Florence, a Master Trainer in Uganda recently shared this:

“I was transferred to serve in a church in another area. The area was very bushy. Seeing myself as a resource from the TCT training we had received, I started clearing the place.”

Everyone in the area was well aware of the problem. The land around the church had become heavily overgrown.

In many rural communities, dense brush creates real dangers. Mosquitos breed in standing water, increasing the spread of malaria. Snakes and other animals hide in the tall vegetation. People with harmful intentions use the cover to avoid being seen. 

Clearing this kind of land is not simple yard work. It requires hours of difficult manual labor, often done with basic tools. For that reason, areas like this are often left untouched and simply avoided. 

But Florence saw things differently. Where others saw the problem and thought nothing could be done, Florence believed God had given her a calling to make a difference and the ability to act.

So she began clearing the land. 

Soon others joined her. Young people from the church began helping with the work and eventually took responsibility for maintaining the area. When local authorities saw the church’s commitment, they donated mowing machines to help with ongoing upkeep. 

As the space became cleaner and safer, people began gathering there. The church’s visible care for the community drew attention, and more people began attending services. Today the congregation is planning additional Acts of Love in the surrounding community

Amazing changes, but notice where transformation actually began. 

Not with funding. Not with a program. Not with outside help. 

Florence saw a problem, and she saw herself as a resource. Not because she was unusually gifted, but because she believed God could use her.  

Shifting Beliefs

That belief changes everything. 

But it is far rarer than we realize.

Many of us believe a quiet lie: “I don’t have enough to make a difference.”

Or worse, “This isn’t my responsibility.”

I once heard about a mother who taped cash to a piece of trash and left it on the kitchen floor. She was tired of being the only one who cleaned and decided to reward initiative. 

Then she watched. 

One by one, her children walked past it. They noticed. They stepped around it. They moved on. 

Even her husband did the same. 

The problem wasn’t invisible. 

It was simply someone else’s responsibility. 

We may smile at the story, but how often do we respond to brokenness in exactly the same way?

Waiting Becomes Normal

We know our world is suffering. Yet most of us invest only a fraction of our time, attention, or resources in addressing what we see.

The problem feels too big. Our schedules feel too full.

Maybe the church will solve it. Or a nonprofit. Or the government.

In communities where poverty has persisted for generations, this mindset can become deeply entrenched. 

This is why Truth Centered Transformation confronts the lie “I can’t make a difference” and then calls people to act with the resources already available to them

When One Person Moves

When one person rejects the lie and steps forward in obedience, God multiplies what was already there.

A bushy church compound becomes a gathering place.

Youth become leaders.

A community begins to take ownership.

Transformation often begins with a single decision:

I will not wait. I will use what God has given.

*named changed for privacy