Diego and I passed through St. Louis and Kansas City on our way to Colorado. 30 minutes after entering the state, our tire blew out. Thankfully, we found help quickly from some nice farmers to get a new tire. We made it to the first night of the YWAM Emerge conference and stayed the night in a Marriott Hotel. The conference opened my eyes to the opportunities and the great need for businesses to bring economic, social, environmental, and spiritual benefit to third world countries.
Here’s a few businesses people I met are leading: an apple orchard in Kazakhstan, a t-shirt company in Nepal, a coffee shop in Thailand, an oil company in Kazakhstan, and an orphanage in India. Diego and I left with a stronger interest in building business and mission work internationally. I’m excited to see how We left Sunday morning to the “Garden of the Gods” nature center and then left for church meeting in Denver… Off to our next destination 🙂
Duration
3 days
Accommodation
Marriott Hotel (3 nights)
Favorite Food
Steak, Veggies, and Potatoes
Favorite Site
Garden of the Gods
Cool Person I Met
Corban. Corban served in the Airforce for eight years and then got his Master’s degree from MIT. A few years ago, he flew to Nepal with his family to start a business. Corban’s intent is to do good by creating jobs and sharing God’s love. He is a missionary to unreached people groups. The business manufactures and sells t-shirts, hiring 40+ women rescued from sex-trafficking. I was so touched as he’d referred to Nepal as “my country” and “my people”. Corban has given his life to an incredible cause.
Highlight
Hanging out with Diego in a sauna the last night of the conference to reflect on all we learned.
Big Takeaway
Business is an incredible way to do good in a locality. The entrepreneur creates value for all stakeholders: for a customer (product), for an investor (return on investment), for a worker (employees), for the employee’s family, for the local economy. I’d like to expound on this idea of business creating value for employees. Beyond the obvious financial benefit, providing someone a job strengthens character and restores personal dignity. The discipline to commute to and from work, deliver results on time, collaborate with co-workers, and the ability to keenly follow internal processes strengthens a person’s character, which becomes very useful for one’s success outside of a professional context.
Additionally, charity and handouts don’t always help and often hurt more. Read Toxic Charity or Good Intentions if you’re not convinced. People are capable of so much! Provide them the opportunity to flourish, to earn their way, and let them do their thing. Of course there will be exceptions. Nevertheless, the entrepreneur has a responsibility to empower his or her employees to do their job. Consider the formerly sex-trafficked woman in Nepal. She is demoralized and needs a restored sense of dignity. I think one of the best, practical ways to serve her is through employment. Treat her like a normal woman while offering just enough training and guidance for her to take ownership over her work. Now, the company needs her. This creates a sense of belonging and a feeling of importance. Creating jobs is a wonderful good work!
Your Turn
What are your thoughts on business and missions?
Why is it so hard to achieve the quadruple bottom line (profit: economic, social, environmental, spiritual)?
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.