Not the novelty act anymore.....and continuing new insights

 I was thinking this week that we have been in West Africa now for a month.  Today marks the one month mark.  The fifth of February to the fifth of March.  As such, we have likely lost the luster in some eyes and have been upstaged by something new and of more interest in America.  Not the novelty act anymore.  Maybe for you (or for some), but certainly not for us.  Each day and each week here in Africa brings new insights in this land and in ourselves.  

Did you know that some countries of the world are conflicted? Not knowing how to be peaceful or not, and because of that lapse in effective and timely decision making, deciding to take the road too often traveled and demonstrate a nasty tendency to harm their fellow citizens?   I became aware recently that travel issues in some countries are real.  In some countries, one decides not to travel out of the local area because your town has a tiff with the neighboring town and it isn't safe to venture too far from your roots.  One can get hurt that way, and for no good reason at all.  It is hard on social life for sure, but what about economics, arts, medicine and other important parts of a modern society's life for its' citizens?  And what about religious observance?  That can also be affected on a major scale.  Being "religious" can still go on in the home, of course, and, certainly, and always, in the heart. One town looking to harm the citizens of the next town can put a serious damper on joyful and productive activities.  

Part of what we do here is over see the doing and submitting of semiannual financial audits of church units within the West Africa Area; branches, wards, district, stakes and missions.  They get "audited" every June and December by members of the stake/district/mission who are called to do that.  Those audits need to be completed on a time schedule.  The timely submitting of unit audits is affected in some areas because of local strife.  Not many areas mind you, just a very small number, but even that very small number is shocking in a way to someone not accustomed to it.  Reading about world conflict and strife is news only, and not reality.  America is often insulated from the real world; what is happening in other countries or regions of the world.  The closer that conflict and strife is to you, then it begins to get real.  Welcome to one side of living in Africa.  Again, the strife I mention is not the norm.  I don't want to give the wrong impression, so don't take it wrong.  The news is just a bit more real from time to time at this GPS location.  

Another reason audit submissions can be late is the guy who needs to sign off is dealing with malaria and not able to get around.  I sincerely hope he feels better soon.  We take doxycycline every day for that.   

It has been a good week.  We are connecting better with those we will work with for more than a year.  With the hope of Covid-19 restrictions loosening up, we are hoping to do some training in Accra and other parts of Ghana.  The church is growing, callings change, people move, change happens, so training is a constant thing.  It is exciting being involved in this way in the church growth.  We didn't come to be passive observers.  We came to make friends and help out with all this growth.  Getting out to meet people and help them do their church callings better is a good thing and we look forward to.  The Africa West Area is a big piece of real estate.

A word about "church auditing".  I have spent my professional life working with companies (businesses, not-for-profits and governments).  Studying how they operate, and learning about the people involved from the decision makers to those who have very limited duties and responsibility.  Some of those companies needed financial audits, so my firm would do those audits.  I am very familiar with auditing companies.  Church auditing is very different.  The focus of a church audit is to review the unit's financial activities and compliance with established procedures, and, as a result, discover areas that need improvement.  The process lifts people up, encourages the best in people, strengthens and supports.  It also protects the sacred funds of the church and the people involved in those financial processes.  It is all very positive.  It takes a change in attitude to move from the audit of a company to the audit of a church unit.  I like it.  I like it a lot.

There you have it.  You now know more about church unit auditing than you ever wanted to know.  It is about numbers and processes, yes, but more importantly it is about people.