Danny Mequet

Have you ever experienced something that has caused you to look back and learn some valuable lessons? I recently returned from leading a mission trip and as I’ve taken time to reflect on the trip there are three things that God has helped clarify concerning leadership in my life, and I’d like to share them with you.

As a leader I must be:

1) Flexible
I’ve found that taking international flights provides a great opportunity to develop flexibility. After taking 48 hours to complete a trip that should have taken 18 hours I sat exhausted in a small village nestled in the middle of the rain forest in Guyana. I knew I had 11 team members who were looking to me to help set the tone for our whole trip so I had to make sure I responded correctly.

As the leader, I knew that our game plan had been thrown off significantly, but our purpose of reaching people and building lives had remained the same. Therefore, I had to be flexible with our plans, but true to our purpose. As leaders, flexibility to the plan while remaining true to the purpose is vital.

2) Spirit-led
Despite the challenges we faced in Guyana, we had a great trip and I believe there was a great impact on the people we ministered to. I attribute our success to the personal and team times of prayer that we had daily. I understand that going into battle without preparation is foolish and will lead to an unfulfilled purpose, so we made sure to prepare spiritually. Just like we expected, God answered our prayers in more ways than we could have imagined.

Just as we relied on our times of prayer to prepare us for our ministry in Guyana, we must also rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us as we lead in our daily opportunities that God gives us.

3) A Servant
One day we went throughout the village asking people how we could serve them. On that day we had the opportunity to help clear the land and place the foundational posts for a single mom who was waiting to have a house built. We also came across some farmers who had just started clearing the land for their farm. Our team was able to help clear a significant amount of land that will help these men prepare their farm. The following day, the young ladies on our team put a “Spa Day” on for the ladies of the village. It was awesome to see over 60 ladies in the middle of the rainforest being treated like queens by young ladies who were intent on sharing God’s love.

As a leader, we must never forget that we are called to serve. One of my favorite quotes is from Pastor Stoval Weems of Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL (www.celebration.org). He said, “If I’m a leader who serves, I only serve in areas I’m passionate about. If I’m a servant who has opportunities to lead then I serve in areas of need with a great heart.”

I was impacted greatly by my time in Guyana and I hope that the lessons God taught me while in another country helps you as you grow in your ability to lead others for Christ.