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Using Business to Provide Hope

Using Business to Provide Hope

JULY 11, 2022   |   2 MINUTE READ
MARK DUNBAR, MISSIONARY IN MEXICO


I don’t have anything.
I was born poor; I will die poor.
I have no hope of breaking out of poverty.

These are just a few of the lies that Victor Martinez found himself believing. His wife had died of cancer, requiring him to raise their two teenage children alone. He remarried only to have his new wife leave him after six months. He then fell into a deep depression, which caused him to lose his livelihood as a successful agronomist. The only option he could see before him was to return to his childhood farm in what felt like defeat.

A smiling woman and man behind the counter in a coffee shop

Mark Dunbar with Sandra, another Wired-4-Business alumnus.

Victor’s family saw hope for him, though. His sister encouraged him to join the WIRED 4 Business class I teach through WGM’s Work4aLiving program. Through this program, we seek to help the unemployed find meaningful work, the employed to thrive in their employment, and for small business owners to build long-lasting prosperous businesses. Victor agreed to attend the class and quickly discovered a new way of viewing not only business but his entire life.

A photo of two large tubs of yoghurt next to a photo of two jars of jam and a tub of yoghurt

God is working through Victor’s business to provide a variety of products.

One of the foundational truths of this course is that God is the true owner of our businesses, not us; our role is to steward what He’s given us. When Victor grabbed ahold of this concept, it changed his life. The situations that had been robbing him of peace and rest no longer had the same power over him. He was able to hand them over to God and trust Him with the outcomes. He is a different man than he was when he entered the class. He sleeps better at night and worries less. He emits life, hope, goodness, and beauty into his community.

A photo of the bio-gas creation process next to the bio-gas being used in a gas stove

Victor’s bio-gas innovations are helping farms throughout Mexico.

Through this course, God has given Victor wisdom and opened new doors of opportunity for him. Victor is now productive and thriving, with a business that is branching out into innovative bio-gas production. Not only is he making new strides in his own business, but he is blessing farms throughout Mexico. In Victor’s story, we see God putting kingdom values inside of businesses and lives being transformed as a result.

A variety of nuts, seeds, and granola from Victor’s business

Victor’s business is thriving.

In Work4aLiving, we have found that poverty consists not so much in a lack of resources, but in a way of thinking that produces a lack of resources. This way of thinking can be summarized in one word: hopelessness. God’s intentions for all mankind are freedom to thrive and hope to dream. He has chosen us to participate with Him in this endeavor. Christ’s work on the cross brings us salvation through the pardon of our sins. It is also sufficient to loosen every chain.

Victor is no longer trapped in poverty. More importantly, his entire mindset has changed through the time He has spent studying God’s Word; he has hope for the future and for change in his business and his life. He truly believes that God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10 NLT), and he is now seeking to steward the life that God has blessed him with.

A photo of a smiling man in front of a cow pen with a cow looking over his shoulder next to a photo inside of a house with the man and his two teenage children

The changes in Victor’s outlook are impacting his family.

ACTION STEPS

PRAY: Ask God to continue to bless Victor and the other WIRED 4 Business students. Praise Him for His transformation in their lives and the widespread impact these changes are having on communities and the world. Pray for Him to continue battling the enemy’s lies with His truth.

GIVE: You can help more students find the transformation Victor discovered through his business class. Partner with Work4aLiving to help promote a biblical view not just of business but of the world.

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