On Being "In Your Element"

My perception of people is radically different when I see them in their element. Identifying “your element” is important in leadership, and when people function in this capacity, they perform the best, and the team as a whole will move forward. Similarly, when you are using the unique gifts God has given to you, that is when you shine and show His glory. Enough of the philosophical… here are the examples.

We have had the opportunity to invite various groups over to our house for dinner. We had dinner with the residents. Two are very outgoing and speak English well. They were very competitive against each other in Qwirkle, while the third sat back and was very quiet. He didn’t seem to understand the game or perhaps he was just not interested. Saturday, the doctors all meet at one house for prayer and breakfast together. Ji may lead the group. He did a fantastic job. His house was clean and table decked with a nice tablecloth and food/coffee/tea. His friends joked that “a man certainly did not set that table.” Nonetheless, he organized it and convinced a lady friend to come fix it up for him. He led a devotion time with a passage from the bible and thoughts on it. I was impressed by his leadership and had a very different impression of him after we left.

We also invited 3 of the Congolese supervising doctors over for dinner. Again, two were outgoing and spoke English well. We have gotten to know Dr. Fina and Dr. Mpoo very well during our time here. But Dr. Lay and his wife were quieter except when they were able to tell the story of how they met and were married. However, we were able to spend a day with Dr. Lay visiting a couple of health centers in the Vanga Health Zone. Boy was he dynamic! We sat underneath a tree with 5 chiefs of surrounding village and the chief chief of them all who was sitting with a carved wooden staff. A group of village people were standing all around us. Dr. Lay then began telling them why he continued to come from far away to supervise this health center. “We care about you. If you do not use the health center or the nurse we provided you, why should I come here? If there are very few people coming for visits, why should I bring more mosquito nets or more aspirin? But if you use this health center, you can be well and your wives will have a better chance at a good birth by going to prenatal clinic and your children will live because they get vaccines and information about nutrition.” Rough translation. But all around him, the village people and the chiefs were nodding their heads in agreement. One asked, “When will you fix up our health center?” (the building is not in the best condition, made of local materials but with a rusted roof and some of the walls are leaning a bit). Dr. Lay turned to them and said, “This is YOUR health center. If you want to have a new building, you should build it! Have each family bring 2 bricks and you would have enough material for the walls.” Brilliant! What makes Dr. Lay so effective is that he was a nurse in the health center prior to becoming a doctor and then taking over the job of oversight of the Zone. So he knows what the nurses are going through. He knows the frustrations they probably have when people don’t come for prenatal clinic or preschool clinic for vaccines.

The third example is just of my perceptions of missionary kids (MK) when I was growing up. I looked at the children who came with their parents on furlough and saw them as shy and somewhat awkward. Then, in college there were many MKs and some were quite different… running around everywhere without shoes, etc. But when I have been on the mission field, what a difference it makes to see them in their element! They speak multiple languages, run around with the village kids in bare feet, and have a more expanded worldview than most. 

For me, I certainly don't shine when the conversation revolves around popular music or "name that artist." I have an appreciation for music but don't pay attention to the artists. But when I have been working in Congo, I feel like I am in my element. I enjoy my work, laugh with my coworkers, love to teach, enjoy bathing in the river, etc. Speaking of which, the Kwilu is calling my name.