Do you feel the heat in this kitchen?……………………the soup is seriously boiling, the fire is red hot and yet more ingredients need to be added to make that savory dish. The cook has to patiently wait in the kitchen amidst this heat if the dish is to be tasty. The question here is how will she do it?

That’s how I feel today after being in the Harvest Institute kitchen for the last six months. It’s been an interesting journey and like all journeys, there are bumps in the road, sharp corners and bends, there are slopes, steep hills and flat plains. I confess I have been through the plains, slopes, sharp corners and currently I feel am approaching a steep slope or should I say am already ascending this steep slope.

Early this year, this whole business of having to read two books per month and writing a synopsis for one of them seemed hard, its only now that I realize this was the flat plain of this journey; then came the financial management course that required me to generate income on a daily. For sure I felt this was a steep hill, but I was wrong, it was only a sharp corner that needed to maneuver carefully. Today, am a proud owner of a side hustle that I started as an assessment and still get money from it much as the assessment ended months back.

Then came the missional community which sent me into panic mode as I wondered where I would get from all the 30 people. You can’t believe how easy it got when I involved God, today I extended this further to my work place and started fellowship. So far, this is the best part of this Harvest Institute journey and I confess it’s been an excellent shortcut to another good road. It has made the communication assignment easier as I’ve picked preaching tips from the course and applied it in the fellowship and MC and its brought life to our meetings. 

Then comes Strategic planning and strategic Management; this is my current part of the journey and it surely feels like the steepest part of the hill in this entire journey. Like all steep hills, it’s never easy, one requires more energy, time, resources and support from other occupants in the car.

My colleagues in this car will testify, the tempo is rising by the day and same is expected of the occupants of the car. I will reiterate a statement one of the assessors made to encourage us that; if you can’t stand the smoke in the kitchen, you may have to get out…

However, all great cooks will agree with me, that it’s never wise to run out of the kitchen when there’s hot fire; reason; the food shall get burnt. Patience and persistence is required for the soup to fully boil to get that rich flavor or else all this could be lost. Same applies to cars; it’s never wise to jump out of a moving car, it only gets you a broken limb.

It’s time for us to tighten our seatbelts, call for reinforcement from our teammates and together we can steer forward. Fortunately, we are in small teams which makes interacting easier. Let’s encourage each other for the toughest times still lay ahead. I love the way Dr Tusu encourages us to share and learn from each other. This has eased the burden on my side and I know it can do the same for you especially as deadlines close in.

The journey is still on, we are only half way and I see a tougher journey ahead so I call on you sister and brother; brace yourself, put in a stronger gear and step on the accelerator. 

Let’s get moving; We have a goal to accomplish. Success is not for the faint hearted;……………………….

and when the going gets tough…………..only the tough get going.