For this week’s blog, Sain asked Chris Bond, the Executive Director of Designs For Hope, to share his story and the importance of using our talents to serve others.
There’s an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention. This was definitely the case during major wars. During WWII, ‘synthetic’ rubber was invented due to the military demand of over 800,000 tons annually for the war effort. Similarly, the Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a military innovation that relies on satellites set up by the Department of Defense in the early ’90s. The necessity of “staying alive” is great motivation that often leads to great design. Even in times of peace, the majority of our great modern engineered solutions have been designed and implemented from the necessity to positively impact the good of humanity.
I’m glad I’m an engineer. I’m thankful that God gave me the ability to design, develop, implement, and evaluate projects using critical thinking, technological application, and problem-solving techniques. While it’s a skillset that I’ve honed over the years, it’s safe to say that these are gifts that most engineers are naturally blessed with. After I received my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, I went to work in the automotive industry as a Design and Development Engineer. I loved my job; however, ten years in I began wrestling with a call into a life of international Christian missionary work. I really struggled with this desire as I didn’t want to leave my position as an engineer. At the time, I thought that being an engineer or a missionary were exclusive options…that I had to pick one or the other. Until one day, God told me to “put my hands together.” That’s when the nonprofit ministry of Designs For Hope was born. We created this ministry as a way to use the skills and talents that God gave us (engineering, problem solving, etc.) for the purpose of impacting the most underdeveloped communities around the globe in the name of Christ.
Since 2011, we have implemented over 1,875 projects across 22 countries for over 550,000 people. One of my favorite projects completed this year was a water project in rural Western Uganda to a displaced pygmy tribe. This tribe lives 8,500 feet above sea level on the top of a mountain range. The closest water access is over 1,000 feet below on private land. Our challenge was to find available water access and to pump it vertically using solar power to 7 communities totaling 5,000 people. While these types of projects are implemented in the United States on a daily basis, no one is tackling them in impoverished communities. We are blessed to design for those who have no voice and little resources.
I met elders in these communities, some in their 80’s, who have never had safe water from a tap their entire lives! Everyone we met during that project couldn’t imagine that water could move up a mountain. We were thankful to show them otherwise. In my line of work, necessity is the mother of great solutions. Every project is different, every community is unique, and every life matters. They matter to me, but more importantly, they matter to God.
Designs For Hope wants to partner with you to make more of these projects a reality. Project expenses range from $1,500 to $75,000 and expertise is needed in a wide range of fields. Everyone who is reading this blog has been given gifts. These include your time, talents, and treasures. Consider how you can impact lives around the world by becoming involved in life-saving projects that point some of the most marginalized people to the love of God. See the necessity and engage.
Sain has supported Designs for Hope’s mission over the past several years, and we love partnering with an organization that provides engineering-related products and services that can help change people’s lives.
