Well, not really, but really! Earlier this year we received a note and a check for $405 from the Youth Group at Inside Out Church LA https://www.insideoutla.org/ . SHOUT OUT, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME AND AN INCREDIBLE BLESSING! The goal was to provide chickens and pigs for the impoverished families we work with in Los Limones, Guatemala. So together with our team in Guatemala we began to formulate a plan and think how best to administer this and stretch this money as far as we can and make a sustainable project.

Immediately, pigs were ruled out for this project because of the overall cost to purchase, feed, and time to maturity. However, chickens were relatively inexpensive to get started, feed, and the time to maturity is just a few months.

With each of our projects, there are 3 main questions that drive the decision making: 1) What is the total cost of the project? Not just the upfront cost to get it going, but the cost to maintain and keep it going. Is the project sustainable? My experiences in Guatemala with other organizations and short term teams, (I am not speaking about this particular group but in general), is that they come to Guatemala and want to do great things. They do what I call “feel good projects”, without answering or considering any of these questions. Most go back home and never return or check back in to see how that project is going, or even check with the host organization to see if there is a sustainability plan. We have repaired and completely rebuilt 3 wells that were put in by other organizations that were abandoned when they broke, because there was never a plan for sustainability. And many more yet for us to discover and fix. 2) How many people or families will benefit from this project? The goal is to bless and help as many people and families as we can with the resources God blesses us with. And most importantly, 3) How can we use this project to point people back to God and give HIM the glory? After all, we are a ministry and that is our ultimate motivation in everything we do, is to point people back to God and give HIM the glory. Our ministry motto is: We are His hands, to do His work, to bring HIM the glory!

After several months of receiving the note and funds, I was pleased that Inside Out Church LA did reach out and ask what the status was of this project. It was perfect timing, God’s timing, because we were just finishing up the planning of this project to make it sustainable. We don’t rush into projects, rather take our time to do it right the first time and really think things through (learned that rushing a project is costly in many ways). Initially we were able to bless ten families. We chose ten families that are most involved with our ministry and community projects. Thus using this project as a motivation to others to get involved in our sponsored projects.

The families built their own chicken coops from sticks, bamboo, and scrap tin and other materials they found. We then took them to the farm supply store and purchased fifteen chicks for each family, along with enough feed, vitamins, and supplements to get them through their early vulnerable weeks, and other materials they needed. So that is 150 chickens plus materials that God used a small youth group in Los Angeles, to bless families in Guatemala in Jesus name! How cool is that! #INSIDEOUTLA

I always like putting our projects out there for the world to see, not to lift us up, but to lift Jesus up, and so that others may duplicate and be a blessing in Jesus name! We are blessed to be a blessing! How can we keep a blessing going if we keep our “mission secrets” to our self?

So how we are administering this project to keep it going is simple. First, the investment was made in the first batch of chicks who in a few months will become large enough to eat. This will provide a food source that is marketable. At least a third of the chickens will be sold, a third will be for the family to eat, and the remainder will be allowed to grow and then produce eggs to eat, sell, and hatch for more chickens. Initially we will collect the money from the families for the sold chickens. This money will be used to purchase additional chicks, feed and supplies to start this project over with additional families, as well as provide more chicks for the families that sold them. Each time, we take the families to the farm supply store and purchase what they need. This experience teaches them how and what to do. So that after we do this a few times with them, they become confident in what they are doing. We then are able to turn the project completely over to these families, thus making it sustainable.

Because our organization is not going anywhere, the folks can rely on us and know if they have any questions or problems, we are there for them. Some organizations approach missions with feel good projects that are short lived and not sustainable. My life goal and legacy I want to leave is changing this village, giving them the tools and resources they need to help themselves. You do not conquer poverty in one short term mission trip, rather it is a life long dedication to getting to know the people, and giving them a real hand up in Jesus name through teaching and love.

I would like to invite every reader to rethink your mission. Are you doing feel good projects and hopping from place to place? Or are you investing your time and money into making a real change, a change that is sustainable for the glory of God? After all, we are HIS hands, to do HIS work, to bring HIM the glory!