My Kind of People

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

Have you ever met someone, and at some point in the process of getting to know them you think to yourself, “this is my kind of person”?  And it’s the best feeling because whatever it is that causes you to feel that- whether it be personal values or beliefs, or a common denominator between the two of you- once you know that they’re your kind of people, you can relax.  The awkward small talk and fear of saying the wrong thing fades and you can just be yourself.  And it’s so exciting because making those kinds of friends is rare.  That happened for me a year and a half ago when I met Tom and Lori.  

Tom and Lori are business partners who started a consulting company 21 years ago to, as they told my fifth and sixth grade classes last week, “help organizations help people”.  Their work has taken them to over 30 countries where they’ve made dozens of friends and helped hundreds of people. One of the organizations they work with is the ELCA Metro New York Synod (my employer), who partners with KEMPS to help the children of Bukoba.  Tom and Lori were part of the group with whom I travelled with to Bukoba last February for the school’s 20 year anniversary celebration.  We spent a couple very busy days together in Bukoba before the group left for the safari portion of their trip.  On the night before they left as we were saying our goodbyes, Lori said, (as I now know she has a habit of saying) “We’ll be back!” (to which Tom often says under his breath, “Mmm, I don’t think so”).  

That was the last trip they took before COVID hit.  In November of 2020, Tom found out he had COVID, and shortly after, ended up in the ICU.  Lori sent me updates on Facebook messenger and asked for prayers.  After an awful Thanksgiving which they feared could be the end, Tom started improving.  He improved enough to move to regular room, and the nurse who wheeled him out told him that he was only the second patient he had taken out of the ICU since the start of the pandemic.  Lori messaged me in early December, “Allee it’s a miracle.  He’s home!”.  He suffered from severe pneumonia and had to stay on oxygen, but little by little he continued improving. 

In early June I got a message from Lori that she and Tom had their first post-vaccination trip planned for the beginning of August.  They were going to Kenya, and Lori figured that if they were in the East African neighborhood, they should stop by Bukoba for a couple days.  

They got in last Sunday and hugging them at the airport was like a breath of fresh air.  We couldn’t help but remark at how amazing it was to be reunited in Bukoba, their last destination before COVID, and their first since, after the craziness of the past year and a half.  We were already into our first conversation topic before we could get to the taxi, and the conversations continued until we returned to the airport and said our goodbyes on Tuesday morning.   

Their only plans while in Bukoba were to spend time at KEMPS (as Lori told the kids, her favorite place in the world), and to spend time with Joseph and me, so that’s exactly what we did.  We toured the campus and visited with the kids.  Lori got to take pictures with the same students she had posed with a year and a half ago and we marveled at how much they had grown in such a short time.  On Monday, Tom and Lori visited my fifth and sixth grade classes and lead an interactive lesson, showing the students how they conduct the work that they do.  The kids, a bit star struck at having visitors in their class, were completely engaged in the activity, and gave such great responses to Tom and Lori’s questions.  Tom even told my fifth graders that they understood the activity better than rooms full of adults back in the US.  I watched, trying not to get teary eyed, as my sweet students beamed with joy and pride.  

Since starting this call (teaching as a volunteer missionary) over three years ago, I’ve learned a lot about what it means to do God’s work.  I’ve learned that it is easy to get caught up in what you want, or what you think is best, wondering what you get out of it, or feeling like you aren’t doing enough or making a difference.  But doing God’s work is less about you “doing” anything, and more about allowing God to work through you.  Do I do this work perfectly?  Absolutely not.  I am human.  But this is how I believe God calls us to serve his people, and this is the way that I strive to live and serve every day.  The most powerful moments in my work have been in situations where I have given up control (sometimes by choice, other times not), and fully relied on God to work through me, not the other way around. 

 
Since starting this call I have also met a lot of people.  I’ve met people who have done a lot of great things for God’s people, but who do it for their own glory.  I’ve met people who dedicate all they do to the glory of God, but in doing so, hurt God’s people, either by their words or actions.  I’ve met people who, as well-meaning as they may be, are so concerned with money and power that they lose sight of what God wants for His people.  

But I’ve also met a lot of wonderful people.  People like Tom and Lori.  People who get what doing God’s work is really about.  People who admit that they don’t have it all figured out, but who trust in the One who does.  People who lead with love.  People who give freely from the blessings that they have received, in order to be a blessing to others.  People who serve, not to receive recognition or praise, but because in serving, they are allowing God to work and bless and lead and love through them. 

You can feel God’s love when you’re around people like this.  Joseph and I felt it in abundance during our short visit with Tom and Lori, and I can feel it still as I write and reflect about our time together.  Though my time at KEMPS is nearly over, and my mind is often filled with excitement for what’s to come, God still has work to do through me in this place.  Tom and Lori reminded me of that.  They left me feeling encouraged, filled back up, recentered, and most of all, loved.  Those are my kind of people.

Mungu akubariki,
Allee

If you would like to donate towards my work in Tanzania, you can send donations electronically using: 

Venmo: @Alison-Gomulka

Cash App: $AlisonGomulka

PayPal: PayPal.Me/AlisonRGomulka

Zelle: alisonrg24@gmail.com

If you would prefer to send a check, you can mail it to:

Alison Gomulka

15601 Shady Brook Lane

College Station, TX

77845