Day two of the CHI IBM

29OCT2004 :: 10:16pm :: Okahandja, Namibia :: Bedroom

Today was more of the same at the board meeting. We started off with a bit of teaching on fasting, heard some more country reports from nations who would like to join CHI as a pioneering nation (Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana). Some interesting reports of what is going on in each of those nations, and what they would like to do. It is so very different than the meetings I'm used to sitting in back at my job on WPAFB. We have several guys here from "third-world" African nations, who are (or were) businessmen in their own right, who are making an incredible committment to volunteer to lead an effort to change their nation, by working to free it from the death-grip of AIDS. One such man, Washington (isn't that a cool first name?), from Kenya, is an accomplished accountant in Nairobi whose parents he watched die from AIDS, and wants to do all he can to make certain that his two daughters and their generation know a better way to live. He concluded his presentation with that statement, and really made everyone in the meeting refocus on what we here at CHI have been called to do. The main topic of much discussion today was on a number of different policies (volunteers, fund-raising, partnerships), namely the policy having to do with how national directors and staff members are financially supported. The policy proposed was that in the first year of operation, a full-time Ministry nation national director could expected CHI to provide 90% of an agreed salary, 60% the next year, and so on until the staff member that developed their own support network. There was much debate on this regarding walking in faith, support from the board members, support from the mobilization nations, etc. We shall see how this moves forward tomorrow, as it was tabled for the evening. I cut out of the meeting early to start the fire for the barbeque (they call it a braii here in Namibia). Hein cooked up some chicken kabobs, beef kabobs, and sausage for dinner. It was quite good. Another conversation of interest today was at lunch with the USA national director, Stephan Erkelens. He was asking about our experience thus far in Namibia. We told him some of our initial shocks and about our expectations and the reality of how things work here at CHI in Namibia. He articulated something that was helpful to us, talking about the stages that one goes through in starting into full time missions. He said that our old life really does "die," as we will never return to exactly what we have known; and following every death there is a time of mourning, and then of moving on. It is very health if you can properly "embrace" this time of transition for what it is. It was good to hear him put a sort of process to our experience, and for us to realize that we needed a time to mourn what we have given up, to recognize that, then move on. Also read a good devotional in our Piper book about having a right attitude for caring for the "undesirables" of the world. We in developed nations often tend to look at everything through the eyes of an investment and the percieved return on investment. When dealing with the homeless, the drug addicts, prostitutes, and orphans of the world, it will never be "worth it" from an economic, or investment, standpoint to really minister to these people, but the Lord calls us to the least of these. Also amazed by Job in the middle of his lamenting realizes that, although he wishes he were dead, he "knows that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end, he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me." (Job 19:25-27) An awesome statment of faith by one who, in a certain sense, has been "sold out" by God for His glory. What faith this man has...