We are now in the process of formalizing our goals and plans for our next trip to Africa.  While we probably are not definite we are actually very likely to be making this trip at the end of this year, late December of 2012.  This is a dream come true for me, as I have been fascinated with living for a longer period of time

Goals

• As a family to volunteer for the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center, Plaster House and Africaid who have been in our hearts and prayers for over 10 years
• To put 3 of our 4 kids into school into school at the International School Moshi Arusha Campus that has roughly 150 kids from 35 different cultures
• To explore business opportunities for my business that could include creating partnerships with existing companies, considering establishing a new company (Tanzanian branch of Allen Technology Advising), finding work that can be done for my US based company and other ideas as well
• To regularly visit the Rotary clubs in the Arusha and Moshi regions
• To create loving and meaningful relationships with members of the Arusha Lutheran church and the Arusha culture

If you noticed above, we will have 3 of our kids go with us.  That would be Stephen, Mack and Zoe who are now 14, 12 and 9.  Jessica has a 4.2 GPA at Evergreen High School due to her intense application in honors and AP classes and she simply cannot miss 2nd semester, she will be coming at the end of the semester (late May) hopefully with one of her friends.  Mack and Stephen may have friends come visit as well.

This has been my goal since I met Mark Williams back in 1999 and helped raise money for the Selian Lutheran Hospital in Arusha.  Ashley Shuyler, founder of Africaid, is the one I credit for getting me out to Tanzania in 2002 and ever since then I have dreamed of living there for an extended period of time.

There is nothing easy about moving my family to Africa and leaving my business and my community for an extended period, you could say that I have been working on this for the past 10 years.  My company is a "good" company and we intend to leapfrog "great" and go right to "excellent" in the next 6 months.  Patrick, Ryan, Nicole, Rob, Diana, Paul and other team members are up to this challenge.  Enormous amounts of time are being spent internally to ensure that our company will grow in my absence.

I will still have a role but that role will likely involve short monthly meetings where we use some really wonderful and sophisticated staff reporting tools that give me a hundred plus metrics allowing me to know what is working and what needs improving and then we can focus our energy on how my team intends to tackle those improvements.  They don't want me to fix anything, they just want my guidance.
I have a lot of work to do, everyone in my company has a lot of work to do, but I am not worried.  I have 7 "passionate executors."  That's a way of saying that I have the right people on the bus, and they are sitting in the right seats.  We are so poised to excel and they actually believe that my leaving is a good thing for them and the company.

Here is my Strategic Plan that I am happy to publish to all who might be interested in viewing.  I am working with the Growth Curve Institute, my coach Bob Dodge, my TAB board of advisors, my company team and many others to make sure this is successful.   I cannot do this alone, I realize I need help to do this.  On that note, please, please, please keep me, my family and my company in your prayers!

Love, Ben