Building Relationships

Saturday, April 30

(Dr. John Mulford)

Eben, visiting exec from S. Africa, left this morning.  He was a fantastic addition to the program.  He has a mentoring heart and a wealth of business knowledge, insight and wisdom.  He said he liked to stay busy, so I scheduled him for many one-on-one meetings with students and grads.  He often spent an hour and a half with each student, digging into the business and ministering to the person.  I didn’t learn to pronounce his name correctly until today—eee-yeh’-bin (or something close to that).  He wants to come back as a facilitator—the same work Jason and I do.  We say amen to that!     

Fulgence, a graduate from the Fall class called and asked to meet.  He just graduated from university and now teaches chemistry and biology in a district about 2 hours south of Kigali.  He wants to start an egg distribution business.  I asked what brought him to Kigali.  He said, “To meet with you.”  I was humbled, since it cost him almost 5% of his monthly salary just for the bus ticket.  I asked him if he was happy in his job.
 He said he would really rather be in business than in teaching, but he is happy with life.  I asked him if he knew that God had a plan for his life.  He said he knew that God loved him and he would like to understand his calling better.  I prayed for him and I told him I would look into opportunities where he might partner in an egg business.  He needs the fellowship and some mentoring in business. 

Partnerships seem to be forming among students and with graduates.  One graduate from the first class went into business with a current student.  They are hauling sand from a river bed near Kigali to large construction sites here.  It looks like a very good business.  Within the second class, two students started a football academy (which I mentioned a few days ago).  They are about to pick me up to visit one of their training sessions.

Just got back from the training.  They rent two fields—all dirt—from a college.  One program targets children of internationals—US embassy, NGO’s etc.  I made some good contacts with the parents—the director of the Gorilla conservation foundation is a Guatemalan interested in servant leadership and working on his dissertation with a university in Monaco.  A woman who works at the US embassy said she would love to get her father involved as a volunteer in the BDC.  He directed an entrepreneurship program at St Thomas University in Minneapolis until he retired.  He may visit for a few months.  The other program has about 60 children from 10-18 yrs old.  Jacques, Hamim, and their team of coaches do a great job with the young players.