It is possible July 24, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: attitude, education, gautrain
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Yesterday I had a full day of training at Liberty in Braamfontein and then a much-anticipated meeting with Professor Johnathan Jansen, the rector of Free State University. I had less than an hour to get to the meeting and then received a call that he wanted to meet us at the airport at 16h30. My first thoughts were that I would never make it and would then miss the meeting. Louise van Rhyn and I were meeting with him to discuss The School at the centre of Community project.
All of a sudden it clicked that it may work if I catch the Gautrain rather than use the old way to Oliver Thambo. What a joy. Arrived with ten minutes to spare, fresh and ready for a wonderful conversation with a humble man who cares deeply for education in this country.
How often do we say “I can’t” instead of stepping back, thinking about what new technology may be out there that can help us to make it possible.
Check your processing. It may be standing in the way of some great adventure.
Travel with a Purpose – Thailand December 2010 July 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: christian, Thailand, YWAM
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I will be leading a mission trip to Thailand in the first week of December 2010. The trip will be 7 days from Saturday 4th December till Saturday 11th December. The first two days will be spent in Bangkok with orientation, tours and shopping. We will then spend the rest of the week in Ratchaburi, about two hours out of Bangkok. The mission time will be spent with Noiy and Bronwyn Prommathat who run a YWAM base in Ratchaburi.
http://www.ywamthai.org/ratchaburi/ 
We will stay in local hotels and travel together in an air-conditioned van. In 2007 I took a few friends with me on a trip. Here are a few photos to whet your appetite of what it is like to visit another culture and enjoy fellowship time together.
Visiting the River market near Ratchaburi
Drinking coke out of a plastic bag
The time in Ratchaburi will include some Christmas parties with Burmese refugee children and some of the schools in the area. The children look forward to this special time and it is a chance to share the gospel with them.
There will also be time to visit university students, maybe do conversational English with the doctors and nurses or visit the local prison to pray and witness to the prisoners.
Some facts about the trip
I am not including your flight to Thailand in the price. This leaves anyone free to use travel miles or to join the trip from anywhere in the world. Secondly you may want to extend your trip and spend another week in Thailand and this allows you to organise your time accordingly.
I will meet you at the airport or hotel in Bangkok on the 4th December and stay with you for the entire week.
I will organise orientation with YWAM Bangkok and we will travel together to Ratchaburi on Monday 6th December. Noiy and Bronwyn will host us in Ratchaburi and will include us in ministry they are doing. The trip can include some trips to The River market, The Bridge over the River Kawai and the sea close to Racthaburi.
The estimate for costs for food, travel, some tours and accommodation is about R3000 per person. The accommodation will be in hotels and food eaten together will be included. Added extras ( like shopping and Thai Spa Treatments will not be included but there will be time to indulge in these as well)
If you may be interested to join this trip, please be in touch with me.
My email is lgsmith@mweb.co.za 
Happy Birthday Madiba- 67 minutes- “46”-6-“64” July 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: 46664, Baby Boomers, Nelson Mandela, refirement, Soccer World Cup, volunteer 67 minutes
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There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
Today Nelson Mandela celebrates his 92nd birthday. It is also the first global day of donating 67 minutes of your time in honor of this great man. The “67” represents the number of years he served the Nation of South Africa. This morning on the news I heard that the success of the Soccer World Cup is the gift he hoped for. South Africa showcased our country to the world over the month of the cup and the unity that occurred in the nation is a gift that we all shared.
As the CEO of The Refirement Network ( http://www.refirementnetwork.com) my main role is to research and understand what the baby boomers of South Africa will experience as they head towards retirement. We will live longer, feel that we can continue to work and many want to volunteer or find an “Encore” career in the social sector.There is so much need for skill and wisdom in this sector and volunteering today as part of your journey would be great idea.
The vision I have is that baby boomers both from South Africa and elsewhere in the world can bring their knowledge, time and skill to help bring about change in the education, health, environmental or job creation arenas. The time may be 67 minutes, 67 hours, 67 days or just a change of heart and attitude that enables you to build bridges and lend a helping hand .
Last year while doing a certificate in social entrepreneurship around this topic an interesting number jumped out at me. It is a good day to share this. Baby Boomers are born 1946 to 1964. Nelson Mandela’s prison number is 46-6-64.
Doing 67 minutes last year I realised that I would love to combine these two especially for baby boomers. The “6” in the middle did not fall into place until I saw the movie Invictus. On the day South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, Nelson Mandela wore Francois Pienaar’s NO 6 jersey. The 6 for me reflects the deep understanding of humble leadership shown by this influential leader.
I challenge you to not only put on your number 6 jersey wherever you are but to have a change of heart and build a mindset of a volunteer and make a difference.
Contact me should you wish to volunteer in the nation of South Africa. ( lgsmith@mweb.co.za)
Gini Coefficient June 27, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.add a comment
The Gini coefficient is a complex calculation.In simple terms it is a measure of the difference between the rich and the poor within a country. The bigger the difference the worse the gap. Sadly this is a South African statistic that we should never be proud of. At the moment we hold the award of having the greatest difference of any nation in the world. Developing nations will always have this as a challenge. The rich have so much and the poor have so little. This past week I saw a few examples in practice of how simple it is to try to bring some balance. Our holiday club at our church needed about R135 000 to fund a week-long holiday club for the children around Muldersdrift. All avenues of money for this project seemed to be dry but we decided to go ahead and step out in faith and give the kids the best week ever. A farmer donated 3000 eggs, another organisation offered to feed the children, someone paid for the T-shirts for the leaders, the name tags were donated. The children all went home with clothes and sweets donated by churches and schools from the area. A collaborative team effort by the community made this event possible. It reminded me of the gini coefficient. Many of us have surplus of so much in our lives and yet there are so many that have none. What will it take for you to give away the few extra balls in your house to a community that has none. Yesterday I heard a sad story of a community close to Rustenburg where the world cup is not evident. There is not even a ball for the children to kick. How sad is that? I challenge each of you that has more than you need to examine how you can make a difference by just giving away what you will never miss. The attitude of changing this ratio starts in our hearts and minds not in the statistic tables. Be the GINI in your home and teach your children some real life lessons. Attached is a link to the photos from holiday club. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/album.php?aid=174500&id=795729191
A Christian Community May 14, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.add a comment
The quote below helps us to work on becoming a community of loving persons.
The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inlcusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its prime sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.
Such a community lives under the immediate and total rulership of the Holy Spirit. They are a people blinded to all other loyalties by the splendour of God, a compassionate community embodying the law of love as seen in Jesus Christ. They are an obedient army of the lamb of God living under the spiritual disciplines, a community under the process of total transformation from the inside out, a people determined to live out the demands of the Gospel in a secular world. They are tenderly aggressive, meekly powerful, suffering and overcoming.
Such a community, cast in a real and apostolic mould, constitutes a new gathering of the people of God.
This is written by Dallas Willard.
The goal posts have moved April 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: contract, relationship, work
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There is much debate happening in the work arena around employee/employer relationships and how this contract is in the process of changing.
There is no such thing anymore as “job” security
We used to be paid for being at work now we are moving more to an outputs type economy.
You have skills and add value and I pay you for that value and then we re- contract when I need you.
The money we thought we had saved for retirement may not be enough…….
What do we do in this changing world to continue to pay the bills.
What new skills do we need to learn to survive?
I would value your thoughts and comments on how these goal posts may have shifted in your life.
The New Retirementality April 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: Future, value, work
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Went to a great talk last night by MItch Anthony called Retirementality.
Two things he shared:
What age would you be if you did not know your age?
Work equals doing something of value for someone else and being paid in return.
The PAID does not need to be money and WORK should never stop in our lives.
Would you continue to do what you do if you were not paid money?
What would you do if the currency was not money?
Would love to hear your answers.
The mystery April 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: chrit, Cross, Jesus, mystery
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This extract is taken from some verses in Colossians 1 and 2 in the Message Bible translation.
Chapter 1:
The mystery in a nutshell is just this. Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of the message.
Chapter 2:
I want you woven into a tapestry of love in touch with everything there is to know of God. then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on CHRIST, God’s great mystery.
Thank you Lord for your Mystery on the CROSS.
Some words from Philip Yancy ( Where is God when it hurts page 227-228)
Jesus’s death is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
On the cross, God absorbed the awful pain of the world.
Love was compressed for all.
History in that lonely figure on the cross.
World of work April 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: change, Future, volunteer, work
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Every day I get up to work. Sometimes I work for money and sometimes I work for free. At times the work I do for free adds more value to my life than the work I do for money. The worldview is that work = money. Do you agree?
In South Africa we do not have a volunteering mindset. Maybe it is part of our history? The question is how do we change this?
The world of work is changing. We now have more of a portfolio approach where work for money will be one of the components of the whole. Work for many is already not the 8 to 5 world that many of us grew up with. Technology allows work to happen anywhere and anytime 24/7/365. We can work in an office, face to face, at home, locally and globally day or night.
If all of the above are facts that already exist, maybe the question we should be asking is what defines my life and how do I add value.
Just a few thoughts for a Saturday afternoon?????
Education and embracing change April 18, 2010
Posted by Lynda Smith in Uncategorized.Tags: change, education, retirement, south africa, teachers
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I attended the call to action for retired teachers and principals in Gauteng today. The meeting was called by MEC for Education, Barbara Creasey. The attendance overwhelmed me as I entered the room. I am not sure of the number but it was in the thousands. A room full of people with wisdom, time on their side and wanting to play a positive role in our nation.
The vision is to ensure that every learner does well at school and leaves our institutions with the values, knowledge, skills and qualifications that will give them the best chance of success in life.
At the moment this statement is not been seen as an outcome with the poor Matric results of 2009. Many of the problems are systemic and need intervention much earlier in the system.
After 3 years of formal education the statistics show that only
30% are literate and 40% have a numeracy level that is acceptable.
There will be four targeted interventions.
1. Foundation phase
2. Senior primary
3. Transition from primary to secondary schooling
4. Senior secondary intervention.
There are 276 high schools and 790 primary schools in Gauteng that are under performing.
The pillars of intervention proposed:
Improve teaching and in particular subject knowledge.
Improve resources
Improve learner achievement
Improve curriculum and school management
standardise testing for grades 3, 6 and 9.
Educate parents and caregivers to assist with homework
Build community partnerships to mobilise resources.
Possible places where retired teachers can help
Teacher substitutes
Saturday schools
Coaching foundation literacy and numeracy programs
Assist in homework network
This is being proposed as a volunteer program with a travel and subsistence allowance.
The process to follow if you are interested:
Register with Gauteng Education Department
These will be screened.
Volunteer placement will be made.
The talk ended with a call for the spirit of volunteerism to become a beacon of hope in the education of our children.
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