When you know you have been a logistician too long....

 This morning I was musing, before getting out of bed, about whether or not the young man, Nurul Amin (who buys our food here at the base), had put the newest eggs on the top or bottom flat of eggs that we have stacked one on the other. When I got excited about the base assistant, Yasin, explaining the stock management principle of FEFO (first expired, first out) to Nurul Amin, it dawned on me that maybe I have been a logistician too long. And then I realized that this is the thought that came to mind even before the realization that it is Christmas morning in BGD....

I guess it might be ok to feel I have been a logistician too long as Medair has asked me to step into the position of Project Coordinator for the Bangladesh program. As Project Coordinator I will be involved in: 

1. Security Management - humanitarian aid organizations spend a good deal of time working at community acceptance, developing security protocols and planning evacuation routes. Security isn't as big an issue as in Afghanistan, as you might imagine, but it is still very important. 
2. 
   Project management - all our projects (like Christine's NUT project) work on a project management basis - I will oversee the implementation of different projects (we have three - health, shelter and nutrition) making sure (with the project managers - PMs) that we hit our indicators in the foreseen time frames and within budget. 
3. Financial management - maintain the base budget, plan budgets with the PMs and monitor spending.
4. Staff management - ensure that personnel related issues are carried out in accordance with Medair guidelines; ensure that staff receive adequate training; hold regular team meetings.
5. Quality management - ensure programmes are implemented  according to donor proposals and requirements as well as Medair, donor, country and international standards. Interface with advisors at HQ in this regard. Assess and provide feedback on the quality of our programming. 
6. Team Spiritual Life - encourage and contribute to the spiritual life of the team. 

I am looking forward to the challenges - but it will be demanding for me!

We had a wonderful and low-key Christmas here in Bangladesh. A week before Christmas we had a small gathering with the fellowship from this area. The picture above shows the hut on the roof of our building decked out with the lights that Bangladeshi use for all special occasions - weddings, circumcisions, and other ceremonies (and this is the season of celebrations after the rice harvest). We think of them as Christmas lights in the US - not so much here in Bangladesh. But it lent a particularly festive atmosphere to our Christmas gathering. 

Above all, we are thankful for the One who came in all vulnerability and lowliness, who was born of an unwed teenager, and who showed us how to live! We are thankful for the birth of our Savior again this year! May He continue to animate your celebrations and your lives!

Praise for: 

• The birth of the one who saved our necks!
• Lots of good work from the different teams - it has been an incredibly busy time since returning to Bangladesh
• The opportunity to be working where God has called us!

 Prayer for: 

• For the Rohingya to experience God's presence during this time when God re-reveals Himself again. 
• For a good finish to the year with all of its year-end activities.
• For the colleague who will be replacing me as logs manager.