Be a good egg

|PIC1|In the English language there are some strange and interesting phrases which we use regularly in day-to-day conversation, but their origin is often unclear. People often use proverbs as words of wisdom without realising that these are Holy Spirit-inspired words from God.

'Still waters run deep' is a powerful piece of wisdom and ideally sums up the situation in Burundi and Rwanda before the genocide of the 1990s and more recently the situation in Kenya, where there was deep seated tension simmering away under an apparently calm status quo.

In direct marketing we talk about 'cold mail' and 'warm mail'. Is one kept in a fridge and does the other burn the postman's fingers?! Then there is the look on a child's face as the exasperated teacher exclaims 'Pull your socks up!' - especially so when the child isn't even wearing socks!

And of course there is the current hot topic of 'good eggs' or 'bad eggs' following a recent TV programme on battery farming. There is no doubt that Jamie Oliver has lit a fuse on this issue.

I find it interesting that we also use the expressions 'good egg' and 'bad egg' when we describe people. I have a friend who often refers to someone who might be disruptive or simply unreliable as a 'bad egg'.

Cookery books recommend that, when baking, each egg is broken into a separate cup just in case one of the eggs is bad. Even if from the outside all of the eggs appear to be good, you can not know for sure until you break it open and see what is on the inside of the protective shell.

At World Emergency Relief we have recently developed a great way to encourage children to develop into 'good eggs'. The 'Be a Good Egg' campaign seeks to engage children in raising money to help buy chickens for families in poorer countries around the world. Not only do the eggs these hens lay ensure that children receive much needed protein in their diet, but also that families can sell any extra eggs and raise money to support their daily needs.

It is a fun way for children in the UK to support their peers in countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. The campaign's being launched in the run up to Easter, when so many of us will enjoy an excess of chocolate eggs, so we will be asking them to give the equivalent cost of a decent Easter egg - about £6.00 - with which we'll be able to supply a chicken that will lay more than 120 real eggs each year.

We have already helped one orphanage caring for over 200 children to buy their own chickens. They now have a veritable chicken farm, with 400 hens laying 300 eggs a day. Some are used in the orphanage's kitchen as part of the children's diet and others are sold, which has raised enough revenue to buy pigs and cows for themselves and poor families in the area. Chickens may be small but they are incredibly useful in a developing country.

So as we strive to be people who are honest and reliable, in essence a 'good egg', let us think how our actions can give real meaning to the words of God. I'm thinking particularly of the proverb: 'Withhold not good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it.' This Easter, why not visit www.beagoodegg.com and discover how you can do good for those who need it through the power of eggs? I look forward to hearing what you think!

About Alex Haxton:

Alex has been Director of Operations at Christian humanitarian agency World Emergency Relief (WER) for the past seven years and before that worked as a consultant to the charity.

His business career was spent in the catering equipment industry for over 20 years before he moved on to Christian ministry which is how he first came to go to Africa.

A few months spent at Roffey Place Christian Centre brought a more radical change than anticipated, and it was there that Alex met a Pastor from Burundi who became a central influence on his life, even to this day.

He has since worked in Christian ministry, which he describes as "a call of God we must not ignore".

It was the work in Burundi and Rwanda, post genocide, which eventually brought Alex into contact with WER as he sought funding for relief and medical work in those countries. He remains heavily involved with humanitarian and development work worldwide through WER.

About World Emergency Relief:

World Emergency Relief is a non-denominational, global fellowship of Christians, working together, and with others, to help people in need. Underlying World Emergency Relief's efforts are God's love for this WORLD He created, the physical, emotional, spiritual, social and economic EMERGENCIES afflicting millions, and the RELIEF we can bring to hurting people, especially children, thanks to God's unending mercy coupled with the generosity of our donors.