How blessed am I that I can learn from leaders who have lived with an immense amount of experience and thus achieved a great deal of knowledge that is being imparted to me! This week, we began our Global Community course, which is taught by a man named, Francis. Francis is incredible. You’d have to meet him to truly experience the truth of this statement but just imagine this… a constantly smiling man whose intelligence leaves you awestruck and whose stories make you desperately hungry for more. A man whose humility sets him apart and whose passion for helping others is inspiring. I am blessed to be under his mentor-ship as I begin the service sites. He guides the students along the path of understanding the complex, and fairly new, idea of sustainability and empowerment.
In the past, missionary work, global aide, and natural disaster support, has been executed in a manner that leaves the community dependent. This dependency becomes a community’s biggest downfall and Francis' teachings challenge this idea as he discusses the importance of helping a community to see their own resources. Every point Francis makes seems obvious and yet revolutionary at the same time. I have filled over twelve pages of handwritten notes while sitting in his lecture these past two days.
This is only one of the many quotations that embodies the teaching Francis represents. He offers very applicable material and tangible tools for us to utilize in our service sites and in the future. His words have caused me to critically think of how these ideas relate to my personal experiences, like working at a summer camp, how did I leave my campers? As a counselor, I struggled with combating the Summer Camp Effect, where the campers arrive excited, participate in adventurous activities, become encouraged, dive deeper into conversations about Jesus, and leave feeling passionate for the God who loves them. But then they get home to a public school that pulls them down or a family that does not encourage a walk with Christ and that flame slowly becomes burnt out. I find myself wondering, did I empower them to go back to the routine of their life with the tools needed to remain on fire for Christ? Did I educate in a way that helps them to sustain this summer camp fire, so that when they return to their lives and become discouraged, threatened by dark forces they do not think, "I wish I could just go back to summer camp." But instead, they think, "I learned x,y,z at camp and yes life is hard now but I have the wisdom and power within myself, drawn from God, to change my attitude and continue igniting my flame for Christ. I can contact my counselor for guidance but I know that I have the power of prayer and the word of God to guide me." Needless to say, Francis' course causes much self reflection and this is only one area where his incredible insight comes to play.
To learn and to listen, these are the greatest gifts that any agents of change can bring to a community in need.
I can hardly wait to share the wealth of information that I am learning from Francis with those I love back home and am eager to bring what I am learning into my service site and future work.
May you know that wherever the Lord has you, He has given you the resources you need. He provided for Adam and Eve and the Israelites and in Mark 6:38, when Jesus feeds the five thousand, Jesus asks, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." Jesus tells the disciples to find what the community already has in order to provide for their pressing need. God loves His children and has blessed them with the capacity to use the resources He has given them. God is a provider and He will answer those who call Him, we need only be open to what He has given us and what He is showing us.
All my Love,
Gennavieve
In the past, missionary work, global aide, and natural disaster support, has been executed in a manner that leaves the community dependent. This dependency becomes a community’s biggest downfall and Francis' teachings challenge this idea as he discusses the importance of helping a community to see their own resources. Every point Francis makes seems obvious and yet revolutionary at the same time. I have filled over twelve pages of handwritten notes while sitting in his lecture these past two days.
"With the best of leaders, when the task is accomplished and good achieved, people will say, we did it ourselves."~Lau Tsu
This is only one of the many quotations that embodies the teaching Francis represents. He offers very applicable material and tangible tools for us to utilize in our service sites and in the future. His words have caused me to critically think of how these ideas relate to my personal experiences, like working at a summer camp, how did I leave my campers? As a counselor, I struggled with combating the Summer Camp Effect, where the campers arrive excited, participate in adventurous activities, become encouraged, dive deeper into conversations about Jesus, and leave feeling passionate for the God who loves them. But then they get home to a public school that pulls them down or a family that does not encourage a walk with Christ and that flame slowly becomes burnt out. I find myself wondering, did I empower them to go back to the routine of their life with the tools needed to remain on fire for Christ? Did I educate in a way that helps them to sustain this summer camp fire, so that when they return to their lives and become discouraged, threatened by dark forces they do not think, "I wish I could just go back to summer camp." But instead, they think, "I learned x,y,z at camp and yes life is hard now but I have the wisdom and power within myself, drawn from God, to change my attitude and continue igniting my flame for Christ. I can contact my counselor for guidance but I know that I have the power of prayer and the word of God to guide me." Needless to say, Francis' course causes much self reflection and this is only one area where his incredible insight comes to play.
To learn and to listen, these are the greatest gifts that any agents of change can bring to a community in need.
I can hardly wait to share the wealth of information that I am learning from Francis with those I love back home and am eager to bring what I am learning into my service site and future work.
May you know that wherever the Lord has you, He has given you the resources you need. He provided for Adam and Eve and the Israelites and in Mark 6:38, when Jesus feeds the five thousand, Jesus asks, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." Jesus tells the disciples to find what the community already has in order to provide for their pressing need. God loves His children and has blessed them with the capacity to use the resources He has given them. God is a provider and He will answer those who call Him, we need only be open to what He has given us and what He is showing us.
All my Love,
Gennavieve
Comments
Post a Comment