I love Post It notes…especially the packets of different colors. These small sticky pieces of paper are great for brainstorming or working on ideas, processes, or problem solving.
This week, I spent the first few days at the IAFR office in Minneapolis. Tim Uthmann, who assists me with IAFR operations, and I spent some focused time sharpening and refining a few of the IAFR human resource processes. I am sure people on the other side of the glass were wondering what we were up to.
As the IAFR team grows, it is important to us that we have clear and effective processes for bringing them into our team. We want to provide the best start we can, so they can be effective in this important work which we are doing.
Have you gone through a time where you find yourself distracted by challenges you are facing and then you move from distraction to focus mode, putting energy into trying to solve the challenges. This seems to be characteristic of my life over the past several weeks..toggling between distraction and focus. In the meantime, other things are pushed aside…like this blog.
Leading a workshop at the RHP gathering in Sarajevo. Photo credit – RHP Europe
During this period of time, I was able to participate in the Europe Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable in Sarajevo. Doug Marshall (IAFR Malta) and I received very positive feedback on our presentation of Best Practices for Refugee Ministry.
I am working the first part of next week from the IAFR Minneapolis office. I look forward to working with our team there and catching up with some friends as well. A big focus will be on planning and processes.
The final big news….Spring is showing itself in Peoria…for which I am grateful!
Today was one of those days that focused mostly on planning and preparing.A couple of major events are on the horizon which require work ahead of time.In just a couple of weeks, the Board of IAFR will be meeting in Minneapolis for our annual face to face.We normally meet each month by video conference call, but we always look forward to our time together in person…sharing meals, hearing how God has been moving through IAFR, spending time praying over the needs and people of IAFR, and looking ahead to how God might be moving in the future. The weekend together is always a rich time of community and encouragement.But….it requires preparation, which will be the focus of the next few days.
Also coming up is my next trip to the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi.I will be traveling with our East Africa ministry leader, Jake Tornga.We will be sharing more as the trip gets closer, but today was buying plane tickets and putting information together for the Malawian visa application.There is a lot of pre-work but it is always worth it.
And finally, we are adding another teammate to our IAFR US Service team.April will be joining us in a couple of weeks to assist the Executive Team, so today also included preparing for her arrival. We are very excited and know that she will have a positive impact.
So my desk reflects a lot of moving parts happening in IAFR.Glad you all are along for the ride!!
High speed internet access and close to an airport. That was my agreement when I joined IAFR nearly 4 years ago. I appreciated the opportunity to work remotely from home and not disrupt the family with a move at that point. And four years later, I still do.
But early Monday morning, I will make my way to the airport and head to the IAFR US office in Minneapolis for the week. There is much we can do through video chatting, messaging, and email. But there are some times you need to be in the same room, face to face, with a whiteboard in front of you. This is one of those times and I am really looking forward to it!!
Prayers appreciated for wisdom, clear thinking, and spirit-led discussions.
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