Our trip to Africa started long before the first flight left on October 10th. There was obviously quite a bit of praying and planning that took place. I will talk about some of the specific logistics of the trip in a future post, but today it’s about team. However, the key to this trip boiled down to having the right team.
First and foremost, I got to go on this trip with my wife. Unfortunately, there may be some who read this post and think to themselves that sounds awful. My wife is the perfect teammate and I will lay out the reasons below. These reasons hold true when selecting a team or teammate for a trip like this.
1. We are aligned in mission and purpose. Regardless of who handles what task for the trip, if we are not fully aligned in mission and purpose we will fail. This trip has been tugging at my wife’s heartstrings for a few years now. However, I did not share that calling and vision. Was I holding her back? Was I thwarting her calling? Absolutely not. We continued to partner with the church in Kimai from a distance. However, when Pastor Paul’s request came this summer the Holy Spirit laid a burden on me to go. Kendra received that same burden. When we realized that we were now aligned in mission and purpose on this trip, we knew there was no turning back.
My teammate and I️ in Chicago. The backpacks were her idea, as were most of the really useful things on this trip!<<
knew that we were aligned in mission and purpose because we talk about these things. We discuss where we feel God is leading us both as a couple and individually. Sometimes we attack these callings together and other times one of us serves as the cheerleader for the other as they follow God’s calling on their life. However, open and honest communication is key.
2. Play to Your Strengths<<
ave a strange obsession with booking travel and my wife makes the greatest packing list I have ever seen. So for this trip, I handled the travel arrangements and my wife handled the packing list.
This made for a much better trip. My wife thought to pack toilet paper and anti bacterial wipes along with picking up some portable phone chargers and head lamps for us. I had not thought of any of those items. I watched flights for weeks and researched routes and places to stay along the way. My wife hates trying to book travel. My trip was better because we used my wife’s strengths. Hopefully my wife’s trip was better because we used my strengths.
< em>We took nearly 100 pounds of supplies in addition to our individual luggage.<<
playing to our strengths we were able to accomplish far more than we could have by forcing each other to rely on weaknesses. We were able to pack more and do more good because we worked together and allowed each other to thrive.
3. Trust Each Other<<
is one is a little tricky when taking trips with strangers or people you barely know. That is why for group trips we encourage lots of pre trip group time. My wife and I have the benefit of 16 years of life to build the bond and develop our rhythm as a team. It’s not always been pretty but we have been intentional to develop our relationship to the point that we can attack things together and get things done. However, if we fail to trust each other. If I incessantly second guess her packing decisions or if she obsessively questions to travel schedule it will erode trust and limit our effectiveness as a unit. Also, there are times on the trip where she leads and I follow and vice verse. Because of the trust we have, we can humbly play either role of leader or follower.
4. Have Faith<<
all measures neither of us is qualified fully to be international missionaries. However, we have faith that God has called us according to his will. That means that we will go where he leases us and have the faith that His purposes will be accomplished through us. That stands true even if our individual goals aren’t always met. We also believe that God is big enough to handle travel delays and unknowns on these trips. We even believe that God is big enough for our kids to thrive even if we have to spend time apart for these trips.
< em>Trust and faith are key to any of life’s great adventures. – Eli Pagel<<
r trips with a purpose, the team is a vital piece to the trip being successful, fruitful, and enjoyable. Honestly, I️ have the best teammate. Hopefully your team is great too! If you want more advice on building a team email me at ehpagel@gmail.com.
What was the best team you have ever been a part of? What made that team so great?
elipagel.com 