The expression "we got off on the right foot" connotes "success," "perfection," and the absence of "failure." When life isn't flowing the way we want it to, we start to question ourselves. We realize how vulnerable we are as human beings; how fragile life can actually be.
On this subject, the Pandemic has been an effective teacher. Today, you can feel as if you're navigating through a sea of contrasting choices, as if the only constant is change, and breaking news is always around the corner.
We can make plans, but nothing is certain. Instability is part of our daily lives.
Reflecting on this, and after the first days of our Fellowship for Latin American Leaders (UPLAM) here in Copán Ruinas, I can see how being aware of changes, remaining flexible, and innovative is essential.
Five visionary leaders have joined us at Copán Ruinas for a 12-month Fellowship—within the program we refer to them as Fellows. They are servant-minded and entrepreneurial leaders, who are full of dreams and hopes for the transformation of their communities. Two Fellows are from Mexico—Flor and Normy; one is from the north coast of Honduras—Alina; and two from Colombia—Laura and Esteban. Leaders eager to learn and equip themselves to continue being salt and light in their communities.
Everything was planned out for their arrival. We wanted to get things off on the right foot. It had to be flawless because they were our honored guests. Agendas were prepared and printed; these were packed with activities, confirmed meetings, and places to visit in order to experience Copán. Unfortunately, we ran into major roadblocks. First and foremost: flight cancellations. Not much to do about it. Then, we faced positive COVID tests, which put us all in quarantine and forced us to migrate to virtual platforms. How easily one can forget that we're still in the middle of a Pandemic.
Our main takeaway from the past month has been that we need to adapt and innovate, as well as exhibit leadership when in uncontrollable situations. Managing frustrations in a healthy way and humbling ourselves by saying "we don't have the answer right now, but we're going to search for solutions".
Not starting with the right foot leads me to believe that indeed this was the way to go. We now have a better understanding of learning and teaching as fundamental principles of leadership, of our dreams and the good for our community.
"Many plans are in the heart of man, but only the purpose of the LORD will be fulfilled." Proverbs 19.21 And so it is, the new agenda, the new plans have worked and we can see God's purpose being fulfilled in our lives and in the lives of the Fellows.
These encounters allow us to have a better understanding of our heart, personality, and approach to change and adversity. Today, we can claim that God has provided us with a great group of leaders who are able to adapt and to do it with understanding.
So, did we start with the right foot?
You bet we did.
