Takin' Care of Business

Today I've been working on our Training Needs Analysis. This is basically a survey that will help us determine what our farmers know and what they need to know in order to succeed. So I'm putting together a survey of the things that chicken farmers should know how to do. It's a little scary, as I've never really learned how to take care of chickens. So tomorrow Tinashe and Pastor Daniel (our more-or-less expert on chicken farming who spends most of his time working with the farmers) are going to go through it and make sure it covers the essentials and will communicate clearly with the farmers we're surveying (who may not know English or read and write). Once we've got the survey nailed down, I believe it will be my job to give the survey to the farmers. I'm hoping to survey our group of 11 who are currently working, our group of 14 who are waiting for us to find money for their inputs, and a control group who haven't gotten any training from us yet. I'll let you know how that all goes.

I'm also trying to draft a personal statement for my law school application. I've never been particularly good at writing about myself, so if you have a theme you think I should focus on, feel free to let me know. I don't want this to get to the admissions committees, but I haven't chosen adventures based on how they reflect my persuasive or analytic attributes.

This morning I listened to the speech Father Greg Boyle gave at Calvin College's January Series in 2011. I was actually there to hear this speech, but I've been thinking about it over the past few weeks as I've been struggling to serve here. Honestly, it's one of the best speeches that I think a Christian can hear, and it has been enormously challenging and uplifting for me. If you'd like to listen to it, you can watch or download it here (Father Boyle begins speaking at 3:55). If you can't find an hour, I would suggest downloading it, putting it on your iPod, and listening as you drive or work out. If anyone can listen to his passion and love without being stirred or challenged, I'd be surprised.

-Ben