If you are in contact with ReachGlobal for any length of time, you will hear the acronym KRA. KRAs are "Key Result Areas", the broad areas of responsibility that each RG missionary has. Each member of the Prague City Team has individual objectives and team objectives under 5 Key Result Areas. Our KRAs are the following:

1) Personal Development
2) Strategic Leadership
3) Leadership Development
4) Strong Team
5) Mobilizing Resources

These KRAs, the corresponding objectives and action steps help us focus our daily work and to follow the Lord's leading. Each missionary is "strongly encouraged" (required) to spend time each year and each month seeking the Lord's leading and evaluating his/her work. With prayer and intentional reflection, the Lord uses this process to lead each missionary.

I am spending some time this week evaluating my objectives and action steps so that I can refine them and do what the Lord wants me to be doing. I will be spending a day away with God tomorrow (Wednesday) and then talking with Prague City Team leader about my objectives. Please pray as I seek the Lord's will for 2010.

The Flu: A Blessing in Disguise?

I REALLY hate being sick! Besides the pain and discomfort, this flu is stopping me from doing what I want and it is isolating me from people. I am (often way too) proud that I rarely get sick. Well, I am on round 2 in one month with an ugly stomach flu that keeps me home and in bed. I have already canceled a few meetings. But I hate doing that. I usually fight the label of "sick" and refuse to slow down until I am so sick that I can't continue.

Why do I do that? As I have been forced into reflection on this, I have come to a couple of conclusions. My sense of importance often comes from my ability to work and interact with people. I also don't want to disappoint others. Neither of these are bad in themselves but is it possible that I have put too much emphasis on this? Minor illness has a way of humbling you and showing that the world goes on even without your contribution for a few days. It can correct your perspective on how "important" you are.

Surprisingly, God is working His plan in spite of my bed rest. My family seems to be doing alright. Each of the ministry teams with which I work also seem to do alright without me for a few days. Yes, some things have to be put off...but nothing so important that I should lose any sleep over it.

Minor illness is a part of life and sometimes comes without any reason. But sometimes illness can be an indicator that you are not making healthy lifestyle choices or that you are not slowing down when you need to. Often being sick gives you a chance to reflect on things in a way that you wouldn't normally do. Maybe there is a blessing in having to slow down and reflect on your life in a different way during a minor illness. I'll have to think about that some more. But right now it is time for a nap.

A Day in the Life-Travel Day

I have been out of town 16 of the last 24 days. This is my explanation for why my blog has not been up to date. But don't worry...I have taken good notes and am ready to catch up. I am going to do it somewhat randomly, though. So beginning with the end, here is what a typical air travel day looks like for me. The travel day in question was my return trip from London to Prague via Frankfurt.

6:00 Wake up/dress/load car
6:30 Dropped off at Worthing train station/farewell to my host family
6:53 Train ride to London-Victoria Station
8:15 Arrive at station/eat egg and bacon roll and orange juice
8:45 Purchase Underground ticket (Almost $15, yikes!)/take Circle line towards Richmond
9:05 (or so) Exit train and cross platform in Hammersmith: take Piccadilly line towards Heathrow
10:00 Arrive Heathrow-terminal 2/get stopped heading out of Underground: discovered my ticket didn't cover enough zones...oops...and thank you to the kind gentleman who let me out anyway.
10:10 Check in for flight: talk with Czech woman who lives in London and was thrilled to be speaking Czech with an American who lived in the Czech Republic.
10:20 Purchase coffee, sit in "meeting point" and reconstruct morning for blog readers.
10:45 Security: very quick/Wander through shops unsuccessfully looking for Moleskine London notebook
11:05 Sit and wait to board/Write blog entry on Anglican Church
11:35 Boarding: first row! Easy on and easy off--thank you to Mrs. Czech speaker!
12:10 Takeoff: 25 minutes late
15:05 Arrive at Gate A21 in Frankfurt, Germany/change watch to one hour ahead
15:10 Boredom sets in: watch football/read Newsweek magazine
16:20 On plane: Read Newsweek/Write a couple of letters
17:20 Land/Collect baggage/See my favorite family in airport!
19:30 Arrive home after 12 hours of travel

A Day in the Life

Do you wish you could have more space in your life for God?
Space for God is the name of a book on prayer and spirituality by Don Postema that God has used in my life for many years. It is also the name of my monthly and annual retreat/planning days. ReachGlobal staff are encouraged to schedule this monthly "day away with God" (DAWG) into their routine. Therefore, once per month, I take a full work day and carve out "Space for God". Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will spend a quiet day in the Club Rachel room at the Community Center. I usually spend half the time in reflective activities and half the time in planning.

My routine varies but tomorrow will look like this:

• Walk to Community Center (praying for Vlasim)
  
• Settle in: Arrange table, chair, books, notebooks, (listening to Casting Crowns CD)
• Lectio Divina: Read Scripture and meditate on it
  
• Journal: Confession and things on my mind
  
• Listening: Short walk in park
• Review annual goals and objectives
• Update "Key Result Areas" and objectives/Make new action steps
• Fill in Monthly Ministry Report
• Pray for ministry partners
• Pray for family
• Walk home
  
• Share reflections and plans with Dora and my children

Quick facts about monthly Space for God:

Greatest Joy: Releasing guilt and worry to experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension".

Greatest Challenge: Balancing quiet, reflective activities with planning activities. At different times in my life, I tend to lean towards one or the other.

Favorite Place: In the woods (when it is warm enough). There I do all reflective activities until moving inside to plan at a desk with a computer.


Favorite Reaction after telling a friend about my monthly Space for God: "I wish I could take a day off of work and sit around." (This is the same friend who has never done email, skype, nor studied past 8th grade and is sometimes not quite sure what I "do" for work ;-)

Please pray that I would use my time wisely and that the Lord would lead me.

Responses? Questions? Constructive Criticism? Post a comment or email me!