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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