DEVELOPING TIMES: GPS

Welcome

Mission Statement
Rural Empowerment Initiatives (REI) mission is to collaborate in the reduction of poverty through investment in rural areas and training of local people.

Vision Statement
REI's vision is to treat every created being with dignity, respect and love. We strive to work with those most in need by empowering people to recognize their God given talents, enabling them to make the world a better place and providing them hope for the future.

Our Principles
REI believes that all people are created equal.
REI will develop small to medium businesses (SMEs) as one approach to reach those most in need by creating jobs that build the economy in rural areas.
REI's partner businesses will be led, managed and majority owned by local people.
REI will always seek a triple bottom line of economic, spiritual and social transformation.
REI seeks to build sustainable community-oriented business models.
REI's focus of support is to the economically disadvantaged.
REI will seek attractive market and growth opportunities.
REI will incubate pilot projects with capable management.
REI believes in collaboration. We seek partners whose strengths complement our own in an effort to build well-rounded projects of lasting economic value for the communities in which we work.
REI is inspired by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and is therefore rooted in the Christian faith.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

GPS

I was driving around the east coast this week. I was to meet my friend in DC on Wednesday late afternoon at a specific location. I typed in the address on my GPS and I followed it right to the location. Only if life was like that?
How many of us, including me, have a destination in life and if it was easy as typing in a address and getting to that point ...wouldn't that be easy?
But God, in his divine sovereignty, has the address in his GPS and we are to follow His ways to our final destination.
On another occasion, I was to meet some people about one hour outside of Philly. I looked at the map and figured I would be driving to Philly and then cut back to the final destination.But, following the GPS, it surprised me and had me turn on these back roads and long winding beautiful country roads in the Maryland & Pennsylvania countryside until I reached my destination.
Isn't life like that a bit? You think you have life all mapped out and then God has you turn on some long and winding road. It's a surprise at first, but when you look back, you realize how beautiful God is His sovereignty.

God is like the ultimate GPS....he has your life all mapped out with marked way points and he knows your final destination.