Volume 6
Issue 6.4  

Isaiah 9:6,7

A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN

LEADERSHIP
Recently I was in a position to train sixty leaders from 32 countries The title of the training was: “The Leader and his Family”. At the end of the lectures one of the participants said: “Your lectures have made a difference in my life”. It was clear that he was enthusiastic about what he had learned and he decided to adopt it in his life.

Good leaders are always willing to learn. They open themselves intentionally for it. When a leader stops learning, he has come to a dead stop.

Jesus Christ, our great leader, once said: “Learn from me, because I have a friendly and humble heart”. (Matthew 11 verse 29) In Jesus’ life we see how he learned from His Father. He encouraged others to learn. This kind of leadership is not only willing to receive but it will also encourage and inspire others to learn.

For sure it is important that learning results in practicing what you have learned. Staying passive does not lead to change or improvement. Without these no learning has taken place. If the wife of this participant from India would tell her friends that she has noticed a remarkable difference in her husband, it would be clear to me that this man has learned for sure.
The process of learning goes on a life long. A colleague of mine mailed me the other day and at the bottom of his mail he wrote: “As leaders we are always learning, unlearning and relearning.” These are processes good leaders go through all the time.
I invite you to stop being static and rigid in your leadership. Develop a resilient leadership with the principles I just mentioned as a basis. You could apply this kind of leadership in your family, your neighborhood, church, company, your union, political party, NGO and your country.

God himself wants to help you!.

Carl Breeveld
Man mit’ Man Suriname

TIP:
If you do not want to be lived, allow yourself to say ‘no’ now and then.

The society we live in constantly challenges us to surpass our borders and to pursue the highest possible. We are often confronted with requests for help and calls upon our time and energy. Sometimes we must accept that such expectations are deceitful and not realistic. If we can say ‘no’ , you make space to say ‘yes’ to other subjects or actions that are of more importance to you. It will allow you to settle your live and restore the balance. 
Drawing healthy borders will enable us to be faithful to ourselves and to do what we should.

WHAT HAS BEEN:

• MARRIAGE SEMINAR
  The seminar was held from 21st to 23rd July led by Carl and Jane Breeveld. Twenty couples participated. We started with prayers and getting each other known. 
  The first day Carl Breeveld discussed the subject ‘The marriage, God’s Plan’. He mentioned the aspects which should be the basis of a marriage and the participants could focus on their own marriage. It was clearly stated that communication is the spindle of a good marriage life; partners should talk to each other and, especially, listen to each other. Only so they can understand how each of them experience marriage life and what they whish to be changed. 
  The couples also had to complete specific tests. 
  Temperaments, Sexuality and Raising Kids were other subjects in the seminar

• GOSPEL FAIR
  MMM participated in this fair which was held at Flamboyant Park from 5th tot 7th August. The fair was organized by the inter-church committee Gospel Fair led by Gloria Lie Kwie Sjoe. The theme of the fair was “No Kibri Yu Bribi” (Do not be ashamed of your faith). We have been called to be Jesus’ witnesses.
  We sold booklets and talked to many people, promoting the messages: How to be a Real Man, Healthy Marriages and Strong Families.
  
  The fair met with many challenges because almost every evening we had to deal with current failure. Still many workshops could be held, especially the important: How to control your Money, Music in the congregation, Flags and Banners, Churchplanning, Drama, Going Steady and Partnership, Sexuality, Family and Raising Kids.

• ACTIVITIES AT STIBULA
  Safe and supportive environment
  Stibula is a neighborhood organization in the Latour area. The objective of is organization is to improve the living circumstances by organizing educational, recreational and environmental events.
  They had planned an Information Day on 10th September and invited several other organizations to participate. So did Man Mit Man, promoting the slogan “Keep on Studying and Doors will be opened” The more so, because it is common knowledge, that at Latour and its surroundings many adolescents quit school at an early age.
  Besides information there was also “edutainment” and the day was concluded by an organized scroll through the neighborhood. 
  The organizing committee’s objective for the scroll was to enhance environmental awareness. A committee member made this remark: “The care for the environment at Latour leaves much to be desired”.

• IWEB TRAINING
  In cooperation with Secad Foundation and the Women’s Business Group, Man Mit’Man organized this I-web training. I-web stands for: Improve your Work Environment and Business. This training completely fits in the outlines of the “Stuka doro” (Keep on Studying) project, because its focal point is the importance of further studies. I-web is recommendable for entrepreneurs who want to manage their businesses better and more effectively, but students and others intending to establish a business in the future have also participated. The training hands out tools for how to make improvements in their businesses with few means. Special attention was given to the factor Man. Carl Breeveld held a special reading: ‘Man and Business’ and he emphasized that man, being a social being, is the centre of every process. Our humanity is co-established by the contacts we have with other people. This means that it is of great importance that inter-human relations and the question: how to keep these relations positive, are given sufficient attention.

• BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION
  Behavior change communication is communication that brings about behavior change. Such as a well known proverb says: what is learned at a young age will be exhibit itself when one is older. We all know how difficult it is to quit bad habits. Developing good behavior is far much easier than changing it. It is very important that we develop our children’s behavior when we educate them. Parents should teach them at an early age what is right and what is wrong and what are the effects of bad behavior. This should not only be thought, but also be pursued. If not, our kids will miss the important right role model. Our young ones are often being influenced in many ways and many times it is very hard for them to turn away from wrong. That is why it is so important to empower our kids so that they become strong personalities. People with strong characters have a better ability to take the right decisions. That is why parents and elders should learn how to influence behavior and behavior development in a positive way .

• MEN'S MEETING AT LOB’ MAKANDRA
  About 24 men came together at Lob’Makandra on Sunday, 16th October to discuss: “The man and his place in the congregation and in his family”. Frans Eersteling and Kelvin Jong Min led this meeting as representatives of Man Mit’Man. 
  Each participant looked at their own character and through a role game they discovered their way of thinking about various subjects in every day life, as financial matters, sticking to agreements and keeping promises.

VISIT TO THE NETHERLANDS

"THE LEADER IN YOU"

CONVERSATION EVENING AT ZAAILAND

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