In a charity race dubbed “Aero vs Auto” a team of five small planes will compete against a team of five Mini Coopers over a 370km course. Lim Hui Juan, co-founder of Quotient TravelPlanner, the company that put Aero vs Auto together, hopes the event will raise $50,000.

Why am I, in north Louisiana, writing about a fundraiser and children’s home in Singapore? For this reason: too often, we become provincial.

I remember reading a book in a pastoral ministries class in college titled, “The Seven Last Words of the Church: We’ve Never Done It That Way Before.” One temptation children’s home administrators face is to assume they’ve done it all and that it works as it should, or worse, that they’ve already discovered the best way to do their work.

Aero vs Auto is a unique fundraiser, but more importantly, if you’re interested in different perspectives on child welfare, look to what others are doing well in other countries. Seeing quality in other cultures can be a source of inspiration and new ideas for your own work.

Explore the Chen Su Lan Methodist Childrens Home web site, read their newsletters and financials. If, as a child care administrator, you only look for ideas in your own culture or professional associations, it may be an eye-opener for you.