March 29, 2017
Last week, in a brief, joyful graduation ceremony, sixty participants received diplomas saying they had completed “Love and Limits,” a session led by ASJ (formerly known as AJS) that teaches practical strategies for working with children and families.
Stronger families make stronger communities, ASJ knows, and many parents in Honduras struggle with listening and understanding their children, while also lovingly placing and enforcing limits.
In four target communities, ASJ has led over 130 families through this training. Now, in a new partnership with the Catholic Church in Honduras, they hope to see this training spread through parishes across the capital.
In three weekends of trainings, sixty leaders from six different parishes learned how to strengthen family ties, how to teach values, and ideas for properly administrating discipline.
These representatives will be able to take these lessons not just to their own families, but to the dozens of children going through catechism in each church, and to other families in their parish.
“My experience was very good, in that I could apply it to my own life. I have a daughter, and I learned how to improve my communication with her,” said Nora, a participant who also leads child ministries in her church. “We as mothers don’t know everything, but we learn along the way,” she added, smiling.
“I work with some difficult families where there is irresponsible parenting, and many different life situations, but we are going to work as a team to address that and to see what we can do with the families,” she added.
All attendees emphasized this commitment – they wanted to “scatter the seed”, sharing the lessons they learned with other families.
“I’ve learned a lot – these reflections allow us to learn so we can later teach,” said another participant, “What I most liked was to discover the values and talents that are in our church… It encourages me to continue firmly in my commitment of working in the church.”
Participants estimated the trainings would soon reach around 400 children participating in catechism classes in different churches.
“Thanks so much, from all my heart, for having dedicating this time,” Father Dimas Rivera told ASJ staff, “It was a dream that we had and we’ve been very satisfied, it’s exceeded our expectations.
“We learned so much that we will have to sit down and review some elements and create a strategy to be able to bring it into practice,” the priest continued, “starting with a pilot program and later implementing throughout the Diocese.”
“May God continue to bless the work of ASJ,” he closed in prayer.
In this and other projects throughout Honduras, ASJ facilitates trainings that give new skills and knowledge to leaders who can then spread the information within their own churches, organizations, and communities. In this way, ASJ’s work can be a catalyst for justice everywhere from the Supreme Court to the family dinner table.
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PO Box 888631, Grand Rapids, MI 49588
| info@asj-us.org | 1 (800) 897-1135
ASJ (formerly known as AJS) changed our name in 2021 to reflect our partnership with Honduras and our Honduran roots. Learn more.
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