God's Timing is Perfect

I love meeting with people and helping them develop a strategy to grow their organization’s brand. It’s what I do for a living. 

Funny though, about a year ago, a friend asked me what I was doing about my own growth strategy and then challenged me to join a global(x) journey to Kenya. I thought about it, but I wasn’t sure I had time for a trip to Africa. I run my own business, so I have clients and projects, you know—all the things that get in the way.

That little nudge wouldn’t go away though. The more I thought about it, the stronger it got, so I decided to go.

Fast forward to Kenya… From the airport, we took a small bus to a town called Ndubai. Our team was paired with a group of Kenyan men for the week. When we first met, I didn’t know what to say or even talk about, but once we got going, it was easy. They might live on the other side of the world, but these men are just like us—living life and working hard. They really just wanted to get to know us. We worked on some projects together, but we also spent the week talking about life in the United States and how different it is from life in Kenya. We talked about our families, our faith, our kids, our jobs, how we lead people, the challenges and struggles we face—the kind of stuff you talk about with good friends.

It was an impactful week for me, but did I make a difference in anyone’s life in Kenya? I’d like to think that showing interest in getting to know the people in the community made a difference through the meaningful conversations, the support, and the vulnerability we shared.

But one memory in particular has stayed with me. It was a side conversation with a 12-year-old boy. He was working on some math problems as I was looking over his shoulder, and he was really good. So, I asked him, what do you want to be when you grow up? And you know what he said? A pilot. 

A pilot? I would bet that this boy has never seen a plane in real life. He lives hundreds of miles from an airstrip. But at this moment, do you know who he just met? He met me—a former navy pilot. What are the chances? 

When I told him I had been a pilot in the Navy, he broke into a big smile. And, as I expected, he asked me if I could show him a picture of the plane I flew. Of course, I thought I would just grab one from the Internet—except we had no Internet. I knew the picture would help solidify my claim, and that would make the difference. Did I have a picture stored on my phone? It had been 20 years since I left the Navy. I asked God to please help me find one for this boy, and 30 seconds later, there it was. I showed him the picture of my crew and me standing next to a Navy plane. We talked for the next 30 minutes about what it was like. His eyes were wide and filled with excitement, and that alone felt like the reason I was called to be there.

Our break was over, and I said goodbye. We met back in our large group and talked about the activities of the day, and then it was time to leave. Our team leader was coaxing our team onto our bus to head back to the hotel, but my head was on a swivel as I looked for the boy. I found him, and our eyes locked. Instantly, I knew I had one more thing to do before I left. I walked over to him and said, “Don’t ever let go of your dream. I believe you can be a pilot and that you will be a great one someday. With God all things are possible.”

Of our entire team, I was the one who looked over the boy’s shoulder. I simply asked him an ordinary question and look where it led.

Will he be a pilot? I don’t know, but I certainly hope so. At that very minute, though, I was there to encourage him, to fill in some of the details of his dream, and to give him hope. God’s timing is perfect. 

And to think that I almost ignored that little nudge. 

Want to hear the rest of Pete’s story? Check out the video here.