Holding our Plans Loosely

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” — Proverbs 16:9

Over the years, we have made a lot of plans in Ghana. Some have worked better than we could have imagined. Others have taught us important lessons, and some have needed to change as the circumstances around us changed. We believe planning is important, but Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that our plans should always be held with open hands. Sometimes God leads us forward by opening a new opportunity, and other times He helps us recognize that it is time to change direction.

That has been the theme of several recent conversations with Edward, our director of Two Pennies Africa. As we look toward the coming year, we are asking not simply, “What did we plan to do?” but, “What are we learning, and where is God providing opportunities now?”

From Pigs to Chickens

For several years, raising pigs has been one of the businesses we have experimented with in Kwameng. We have learned a great deal through the process, but it has become increasingly clear that the costs and challenges of raising pigs are not producing the results we had hoped for. Chickens, on the other hand, have been easier to sell locally and appear to offer a better opportunity.

So rather than continuing something simply because it was part of our original plan, we are phasing out the pigs and increasing our focus on chickens. We want to put our resources toward what seems to be working best in the community. That isn't abandoning the plan; it is part of learning to allow God to establish our steps.

A New Opportunity at the Two Pennies Store

We are also beginning to think differently about how the Two Pennies Store might serve the community. One of our plans has been to develop a kitchen where someone could prepare and sell food. Finding the right person to operate that kitchen, however, has proven difficult. Our conversations with Edward have led us to consider another possibility.

Many people in Kwameng prepare food and other items to sell in the morning. After a few hours, they often need to leave and return to their farms or other work. They may still have food to sell, but they no longer have the opportunity to stay and sell it. What if the Two Pennies Store could help? Local people could potentially bring food or other products they have already prepared to the store, where we could continue selling those items for them, with the proceeds shared between the individual and the store.

This could allow someone to earn additional income from work they are already doing while also making food and other locally produced items available for more of the day. It is still an idea we are developing, but it reflects another Scripture that has shaped much of what we hope Two Pennies can become:

“Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” — Philippians 2:4

We don't want the Two Pennies Store simply to be our business. We want to ask how the resources God has entrusted to us can create opportunities for others.

The back of our store

Listening for the Next Step

In many ways, this is what development looks like for Two Pennies. We don't arrive in Ghana assuming that we already know every answer. We try something, listen, learn, talk with Edward and our Ghanaian leaders, watch what is happening in the community, and then adjust.

Sometimes that means expanding something that is working. Sometimes it means letting go of something that isn't. And sometimes it means discovering that something we built for one purpose can become an opportunity for someone else.

We will continue to make plans for Two Pennies, but we also want to hold those plans loosely—trusting God, listening to the people around us, and being willing to take the next step He puts before us.

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”