08/22/25 Western Uganda Part 1
We have just returned from an amazing week in Western Uganda. This trip included both a new training class for 53 of our national trainers and leaders as well as evangelistic outreach in schools and villages that involved both nationals and a group from Two Cities Church in North Carolina. This email will focus on the training. Look for at least one more email on the outreach that saw many profess their faith in Jesus Christ. It was such an eventful week that we need more than one email to do it justice! We even plan emails on the saga of the luggage and a family reflection about having 10 members of our family serving together!!
To be a Global Baptist Training Foundation trainer, a pastor must complete all 15 of the core courses in our curriculum. Since these are offered in one week modules, it takes between 2 and 3 years to graduate. Those students who show mastery of the theological content as well as excellence in communication skills then receive further training in travel, ethics, etc before becoming a GBTF national trainer. As of last week, we now have over 150 national trainers in 28 countries. Most of the training is done regionally, so these nationals don’t get the opportunity to know one another. Watching the week unfold reminded us of what Heaven will be like – the fellowship was amazing!
Last week, 53 trainers from Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, Malawi, Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Tanzania, and even Liberia attended a brand new class (Eschatology) taught by Bruce. Our son-in-law, Todd Scheid, not only preached on Sunday when our flight was delayed a day, but he also taught a section on Blessings in the Millennium.
This was primarily an East Africa gathering with leaders from West Africa attending as well. These trainers will now spread out and teach what they were taught! This is the ultimate principle behind GBTF: training nationals to train nationals (II Timothy 2:2)!
We were overjoyed to have our entire African leadership team in attendance at this training class: Fidele Shinga (GBTF Africa Director), Philip Willie (GBTF West Africa Director), Brasswell Nkhonjera (South Africa Director), Naboth Atusasire (GBTF East Africa Director), Ntare Rodgers (GBTF Africa IT Director), and James Togba (GBTF West Africa Field Representative).
Naboth Atusasire and his wife , Esther, hosted over 100 people from Africa and the US. What gracious hosts they are! They housed and fed this massive group with grace and joy!
Overall, the week was an amazing success! We felt a lot of opposition including missing our connection to our first overseas flight and lost luggage. We knew then that the Lord had great plans, and we saw that to be the case!!! More on this in the next few days……
Bruce and Grace Snavely
Global Baptist Training Foundation
Videos:
GBTF Leaders Literally Jumping for Joy:
Greeting from GBTF in Uganda:
Todd Scheid Teaches Segment on Blessings in the Millennium
Certificate Awarding Ceremony:
Eschatology August 2025 (Fidele translates into French):