Ah-Shen was not new to training programs. She had been to several before and had grown weary of them . . . dry content and of little practical use for ministry. She stayed away from SALT training in her area until a friend convinced her that this training was different.

Certain that our Three-Year Teaching Certificate Program would be as disappointing as all the others, Ah-Shen attended Practical Church Management with great reluctance and skepticism. But, oh, was she in for a wonderful surprise! Immediately at the end of the last class, she rushed forward to catch David, SALT’s lead teacher, before he left. “Teacher,” she blurted out, “please accept my apology.” Confused, David inquired, “Why?”  Ah-Shen confessed, “In the past, I had doubts about registering for this program because I suspected the course content wouldn’t be very helpful. But now I know I was wrong, and to think, I nearly let your efforts go to waste.” She even plans to bring her husband to the next class!

SALT’s pastoral training is not your run-of-the-mill training effort. It is engaging, biblically based and very practical, because it is taught by active pastors who teach from their everyday experiences. To the credit of SALT’s pastor/teachers, we have found Ah-Shen’s experience common and refreshing.

Ah-Shen was not the only one whose expectations were shattered.  As we tallied up the number of training sessions held from July through October, we were astounded by the total of 18 which surpasses even our usual count prior to COVID! Time after time, what was considered impossible by man was accomplished by God!