La Providencia Summit, Day One

On Wednesday afternoon, nine leaders from Providence partner organizations and churches around the USA arrived in Siguatepeque, Honduras for the 1st Annual La Providencia Summit.  The vision for the Summit is to work with the LP staff, the local community leaders, and each other to start discerning how we all can make summer teams at LP as collaborative, productive, and life-giving as possible.  Guided by our mutual experiences, the books When Helping Hurts and Toxic Charity, and, of course, Biblical principles, we are hoping to work together as "one team" this summer and beyond to move the La Providencia community closer to economic self-sufficiency.

Yesterday, during day one of the Summit, the US leaders were able to meet with the entire LP staff to listen and inquire about how teams have been destructive in the past, how teams have connected and positively impacted the community, how we believe we can build up each other's skills and assets, how we all can build relationships with each other through various projects, how the teams can encourage, sharpen, and train the teachers and other staff members, and vice-versa, and how we can work together to begin developing businesses and other endeavors to generate revenue in the community.  It was an incredible day of transparency and vulnerability that I have never seen from our LP staff.  They opened up about the benefits and pitfalls of teams, they shared some challenges and struggles with the project and with some well-intentioned teams in the past, and ways that team members can mitigate against destructive behavior in the future.

One of our teachers opened up about her story that mirrors so many of our children's stories, and it touched all of us in deep ways.  She grew up in the community surrounding La Providencia in a single parent home, and hopes that she can inspire her students to become a leader in their community as she has by relying on God and developing the incredible skills and talents that God has given each one of them.

We're still processing through a lot of the stuff that we covered yesterday, and likely will be analyzing it for weeks to come.  In the process, we hope to figure out more and more what God wants us to be doing together to continue developing gospel-driven leaders.  Yesterday was a great step forward in this process and we know today will be as well - we're meeting with leaders in the local community to hear about their dreams, goals, and assets, and how the teams can come alongside them to develop the community.

Your prayers for the Summit and all that it will bring are invited, encouraged, and very much appreciated.