Mentoring Reaches New Heights in Liberia MONROVIA – Isaiah Teah sets his cell phone to speaker and leans in. Outside, his employees shovel sand off the back of a dump truck as he dials to begin his second call with his new business mentor across the ocean. After joining LEAD, Inc. in 2007 (Liberia Entrepreneurial & Asset Development, In the Name of Christ), Isaiah completed the 12-week business training course and soon begin filling larger contracts on the local market with his furniture and cement block company, Creative Joinery.  Within a new program of LEAD, Isaiah and five other business owners have been selected out of over 600 members to participate in 1-on-1 mentoring relationships, based on their potential for growth and a solid business plan. This program connects some of Liberia’s strongest entrepreneurs with North American businesspeople to directly mentor through encouragement, prayer and business advice, and provides a person to bounce ideas off of and to grow alongside.On the other end of the line is Don Teitsma, Isaiah’s new mentor. As an experienced business person with a new construction business he started five years ago, Don is eager to put his own knowledge to work.  He picks up the phone, and after warm greetings, they quickly tap into the recent success and struggles Isaiah has been facing.  “The plan of the business is to grow large,” describes Isaiah, “and to be able to serve the public and then have branches at strategic areas.” Since receiving a loan for machinery in 2008, Isaiah began competing with the largest block manufacturer in Liberia, fulfilling contracts with a Chinese construction company and supplying materials for low-income housing funded by the Liberian government. Yet, the demand for his blocks has been expanding so rapidly that he struggles to meet his cash flow needs.  Although they’ve only talked once before, Isaiah and Don dig even deeper. The topic of adequate cash flow soon becomes a discussion on how to both tithe and appropriately expand a business while trusting and practicing the belief that the business belongs to God.  This mutual mentoring—made up of encouragement, prayer, and advice, is a powerful resource to utilize not only for business growth, but also spiritual growth, even when those involved are 5,000 miles apart. “I can be honorable to God,” says Isaiah, “because he is the one who has given me this opportunity in business.” Don couldn’t agree more.  “This is really a great challenge to allow the power of God to work in our lives here and there.”