training program. The professionals include pastors, |
| Lord made it very clear that he wanted me to do a | | | | medical doctors, psychologists a few of them teach |
| faith ministry start Oasis Counseling Center. The | | | | in universities psychiatrists, and university lecturers. All |
| struggle has been mighty, I mean really big, in setting | | | | of them are committed Christians who love the Lord |
| up this work in Africa, but it's been very satisfying. | | | | and follow our model of Christian counseling. Our |
| So, has your work been primarily with teenagers? | | | | approach basically assumes the fallen nature of man, |
| I work with everyone. When you are talking of a | | | | the fact that God wants us to be transformed, not |
| ministry which is out there with nothing else, you | | | | just to be spared but to be changed from within, and |
| cannot say, I do families, I do youth. From the very | | | | that when Christ comes in, he turns things upside |
| beginning I have worked with youth, so I am very, | | | | down, and we need to live in obedience to him. I can |
| very close to young people; I love them. We do a lot | | | | actually say that around 75% of those who come to |
| of youth counseling that automatically goes into | | | | us, if they were not Christians first, they become |
| family counseling to marriage counseling, which leads | | | | Christians during counseling. Or if they are weak in |
| to depression, stress management, conflict resolution, | | | | their Christian walk, they get encouraged before they |
| leadership training, etc. We started out aiming at a | | | | leave. Our approach is not direct have; its more of an |
| small urban population in Nairobi. Nairobi is about three | | | | eclectic model. But it is basically a model that helps |
| million today, and there's almost nothing else around. | | | | people get to know the Lord and live in obedience to |
| We have people coming for counseling sessions from | | | | him by the end of therapy. Phone Therapy is a |
| the rural areas, 200-300 miles away. I sat back and I | | | | wonderful medium to help you. |
| said, Lord, what else can we do now? The answer | | | | What kind of problems do you deal with at Oasis |
| was to train lay counselors at the community and | | | | that might be unique to Kenya? |
| church levels. Then the hurting people can find | | | | There are not any that I need to tell you, because |
| somebody who can work with them at least at the | | | | you see, with this global model issue, we are as sick |
| encouragement level of counseling, before they look | | | | as everyone else! High on the list are marital |
| for the professional. If we help lay counselors set up | | | | problems, family issues, youth rebellion, drug abuse, |
| counseling departments in the church, they can train | | | | stress, and depression. Basically the problems are due |
| other lay counselors to help in the counseling. Then | | | | to the changes taking place in Africa. I am told that |
| we train pastors in supervisory skills. This is how we | | | | by the year 2000, 45% of Africans will be living in |
| got into the training of lay counselors to reach the | | | | the cities. Child abuse is very much on the increase, |
| rural communities and even the rest of the city that | | | | so there is not anything that is unique there. Kenya is |
| we cannot reach. | | | | a nation where most people go to school, so we get |
| In 1990, we were focusing just on lay counseling in | | | | the same problems that any other money-centered, |
| Kenya, but by the next year, people were coming | | | | material-centered society experiences. Most of our |
| from the rest of Africa for three-weeks of training in | | | | tribal structures were pretty solid, but with all the |
| lay-counseling skills, and then returning to their | | | | mobility of people, were encountering all of the |
| countries to set up counseling ministries. Through that | | | | community structure crumbling, individualism coming in, |
| program, we have 500 people, scattered all over | | | | and self-worship. When the problems arrive, they eat |
| Africa, doing lay counseling. How did you get involved | | | | from the core. The difference is that you do not |
| with counseling the United Nations staff when they | | | | have the tools and old_resources that we have in |
| were evacuated from Rwanda in 1994? In April 1994, | | | | North America. Exactly! And that's why the |
| the United Nations evacuated over 300 of their staff | | | | disintegration will be faster, thus we need to work |
| employees with their families from Kigali. All the hotels | | | | ever so hard. That's why my belief is that the church |
| were fully booked in Nairobi. This was five days after | | | | presents the example. I want to work myself out of |
| the plane of the president of Rwanda had been | | | | business very quickly. The more the church does |
| destroyed and the onset of the genocide. I was just | | | | what the church is supposed to be doing, the better |
| finishing devotions, and a car with a United Nations | | | | for society. God wants each person to use his or her |
| registration number drove up. The Christian dry hiver | | | | gifts, and the gift of encouragement can belong even |
| had a note on U.N. letterhead instructing me to report | | | | to a child. So, I must multiply myself, and the sooner |
| to one of the hotels in town. I told my secretary to | | | | I do that before the year 2000, the better. |