In this episode, I am joined by Tim van Aarde. Like many of us, Tim started his career in a corporate environment, working for one of the big accounting and auditing firms. He soon found himself thinking that this was not the career for him, as it lacked purpose and he wanted something deeper and more fulfilling from a career.
He set out on a journey, back to university, studying humanities before shifting his focus to theology.
After university, Tim took up a position at a local church and a chance meeting led him on the next step of his journey, which was a move to Burundi in East Africa. Tim shares his wonderful experiences and learnings and how he found purpose in what he was doing.
Key Takeaways
- Don't get stuck in an environment where you are not exposed to new ideas
- It is never too late to study or learn something new
- In looking for your purpose or deeper meaning in what it is you do, there needs to be conviction. This will help you identify your purpose
- Always be open to new journeys (or the next step) and opportunities
- Be flexible and embrace change
- Expose yourself to different cultures and languages. Learn them!
- Building resilience is key in helping you overcome challenges and struggles
- Being able to relate to other people and building empathy is important
- Having a guide or a mentor will make your journey, learning, and growth much easier
- Building your cross-cultural communications skills will serve you (and others) very well
- We don't always see the potential in ourselves. Others do, and we always have something to give that others will need
Resources Mentioned
Tim shared the following in the interview:
- Whilst in Burundi, Tim met a mother with a young child that had terrible burns. Tim and some others knew that they had to do something to change the life of this child. You can read more about the story in The Boston Globe
- Tim is featured on Collie Community Radio
- The bible verse that Tim mentioned was 1 Corinthians 13
- One of Tim's sermons also discusses the bible verse above
- Tim is a featured author in The Routledge Handbook of African Theology
- Tim has published Equipping the poorest of the poor to become agents of community transformation: A case study of milk as a catalyst in Burundi
Recommended Reading
Tim recommends reading The Change Agent by Lyle E. Schaller