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In Mozambique

01/08/2011 — Leave a comment

Hi,

Just a quick note… (I’m writing this with limited power & in haste… forgive me if some of it may not make sense) I’m in Mozambique at moment. I’m privileged together with Ingrid, my wife, to take a group of young people to go serve in a somewhat remote area in Mozambique, called Xai Xai. Over the last four years we’ve been privileged to be part of seen the fruition of a vision fulfilled. We’ve played our small part in helping Mark Harper, a South African missionary, build a campsite. Every year we’ve reviewed what we’ve managed to do in the previous year.

The experience has taught us that you may not always be able to see the fruition of your grand vision immediately but there is something that you can do today to see fruits tomorrow. The campsite, called Bethel, is functional and has been serving the villages and communities as a venue for much needed teacher training for primary education. Camps are also run for young people who are challenged to make decisions to be followers of Christ.

It is amazing how our small seed is having a profound impact on the community and villages around. We cannot take credit for much. The greater work has been done by Mark and many others before us. We’re humbled to be part of the legacy in a small way and seeing Mark and other before us and when we are not here. It is people from far and near that have given of themselves and resources and share a passion to see the world changed!

For the next week we are going to be running a camp with a five fold purpose:

  1. to reach young people and present them the opportunity to make informed decisions to be Christ followers in the camp we’ll help run
  2. to train locals on how to run future camps
  3. to learn how to better contextualize ministry. this also means we’ll be learning from those that have asked us to team them. and also see how we can better grow
  4. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to go into the villages as we did with previous trips but hope that the fruit of this camp will do that instead. I think this is a better strategy. Inspire many to go many places than do a lot in one place.
  5. Build a framework for future camps…

The theme of the camp we’ll be running here is loosely translated from Portuguese and means “Arson!”. We pray that young people will be ignited to go start intentional fires in their communities / villages after God sets them alight this week.

Pray for Ingrid & I as well as the team.  While we travel please pray God’s protection and wisdom. Pray that we will do as God requires and that lives of everyone we encounter will be changed. Pray that we will also not be ignorant of what God may desires in us while we’re here. Pray that we’ll speak and do only what God requires of us.

I may only be in touch in about a week’s time to share our many experiences from this trip… In the meantime please do pray!

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Away

18/05/2011 — Leave a comment

Hi All,

Just a quick note… Thanks for either getting in touch or writing… my bad, am still away until next week (technically the end of May (2011)… I’ve been on a break. My apologies. I realize I only informed some and left others out of the loop. (Will be back with some content am currently working on etc)

Blessing

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Getting Voicemail Right

17/03/2011 — Leave a comment

I am not always available to answer my mobile phones. I’m either in a meeting or training session or driving and on rare occasions I forget switch the ringer back on and it just happens not to be in my pocket. On those occasions I cannot give attention to a call, I’ve “asked” voicemail to take messages for me… Somehow, the “subconscious me” feels if someone can’t get a hold of me, leaving a voice message says, “it’s important we connect” etc.

Sometimes leaving a voicemail may be the only opportunity for you or the sender to communicate something urgent before they’re also unavailable. The point of leaving voice messages is to at least communicate something. Communication has not happened if I haven’t received the message as intended by the sender. Here are a few pointers that may sound “little” but I think can help us in leaving better voice messages.

401725810 f6b3765ab1 o d Getting Voicemail Right

  • Noise: if you are going to leave a voice message, it is more favorable to try and do it from an area with minimal noise. Chances are high that the receiver of your message may listen to your voice mail in a similar, noisy environment and ends up adding “double noise”. The other side of it is to listen to your messages in a place with little noise, if any. Somehow background noises seems to be amplified when they’re recorded. So, one of the things to do is when leaving a voicemail take note of the noise in your surroundings.
  • Speech Sound & Speed: I have a great privilege of working with diverse people. I’m in a country with eleven official languages & love it! As much as I enjoy and love diversity, it does have some challenges at times. One of them is accent. This may be a result of them not speaking the language I normally use a s their first language. The best way to go around this may be to speak a little slower, and take extra care or even “mouth out” the words.
  • Another item to pay attention to is the speed at which you speak when you leave a message. People somehow speak faster when leaving a voice message, either to save credit on their call or because they’re leaving a message with a machine. Don’t forget that the message is ultimately intended for a human not a droid. I normally make it a point to speak slower when I leave a message. It helps clarity as it reduces chances of me stumbling over words.
  • Breathing: Avoid leaving a voice message while running! Chances are very high that the clearest thing in your message may only be your heavy breathing.
  • The Point: If you can help it, don’t leave a lengthy message. Be concise! I know people who stop listening to messages when they feel they’re taking long. Worse if they are coupled with lots of noise. Sometimes simply asking the receiver to call you back may be the best route to take. Just get to the point.
  • Leaving Numbers: When leaving my phone number, I say it slowly. I open my mouth a little more, to avoid the receiver hearing a number different from the one I said. I also say my number twice, so the receiver doesn’t have to listen to my message repeatedly to get my number properly. Frankly, I find it annoying to listen to a lengthy message and then have to do  it again just to get the number at the end of it. Try not to annoy someone just before they call you back!

What have been some of your terrible experiences with voicemail? What would you add to the list?

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Dominating From The “T”

23/12/2010 — Leave a comment

One of my lessons from last week was on the squash court. I think I played one of the best games I’ve played this year! One of the fundamental lessons my coach taught me in high school was the importance of the “T”. Let me explain. The “T” on the squash court is sort of the (technical) center of the court. The chances of you reaching just about any shot played are increased significantly when you’re positioned there. (My high school coach will be proud of me!) The player that can return to the “T” after playing or returning a shot is generally more likely to win a rally.

Before last week I played terrible games. I got into the games a little too late and as a result  lost a couple of matches. I hate losing… with a passion! In my match last week, I was down two games and if I’d lost the third game as well  I would’ve lost the match. During the break between the second and third game I decided to consult with one of my team mates. I asked for opinion from someone watching and not in the game per se. If you want to improve on your “delivery”, your colleagues / teammates is a good place to start for feedback and pointers. I saw some of the mistakes and loss of points I made in a new light. As my team mate explained where I’d lost most of my points I realized something.

In some instances I had given the ball back to my opponent and had played shots that didn’t force him to move from the “T”. I made it easy for my opponent to score against me! My game only started improving after I kept playing the kinds of shots that would force my opponent off the T and allow me to dominate the T. A reminder that one of the key ingredients to winning is positioning… This could mean your location mentally and even physically. Am sure you’ve witnessed organizations changing location in order to better their results or performance. They consider several things e.g. moving closer to resource supply or to their (potential) beneficiaries. Perhaps the physical move you may need to make is a holiday, just to clear your thinking etc… Either way, the move is always intended to be one that would move the team or organization into a position of strength.

Perhaps the position you need to change is in the “mental space”  or frame of mind. Like I did, ask those around about areas they feel you may need to make adjustments. Sometimes the change that give us the edge is in our mindset or attitude. Sometimes we do need someone looking at us “from the outside” to tell us that our attitude stinks and needs an overhaul of sort! Sometimes those around us tell us things we don’t want to hear but that is what is necessary to move us forward. Am not condoning imbalance or unfair criticism, but sometimes what makes criticism positive or negative is how we receive it and not just how it is given to us. Are you going to listen, asses, “spit the bones” out and grow or justify and make excuses when areas of possible growth are highlighted to you?

As you push toward your goals, ensure that you always return to a position that empowers you to move forward. Don’t waste the shots that you have now, they can be a good platform, empowering the ones you take after that. As you reflect on how far you’ve come, and look ahead, remember to always return to the position of strength and think beyond the shot you taking now, but also the one you’re going to take after it. Remember to consult with your team or colleagues and return to the “T”.

In Leadership, Life, Ministry, My Lessons From Last Week, Passion, Skills, Squash, Teamwork, Uncategorized, Vision , , , , , , , , ,
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