I have an idea involving chickens

Last fall, we had the pleasure of working with a group of 14 church planters and church leaders from across our country. Our business entrepreneurial school was running a pilot church leader training focused on business startup, sustainability, and church multiplication. This was the second of a three-session training that ends with students receiving loans for their business ideas.

The first day of class J* sat down with a group of four students to get to know them, hear about their ministries, and help them work out a profitable business plan. One of the students was a lady named Nin Bey.

Nin Bey had a story much like many others in the group. Her father was a pastor, but died almost 10 years ago. Her husband was a church planter, but he died when she was two months pregnant with their first child. She and her daughter moved in with her mother. She was trying to make some money for her family by doing odd jobs here and there, while still receiving a small amount of support funneled from the West.

On the first day of class, Nin Bey began by saying, “I have an idea involving chickens…but I'm not sure about it…" We began to write plans and fill Excel documents with numbers to test out her idea.

After some tweaks to her original idea, we came up with a plan that not only paid four times more than she was currently making, but also gave her the ability to expand the business, pay back her loan, and hire another person to provide an additional income as well. Nin Bey talked with excitement about how she could use the business to help support others in ministry, give meat for church events, and supply pastors with food as well.

It was exciting to see this lady not only find that she could start a growing business, helping alleviate poverty in her village, but she could also support the church rather than being the one receiving support from the church.

Please join us in praying that these new businesses would bring glory to God, and support many more to do ministry in a sustainable way here.

Project update, September 2014:
Today Nin Bey's chicken farm business is doing well and she is repaying her start up loan to the school. While a few chickens did die during rainy season, Nin Bey has 50 birds and is learning to watch the market prices for chickens and eggs, as well as ways to keep her stock healthy.