In the endless troubling issues of today's world, do we believe that our creative God has ideas that we can tap into to bring hope?  I believe he is overflowing with creativity that he would love to share with us... 

It was just that I wanted a fruit dryer.  We’ve dried fruit in several different ways here in Africa but I’ve never been very happy with any of the methods we’ve employed.

I just wanted to dry some mangos and bananas, you know?

My husband was in the States so I ordered one for him to bring back to me.  This snappy little machine was cool and efficient and fairly green to boot. I was starting to get excited. I do love tasty slices of dry mango.

It was on the plane returning to Africa that God interrupted my husband’s thoughts.   He was thinking about that neat little machine in the hold when suddenly it didn’t seem so little anymore.  What if dry fruit could provide income for women at risk in our town?  What if this little machine was really a life-giver?

That’s when I lost my machine.  The smooth Mac-like dehydrator was hijacked by my husband and our Tanzanian friend, Josephine. They conspired together to train a single mother of 2 (who was working full-time and earning about $20 a month) so that she could turn her life around.  Lo and behold, it wasn’t long before Eva was making a fair trade selling dry fruit in shops around our town.

One family’s circumstances completely turned around because my husband let his mind wander to a spark of thought while sitting on a plane.

And believe me, this fruit drying thing won’t stop with only one woman fully employed.  Oh no.  Plans are underway for expansion.  We need to develop a way to dry fruit on a larger scale and to employ a lot more women.  The demand for our product is very high so things look good for growth.

The D-Light is a much better example of a little idea that makes a big difference.  Developed by a former Peace Corps volunteer who was frustrated by the danger, high cost and environmental impact of kerosene lanterns, this clever little light costs less than kerosene over the long run and harnesses solar energy for clean, safe lighting.  I’m telling you, this light will be to Africa what the light bulb was to industrial era UnitedStates.  It has the potential to revolutionize life for local people by providing effective light to read, study and live by.

On varying scales, the pursuit of these two ideas interrupted the lives of the person who thought them.  My husband has given a lot of time and energy into figuring out a fruit drying business to help African women.  Much more so, the developer of the D-Light poured a lot of precious resources into creating a viable option to kerosene lanterns.

A spark of an idea + The sacrifice of time, energy and funds= Products that are making a difference in the world. 

Here’s my point: there a lot (A LOT) of huge needs out there in this big world BUT there are A LOT of great ideas just waiting to find a willing partner.

Here’s my challenge: go for it.  Ask the Creator of Universe to release creative solutions and then be willing to develop them.

As my friend, Pete Greig, always says: “Pray like it all depends on God and live like it all depends on you.”  In other words, pray your heart out and work your butt off.  

Let’s not wait for someone else to save the world.  Let’s participate in being the answer to our prayers.