Happy New Year! I hope all of you are having a good start to the new year. Personally, I am filled with anticipation for the year ahead. Over Christmas and New Years, the base was closed for a 2-week break. A few people stayed on campus over the break, but most went home or traveled. My parents and I stayed here and enjoyed a pretty low-key break. We made a couple of day trips to some different cities, did some baking, and spent quality time together. The low-key break was much appreciated on my part, and it got me recharged to jump headfirst into the next year; something that became very important because of a somewhat unexpected major change I found myself in.
As I eluded to in my last update, some major changes are happening within the office regarding my position/role in the ministry. For the past year, I have been functioning as the office/project manager for our team or as a number 2 to the department leader, Jukka. This came with sizable responsibility and I quite enjoyed my place. The organizational and strategic aspects of my role resonated closely with my giftings and through 2021, I continually took on more and more in this area. Right before the Christmas break, as we were in the middle of wrapping up things in the office for the year, Jukka decided to step down from the department head to focus on some other areas, including the development of a media training course. I stepped up and took over his job and responsibility. So over the break, the fine details of this shift were quickly worked out, and at the beginning of the year, the change was made official.
This was both exhilarating and a bit scary for me. I am quite comfortable with all the inner workings of the office, however as a department head, I am now a member of the base’s leadership team. This carries with it a lot more responsibility and weight than I was previously tasked with. It has been quite something to adjust and grow into. I am also the youngest person on the leadership team by nearly a decade, so there is an added bit of healthy pressure to perform. I also have a much deeper responsibility to develop and invest in my team, not just in terms of skills but also spiritually. Overall, I am optimistic about what the future holds and the impact I will be able to have with my newfound influence and responsibility. I am equally aware I have a lot of growing to do in this area to truly steward this new role well.
On another note, several months ago, I became a volunteer walking tour guide in Lausanne. There is an organization that offers free tours in most of the major cities in Switzerland, but they had no guide for Lausanne. On a bit of a whim, I sent them an email and they brought me on as a guide. So, every Sunday at 2 pm, I wait by a fountain in one of the squares to see if anyone is coming for the tour. Sometimes I have a group of people, other times no one shows up. I really enjoy getting to show people around the city, and it also puts me into contact with people from all walks of life to be an encouragement.
Over the Christmas break, I had a rather unique tour. I was waiting by the fountain, and it looked like no one was going to show up. Just as I was about to go get back on the metro, a man walked up and said he was there for the tour. So, the two of us set off on the normally 1.5hr walking tour. His name was Muhammad and he had just moved to Lausanne a couple of months ago from Egypt. Right off the bat, he was quite chatty and we hit it off right away. As I began to talk about some of the Christian history that has shaped the city, he stopped me. He admitted that he had no real concept of Christianity or the history that surrounds it. He was very curious and wanted to know more, so on the fly, I began to adjust my tour.
As we walked the old city, I got to share with him all about what Christianity is. As a part of the walking tour organization, I had agreed to remain neutral on topics of religion and politics. However, I am more than allowed to answer questions such as “What organs are used for in churches?” by explaining the concept of worship. 🙂 The tour went an hour longer than expected, but we were both having such a great time, we barely noticed. I also encouraged him to try coming to try going to a service sometime, just to see it since he was so curious. He asked if he would really be welcome as a non-christian. I assured him we would be. I went on to explain in Christianity things are very open, much more than the middle eastern faith he adheres to. I have continued to pray for Muhammad in the weeks since we met, specifically that his curiosity would continue to fester and that he would cross paths with more believers to further point the way. I would be very grateful if you would join me in this prayer.
And that has been my launch into 2022! As we step into this new year, I want to also express my thankfulness to all of you who follow along and read these updates. I so enjoy being able to share what is happening here with each of you. I am always looking for ways to improve these updates. So, if there are things you are curious about or would like to see more of, I would love to hear your input. Blessings to all of you and thank you for coming along!
As always, thank you for coming along with me in this adventure of faith,
Ben