Conference Pitfalls

Sending photo updates to Tom while he was away

We don’t go to many conferences.  They are expensive and time consuming.  They are hard on the family.  Finally, going to conferences can set a bad example.  I don’t know if other occupations suffer from this problem but it is certainly a danger of the international worker.  There always seems to be a conference somewhere and it is entirely possible to spend your time going from one to another.  Unfortunately, we have seen island brothers fall prey to this temptation—and it is understandable.  Some of these conferences are eager to have a representative from the islands and offer to pay their plane ticket, pay for their hotel, pay for their food.  Imagine being someone from a poor country who has never had much chance to travel and then being offered opportunities to travel the world for free.  Would you say no?  We have seen some unable to resist and spend months and months each year traveling from one conference to another, far away from their family, far away from their work, far away from those they are supposed to be serving.  So for this reason especially, I try to avoid going to many conferences, but last week I (Tom) went to a conference in Kenya.  To be honest, as I left I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it, but I had never attended this biannual conference (despite being invited the last 2-3 times). I was overdue.  And so with a bit of foot dragging, I agreed to go.

Kids welcome Tom home

While I was away, our youngest got sick with vomiting and fever, followed by a serious ear infection.  There was a problem with the electricity and an electrician had to be called.  They went two days without power.  A neighbor had a special family event requiring a trip to a village (see last week’s blog).  Not to mention a full week of team responsibilities and homeschool to boot.  While we are blessed to have a great team working with us, who is willing to help out with homeschool and watching kids, it remains true that conferences are hard on families.

But for all my misgivings and the hardships, I did enjoy myself at the conference.  It was great to meet so many wonderful people, to hear about their work and experiences and to compare notes.  There was excellent teaching on strategy and leadership that I certainly benefited from, as well as some excellent times of prayer and singing.  I was challenged, encouraged and inspired. It was a good week and I was glad I went.

But there is still one more thing that bugs me about conferences.  Often it doesn’t go beyond the one person who went.  People go away to conferences and learn and grow but then fail to share anything they’ve learned with the people around them.  I don’t want islanders to do that, so I didn’t want to fall into the same trap.  So on my return I shared with some of the brothers and others who work here some of the principles we talked about.  It was great to see my island brothers interact with some of the ideas I had brought back.  It blessed me as much as it blessed them because it reinforced the things I had learned and helped me understand it better as I was forced to present it to them. If you’re interested in what I learned send me an email and perhaps this conference’s impact can keep growing and it can keep encouraging, challenging and inspiring.

Tom back home and at English Club

So I’ll have to admit, maybe conferences aren’t so bad...once in awhile...

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We had an encouraging weekend without our colleagues from the different islands. It was great to reconnect and gain a deeper understanding of how the work is progressing on the other islands. Our downstairs neighbors were seen at the hospital on the French Island and may have to travel further away still to get all the answers that they need but we encouraged that they are at least on the right track. Continue to pray for healing.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Tom’s good friend Bwe Who he’s been studying with for so long had a break-in.  The thieves stole everything from his home (which was not much to begin with). Bwe  traveled to the small island immediately following the theft. Tom does not know why and does not know when Bwe will come back. He has not been able to be in contact with him since Bwe’s phone was stolen.  Pray for Bwe and for the situation and how Tom might best support him through this hard time.
Pray for Tom and an island friend who have been having some strong debates over WhatsApp.  Pray that debates might lead to discussion, study, and openness.  A short-termer (who is serving for 6 months on the big island) will be visiting with us this week, pray that he could have a good visit and that this exposure to another island could enrich his experience and that he could be a light while he is here. One of our colleagues on the small island is going off-island for medical testing after months of unexplained illness, pray that he would find answers and more importantly, healing! We want to see big things happen on these islands— keep praying for whole families, communities and islands to be transformed by truth and light! Let’s keep our prayers big!