|PIC1|I have just been reading a word of challenge and encouragement sent by a friend of mine who heads up the men's ministry at our church in Crowborough. It has brought light this morning as I face a variety of challenges in my work at WER.

His thoughts were stimulated by the book 'The hero with a thousand faces' by Joseph Campbell and I was able to relate them to my own life and also to the relationships which WER and I have with our partner organisations around the world.

Campbell states that our lives are one overall story made up of many phases. Life starts with the 'call to adventure' and proceeds to include such phases as the 'refusal of the call', where the person refuses to enter through the door of adventure and move beyond the status quo. Those starting out on the journey are soon faced with 'the road of trials.'

I was reminded of the passage from 'As you like it.'

All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven stages...

I believe our lives have a beginning, middle and an end and, as a Christian, I am confident that my end is not just centred in this world but in a HOPE beyond this mortal stage, beyond the simply human end.

But I am responsible for today and accountable for yesterday. So it can be helpful to use these thoughts to ask ourselves:
- Who am I really?
- Where am I?
- What needs to change?
- Where am I in other people's stories?

Am I, in my relationships and in my work, holding someone back or am I being a mentor and source of encouragement to those I meet and touch in my day-to-day life?

I think of some of the mentors in my life, some of whom made an immediate difference and others whose impact initially appeared to be smaller but in reality was just as significant. Bob Gordon, David Ndaruhutse, Campbell McAlpine, Tom Okello, Penny Relph and Peter Wilson to name a few and of course my father David Haxton. Heroes who have inspired me include Nelson Mandela, David Ndaruhutse and my wife Rita.

I ask myself, am I in the way of people's progress? I pray that WER is a facilitative and mentoring force for good and not a hindrance. I like to think of my role with my staff and with the partners we work with in Africa, Eastern Europe and elsewhere as someone playing a part in the emergence of new mentors and heroes.

As a Christian I am glad that there is no such thing as a retired Christian. God has work for us all to do; we just have to recognize our roles in each story, in each part and phase.

So look around you and ask yourself:

Who here would benefit from a mentor?
Who needs encouraging?
Am I a hindrance or a facilitator?

I think that being someone's hero or mentor is a good thing to aspire to.


About Alex Haxton:

Alex has been Director of Operations at Christian humanitarian agency World Emergency Relief (WER) for the past seven years and before that worked as a consultant to the charity.

His business career was spent in the catering equipment industry for over 20 years before he moved on to Christian ministry which is how he first came to go to Africa.

A few months spent at Roffey Place Christian Centre brought a more radical change than anticipated, and it was there that Alex met a Pastor from Burundi who became a central influence on his life, even to this day.

He has since worked in Christian ministry, which he describes as "a call of God we must not ignore".

It was the work in Burundi and Rwanda, post genocide, which eventually brought Alex into contact with WER as he sought funding for relief and medical work in those countries. He remains heavily involved with humanitarian and development work worldwide through WER.

About World Emergency Relief:

World Emergency Relief is a non-denominational, global fellowship of Christians, working together, and with others, to help people in need. Underlying World Emergency Relief's efforts are God's love for this WORLD He created, the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic EMERGENCIES afflicting millions, and the RELIEF we can bring to hurting people, especially children, thanks to God's unending mercy coupled with the generosity of our donors.