An Egg Yolk? Really?

I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places… (Isaiah 45:3a NIV)

You’re probably wondering why I would use a bowl of eggs with the golden yolk showing as an illustration of God’s “hidden treasure.”

Well, I have a special reason.

The Bible gives us every sign that our Creator doesn’t value the same things many humans do.

When Jesus walked this earth, it was clear that He valued people more than anything else. His compassion overflowed to society’s outcasts: lepers, blind beggars, tax thieves, hated roman soldiers and even the dying criminal on the cross next to Him.

Today, according to the World Population Clock there are over 7.8 billion people in the world, and Christ knows each of us by name.

So it stands to reason that our people-loving Savior would be delighted with an organization which helps families escape from a life of hunger and poverty.

Surprisingly, eggs are a part of their strategy.

The History of Heifer International

Let me bless you with an excerpt from Heifer’s website.

While passing out meager rations of powdered milk during the Spanish Civil War, Indiana farmer Dan West was distraught when the supply of milk ran out with children still waiting in line. He realized that they needed “not a cup, but a cow.” Families did not need short-term relief, but a continual source of food and income. Heifer International was born from that simple idea. When they stopped fighting, we started feeding. In 1944, the first cows sent abroad were donated by West’s neighbors and distributed in Puerto Rico.

Breaking the Back of Poverty

People like me supply the cash necessary, but in a fun twist, Heifer allows people to choose how they want their money to be spent.

The earliest gift I bought for some family struggling to survive? A small flock of birds; either geese or ducks or chickens. For $20, Heifer not only provided these small feathered creatures, but also trained the families how to take good care of them.

A flock of birds quickly provides an impoverished family with three vital things.

• Eggs:
  • This becomes a reliable source of life-giving protein for the children.
  • The extra eggs produced can be sold, producing a steady income for medicine, clothes, schooling, etc.
• Bird Poop: This daily bird ‘by-product’ produces valuable fertilizer and nutrients, enriching the soil. Vegetable plants grown in enriched soil are healthier which increases the harvest.
• Baby Birds: As the chickens, ducks or geese multiply, more income for the family is generated.

What else does the Heifer Organization Give?

In addition, people can choose to buy other life-altering gifts for impoverished families.

• Goats and sheep.
• Honey bees.
• Cows.
• Llamas, which provide soft wool for knitters.
• Water buffalo.
• Cows.
• Fingerlings or baby fish.
• Fruit trees
• A supply of clean water.
• Biogas stoves.

Heifer International isn’t a Christian ministry. Yet I know this work delights the heart of my God.

Now you know why I consider the simple egg a “hidden treasure.”

All these images came from Pixabay.com.

Resources:

Here’s a link to Heifer International: Farm Animal Donation on the home page.

Check out these 6 personal testimonies about how life has changed for the better in

 “5 Inspiring Women” and “Emmy Rising.”