Coming into focus....slowly

We just came from our first full team meeting with both CMA and Covenant International. I was praying a lot going into the meeting, that I would have the right words to say. And the whole thing was beautiful, and a divine moment of agreement and partnership and clarity. But let me back up a bit.
Two things happened that led up to this meeting in the last few days. The first was the culmination of interviews and school visits I have been doing (read my prior ramblings). It is clear how well loved CMA is and how much Pastor Wesley is respected in the community by the adults and adored by the children. Over and over I wonder where our kids will go to school, or IF they will go to school, if CMA relocates. I had been giving it the side-eye in my mind, it is there and concerning but I have not thought directly about it.
And then the second thing was upon Eddie and Greta's arrival, we had

a heart to heart about this. Greta brought up this very thing. Her feelings and thoughts were that the Covenant has invested so many years in this community and Pastor is adored and respected. She brought up an excellent point of the tendancy and mistake of many good intentioned white "missionaries" is failing to consider the fall out or the trickle down of decisions. Are we pushing them to build on land far away from this community? And if we do relocate, what happens not only to this community, but the one the Wesleys live in because they would likely relocate.
The more the three of us talked, the more we felt passionate about trying to keep the school in Rehab. But also being open to the Covenant Ministries leadership desire. But I really thought they were passionate about building a big school far outside of town. That was what I was sensing from Pastor. And so I was praying and brainstorming how to address this subject. I was thinking about organizational identity and wanting to hear what the team felt was the purpose and heart of the school.
As I was talking through the experience of visits in the community and our conversations, I realized what we needed was what my mentor, Max, continues to say to me. Drill into me. Clarity.

Alignment. Action. Who are we is more important than what we are housed in. As Greta said, "A house doesn't make a home, and a building does not make CMA (paraphrased slightly)." After hearing from each of their board members about the heart of CMA, it also came out that their real passion was to remain in Rehab. They struggled to find land/building to use in the crowded community. But they are open to what God has for them. Eddie reiterated that we don't want to sway their decision or for them to have regrets. And they said no - we want what God has for us. And now things are different and while we are not miracle workers, we are now partners in the Gospel. And we have our prayer network behind us. We will all petition together for the answer.
There were so many other beautiful things about this meeting. And I will share more of them in another post. But this post is a celebration. And an acknowledgement of clarity and agreement. Of understanding. (I smile to myself because really it is cross-cultural understanding). And affirmation of why I am here for a month (which I have been praying for).
This is hard work. But it is good work.
Prayer requests:
*Clarity and agreement in partnership, continued honesty
*Thanksgiving for this team's heart and vision and hard work
*Laying the ground work at home for fundraising (We will begin raising funds in faith)
*Eddie and Greta's time with family