It's a New Year!

The staff meeting/dinner last night was both a time of reunion and a time to get acquainted. Like the half-time of a team sport, the introduction of new staff members promises an interesting change in office dynamics: Four staff members will leave to work or study in Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, and Thailand in the Far East while four return from their semesters abroad in Egypt, Honduras, and Ghana. Together with the returners are 3 new staff members who bring fresh perspective and energy. Well, technically it should be 2 because Christina has being helping out in the office last semester.

Like any sport, those who are leaving or have left the office are not people whom the office groomed and “lost.” Rather, the office has produced change agents to serve others in other locations. Look at David Beckham—his move from England to the States a few years ago created new excitement and interest in soccer. The same for the S-LC Beckhams around the world, they too are introducing hope to places in which they are serving. Speaking of which, an S-LC alumni page is a work in process to highlight some of our Beckhams addressing real social problems. Hopefully these stories will inspire and encourage us in this dark and sad world, and instill in us a sense of urgency to not only be consumers of other people's kindness but also be producers of kindness to others. That's why I particularly enjoyed the Skype meeting we had with Heidi, an S-LC alumna, last semester. That's why it is always nice whenever Beckham shares what he knows with young recruits at the football academies because everyone needs a role model, a mentor, and a sounding board.