One of our topics last week was to look at how we all have different personalities and preferred ways of doing things. A key to unity and harmony in our mission teams or in our churches is to understand that other people think and feel differently from us, and we can develop our "versatility" in order to be able to understand and communicate better with others. One of next week's topics will develop that a little further by looking at principles of working together as a leadership team.
This weekend, and the coming few days, are also a time for birthday celebrations. It was my birthday yesterday, and so the LDC staff gathered for a special brunch together. They also took time to pray specifically for me and for Averyl (a Singaporean staff member, who has her birthday tomorrow.) And then one of the children in the group will celebrate his 8th birthday in a couple of days' time.
I spent the rest of my birthday in a way that's probably not typical: I went shopping! But I didn't go shopping for clothes or shoes or the sort of things that people usually buy on their birthday. I went to buy a mop and a bucket, a chopping board, bottles of cleaning products, wooden spoons, a potato peeler, a salad bowl...... The sudden need for "household shopping" was because my housemate moved out earlier this week, taking all kinds of things with her. It was kind of strange to come down to the kitchen on Thursday morning and look at all the empty cupboards and shelves. I hadn't realised that I owned more than a dozen mugs, but I didn't own even one single plate!
And so I'm going to be "restocking" the house over the coming weeks and months - buying the kind of little essentials that every home needs. The LDC staff had all contributed to give me a financial gift for my birthday, that I can put towards the cost of buying plates, furniture or whatever else is needed. There's no rush to do that, as I'll mostly be eating at LDC for the next five weeks. Not yet knowing who will move in to share the house with me (and whether that person will also have furniture and other things of their own) I'll probably wait to buy bigger items once the LDC has finished in June.
Thanks for your prayers as we continue into the second week of LDC. As well as teaching about team leadership, this week's activities include helping these leaders to make a "leadership timeline" where they look back at their lives and evaluate the different ways that God was forming and shaping them as Christian leaders.
