This weekend we said goodbye to DTS. I didn’t think it would be as hard as it was, as I have been looking forward to getting on with life and the things God has placed on my heart to do. But when it came to saying goodbye to the first group of people leaving, the realisation that this time was over hit home. I have absolutely loved my time on DTS and have learnt so much that I don’t even know how to express in words. As a group we have really grown together and have a deep and genuine love for one another. This has been a totally unique experience in my life and something that I really wish could last forever. However life moves on and we all have things we have to do so it is unrealistic to think it could be any other way. I am just grateful for the time we had.

One of the things I have been hoping to get out of my time on DTS was to figure out how I should be using my life. I have felt the need to do something which makes a difference in peoples lives but struggled to understand how that fitted with what I would consider my strongest talent – creating software. As I asked God about what I should be doing I felt he wanted me to use this talent to help other people and also to be a bridge for me into new things. Over the course of the last two months I have been continuing to seek God about this and my thoughts have become much clearer as to what I need to do.

I have become convinced that businesses primary purpose is to serve those involved – clients, staff and the community. Business is also a great way to do something which can grow and have a large and effective impact. So after much thought I am going to start a business whose primary aim is to serve the community. It will be a software company that spends much of its resources training primarily high school drop-outs in the art of software development and then employs them in the business.

Mission Statement
To equip young people with skills that will enable them to become valuable contributors to the marketplace and local community.

There are two key points here. Firstly that they will be trained in skills that are marketable and valuable. I have spent the last 7yrs honing my skills and in the process I have learnt a lot about software and how to make myself valuable in whatever workplace I am in, this is some of what I will be able to teach. Secondly they need to become valuable contributors to the community. This will not just be training and a job for these people, but also a time where we can share together about life our problems, how we deal with them and so on. I want to be able to understand where they are at and also impart some of the things I have learnt.

I know that this is going to be extremely hard, In fact I am sure it will be the hardest thing I have ever done, but the potential impact is considerable. I know it is a worthwhile endeavour and I believe it will be successful – but even if it isn’t it still has the opportunity to impact peoples lives for the better and I believe that is Gods heart and so whatever the cost to me it is a risk I am willing to take.

So this is a brief overview of my general plan for the next five years. I have already talked to a few people who can see potential partnerships for various aspects and I am hoping some more people will come along for the ride!

Some travel news. I am going to be in NZ for a month from mid January for my sisters wedding. After that I go to the states for a month – going snowboarding at Lake Tahoe, meeting up with some friends and so on. Will be back in the UK mid March.

But before I get started with that I have a one month contract in Farnham – an hour south west of London. It was pretty amazing how I got this job, I uploaded my CV to a job website and 5mins later (literally) I got a phone call from an agent. Turned out I had precisely the skills they wanted and the introducing paragraph of my CV impressed them enough that they decided to take me on for a month (which was all I am available for) even though they wanted someone for longer. I am so thankful for getting something so quickly – now all I need is a place to stay!

Till next time.