Thursday, May 18, 2017

It's a Small World

It's really good to be here in Asheville with passionate leaders from around the world.  The last time we sat around a table together was in Indonesia last August as the (6 out of 7 new) VP's gathered today after the Congress of Nations.

Thai Food Together

The week has been intense, but very good.  I arrived Monday late morning and have snuck away from a few of the meetings to meet individually with some of the more experienced staff to help answer the slew of questions I have.  The past few weeks, I've picked up more and more responsibilities, somewhat to prep for this week; and the more I get assigned, the more I realize I have to learn!  That's an ongoing prayer request, for wisdom and understanding, for all of us.

The meetings have been extremely insightful for me, and it's a real privilege to hear all that the Lord is doing around the world, which seems a lot smaller when we're all joined together despite the different cultures and languages represented.  I'm excited for tonight's meetings as the VP's will each share with the board about what is happening in their particular areas. (Hope to share more later).

Of course, we don't only talk of all the successes, but the challenges as well.  As we were reminded in a session on Master Planning this morning, conflict and misunderstanding are the result of differing assumptions; so communication is vital for clarity.  Also, mission points us in the right direction while vision motivates and inspires.  Just a couple of nuggets from today. :)

Tom Reviewing Master Planning

We would all appreciate your prayers as these final two days are the longest.  Thank you!