Where personal growth met collective healing, and where unity thrived amidst diversity.

As I reflect on my transformative journey through the MRF mid-year workshop, I'm taken back to a place where personal growth met collective healing, and where unity thrived amid diversity.

Laughter and tears intertwine in an intricate dance, showing the complexity of our shared experience in the workshop. It was about shedding the layers we thought defined us and embracing the humbling process of unlearning and relearning. The workshop was like a metaphorical bus ride that took us to our pasts, so we could understand them better. We accepted each other as we were and helped each other become better. We listened and learned new insights, even if they were hard to understand.

During this journey, we healed as a group by talking about our shared history. Leadership, once seen as a distant concept, became an internal journey, as we realize that leadership emanates from within. Forgiving others and ourselves became really important. The echoes of past conflicts served as reminders of our growth, and the space created by forgiveness became fertile ground for change. Empathy became our compass, allowing us to navigate through unfamiliar territories with a softened perspective.

Our journey, like a three-stage rocket, encompasses where we were, where we are, and where we're destined to be. While the destination might remain distant, the process itself is a season of transformation. It's a beautifully painful journey, as it's in letting go that something truly magnificent can be reborn, after all, growth thrives on change.

The workshop acknowledges that the path to reconciliation is not linear, but one marked by twists, turns, and even conflicts. It encouraged us to confront discomfort, engage in difficult conversations, and extend respect even in the face of differences. It fostered an environment where empathy and understanding were the cornerstones of healing, where the scars of history were acknowledged, and where forgiveness was both a personal release and a collective endeavour. We allowed ourselves to be authentic and understood, while also trying to understand others.

Reconciliation and forgiveness aren’t governed by a timeline. Instead, they are long-term endeavours, and everyone is entitled to arrive at their own pace. The beauty lies in the fact that we have the support of MRF, enabling us to undertake this journey, and we also have each other grow together. Equally important, we possess the capacity to extend grace to ourselves individually, allowing us to embark on this path with self-compassion.

Each of us changed in our own way, but what mattered was that we were together and helped each other. Every step was important, and just being there and listening was a big deal.

This journey isn't just about us changing; it's about helping Africa and beyond. As we understand our individual pasts, we help heal our world. The workshop's impact goes beyond the room we were in, it resonates with the broader context in which we live and lead.