Interview: Brenda Bertrand on Mentoring

Brenda Bertand and I had a conversation on Skype about mentoring, I recorded our talk so I could share it with you, that way I'm not the only one who benefits from her wisdom! Our conversation was 20 minutes long, which someone just told me is "forever" in YouTube time :)

I broke the interview up so that each of our topics is its own video. Take a look.

Introduction - learn about Brenda!

http://youtu.be/KAv6ThsQX_E

What Brenda has found unique about the different people who have mentored her:

http://youtu.be/7RfhYaD2_c0

Then importance of "really listening" to the people you mentor, and who mentor you:

http://youtu.be/2Bz4aYivHAg

How to go about finding a mentor:

http://youtu.be/cvG_zBxTROQ

How to transition from being mentored to mentoring:

http://youtu.be/d4_l6Wu7g88

Brenda talks about growing up in the USVI:

http://youtu.be/U1Kwyj1hmYQ

Brenda mentions a few people who have been great mentors to her: Dave  Buehring of Lionshare and Dr. Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders

Thanks Brenda - for your time and wisdom!

 

Deviations from the Script

During my senior year of high school, our English teachers assigned us to write the script for the next 10 years of our lives. The plan was for our advisors to return our writings to us at our 10-year reunion (I actually wrote two versions because I couldn’t commit to just one vision for my life!).

This past Sunday John Tiller was the guest speaker at National Community Church. Seven years ago his family experienced a tragedy when their 3-year-old son, Eli, fell out of the second story window onto their asphalt driveway. While Eli survived, he suffered pretty serious brain damage.

Their lives have seriously deviated from the script he had written for them. He spoke of how, in times of tragedy, people return to what they know in their lives. He said that we make a few major decisions in our lifetimes: where we’ll go to college, what we believe, who or if we’ll marry. We then spend the majority of our time living out and managing those decisions. You can listen to his whole talk here, and Eli shares a few words at the end and sings. It is such a testimony to Eli’s faith.

While the main point of John Tiller’s talk was about how we respond when our lives deviate from the script, I realized I needed to start by taking an account of the scripts I’ve already written.

While we never had a 10-year high school reunion, I remember what I wrote and I know life has turned out differently than I’d planned. So far, actual life is far better than imagined life: I became a Christian, I’ve had countless adventures, and I married a man I couldn’t have dreamed of at that time.

That was a high school exercise, and while I haven’t actually written it all down again I know I’m still writing scripts. A script for a marriage that will look a particular way (from now until the end of time); a script for a job where I’ll be able to accomplish certain things and people will respond to me in a certain way; a script that the book I’m writing will be received with a specific type of attention.

It’s a good thing to plan and to dream. But it’s not a great thing if we aren’t prepared to improvise when life goes off script. I want to be honest with myself, and with God, to leave room for these unplanned deviations.

Big News: I just signed a book contract!

I just signed a contract with Russell Media to publish my book! Long story short: I've been working on a book for the last year and a half. It sprang from an inspired idea at a stop-light, turned into a small-group Bible Study at my church, and will now be released in book form in early 2013.

The working title is Women in the World and the book is for professional Christian women - it's to help us realize the value of the work we do. It's to help us learn how to live out our faith in our entire lives, not just in church or small group.

It's an honor to have this opportunity. I'm also thrilled that the book is being published while printed books still exist! I'll get to see my name on a jacket! :)

I'd love your help! Here are some things you could do:

  • Tell other people! Forward this blog to women you think would be interested in it and benefit from it!
  • Pray for the women who will read this book. The Barna group says that 27% of professional women leave the church. I'm writing this book for women to feel encouraged in their faith and their work and to know that their work matters to God.
  • Send me any articles, thoughts or contacts you think would pertain to this issue. I'm still researching, interviewing and completing my thoughts. elizabeth [at] elizabethknoxonline [dot] com
  • Pray for me. This is a big challenge, and I want to make sure I do it well!

Thank you’s The list of people I need to thank is loooong. So many of you have encouraged me, prayed for me, been excited for me, given me needed advice and insight.

Some specific people I need to thank over-and-over include: Rebecca Gilmore, Gayle Jacobs, Angelyn Shapiro for each sharing your unique gifts with me through this process. Thank you to my morning (and one evening) Bible Study groups who’ve provided encouragement and stories for this writing. Thank you to all the women (and a couple of men!) who have shared your experiences with me through interviews. Thank you to my husband, Andy, who has been continual support and encouragement and has helped me make writing a priority. Thank you to Russell Media for taking this chance on me!

About Russell Media Russell Media Services provide all of the necessary tools for a successful communications and transmedia publishing strategy for a cause organization. Many of their books such as Our Souls at Work, Left Right & Christ, and Wisdom and Wonder are right in the Faith/Life niche. Definitely check them out!

 

Soli deo gloria, Elizabeth

 

It is not right for the Church to acquiesce in the notion that a man's life is divided into the time he spends on his work and the time he spends in serving God. He must be able to serve God in his work, and the work itself must be accepted and respected as the medium of divine creation."

Dorothy Sayers from "Why Work?"

 

Microfinance and beyond - An interview with Vida Marfo of Opportunity International, Ghana

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to have lunch with Vida Marfo of Opportunity International. She is the Regional Head of Small/Medium Enterprise (SME) and a Manager for Property Portfolios at Opportunity International, Ghana.

Vida was kind enough to do an interview with me so I could share what I learned from her with all of you!

Elizabeth: Tell me about a loan client who has shown great growth.
Vida: We had one client, named Mary Addo. Her husband passed away and her brother-in-law told her she could either marry him, or move out of the house. She and her four children moved out of the house. She was working at a friend’s restaurant, and one day she finally walked into the OI office that she saw every day on her way to work. She joined a trust group and took out a loan for $20 to start a vegetable stand. She was able to repay that loan, and then she took bigger loans and repaid them.  Now she has a clothing store. She is able to pay for all of her children to go to school.

Elizabeth: One of the things I love about OI is that they try to address the needs of their clients beyond just micro-credit. What are some ways you’ve been able to address other needs of your loan customers?
Vida: There are so many ways. I’ll tell you two:

  • We use the time at Trust Group meetings (once per week for 16 weeks) to address needs beyond financial literacy. Women ask for help learning customer service skills, or learning about property management. Women have also raised health concerns and we have started screening for Breast Cancer at their Trust Groups.
  • Our clients also need help with home improvements – they want electricity or a toilet installed. We have the capacity to finance the improvements, but we don’t have the expertise to help them with the actual repairs or renovations. But Habitat for Humanity does, they have a good network of builders and repairmen, people they trust. Together, OI and Habitat for Humanity are making client’s homes safer and more stable.

Elizabeth: What’s the next big thing in micro-finance?
Vida: People are asking for "micro-pensions." Many of our clients want to start saving for when they won’t be able to work any longer. We have started retirement accounts. (note to the US-reader, think 401K, rather than company sponsored pension).

Elizabeth: Tell us a little more about yourself, what do you like to do in your free time?
Vida: I have three children, so they keep me busy. I really enjoy chess, and I am the head of the Professional Ladies Association at my church where we mentor the young women who are coming up. We coach them on business skills, practical skills, relationships with men, and family skills.

Thank you Vida, for your time! And for all you do to make OI successful in Ghana.

If you'd like to learn more about Opportunity International and their work around the world, please click here.

Also, this interview is posted on their blog as well.