Global Impact (WFI) Updates

According to one of my friends at my church, we can still say “Happy New Year!” to each other through the end of January because it’s a fairly large church without many opportunities to catch up with everyone in just 4 mornings. I hope 2012 has been off to a good start for you! It’s actually been a bit subdued for me. Busy, but without a lot of hype and the usual brightness I associate with a new start. Been sidetracked a bit by a separate situation that, hopefully, can be out of my hands soon.

God knew I needed time to recover from all the social interaction of the Christmas season, so He let me be alone…a lot. Well, technically, I wasn’t alone. There were people on the cardio machines next to me while I studied and prayed over material for the mission class that is still in the visionary stage. (I can’t sit and read for hours at a time, so I take it to the gym–multitasking at its best. ) As I went through one of the books, I’ve learned a lot about best practices, challenges, and even some of my own mistakes in engaging in short-term missions. Thinking through all of it has fueled me to repent and move forward, despite knowing there are probably hundreds of others who are in a better position to teach this class. As a side benefit, I am now in at least the level of cardiovascular fitness that I was after the Perspectives class last spring. (I read that book on the cardio machines, too.)

We’re also working on getting a team together from a local university to return to SE Asia. There will be at least one returning team member, and our hope is to extend their time there by one week for a total of four weeks. This is truly an encouragement to me, knowing the ministry will continue as seamlessly as it possibly can given the restraints on time, human resources, and geography. It’s also exciting to think about building on previous experience rather than starting fresh every time, which isn’t unusual for short-term teams. I’m really looking forward to shaping this year differently, based on His inspiration and revelation, because we have last year and our Rock to stand upon.

Our leadership at WFI has shifted around a bit, as well, in the last few months. Martin Allen, the founder of WFI, stepped down from his position as president to focus on being a board member and building relationships for the organization. Scott Leggett, a board member for the last couple of years and a worship pastor in Arizona, has stepped in as interim president until a permanent replacement can be found. This hasn’t affected my position, but it has signified a shift in organizational personality. We’ve been able to have a few conversations over the phone to get everyone up to speed and discuss the improvements we’d like to see in our operations. Overall, it’s a positive step for our ministry.

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