Like many other people on this blog,
the mentor that has had the biggest influence in my life is probably my dad. I
chose to write about my meetings with my dad for a couple of reasons. The first
is that he is a regional director for Josiah Venture; the mission organization
that my family works with. He oversees and coaches the leadership of many
countries in central and eastern Europe such as Slovenia, Croatia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Serbia, and Albania. His experience in ministry as well as team
management is something I greatly desire to learn from more. I am currently
considering going into this type of work myself and I would really like to
benefit from his knowledge of what it means to combine these two fields of
work.
The other reason I have chosen my dad
as my mentor for this class is that we are in many ways very similar people.
Both of us have many of the same strengths as well as the same weaknesses. He
has been a great example to follow in knowing how to utilize those strengths
while also dealing with certain weaknesses in order to be a successful leader.
Lately he and I have been discussing a
lot about what sort of areas of work would fit well with my passions, desires
and strengths so that I may be an effective member of God’s Kingdom. There are definitely
a lot of career options out there but there don’t seem to be as many that
excite me. A large reason for that is that I simply have not explored tons of
career options that may actually excite me a lot. Lately it has been my goal to
test the waters of lots of different career and talk to as many people in those
jobs that I can. I then discuss with my dad the things that I like about each with
my dad and together we sort of pick and choose parts of these jobs that really
fit my strengths and personality and the parts that don’t.
I still by no means have figured out
what God is calling me to but I feel that He is, through these meetings with my
parents, revealing more and more to me about who I am and what I am good at and
how he plans to use me for His purpose in the future and that has been a very
exciting process.
Blake,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. That is awesome that you have a relationship with your father like you do. Likewise, I have been examining my strengths and passions and have been trying to figure out what I want to do after college. Like you said, I believe that God has a plan for my life, and while I have no determined what that may be, I trust that through prayer and consideration I will find my calling. I hope the same for you as you try to pursue your passions.
Philip
Hey Blake,
ReplyDeleteThat's really awesome that you have a heart for missions, and it sounds like you have a lot of opportunities in your future for finding a place meant for you that hopefully combines business management and missions. It's great to hear you have a good relationship with your parents, and hopefully as you continue in your career seeking you can continue to rely on them for advice and encouragement. Also, connections are sooo important in the business world so if your Dad knows people who are working in areas you are interested in, contact them! I'm sure they would love to sit down with you and talk about their experiences and give you practical advice about next steps as well. Often times family members and their friends are the best resources and we don't fully capitalize on them.
Natalie