Dear friends & family,
I cannot say thank you enough for your prayers over this last week. I am amazed at how God chose to answer your prayers as well as my own. He was ever present with me while I was away from home, in meetings, teaching, and sick.
My plane returned safely last night just after 11:30. Unfortunately, I received some bad information in Bogota, so my bag was still in Miami. At this time, however, it has been returned!
I worked from home today so that I could rest and relax. I'm getting better from being sick and enjoying very much being home. Seriously, your prayers have been answered and we appreciate them so much!
Many thanks to those of you who took care of Kevin while I was gone. It made me feel better knowing that he wasn't alone either.
Many thanks & blessings,
Brittany
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Final Detour
On Monday morning I hopped a short flight to Cali, Colombia where the first Christian University was founded just a few months ago - CUDES. Right now, they only have one major in marketing and international business, but they are growing quickly. I met with the folks in Cali about their entrepreneurship program. In Colombia, every academic program is required to include an entrepreneurship course, so the staff at CUDES wanted to talk with me (on behalf of RCE) about using our Rwanda curriculum in their program.
It was amazing how God worked out all the pieces. I was able to meet with the Rector (President) of the University, the chairman of the board of directors, and the chair of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Territory and Development. They were passionate about their mission and our personalities really meshed.
I went out to lunch for some traditional Colombian food with the Rector and my translator, James Bonilla. I ate a banana picked off the bunch, tried a fresh tomato and lime, and brought a ton of food back with me to the hotel (which was absolutely beautiful by the way!!)
By the end of the day, we had forged some great relationship and came up with some great ideas for working together. Once again, God was in every detail in amazing ways! I can really see a big picture view of how God was tying together what he planned in Bogota with what he planned in Cali.
Here's some pics from my hotel!
It was amazing how God worked out all the pieces. I was able to meet with the Rector (President) of the University, the chairman of the board of directors, and the chair of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Territory and Development. They were passionate about their mission and our personalities really meshed.
I went out to lunch for some traditional Colombian food with the Rector and my translator, James Bonilla. I ate a banana picked off the bunch, tried a fresh tomato and lime, and brought a ton of food back with me to the hotel (which was absolutely beautiful by the way!!)
 |
| Me at Lunch! |
Here's some pics from my hotel!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Last Day in Bogota
Tomorrow I will be leaving for Cali at 8 AM. I think I have meetings all day, but I guess we'll really find out tomorrow. Today was my last day in Bogota and it was a perfect ending to the day.
This morning we went to church at La Casa. They rent a theater in another part of the city. There were probably 500 people at the service and it was the liveliest worship I have been to in a long time. There were dancers, flags, a loud band, video, communion, and a lot of Hallelujahs. I wish I could have taken a picture but that would have been weird.
I knew quite a few people there because of the class and having met other members of the team. It was very nice knowing some names and being able to actually fellowship in a totally different country.
We sang quite a few songs I actually knew. I learned more Spanish by singing than I ever would have in a classroom. For instance, bendito = blessed, sancto = holy, hosanna = hosanna. I was also able to recognize some key phrases along the way - no otra nombre (no other name).
Today was the launch of the year of jubilee for La Casa, a year of freedom, joy, and holiness. The pastor preached on Leviticus 25:8-12. When he talked about the trumpet sounding to bring in the year of jubilee, the lady next to me sounded the shofar. The theme was restoration and freedom.
In the end, Jesus is our jubilee. He grants us freedom, rest, and restores us to our intended status as being in the presence of God. In Him we can go back to the original plan. One interesting thing the pastor said was that the first thing mankind saw when they opened their eyes was God resting. So the original plan was to rest in the presence of God always.
They had a time a prophetic words at the end and my translator, Tato, called me down because he got a word from the Lord for me in particular. It was incredible. We'll see how God chooses to be faithful to those words!
Prayers are appreciated that travel tomorrow and then Tuesday goes smoothly. Also, I'm not feeling well at all. I've been struggling with my health most of the day today and it's no fun to be sick and traveling. I'm sad to be leaving Bogota and the friends I've made here, but hopefully we are able to work together in the future!
This morning we went to church at La Casa. They rent a theater in another part of the city. There were probably 500 people at the service and it was the liveliest worship I have been to in a long time. There were dancers, flags, a loud band, video, communion, and a lot of Hallelujahs. I wish I could have taken a picture but that would have been weird.
I knew quite a few people there because of the class and having met other members of the team. It was very nice knowing some names and being able to actually fellowship in a totally different country.
We sang quite a few songs I actually knew. I learned more Spanish by singing than I ever would have in a classroom. For instance, bendito = blessed, sancto = holy, hosanna = hosanna. I was also able to recognize some key phrases along the way - no otra nombre (no other name).
Today was the launch of the year of jubilee for La Casa, a year of freedom, joy, and holiness. The pastor preached on Leviticus 25:8-12. When he talked about the trumpet sounding to bring in the year of jubilee, the lady next to me sounded the shofar. The theme was restoration and freedom.
In the end, Jesus is our jubilee. He grants us freedom, rest, and restores us to our intended status as being in the presence of God. In Him we can go back to the original plan. One interesting thing the pastor said was that the first thing mankind saw when they opened their eyes was God resting. So the original plan was to rest in the presence of God always.
They had a time a prophetic words at the end and my translator, Tato, called me down because he got a word from the Lord for me in particular. It was incredible. We'll see how God chooses to be faithful to those words!
Prayers are appreciated that travel tomorrow and then Tuesday goes smoothly. Also, I'm not feeling well at all. I've been struggling with my health most of the day today and it's no fun to be sick and traveling. I'm sad to be leaving Bogota and the friends I've made here, but hopefully we are able to work together in the future!
A Long (but Fruitful) Day
Yesterday was a long day. The conference started at 9 AM and went through the afternoon. It was a beautiful culminating experience from the previous two days. Again, we had only 17 students, but the class had really gelled as a unit. By yesterday, they were all willing to share their (sometimes very personal) ideas and question one another. I knew the students well and could cater what we were talking about directly to their needs and ideas.
We moved rooms to another auditorium that was in a newer building. It was much nicer and I liked the switch. It gave us real presentation space. The campus as a whole - Universidad El Bosque) is really pretty:
We started the day off simulating launching a business. It combined all that we had talked about so far - identifying opportunities, taking calculated risks, and solving problems. The class broke into groups of 4, came up with a business idea, and then created a commercial, print ad, mission statement, and a pitch for the investors (me).
Only one of the groups split up the tasks based on strengths. They sent the publicist to do the print advertisement and the other three split up the rest of the tasks. The rest of the groups worked together on all the pieces and so were rather rushed for time at the end.
They came up with a number of neat ideas:
I was truly inspired by the hard work of the people in the class and how well we all worked together. This experience was truly a blessing. I made good friends and we learned a lot together. Now the class will be continuing to 3 more modules, learning how to write a business plan and start a business in Colombia. I hope this weekend the class learned what it really means to have entrepreneurial patterns based on biblical principles.
We moved rooms to another auditorium that was in a newer building. It was much nicer and I liked the switch. It gave us real presentation space. The campus as a whole - Universidad El Bosque) is really pretty:
We started the day off simulating launching a business. It combined all that we had talked about so far - identifying opportunities, taking calculated risks, and solving problems. The class broke into groups of 4, came up with a business idea, and then created a commercial, print ad, mission statement, and a pitch for the investors (me).
Only one of the groups split up the tasks based on strengths. They sent the publicist to do the print advertisement and the other three split up the rest of the tasks. The rest of the groups worked together on all the pieces and so were rather rushed for time at the end.
They came up with a number of neat ideas:
Samm Bar - providing a healthy, high quality, fast food alternative. This was actually one of the student's ideas coming in, so it was very helpful for him to have some feedback on the idea. They had a very specific and reachable target market and had a great presentation style.- Emerpet - making the lives of people easier by helping their pets with medical and grooming needs. Their commercial told a great story and they definitely had the most finished presentation. After getting feedback from me and the rest of the class, one of the students decided that she wanted to try really pursuing this idea on a smaller scale (to minimize the risk).
- The Store - supporting entrepreneurs to start their own business. Basically, it's an incubator for direct sales. The group of friends that came up with this idea for the first time and had been talking about going into business together. They decided to go for it! They started looking for a place after class got out and are continuing the search tomorrow.
- Fruserve - providing a fast, easy, innovative and healthy food option on college campuses. They had thought through many details, had a clearly identified need, and appeared to work well together as a group. Each member of the group owns their own business already and was looking for further development and training.
- Be like Christ
- Serve and Grow with Others in Opportunities
- Live and Enjoy what God has Given
- To Live Without Worries and Not Be Frustrated as Time Goes By
- Tool of God, Light to Personal, Family, Business, and National Finances
- Bridge People and Opportunities
- Give My Time to the Lord, Serving the Things I Can, Because I was Born to Obey
- See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. (Isaiah 55:4-5)
I was truly inspired by the hard work of the people in the class and how well we all worked together. This experience was truly a blessing. I made good friends and we learned a lot together. Now the class will be continuing to 3 more modules, learning how to write a business plan and start a business in Colombia. I hope this weekend the class learned what it really means to have entrepreneurial patterns based on biblical principles.
Friday, February 3, 2012
I Could Sing Tato's Praises
My prayer going into tonight was, “God I am still all yours.
All glory to you for last night. Please, please, please do it again!”
He did.
Tonight was great. Not only was it a lot of fun, but we
started to gel as a group. Their participation was more active and they were
sharing personal information in the safety of the group. We laughed at each
other and at ourselves. God was there.
To begin, I met Tato. Tato was my translator. Immediately we clicked in terms of personality. He was fun and really
just brought a great attitude. We went over what we would be covering and
talked about some terms that might make things tricky. Before we got started,
Tato asked if we could pray. He prayed that God would bless the time, that He
would make Tato and I of one mind and one mouth so that it wouldn’t feel like
there was translation, rather it would feel like one fluid movement. He prayed
that he would have clarity and wisdom to find the right word quickly.
Basically, Tato was amazing.
When we got started, we did a quick review and then started
right in talking about life purpose. We did a great exercise that Dr. Mulford
suggested before I left. I brought up Carla (smallest foot in the class) and
Roosevelt (largest foot in the class) and made them switch left shoes. Thankfully,
Carla wore tiny black 3-inch heels. They looked RIDICULOUS walking around the
classroom. By the time I offered them 50,000 pesos ($25) they were willing to
wear them the rest of the night. We used the exercise to talk about how
identifying an opportunity is recognizing the right fit. A good business is the
right fit. Unfortunately, however, sometimes when we are offered money,
reputation, and status we sacrifice the right fit. We aren’t walking in our
calling.
From there, they shared about the self, community, and
resource assessments I assigned for homework. One student said this exercise
was the first time she realized that the only thing that keeps her up at night
and wakes her up in the morning is the thought of finding a way to help
someone. Another shared from his experience that he felt that the restaurant
industry in Colombia lacked vision and drive and that he felt like he was the
one who could disrupt that culture. Another talked about a memory she had of a
simple life growing up and how when she starts her own business she can create
that simple life again. I challenged them to write down their life purpose
statement and share it tomorrow at the end of class. We’ll see tomorrow, but I
hope I have some great statements to share.
I got to employ my favorite teaching technique today –
interactive storytelling. It was so fun! And doing it with a translator
(something I was really concerned about) was actually even more fun. Tato would
follow me around and do every action, every face. It was like watching myself
on repeat. Not only that, but he and I would interact with one another. We
involved the students and it created a really powerful and memorable moment. We
told the parable of the man who didn’t count the costs from Luke 14. It led us
into opportunity cost and the students had a lot to say about what it would
cost them and their community not to start a business.
We moved from talking about taking calculated risks, to
problem solving, using Philippians 4:6-8 as a guide:
"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and
sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.”
It was an
incredible activity. We walked through the biblical problem solving steps (Do
not worry; Pray; Thank God for His Faithfulness; Make your Request; Think
Rightly; Ask What the Bible Says; Take Action; Actively Rest in God’s Peace)
and really applied each one to our own lives and particular situation.
The last
activity we did was group problem solving and it went just as I wanted it to. The students broke into groups and had a
case study to come to consensus about. The hitch was that I gave one person in
each group a slip of paper that told them which option they were allowed to
vote for. The goal was to see how the groups would respond to an incredibly
stubborn participant. Two groups came to consensus and two did not. After the
session was over, I had one gentleman come up to me to talk about the exercise.
He wouldn’t change his opinion, even though the rest of the team had come to
side with the plant. He wanted to know if he was right about the problem. I
explained that there was no ‘right’ answer, but that in group problem solving
situations, you can’t just cater to the most stubborn person. This activity had
the groups excited!
Pastor
Edgardo, Maru, and I went out to dinner for crepes after the session. We sat
and talked for almost two hours about their vision and what God is doing through
their organization. There is so much synergy between RCE and Visionet and I am
excited to see if God has bigger ideas in mind.
Both
Edgardo and Maru said that they didn’t understand why Regent was sending me,
but now, after just a couple of days, they realized that Regent didn’t send me –
God did. Amen to that. I have been so blessed by my time in Colombia and am
just so excited to see what God has in store tomorrow.
Outside the City
Great day so far! It was my first day outside of Bogota since I've been in Colombia. I spent the morning with Maru and Ivan. Ivan works on the Visionet team and he has been videotaping the conference for posting online. He just has a great heart (and his English is pretty good too!)
The day started out with food and more food! After breakfast, we took a ride out of the city. When you get past the sea of apartment complexes, Colombia is even more beautiful! Here are some pics I took from the car as we were driving:
From there, we went to La Cabana. It’s hard to describe, but
I’ll do my best. It is a Colombian founded dairy farm. They make cheeses and yogurts
and ice cream. Near their factory is a neat grocery store that only has dairy
products. We all got a post-breakfast snack. I decided to try something they
described as “distinctly Colombian.” It was some kind of cheese with a berry
puree and Colombian caramel. 
Quite
tasty, but very rich! Ivan had to finish mine for me. It was nice to sit in the sun and talk for a little while. I'm learning more everyday about Colombia. I was asked (again) if I had any kids; when I said that I'd only been married since June, Ivan adamantly responded, "At least 2 years. Wait at least 2 years." He quickly followed it up by telling me more about his family, his wife and 3 children. About his kids, he said, "They gave us our reason to live." I was really moved by his openness and kindness.
The day started out with food and more food! After breakfast, we took a ride out of the city. When you get past the sea of apartment complexes, Colombia is even more beautiful! Here are some pics I took from the car as we were driving:
We drove past absolutely beautiful houses on the
mountainside, gorgeous! Beautiful farms and ranches. Lots of cows (made me miss
my husband).
We drove to the small town of Sopo and Ivan and Maru showed
me a Colombian amusement park. They had many famous sites from around the world
represented. Despite their resemblance, however, the depictions were distinctly
Colombian. My favorite was their version of the Statue of Liberty. Same pose,
but instead it was a naked man, not Lady Liberty. The park looked like so much
fun, and it was fun to find in the middle of a town.
From there, we went to La Cabana. It’s hard to describe, but
I’ll do my best. It is a Colombian founded dairy farm. They make cheeses and yogurts
and ice cream. Near their factory is a neat grocery store that only has dairy
products. We all got a post-breakfast snack. I decided to try something they
described as “distinctly Colombian.” It was some kind of cheese with a berry
puree and Colombian caramel. 
Quite
tasty, but very rich! Ivan had to finish mine for me. It was nice to sit in the sun and talk for a little while. I'm learning more everyday about Colombia. I was asked (again) if I had any kids; when I said that I'd only been married since June, Ivan adamantly responded, "At least 2 years. Wait at least 2 years." He quickly followed it up by telling me more about his family, his wife and 3 children. About his kids, he said, "They gave us our reason to live." I was really moved by his openness and kindness.
Our tour continued to an even smaller town, where we drove
around the town plaza with the church and town hall. We even stopped at a fruit
stand (where I got an incredible nectarine). As we continued, we drove past the reservoir that
supplies water to Bogota. It was absolutely beautiful!
I got out of the car to take a picture or two and Ivan put
the car in neutral and revved the engine like they were leaving. He just about
gave me a heart attack. I jumped and turned around and he and Maru were just rolling
with laughter.
We went on to visit one of the other Visionet team members,
Median, who is home sick. Her mother and daughter-in-law were also there so it
was nice to visit. The grandmother served us all tiny cups of very black
Colombian coffee. Not too bad! (I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drink coffee
when I come home since I’m being spoiled.) Most of the visit was in Spanish, so
I was able to pick up very little, but I knew Ivan was telling the story about
pretending to leave me at the reservoir when he pointed at me and laughed hysterically.
They thought they were so funny!
When we got back in the car, Ivan told me a little bit more
about Median. She is a professor and has an incredibly strong spirit. Despite
some health problems, she always meets her commitments above and beyond. She is
faithful, strong, and does great things to transform the community. So when she
says she’s sick, she’s really really sick. While we were there, she seemed to be in good spirits and really appreciated the visit.
Throughout the day, Maru shared with me that she received some excellent feedback about our session last night. I knew that God had truly intervened to make it a comfortable, safe place to share and grow, but the confirmation was great. She was very honest with me about some of the staff's reservations when they found out a young kid, just out of college would be coming, but that they were very happy with the session last night. All the glory to God!
Now I'm preparing for tonight and getting ready for God to show up again. Even with one successful night, He is the organizer and creator of all good things. He is in control and He has been from the beginning. I didn't bring myself here, He brought me here and so I will give him all the glory, honor and praise for any success that happens!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Day 1 Total Success
I'm settled in for the night. In fact, it's 11:30 and I am leaving for breakfast at 8 AM tomorrow morning. (What am I still doing up?) I just have to share God's faithfulness, though, while it's still fresh in my mind.
We arrived at the university where the conference is being held about an hour and 45 minutes early. That's when our contact was supposed to meet us, but she got delayed for 45 minutes, so Maru and I found a cute arrepa place and sat down for a drink and a snack.
Maru is wonderful and the work that Visionet is doing is truly incredible! Maru and I talked for a long time about what it would look like for them to start a Business Development Center here in Bogota. They are willing to do all the translation so that RCE's program can be offered completely in Spanish. Really, I think God had a number of things in mind when he arranged this trip.
Eventually, we got to head over to the university. About 60 people were registered for the class today, but because of the holiday (No Cars in Bogota Day) only 14 showed up for the session. I know that in myself, I would have been disappointed and frustrated that I had prepared a program for 100. Instead, God was there. He was guiding my every step. It was incredible.
I was so nervous, especially about the fact that I don't speak Spanish. I realized my cultural superiority complex, too. I hear so often about how people in Rwanda so highly value American teachers. Colombia, on the other hand, is very proud of Colombia. They are proud of their universities, their opportunities, their entrepreneurship. It's beautiful to see the pride they have in their community.
So I didn't speak much as people came in other than "Buenos Noches" and "Hola". I fiddled with my computer, straightened my hair, and prayed. As people finished filling out their registration forms, I was reminded of what my husband told me last night. He told me to be myself. God called me, so use what He has given me. So I did that, I went into teacher mode.
I started on the left side of the room, to Marcella, a girl I know spoke a little bit of English. "Como se llama?" Oh man was I excited! I remembered how to ask someone's name in Spanish! I went down the row and had them repeat their names a couple of times and I'd repeat them back.
In about 15 minutes I had learned everyone's name and we all had a good laugh at my poor spanish accent. It was the perfect way to break the ice. I needed a way to let them know that I laugh at myself and that I was learning with them. The name activity is always good! AND when the program started I could call on them and respond to them by name.
After the session was over, Pastor Edgardo said that the name exercise (really just an attempt to break the ice for myself) was the most impressive part of the whole evening. Really, when you take the time to learn someone's name, when you value their person and respect them as a learner, the environment is relaxed. God knew what was best in terms of size of a class for me for the first night. He was even a little gracious to me giving me space to learn and grow as a facilitator.
That's exactly what I was (thanks to Lisa!) I was a facilitator. I didn't purpose to teach them anything, rather I sought to provide the resources necessary to examine themselves as future entrepreneurs and to practice what I referred to as "the patterns of biblical entrepreneurship."
Colombia is one of the top nations in the world for entrepreneurship. An incredibly high percentage of the population starts a business, but a shockingly low percentage still have their business after 2 1/2 years. What we are trying to explore together through this weekend is how to have a pattern of entrepreneurship that affects the start and the ongoing lives of their businesses. Identifying new opportunities in their field, solving problems as they arise, using money wisely. All pattern-worthy processes.
The activities were a big hit. The students seemed to really enjoy the self-reflection time as well as the group time. We did the paperclip activity today. Basically, they split up into groups of 3 and tried to come up with as many alternative uses for a paperclip as they could in 10 minutes with no limits. They came up with anywhere between 15 and 25 alternative uses. Then we made the point that no limits means the paperclip could be 50 feet tall. It could be made of foam. We gave them 10 more minutes and a list of questions to get their creativity pumping. Then we got some fun results - swords, bag hangers, bubble blowers.
The winning group was an all male team and came up with 62 alternative uses for paperclips, many of which they made models of. They each won their very own box of paper clips.
What a fun night we all had together, practicing our creativity, reflecting, and beginning to explore the patterns that make a truly great entrepreneur. It was a blessed tome. I feel relieved that it went well, but also just incredibly blessed that God used it the way that He did. Frankly, now I can't wait for tomorrow night!
We arrived at the university where the conference is being held about an hour and 45 minutes early. That's when our contact was supposed to meet us, but she got delayed for 45 minutes, so Maru and I found a cute arrepa place and sat down for a drink and a snack.
Maru is wonderful and the work that Visionet is doing is truly incredible! Maru and I talked for a long time about what it would look like for them to start a Business Development Center here in Bogota. They are willing to do all the translation so that RCE's program can be offered completely in Spanish. Really, I think God had a number of things in mind when he arranged this trip.
Eventually, we got to head over to the university. About 60 people were registered for the class today, but because of the holiday (No Cars in Bogota Day) only 14 showed up for the session. I know that in myself, I would have been disappointed and frustrated that I had prepared a program for 100. Instead, God was there. He was guiding my every step. It was incredible.
I was so nervous, especially about the fact that I don't speak Spanish. I realized my cultural superiority complex, too. I hear so often about how people in Rwanda so highly value American teachers. Colombia, on the other hand, is very proud of Colombia. They are proud of their universities, their opportunities, their entrepreneurship. It's beautiful to see the pride they have in their community.
So I didn't speak much as people came in other than "Buenos Noches" and "Hola". I fiddled with my computer, straightened my hair, and prayed. As people finished filling out their registration forms, I was reminded of what my husband told me last night. He told me to be myself. God called me, so use what He has given me. So I did that, I went into teacher mode.
I started on the left side of the room, to Marcella, a girl I know spoke a little bit of English. "Como se llama?" Oh man was I excited! I remembered how to ask someone's name in Spanish! I went down the row and had them repeat their names a couple of times and I'd repeat them back.
In about 15 minutes I had learned everyone's name and we all had a good laugh at my poor spanish accent. It was the perfect way to break the ice. I needed a way to let them know that I laugh at myself and that I was learning with them. The name activity is always good! AND when the program started I could call on them and respond to them by name.
After the session was over, Pastor Edgardo said that the name exercise (really just an attempt to break the ice for myself) was the most impressive part of the whole evening. Really, when you take the time to learn someone's name, when you value their person and respect them as a learner, the environment is relaxed. God knew what was best in terms of size of a class for me for the first night. He was even a little gracious to me giving me space to learn and grow as a facilitator.
That's exactly what I was (thanks to Lisa!) I was a facilitator. I didn't purpose to teach them anything, rather I sought to provide the resources necessary to examine themselves as future entrepreneurs and to practice what I referred to as "the patterns of biblical entrepreneurship."
Colombia is one of the top nations in the world for entrepreneurship. An incredibly high percentage of the population starts a business, but a shockingly low percentage still have their business after 2 1/2 years. What we are trying to explore together through this weekend is how to have a pattern of entrepreneurship that affects the start and the ongoing lives of their businesses. Identifying new opportunities in their field, solving problems as they arise, using money wisely. All pattern-worthy processes.
The activities were a big hit. The students seemed to really enjoy the self-reflection time as well as the group time. We did the paperclip activity today. Basically, they split up into groups of 3 and tried to come up with as many alternative uses for a paperclip as they could in 10 minutes with no limits. They came up with anywhere between 15 and 25 alternative uses. Then we made the point that no limits means the paperclip could be 50 feet tall. It could be made of foam. We gave them 10 more minutes and a list of questions to get their creativity pumping. Then we got some fun results - swords, bag hangers, bubble blowers.
The winning group was an all male team and came up with 62 alternative uses for paperclips, many of which they made models of. They each won their very own box of paper clips.
What a fun night we all had together, practicing our creativity, reflecting, and beginning to explore the patterns that make a truly great entrepreneur. It was a blessed tome. I feel relieved that it went well, but also just incredibly blessed that God used it the way that He did. Frankly, now I can't wait for tomorrow night!
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