Teamwork makes strength effective

As you may have already read, our trip to Nicaragua this past October was fantastic. If you haven't I'd encourage you to read Greg's, Scott's, Aaron's or Luke's take. Below is mine.

I don't get attached to places. I grew up in California and now live in the Carolinas, and when people find that out, most ask “wow, do you miss California?” And they are normally surprised when I say “no”. I feel at home where I feel connected to other people.

So, each time I travel I love to meet people. I love to hear people's stories. And as the trip goes on I feel more and more connected and comfortable with that area, because I meet more and more people.

This trip was no different. I enjoyed getting to know many new friends. We had a wonderful time together! Apart from all the new relationships I was able to form, my biggest take away from the trip was the power of teamwork.

Our main objective on this trip was to host a Leaders Retreat for about 25 participants. We had a team of 7 to plan, coordinate and execute all this.

There were, of course, the usual hiccups as the event started, but overall we had such a smooth time! I attribute this mainly to God's grace. But teamwork also played a huge part. Each person had a place to add real value. We all submitted to each other and heard each other's ideas and made adjustments along the way.

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Eisenhower

That proved to be true. We had a plan, but it changed along the way. That's something I normally stress out about. But this time I let that go. I learned that the plan only gets better as it gets adjusted.

Each day we learned some new things and took time to work them into the plan. At times we leaned on going with the flow, other times we leaned on structure. What kept us on track was our team, with aid of our plan (not the other way around).

It's not always easy for me to be on a team. I have strong opinions about most things and like to have my own way. But, I hope to get better and use this trip as a reminder for how much more impact I could have if I submitted myself to working together with others.

-Yuri