Source: Global Opportunities, May 2016
A man named Lucas had a vision of bringing employment and the gospel to a very closed country [and presented to the government his plan to build a medium-sized hotel]. Much to the regret of everyone involved, no suitable land was found. When he returned to this country some months later and met with the local government again, he was given great news:
“While you were away, the harbor was dredged to make room for larger ships, and the dredged sand has formed an island where you can build your hotel!”
The project moved ahead immediately but not without challenges.
This region happens to be a recruiting ground for a terrorist group, and many of the young local men had already headed off to the warzone. By hiring young men to work on his project, Lucas began indirectly reducing the number of potential recruits; he was offering these men a reason to live whereas the recruiters were only offering them a reason to die. As time went on, Lucas and the local religious leader became close friends, meeting regularly for coffee.
Lucas and his team soon noticed the environmental damage being done by the burning of garbage, and they took it upon themselves to launch recycling and waste management programs.
Today, some one dozen locals hold well-paying jobs, and many more will be hired once the hotel is completed. Their culture is being changed as the workers display a new work ethic; parents are happy that their sons are not going off to die but rather are quitting their drug habits and making something of their lives.