in·ex·pli·ca·ble

/ˌinekˈsplikəb(ə)l/

adjective

unable to be explained or accounted for.

One of the first questions we received from the “first Africa” South Africans we began working with was regarding our plans to serve “second” and “third” Africa. As we stumbled around in conversation with them, a leader who spent most of her time serving that Africa with women in and out of the penal system and prostitution, answered.

“We can’t. That’s not ours to serve. We couldn’t translate what we do for them if we tried.”

So many differences in perception, cultural understanding, language, etc. What we could do, however, was generously train the first African leaders we know and encourage to do likewise in passing it on to second and third Africa.

So that’s what we did.

Early in the Summer, we got a series of panicked “What’s App” messages and videos of fires, street barricades, looting, gun firing, and general mayhem by rebel forces near where some of our partners live. Initially, the news wasn’t making it out to the broader world. They wanted us to help with awareness, but also needed our encouragement, support and prayers

As some of our friends rose to the leadership challenge, they found themselves flanked by a surprising category of supporters. A large group of women, mostly small business owners, stood in the gap with them. As they stood with them in opposition, their interest and hearts grew. They wanted to serve them in some way.

They asked us if we would be willing to allow them to share our business curriculum with them. And while I was on vacation in Colorado last month, I received the picture above with a story about these brave women gathering in a community space, beginning their own executive roundtable experience, led by some of our partners in-country.

And while they loved the business content and saw great application to their enterprises, they were most encouraged by a reminder of a worldview that transcended their circumstance and placed them precisely at the center of God’s Kingdom and heart. The core curriculum was a great help, but the reminder of who they were, was a real rescue

Something that we couldn’t have understood or figured out on our own, became clear as they shared their experience. They learn collectively, relationally, and all learning is arrived at together. We’ve created a curriculum that is easily applied by an entrepreneur on their own, in the context of a roundtable or coached by our team inside of a company. This is similar, but altogether different. As that wise lady told us early in our journey, we couldn’t translate it to this form of learning if we tried.

They did what we could not do and better than we could have ever hoped. I am so proud of these brave women and the incredible leaders we partner with, stepping into this moment.

Consider

Who are you investing in as a leader?
Who is not being served that would be better served by another who just needs that investment?
What need are you carrying that is someone else’s mission to carry?