As I used to say up in western Oregon, way back in the last century, in my youth, when feeding some of those pesky farm animals.......hooey! Some never seemed to conform to what I needed/wanted them to do. The week, past, was one of those weeks where every emotion known to this olde man has been experienced...just like trying to corral those pesky animals, back in the day.
What’s the week, just past, been like for you?
One of the highlights of last week took place on Tuesday evening. Judy and I were extra humbled to have in our home two exceptional men from Uganda. One man, Jacob Kitonsa, I’ve been mentoring for almost three years. But...an extra delight was having his second important mentor in his life with him. His Ugandan mentor has been visiting for a few days. Jacob's first crucial mentor was his grandfather.
Hearing the more than amazing stories of where these good men have come from in their villages...to the ordained influence they are having within our world...well, it was serious, enganging and challening conversation all evening long.
I learned that the life-span in their country has been 39. In some villages and districts, due to Jacques focused, intentional work with cleaning up the water in that country, via a group from Switzerland, Sodis: Safe Drinking Water For All, the life-span has now crept up to 49 years...as “running stomach” issues (...we farm boys here would call that having the “runs”...) are almost non-existent where this simple, profound safe water system is being used...along with the eradication of other serious disease issues. Amazing grace...truly! Jacques also works with The Water School, to help fight disease...another amazing group taking on one of the deeper challenges in our world. (...click on both those highlighted names to read about these exceptional resources...)
Why am I telling you all this in Mentoring Mondays #16? Well...let’s take a careful look at some of Paul’s words to his friends in Corinth...and then I’ll tell you:
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (The Message)
The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
Ho, my.......! Think of the sacred privilege we have as mentors. Building lives of obedience into maturity. Mentoring, my friends, intentional, deep-change, whole-life, transformational mentoring...by passing it on and paying it forward.
Jacob was well mentored by a loving grandfather I am eager to meet in heaven. Then, Jacques (who has his own large story of great grace in his upbringing) recognizes the special capacities in Jacob, and takes him under wing...inviting him into Compassion Uganda. Then...Jacob and his wife, Sarah, and their four wonderful children come to the US of A to be a part of the international staff at Compassion in Colorado Springs...and there a whole series of people pour into Jacob...among them, Mark Hanlon, Mike Hinckfoot, Brenda Kerls...and I, thanks to Mark, get invited into CI to give some guidance in the mentoring component to their Leadershiop Development Program (LDP) for kids raised in poverty who are now going to university in their countries...and Jacob asks me to be a mentor/spiritual father to him...and today he is in Indonesia with CI’s LDP work there...but...coming home to graduate with his Doctor of Ministry degree from Denver Seminary on May 14 where he has been influenced by Dr. Don Payne, whom I also mentor...and...well, that’s probably the longest sentence I’ve ever written (...my apologies to all good English teachers and students...)...but the hand of God on these brothers from Uganda...who are “passing it on and paying it forward,” inspires me to keep going, even when the week is difficult...and I’m asking you to do the same wherever you may be and reading this..
Jacob (42yo)...well mentored as a boy by his grandfather...and then by Jacques (63yo, except he really doesn’t know how old he is because birthdays were not imprtant in his village...until he began school, probably closer to 12, and had to pick a date...so he picked that beginning date...and doesn’t care if he’s older or not)...which made me the olde man at dinner at 69yo. Mentoring, well done, is not an individual event...or even age specific...it takes us all working together...to fit into the Spirit’s design for those we walk with into the future.
A take away here...as a mentor, do all you can to bring other mentors into the lives you’ve been called to influence. You can be a primary mentor...but...it really does take a village (other mentors) to encourage the maturity that our Triune God has designed for each life we touch. Atlanta, Africa, Amsterdam, America, Argentina, Aurora, Asia...wherever on this planet our God has given us to steward...this is a full court team effort...beginning with you, me and the Triune.
Who else
is sincerely needed
in the lives of those
you are currently mentoring?
© Three3rdsMedia 2011...in association with LeadershipDesignGroup
Praise God!
Posted by: Steve Voyen | April 25, 2011 at 08:44 AM
Thank you Wes!Well said.
You are a great encouragement to me. Our ACCTS mentoring team just finished a two week concentrated mentoring session with six men representing 5 countries. We realize we are just one step in their life growth process.
Dell
Posted by: Dell McDonald | April 25, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Wes,
What a small world. I worked with Jacques many years ago when he was the country director for Compassion Uganda. I spent a week with him going all around Uganda filming.
Plus, I spent a week with Jacob in Haiti just this past fall.
Both really good men.
Glad to hear you are mentoring Jacob. You are a good man!
Britt
Posted by: Britt Jones | April 25, 2011 at 04:00 PM