Countdown to departure

It is Monday and I started the day with an early morning conference call. In planning our upcoming trip to AIU, I discussed with Rick Klopp how we can make good use of our time on campus. Our top agenda items included (1) best and proper use of the Grant for the libary, (2) scheduling meetings with department heads, (3) meeting with the marketing and development department to determine resource sharing, (4) the AIU Capital campaign, and (5) meeting with CLA donors to acknowledge current financial gifts.

The library received a $100,000 grant from a donor that will create a media center and library publications and books to meet the growing needs of AIU in the area of PhD and undergraduate programs. I will be meeting with Ephraim Mudave, librarian to determine what their specific needs are. It is commom that their current needs exceeds the available funding resources. We are applying for a security grant to insure that important texts do not leave the library and not return.

Meeting with department heads will be instrumental in determining their needs for the coming years. We are planning to purchase a video camera so we can capture their stories and needs and post to UTUBE to create greater awareness. We also hope to capture stories of students to share the current needs.

One of CLA's top priorities is to come along side the marketing and development departments to help grow their constituency and create awareness on a global scale of their increased capacities and new undergraduate programs. By working closely with this department we can help them develop strategies to share their message to a larger audience.

Last fall, AIU kicked off their capital campaign with great success. Our goal is to come alongside them and promote this effort in the USA. In two weeks there is a group of climbers that will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in order to create awareness and support of the Leah Nigini Community Center. This facility will become the centerpoint of the campus and provide students and faculty a common place to create community and experience the "family" atmosphere on campus. My former boss, Scott MacCloy and Michael White are two of the climbers that are giving of their time and resources to take on this challenge and create support and awareness for the Leah Nigini community center. I look forward to reconnecting with Scott when he arrives on campus towards the end of our trip.

After I return from AIU, I will be meeting with key donors around the USA to thank them for their past support and help them understand the current needs including the capital campaign. This outreach effort will allow me to share updates from the Governing Council meeting I will be attending and give them an opportunity to participate in the growth of AIU as it becomes a full fledged university.

Finally, the short term mission team will have an opportunity to debrief our experience as we attend the retirement celebration for Dr. Chet and Dolores Wood. Dr. Wood was responsible for many of the milestones at NEGST/AIU and launched the PhD program. Because of their dedication to this effort we want to honor them and continue the legacy they created as we add to the Chester Wood Endowment fund. This event will allow us to share our stories and process what we experienced on this upcoming trip.

It is very exciting knowing that we are only a few days away from departure. The anticipation is palpable. This is a time of reflection as we anticipate the upcoming journey and are anxious to see where God is leading us.

Preparing to Go and Serve in 2012 at AIU

With just one week left to prepare for our upcoming trip there are many things running through my mind as I fly to San Antonio for an IEDC Development Conference. (1) Pack for the upcoming trip (2) start taking malaria medication (3) remember to buy my wife a Valentine’s Day gift so I can surprise her since I will be at AIU on
this special occasion, (4) check the status on current projects at work, (5) prepare spiritually for the trip to see where God is leading me on this journey, and (6) how can I prepare well to serve my team on this trip.

One of the best ways I have found to relieve the stress for traveling, especially on a short term mission trip is to pack at least one week in advance. This allows you to add any last minutes gifts, items you forgot to pack, and think about potential encounters that might occur during the upcoming trip. Not being an organized person and living from a “fly by the seat of my pants” type personality, this allows me to create order where chaos is always lurking around the corner.

I usually take Larium (sp?) as my anti-malaria medication of choice. One of the side effects is hallucinations and sleep deprivation. Since jet lag almost insures that I will be awake when I should be sleeping on arrival and craving sleep when I should be awake, this must be part of any adjustment process. About the hallucinations, I read in the Bible how God spoke to people like Joseph in their dreams so I take the approach that this is an opportunity for God to speak to me in a significant way. If I do not like the dream I can easily dismiss it.

After 13 years of marriage, this is the first Valentine’s Day I will be away from the “woman of my dreams”. My wife Carol will be at home taking care of our guests at the North Fork Mountain Inn. She knows that she is my first love, but that serving in Africa is very close to my heart so she graciously allows me to serve in an area I am very passionate about. While I am in San Antonio I will be searching for See’s Chocolates, her favorite and other gifts she might enjoy. When we were first married, I tried to please her by buying her expensive jewelry but eventually
learned her “love language” was gifts of service. That explains why I left Thailand, two weeks earlier than her to return to West Virginia to take care of guests at our Inn while she relaxed with missionary friends we met in Dakar, Senegal in 2001 on my first short term mission trip to Africa. Our Bed and Breakfast in West Virginia was one of the first big compromises in our young married life as I had visions then of moving to Africa to use our gifts of hospitality to serve the missionary community. We ended up in "almost heaven, West Virginia" and we have no regrets. It was truly a blessing to us and a gift from God.

In my job as Grant County Development Authority Director, we are in the beginning stages of building a joint use Data Center/E-911 Emergency Operation Center. This economic develop project is designed to be the disaster recovery, business continuity, and data storage facility for Grant County, WV Homeland Security, and WV Interoperable Network. This project comes at the completion of 14 years in telecom working at GTE/Verizon and Qwest. 2 ½ years ago, I was part of a downsizing effort as Qwest prepared to merge with CenturyLink. Having managed the Government and Education Sectors for the Mid-Atlantic States for Qwest Government Services, you can imagine my surprise at being given the “pink slip”. But as I always say, when God closes one door, He opens another, and I have been blessed in many ways in this effort to bring Broadband Services, Technology Solutions, and hope to an area of West Virginia that has experienced one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

Spiritual Preparation is always a challenge for me. How do I best prepare for the challenges and opportunities that will undoubtedly come our way during this trip. Whenever you travel on a mission trip with a noble purpose, it seems like there will be obstacles that you face along the way. When things don’t go as planned it is easy to get frustrated and blame Satan for trying to stop your progress in furthering God’s Kingdom here on earth. However, I have learned in the past that when faced with difficult situations, it is always best to retreat to a quiet place and pray. It is always comforting to turn to God and ask, “Dear Lord, please show me what is your will for this situation. Help me to trust and know that you are in control. Teach me and our team to realize that we are only your hands and feet. We are truly blessed to be able to go and serve. Help us to reflect your example in our lives and all we do so that your name may be honored. Thank you for this opportunity to see how you are changing lives in Africa and beyond. Help us to be good stewards of the blessings you have bestowed on us.”

Best of all, is the opportunity to serve alongside two of the Christian Leaders for Africa Board Members. I met Meghan Wilson and Mike McDonald for the first time on our last short term mission trip to NEGST/AIU in 2010. I was impressed with both of their servant leader ship styles. Meghan currently is an SAP Human Resources Consultant and serves as the Board Chair for Dress for Success of Cleveland. One of her clients, International Marketing Group (IMG) represents many major sports entities, but Meghan always makes it a priority to serve those who are less fortunate than the clients she deals with on a daily basis in her career. Mike has enjoyed a successful career as a security analyst at Eli Lilly and as a Westfield City Council member. It is so rewarding to work with team members that are so devoted to using their gifts and talents, making significant sacrifices in their efforts to raise up Christian Leaders for Africa. It is truly humbling to serve alongside such distinguished professionals that consider service on this short term mission trip as their higher calling. We are blessed to have Mike’s family join us on this trip. As we returned from our safari at Amboselli near Tanzania on our last trip, Mike shared how he has felt God calling him to serve on a significant short term mission experience. Perhaps this will be the test to see if his family is ready to take up the challenge of serving for a year or two at African International University as they develop their Undergraduate Program in Engineering and Information Technology.

Where is God calling you to be of service in His “Kingdom Business”?