When all is said and done, this April’s school holiday will be remembered as the period when I, with the proper help and guidance of Apostle Elkana, the Spiritual Superintendent of The Holiest of All Ghosts (THOAG) Tabernacle Assembly, found God. I closed the first term as a sinner but will start the second term as a saved child of God. I know schools open tomorrow, and although I also intended to have Mwisho wa Lami open tomorrow, I am afraid we will not join other schools in opening.
I was so looking forward to leading the school in opening but last week, actually last Wednesday, the Apostle, my spiritual mentor, asked me to see him the next day. A day earlier, on Tuesday, we had the church’s weekly Exco session during which we had discussed many things affecting the church, the worshipers, the county, the country, and the world at large.
One of the things that came out of the Exco session was the need for our church to craft a five-year strategic plan that will take us to the next level. All the members of Exco gave their inputs, although they were saying a lot of nothing, other than just repeating two words: “strategy” and “plans”. There was nothing strategic in their so-called plans.
Remembering what I have learnt from my brother Pius on management and strategy, I decided to clarify things for the members of THOAG’s Exco, all of whom were intellectually inferior to me.
“We cannot speak about strategy without thinking about our vision and mission,” I started. “Once we define what our vision is, we can then agree on our mission, and only then will we come up with a clear strategic plan.”
“What is vision? And mission? I thought it was the same thing?” asked one of the Exco members whom I didn’t know. She was a stranger in Mwisho wa Lami.
“Apostle Elkana is a missionary. He can tell us what ‘mission’ is,” said Anindo, Nyayo’s wife and the choir mistress.
“Yes, I am a missionary of Jesus with a mission to convert more disciples, and that is our mission,” said Apostle Elkana. Whereas I thought he was not so correct, I could not differ with him.
“Yes, that is our mission, winning souls,” I said. “Vision is what we want to be known for and mission is what we will do in order to achieve the vision.”
“So, what is that mission? And what of vision?” asked Asumpta, Apostle Elkana’s wife.
“Like I have said, vision is about aspirations and long-term organisational goals and mission is the approach to reaching objectives,” I explained, and went on: “Vision is the soul of why we exist, while mission is what...”
“Mwalimu, this is a church committee meeting, not a university class,” he said. “Please speak in a language we can understand.”
“Thanks, Apostle. But I am sure you included me here because of what I can add to your team,” I said.
It was later resolved that I be given the assignment to prepare a five-year strategic plan for THOAG, which is something I started working on immediately. It was not difficult as Google had everything I needed. In fact, I downloaded a strategic plan for a church in America and only changed names .
When I got a missed call from Apostle Elkana on Wednesday, I quickly called back, thinking that he was seeking an update on the strategic plan.
“I need to go with you somewhere from Sunday to Wednesday,” he said.
I asked him where, but he said he couldn’t tell me.
“It will be a special prayer mission, though. Very important.”
“It looks like school will open without me,” I said.
“Mwisho wa Lami school should not open until you return,” he warned. “The school is under evil spirits and that is what we will be going for. If they open before you return, the spirits will not go away. They will become stronger.”
I tried to ask him where we were going, but he was not forthcoming, only saying that the school needs prayers and that we should not open until he and I are back from the prayer journey.
“You are behaving as if you have not failed in KCPE, despite the hard work,” he said. “Have you not even complained that the school is unlucky? It always gets bad teachers, most of whom get worse when they get here? Don’t you have teachers and students getting sick very frequently?”
He was right. Saphire and Kuya did not come to school for almost the whole of last term. I was sold.
“Sawa. Please look for money for our fare and gifting,” he said.
When I told him I was broke, he reminded me that it was not my money he wanted: “It will be a school activity, get money from the school! Ye of little faith!”
I spent the last two days sending a message across that Mwisho wa Lami Primary School will re-open on Thursday, May 2. We leave this morning with Apostle Elkana to the undisclosed location to pray for the wellbeing of myself, my family and the Mwisho wa Lami Primary School community. So, help us God!
