A few years ago, when I took my passion for leadership Development a notch higher, I applied for the Discovery Africa program at Mavuno Church in Kenya. It was a 12 month full time engagement that started me off on a very interesting adventure.
One of the fun parts was the day I met this group, all of them accomplished in their own right, with whom I was to walk that 12 month journey. At the time and for years after, many have asked about the Magnificent Seven. This year, I get to write our Discovery story. Writing the story of this particular group’s journey is so far one of the most exciting projects I have done. Because their individual stories and our collective story hold such rich lessons for me on leadership, and I hope it will do the same for you.
On how we got there: Often times when I read the Bible I am always amazed at how God does his thing. Moses encountered God while in hiding, as did Gideon. David had been forgotten in the fields, while Paul was the “wrong” candidate. Many times when God calls us, it may seem like a really bad connection, the kind where you think you heard what the person said but chances are you were mistaken.
On what we learned: Be it on our own or as a group, the lessons were numerous. From learning new skills like how I learned how to use propresenter from one of the volunteers in the services space; to learning to do the small things like when we had to go out every day for a week handing out flyers at the railway stations and supermarkets.
On the challenges: These too could fill up their own book. Today, someone suggested I write a book about the sagas that were part of the experience. We laugh at them now, whenever we meet and look back but we were not laughing then. In fact, each week when we met to do our weekly catch ups and storytelling, there was always over one person who would admit that that week was when they wanted to quit.
On the wins and losses: Throughout that year we had some great wins. We run outreach activities from scratch and they were successful; we did the classes; we bonded more than any other cohort before us; we raise funds for ourselves and for others; one of us had their wedding during the program and could still complete the program; we shined! We also failed often. One of us quit and left the program just a few weeks in; we were not always at our best; and we all agree we could have been more present, more invested, more of everything we were then.
On Divine connections: Who knew at the start of the program that we would become great friends, not just for the year, but even years after? Two of us got married, yes, to each other. One of us met his current wife during the program, while another pursued his call to missions in another African city and met his wife while there. Above all, the movement from strangers to family can only be God.
