PART I: The Journey (a): Self-evaluation
The Journey (a)
Part I: Self-evaluation
Introduction
Who am I? This simple and yet quite deep philosophical question is one of the most important questions every human being is called upon to ask himself/herself and provide an answer (or answers) in one way or the other, though it may be very difficult to do so due to the difficult nature of philosophy to define as Rosenberg (2016) states it so clearly, "Philosophy is a difficult subject to define" (p. 1), making the question "who am I?" also difficult to answer, and yet something has to be said about it. In fact, Socrates (c 469 - 399 B.C), probably the father of written philosophical thinking, once said, Gnōthi sauton — “Know Thyself” (cited by Andrew Scholtz (2006). This principle of knowing oneself is a key one for self-exploration, self-awareness, and self-introduction to others for self building up, improvement, and integration into society.
Since leadership is about self among people, the purpose of this reflection paper is to try answering that key question about my life journey in order to explore and be aware of myself, and build up relationships with others even improve myself together with others around me for better social integration and service.
Socio-cultural life
I was born in a small village in the Far North Cameroon Region, on January 1, 1960 (the day of Cameroon’s independence) to an illiterate and animistic couple of shepherds, namely, Abraham Ndaissala and Rachel Maiferle. The name Abraham was given my father by the Lutheran religious leaders when he accepted the Christian faith because he had some similarities with the biblical Abraham (two wives, flocks of animals, servants and shepherds, etc).
By default, I happened to become the oldest child in my family because my first three brothers did not survive. Somehow, the Great Controversy became very open in my family. My father, who had lost his father (my grand-father) when he was about four years old, was under the leadership of their senior brother (the first born to my grand-father, from the first wife out of four; my grand-mother was second). This man was always having problems with my father. When it was time for my father to get a wife, his senior brother wanted to give him a wife. My father refused because he wanted to choose his wife himself. When finally my father got married to my mother, my uncle (my father’s senior brother) decided to separate the new-formed couple by threatening my mother to leave (divorce). My mother did not accept that. So, when my mother gave birth to her first son, that man waited until my brother was about two years old. He poisoned the boy, and he died. My mother conceived again and gave birth to her second son. That man waited till my second brother was about two years old, and he poisoned him also, and he died. When my mother conceived for the third time, the man decided to kill both my mother and the fetus in the womb. So, he poisoned my mother. She suffered severely, and eventually, there was a miscarriage (another boy).
My mother conceived again and gave birth to me. When I was about two or three years old, the man wanted to poison me also. At that time, the God of heaven intervened and judged. The man died instead. That is how I survived, and my parents always saw me as a child of destiny. And that has affected my life deeply till today.
After me, eleven other children were born into my family (two boys and nine girls). We are seven from my mother (two boys and five girls). The second wife gave birth to five children (one boy and four girls).
The tension in my family between my mother and the second wife was as real as it was in father Abraham’s home between Sarah and Agar, the Egyptian, which was very unfortunate because it affected the children as well (Gen 21:1-21). As the oldest child, I have been playing the unifying role among my siblings by pulling both groups together (my brother and sisters from my mother as well as my other brother and sisters from the second wife) which has been quite heavy even very challenging. Today, I am still playing that role and even more so now that I have become the head of the entire family, my father and mother having passed away.
Socio-intellectual life
My parents sent me to school at the age of eight because I was to wait for my immediate junior sister to turn six in order to take care of the flock of sheep and goats while I was in school. I would then replace her over the week-ends. Things functioned like that for three years. Then, the third year, I was taken to Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon by my uncle, my father’s junior brother who was serving in the Cameroon army. There, I was able to complete my primary education with the first living certificate in 1973. The 1973-1974 school year was blank because I was not able to go to school due to the fact that my uncle was retiring and going back to our village, and he did not want to leave me behind. In those days, the school year in North Cameroon was different from the one in the South. In the North, the school year was from July to March the following year whereas in the South, the school year started in September and would close in June the next year. So, when I arrived in the North at the beginning of December 1973, the second quarter was wining up, and they could not take me in. Because of that, my parents were advised to prepare and send me to the Adventist Junior Secondary School in Dogba near the city of Maroua, the headquarters of the Far North Cameroon Region. That is how I came in contact with Seventh-day Adventists in July 1974. I stayed in that school four years, and I was able to pass the General Certificate of Education, “O’ Level in 1978, after which I worked as office secretary for one year in order to earn money for high school. In the mean time, the school year between the North and the South was harmonized in 1975.
In August 1979, a Spirit of Prophecy seminar was organized in Nanga-Eboko, Cameroon where the Adventist high school was located. One of the guest-speakers, Dr Raymond O. West from the US, heard about me through the principal of my school, Pastor Paul Pichot, who was translating the speaker into French. Dr West decided to help me by sending $500.00 (five hundred US Dollars) every year, from 1979 to 1985. I first did theology (lower level) for two years (1979-1981). Then my home mission asked me to teach in our primary school, which I did (1981-1982 school year). It was only in September 1982 that I started attending high school. That is how I was able to complete my General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE “A” Level) in French Literature and Philosophy in July 1985.
Because I wanted to do medicine, I spent another year trying to secure admission into a medical school. Unfortunately or fortunately, there was none because I had asked God to open only one door for me (either medicine or theology). Surprisingly, of all the applications for medicine I had sent out (with only one application for theology), the only positive admission that came back was the theology one. All others replies were negative. There was even one school that sent me a letter of apology seven months after they had rejected my application that they had made a mistake about my application. I understood it all.
Then, I went to the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) in Rwanda and completed my Bachelor in Theology (BTh) degree in June 1989.
While at AUCA, two ladies (Diane Prouty and Shawna Vyhmeister) started encouraging me to learn English. I could not believe my ears any time they encouraged me. To me, it was impossible. However, little by little, the idea sank in. Then I decided to shift from the French system to the English one. I started making plans to go to Newbold, UK. At the first trial in securing the visa for Great Britain, I was denied the visa. The lady at the UK Embassy told me that my English was poor to pursue graduate studies in English even though I had told her that, at Newbold, I was to start with the school of English first before moving into the MA program proper. She refused to grant me a visa. Then I went to the Adventist Seminary of West Africa (ASWA) in Nigeria in order to grasp some English. I was there for eight months after which, I went back to Cameroon and applied for the British visa again. This time, it was another lady, and she graciously granted it to me. I arrived in London, UK, on September 11, 1990. By the grace of the Lord, I was able to complete my MA in Religion (majoring in Systematic Theology and minoring in Historical Theology) in June 1992.
Socio-professional life
As I said earlier, in the socio-cultural section, I belong to the tradition of shepherds. I started going out with my parents’ sheep and goats at the age of four (4) because I was the oldest child in my family. Later, I was in charge of cows. That is how I grew up, taking care of my parents’ animals. Somehow, this way of caring for those animals developed leadership skills in me very early because, when I was in the bush with those animals, I was fully in charge, and I was to take responsibilities to care for them over there and bring them back home safely. Because of this, I can easily identify with biblical leaders such as Abraham, Moses, David, and Christ Jesus, the good and best shepherd. I must say that, taking care of my parents’ animals provided such a powerful leadership training for me, so much so that, when I became a leader of God’s people (be it mission president, local conference president, departmental director, division executive secretary, or division president), I drew a lot from my shepherd leadership experiences. Even today, I use a lot of those experiences in my leadership testimonies and ventures.
As I said in the socio-intellectual life, I started serving the Seventh-day Adventist Church as an office secretary in the Bergstrom Junior Secondary School in order to earn and save some money in order to go the the southern part of Cameroon, to the Adventist High School in Nanga-Eboko, since I was asked to leave the Maroua Public High School because of Sabbath worship issue. I also taught for one school year (1981-1982) at the Adventist Primary School in Dogba. I started the pastoral ministry in August 1992 after I had returned from Newbold, UK. I was assigned a small district in Maroua, the capital city of my home Region (the Far North Region).
In 1993, the Central Africa Union Mission (CAUM) asked me to move to Yaounde and serve as an Associate Director in the then Church Ministries. A year later, I was asked to take care of the communication department together with my previous assignment as Associate Director.
In 1995, the General Conference session took in Utrecht, Holland, and many changes happened (at least in my home division, the then Africa Indian Ocean Division). Those changes went down to the local fields. That is how I became a mission President. I held that portfolio until 1998 when I was asked to move back to the CAUM headquarters as communication director till 2001.
On August 2, 2001, at an extraordinary session of a local conference (the Central South Cameroon Conference), I was elected president of that conference.
A year later (2002), during the realignment of the African Divisions, I was elected Executive Secretary of the West-Central Africa Division (WAD).
After serving in WAD Secretariat for six years (2002-2008), when Pastor Luka T. Daniel (the then WAD president) retired for health reasons, I was asked to take over as President and complete his term in 2010. At the General Conference session in Atlanta, GA in 2010, I was re-elected WAD President till 2015.
At the 2015 General Conference session in San Antonio, TX, in 2015, I was asked to handover to someone else.
May I say that during all the above ups and downs, there was one thing that remained constant, that was, the guiding hand of the Lord God Almighty who led me step by step even as I am studying here at Andrews University now.
Leadership Style and personality
In going through the GREGORC Self-assessment Instrument for Adults by Anthony F. Gregorc, I discovered that I am a “CR” (8 points) with “CS” very close by (7 points). The test reveals that I am also strong enough as “AR” and “AS” (6 points each). This shows that I am rather a combination of leadership characteristics (CR + CS + AR + AS).
I am not surprised by the above results because, during my DMin program about ten years ago, when we did the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) in the book: Please Understand Me, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates, in order to know my temperament for ministry, it came out that I was also a combination, that is, an IXTJ and INTP. According to the MBTI, the X indicates that I exhibit both intuition (N) and sensation (S) as well as judging (J) and perceiving (P) characteristics (for more details, see Keirsey and Bates (1984). Therefore, the GREGORC Self-assessment Instrument comes as a confirmation of my personality in ministry and leadership as it was revealed about ten years ago.
In addition, according to the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, I am a “RO” (I scored 8) strongly followed by “AE” and “CE.” (where I scored 6 in each one of both). The inventory shows that “AC” comes last.
Moreover, as far as my CliftonStrengths are concerned, my first fice areas of strength are, (1) learner, (2) responsibility, (3) connectedness, (4) relator, (5) empathy. May I say that to a great degree, these are true because I love learning (see my socio-intellectual life). I also love taking responsibility (since childhood as described in my socio-cultural life). In addition, I am people-oriented. That is probably why I establish connections and relations. Because of that people orientation, I easily identify with people in their conditions, particularly when they are in crisis. However, I thought my empathy would come third (not fifth) because dealing with people’s suffering has always been one of my top agenda items. That is why I wanted to become a physician and specialize in surgery in order to remove sickness from people. God, in His mercy, made me a spiritual surgeon, and I am very grateful to Him for making me an agent of holistic healing and preparing people for eternity where I will not have to extract sickness from people any longer.
Socio-spiritual life
As mentioned in my socio-cultural life, in 1970, I left my village with my uncle (my father’s junior brother) who happened to be in the Cameroonian army (in the Presidential Guards in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon to be precise) where I got exposed to the Christian religion. I followed my uncle’s wife and her children to the Roman Catholic Church every Sunday, attended baptismal class, and was baptized in December 1971. My confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church took place two years later, in 1973.
I came in contact of the Adventist message in 1974 when my parents agreed to send me to the Bergstrom Adventist Secondary in Dogba near Maroua (the headquarters of the Far North Region) where I studied till 1978. I resisted the Adventist message for three years. I would not even attend the church services. However, at the end of the third year, there were three of my classmates and other fellow students and friends who were going to be baptized. So, I decided to attend the ceremony and see “the foolishness of dipping people into the water” which they called baptism. At the baptistery, when the preacher delivered his message, I was able to memorize all the references he quoted. I believe the Holy Spirit impressed my memory. When I got back to our dormitory, I was able crosscheck everything from another Bible. Since I did not have any Bible on my own, I asked my roommate to lend me his Bible, and I was able to read and verify from that Bible by myself. I finally yielded in and accepted the truth as it was revealed and written in the Bible. I was then baptized on July 2, 1977.
Nine months later (April 1978), the devil wanted to destroy my faith and finish with me. I got suddenly sick on April 26, 1978. When I was taken to the hospital in Maroua, a French physician testified that I had been poisoned and that I was bleeding inside. I almost passed away, but God, in His mercy, did not allow me to die. Before that dreadful date, I did not know what being sick was like. I had always been healthy. Even my malaria (the most common disease in Africa) would not last for more than 30 minutes or at most 1 hour. In 1978, I experienced how one could lie down in bed for days and weeks because of sickness. People were mocking me, and I was wondering if I had made the right decision in becoming a Seventh-day Adventist. However, from on high, the Lord God Almighty was watching, controlling, and coordinating every bit of my life as well as the current situation I had found myself in at that time. Confidently, I can resonate with Ellen White (1940) when she says, God never leads His children otherwise than they would chose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him.”
Where am I going?
It is commonly said that “knowledge is power.” That is why I strongly believe in the following:
In view of the fact that the younger generations are accessing higher education massively nowadays;
In view of the fact that an appropriate environment (structure, administration, and faculty) is essential to the intellectual growth of those young people;
Considering the fact their insertion into the global world is still in the making with all the competitive components;
It is my dream to become an agent of change and transformation, knowing very well that change is very challenging (even very difficult) in teaching and running seminars and conferences in Cameroonian and African institutions of higher learning, to embark in the changing dynamics and processes of a changing world with the young people and the Cameroonian and African communities (even the world).
Conclusion
So, who am I? In short, my answer will simply be, I am that poor brand the Lord God Almighty has granted life (snatched from death) so that I may serve Him and my fellow human beings for His glory (cf Zach. 3:2). Who am I? I am that man whom the Lord, our God and Father has molded through so many challenging situations that the end product, named Gilbert Wari, has served in leadership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for many years (37 years) and completing a MA (Systematic Theology and Historical Theology--Andrews University in 1992), a DMin (Mission Leadership) from the Seminary (Andrews University) in 2010, and a PhD (Higher Education Administration) from the School of Leadership, Andrews University in 2022.
Who am I? In the same vein, right now the vision is to recycle myself and diversify in the learning process at Andrews University, Leadership Department (Higher Education Administration) for better, greater, and more engaging mission for the Lord in the future. And the mission is to bring my small contribution to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its institutions to be ready to face the challenging situations today and the days of uncertainty that lie ahead according to God’s maidservant (cf The Last Day Events as well as the last ten chapters of The Great Controversy). Our God and Father has blessed me by preserving my life and granting me education. So, according to the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 12:1-3), I am to be a blessing to others around me and prepare them to meet with King Jesus when He appears in the clouds of heaven to claim His own. It is my prayer that the Lord may help me fulfill this covenant mission.
NB: The reason why I decided to put “socio-this,” “socio-that,” is because all those aspects of my life were operating within a specific African social context that may be a bit unique or special to me.
Gilbert Wari, graduating with a BTh from AUCA (Rwanda, 1989)
Reflection Papers:
EDAL 675: College Student Development Theory (Personal Reflection)
EDAL 675: College Student Development Theory ( Spiritual Development)
Gilbert Wari's able and dedicated faculty
Reference
Cook, G. (2016). “Kolb Learning Style Inventory.” Retrieved from http://rsvpdesign.co.uk/blog/2016/04/using-kolb-learning-cycle-effective-leadership-transformative-learning/?utm_source=Exp.%20Learn.%20Camp2%20-%20Kolb%20ad%20group%20Bing&utm_campaign=Kolb%20Ad%20Group%20Bing&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=kolb%20learning%20style&utm_content=Experiential%20Learning%20-%20Kolb
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Keirsey, D. and Bates, M. (1984). Please Understand Me, (Del Mar, CA), 12, 180-192.
Lawrence, CliftonStrengths. Retrieved from http://www.strengthsquest.com/home/default.aspx. Also see in http://www.strengthsquest.com/home/email.aspx?utm_source=LeftHandNavigationBar&utm_medium=ClickEmailTop5Button&utm_campaign=strengthsquest
Scholtz, A. (2006). Gnothi sauton—“Know Thyself.” Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/rotc_self-aware.pdf.
Socrates (c 469-399 BC). Retrieved from http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Socrates-Philosopher.htm.
White, E. G. The Desire of Ages (1898). Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press Assoc. (pp. 224, 225).
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