NextGen retreat

To update you on all that's been happening here within NextGen, I'll start with the 2010 annual retreat. Held here in Cayucos, as you readers know, we had a regular 8 of us, and couple extra's a few days. Everyone loved being here at the Stone's house, the view for one is wonderful. We were able to rent a small place three streets away for sleeping quarters and the meetings happened here at the house, as well as most meals. By the end of the week, we felt like we knew where we were at as far as our strategies for this coming year, and we were moving forward in understanding each others jobs. We had discussed a marketing strategy and felt like we were finally all on board. We discussed the website I'm working on and everyone seemed to be ready and excited to use it.
We did a few fun things as well. We went canoeing in a large 12 person canoe and even did a little exploring in Morro Bay! Another evening after meetings we stopped to see "Gum Alley" in San Luis Obispo( a kind of gross alleyway covered in bubble gum) before heading our for our annual dinner "out" Overall, it was a successful and effective time as a team. We were able to accomplish discussions in person that, over the phone are either not possible or frustrating.
For the next week I was playing catchup and working on a few of the new ideas generated during the retreat. We're still working on the kinks for the new site, but the GetGlobal trips will begin to do their team planning and team meetings online there!
This week the challenge is the Kenya GG trip. We have hit a few snags as far as the trip dates, but we are also seeing the hand of God in it. My boss/friend Tracy will likely be able to make the new dates better than the old ones. We have seen God use the details of the trip and some new immovable barriers, as His way of making the details of the trip fit His plans. We see this particular trip as a "test trip" for our new partnership with Wycliffe Associates. We hope that this trip will help us work out the details so that next year and the coming years we will be able to facilitate more than one trip a summer and give student a broader range of opportunities to see the multitude of ways they can serve in Bible translation. My biggest concern personally is that I am to be the team leader, but also I will have been just moved to Georgia with Michaels new assignment. So, something to pray about. I really, really want to go to Africa with a team of students...but not sure if I "should" go. In the meantime, I'm the team coordinator...so if you know anyone interested in a summer trip to work alongside a community of people working on deaf translations in Kenya!??? Have 'em call me!