My one solace in attempting to choose among the endless fun things to update you about on the goings-on in Kantolomba is that before long we shall be in that wonderful time of year — the Bridge Walk season —where there will be plenty of space to share all of it.
For now, let me tell you about Peter.
Anyone who follows along with the work in Africa knows Peter. He has been a cooperative member for over 10 years. He’s in his late 30s, the father of 5 children, all of them part of Living Compassion. His first born, Ester, is a star in the girls’ program and will be sitting for her grade 9 exams this year. His twins, Sheba and Joseph, were the pioneers in the toddlers’ English program Sister Phil started years ago.
Peter is among the three folks going to a yearlong training program to learn a skill, in his case, carpentry. When I asked Theresa this week how the new skills program was going, I could hear the smile in her voice. “Peter has become the leader of the pack,” she crooned. “He encourages the other two, makes sure they are on time, asks them to come early so ‘we can chat before classes begin each day and check in.’ It is like he is blossoming into a leader. You can even tell in the way he looks; he is so neatly and cleanly dressed every day in his carpentry suit.”
Hearing about Peter reminded me of that Practice quote – we grow up spiritually when we stop focusing on what we can get and start focusing on what we can give. It’s so joyful to see Peter stretch into his maturity.
This new foray into skills training is just a few months old and already we are seeing results. We promise to fill you in on much more about that and all of the other areas of the project when we come together in the fall to facilitate the support of another year of transformation.
In Gasshō
Jen