A few months ago, I attended BAM Vancouver, a yearly congress in western Canada that I highly recommend. One of the many interesting speakers was Brian Albright, currently a business professor at Trinity Western University. I asked him if I could share some of his thoughts; realizing that I am incapable of sharing his passion and intense emotion sourced in a profound experience in East Africa.
The business model has its origin in the fact that there was no palliative care in their area for most Kenyans as they age or are terminally ill. The proof-of-concept morphed out to be a mortuary and funeral service together with quality hospice care for both body and soul. In five years, they were able to capture the local market and significantly limit their dependency on donations from abroad.
There is much to be told of the ups and downs of a business startup, but what piqued my attention was the human side of a cross-cultural BAM endeavor.
Lesson #1 It is important that the purpose of the BAM business is clear to all team members.
Brian had come to Africa personally motivated by creating jobs and helping to break the cycle of poverty of individuals lives. However, many of the partners tended to think of the business in terms of profits funding the ministry. These two perspectives don’t need to be at odds with one another, but it took countless hours of stressful, transparent and sometimes painful conversations.
With human care as a result from a palliative care facility, it is easy to attract partners with a care background and a passion for people. Indeed, they are needed in the partnership, but they must understand that to make the business independent and sustainable, tough decisions are sometimes mandatory. Even when there is unity in the mission of changing lives it is important at the outset to agree that it is not a business without profitability.
Lesson #2 Be aware of differing motivations and commit to making them complement one another.
In the health care industry, Kenya, like most countries had government regulations and mandatory conditions. It soon became evident that the company had to participate in the government health care insurance program. However, there were no categories for their company’s innovative structure and officials were unable to see them to be something outside hospital care. Thus, there were endless conversations about their offerings. Did they really need a maternity ward, an ultrasound and X-ray machines, or an operating room in a hospice context?
Soon concerns of ‘mission drift’ began to surface and the team began to feel they were being diverted from their goal of hospice care. Brian painfully admitted that the conflictive situation was not immediately resolved since COVID brought everything to a halt. However, once they were open again, the company ultimately agreed to transition to become a full-service hospital, providing so much more than serving the terminally ill. It became impossible to achieve profitability without adjusting to the government guidelines. This step was embraced internally as more of an addition to, or extension of the mission as opposed to a drift from.
Lesson #3 Husband and wife need to strive to be on the same page and really understand each other.
Brian admits that in his marriage, he was the one more driven to the business work they had chosen to pursue in Africa. When times were hard, as is expected in any cross-cultural work, he felt a sense of responsibility, even guilt for placing his wife in difficult situations. Her supportive and caring nature helped them grow closer together. They have now been married 25 years and they love each other more than ever, but this is a result of knowing each other deeply and encouraging one another to fulfill their dreams.
Lesson #4 A vocational call to BAM must be secondary to ones calling as a parent.
Brian recognizes this lesson to not be easy. When they contemplated returning to Africa after a ten-year hiatus in California the children were in middle and high school. It is rarely an optimum time for teenagers to transition, but they promised the kids if it didn’t work after a one-year trial, they would return to the USA. They wanted to empower their kids to be participants in the decision. A wise perspective!
Back in Africa, the living situation in the village was a difficult for the kids, and home schooling was not working and the boarding school option far away was not the best for them. They eventually decided to move to the capital city, where the international school turned out to be the perfect environment for their globally minded, social justice-loving, artistic children. The kids knew that no job for dad was more important than them. The Lord blessed them when they followed important priorities.
Lesson #5 Be honest with your limits.
While the situation for the family was wonderful, the move meant that Brian had to live a commuters life flying back to the business location being gone four days every week. As time went on it became evident that the separation was hard on him as well as the family. Brian’s health was struggling, and it was stressful missing so much of family life, cross-country meets, and theatre performances. Over time, it was evident that this lifestyle was unsustainable.
As Brian’s contract ended, he searched for new employment opportunities in Kenya, but the doors all seemed closed. He began to search back in North America and God provided the professorship at Trinity Western – just what he needed. But God had one more test. Upon returning from the visit to Canada and agreeing to accept the job at Trinity Western, it was March 2020, and word spread that the airports were closing due to COVID. They were advised to leave Kenya immediately – no goodbyes for the kid’s friends or to the people they served and worked alongside for years. It all seemed so unfair. Brian cried out, “Why God? You lead us to this ideal work, this exciting school, this amazing country and people, and then it’s gone in a matter of days.”
Brian concluded his heartfelt talk with this:
“When we choose a life pursuing business as mission, it isn’t perfect. Everything isn’t a happy ending, and there are some ugly parts. However, I think it is helpful to embrace the pain, the hardship, the challenges. It can make us better people, better Christians, better friends, better teachers, just better.”
One scripture Brian holds onto is Proverbs 19:21 – “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”, so he keeps praying for that purpose.
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com