The Right Tool

Over this past weekend, my honey-do list included fixing our sprinkler system. Some of the valves were causing the sprinklers to stay on even when the system was turned off and unplugged. After several months, it was finally time to deal with the problem.

As I was replacing the internal components of each valve, several times I needed a tool that I did not have with me.  Without the right tool, the job would never have been completed.

As I write this, we have a team of ITEC engineers in East Africa training instructors at a Christian vocational school on how to assemble a mechanized grain thresher.  A couple of years ago, we received a request from this school to develop a grain thresher that they could build with simple tools to equip those from the school who will be planting churches in unreached communities.  

Most people in rural areas of East Africa are farmers. They spend countless hours removing the kernels of corn from the cobs before they can use them for food or sell them at the local market. While corn provides a source of carbohydrates, many children are malnourished because of a lack of protein. Beans, which are a great source of protein, are very difficult to shell, so most families go without them.

This new grain thresher can be adjusted to shell both corn and beans.  While it will save families a lot of time, it also provides the church planters a reason to be in a community to develop relationships as a door opener for the gospel.  The grain thresher is simply a tool that will be built by this Christian vocational school so church planters can share the gospel in unreached communities.

To learn more about how your church could be equipped to have a long-term impact through short-term trips, contact us at [email protected].