Keeping it in Perspective

This evening I began the final packing phase of an early April Trip to Malawi.  When you travel to a country with limited resources, you carefully pack and repack to ensure you have everything you'll need.  When I first traveled to Malawi in 2011, I packed three months in advance of our departure. Now, having made the trip 21 times, I've accumulated almost as many clothes in Malawi. When I land at my destination, the Good Soil Academy Team greets me along with three large bags of clothes and toiletries. These days I could travel with a carry-on backpack but for all the donated items that I find myself taking to Good Soil Academy.  This time I'll be taking soccer uniforms, school supplies, and womens' professional clothing for our teachers.  

I board three different  planes and in 28-32 hours I am in Malawi.  I'm not a fan of flying, and I'm even less a fan of flying over an ocean.  Truthfully, it's a bit easy to dread the trip; the idea sitting there cramped over 40,000 feet above the ocean for 16+ hours.  Whoever said, "It's the journey, not the destination," probably did not fly economy class to Malawi.  

Lately I've been reading in the Book of Genesis how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were called by God to make some extraordinary journeys.  Those journeys were made by donkey, camel and on foot.  They were perilous, wound through deserts and mountains and took months.  Similarly, when the missionaries of the 19th century traveled to China or Africa, they did it by sailing ship and that too was perilous and lengthy; it took months.  And when I reflect on what they went through to answer God's call, a 28 hour trip to Malawi suddenly seems much easier.

Each trip is different.  During this trip, we will spend time reflecting with our professional educators and administrators on how the year has gone so far.  We'll spend more time preparing for the upcoming school year. We'll spend some time celebrating what God has done and is doing at Good Soil Academy.  The following week Steve Chartier, our co-founder and board member will join us for some intensive leadership and vision-implementation training.  I'm excited to be part of that event.  We'll also have fun catching up with one another and continuing to build a unified team. 

So, what can you pray for?  For some reason safety is a little bit higher on my prayer list these days.  Most importantly, we want to be used to strengthen, edify and encourage our Good Soil Academy team in Malawi.  Please pray that God uses us to do such.  We also need God's discernment and wisdom.  It is amazing to pivot from praying that God will bring students to dealing with the challenges that are presented by accelerated growth.  By the end of the school year we will probably need to move into Phase Two of our capital development plan - building additional classrooms.  We'll also need to arrange for more school furniture, curriculum and supplies.  Please pray that Steve and I are effective communicators and listeners.  Please also pray that we will be diligent in our pursuit of excellence, bringing excellence to every aspect of serving our students.  Finally, pray that God will continue to transform these young women into Malawi's future faith-filled leaders.

For His Kingdom,

Dean