Time to Teach: Trip #9

Friday, May 13 

Thursday and Friday were our first two days of teaching for this course. We go from 8 am to 4 pm with two breaks at 10:00 am for breakfast and 1 pm for lunch. Each course contains ten lessons, and the plan is to complete two lessons a day over a five-day period. It was good to see all the trainees, but it is especially good when we break the cohort down to our three learning groups and I’m with the twelve guys in my learning group. They are the ones I have spent most of the time with in the six courses I have taught.  

Thursday I was a bit of a disappointment. I didn’t seem to connect with my group and I want to serve them well. I got through the content fairly well and there was decent participation, but it didn’t seem to “click”. I got through the day hoping for a better Friday, day two of five. Because this is the last trip here and we are having a graduation ceremony on Saturday the 21st, we are on a different schedule. We usually teach Monday through Friday, this trip is Thursday through Monday…it feels very strange. The hope is tomorrow will be better. When I reported my lackluster first day, both Mike Evans and Kris Mobbs (our partner on the ground in Uganda) told me that is what I say every trip and I am more upbeat as the week continues.

Today (Friday) was a new day. I felt vitally connected to the material and the group. They were really dragging in the afternoon in the 90 degree heat and no fans or AC. It called for drastic action. I asked them all to stand and follow me. We walked around the Pastoral Training Center and sang a song and they were sufficiently revived to make it through the rest of the day. I felt very good about the day. There is a special joy when you are able to share not only Scripture, but your experiences, and the pastors are on the edge of their seats not because of spellbinding teaching, because of the intersection of theology and pastoral leadership. We were all better off for the day.

What’s not better off is my sleeping. Last night I was up from midnight to three and thankfully got nearly three more hours in before getting up. Tonight I went to bed at 8:30 and at 11:30 I gave up and caught up on email before this post. I’m tired and frustrated, but I am not questioning the worth and the privilege of being here. With the warmer temperatures in Hudson, I expect a very green and alive atmosphere when I return-including the development of my very own Kwik Trip right across the street from the church building.

The picture is taken from my learning group. The man standing is Sunday, who will be part of a team leading future cohorts. Ugandan pastors leading Ugandans!

Larry Szyman

Pastor for Missional Life