Ingenuity

I wonder if ingenuity is intrinsic? Certainly the urge to be creative is a reflection of the image of God implicit in His creation of mankind. He made us like Himself. He made us to be creative.

In a world without ToysRUs children need to be creative. In the Congo I found the kids in these pictures employing their God given creativity and ingenuity.


What do you do if you don't have a soccer ball? These boys tapped a native rubber tree and used the natural latex sap to fashion their own ball. It may not be colorful, and it may not be perfectly round, but it works!


And this boy made his own "Tonka truck" out of scrap wood!

When it comes to helping people out of poverty, one of the critical tasks is to encourage them to access their own ingenuity and creativity. When people are able to discover solutions to their needs & desires in new ways the changes are deep and lasting.

Part of our solution for the enormous needs across Africa is to cultivate a climate of creative ingenuity. Helping people realize that they were made in the image of God is a critical first step in breaking the cycle of poverty strangling many on the African continent.