Into Africa??? NO WAY DUDE!!!

So I spoke to a friend of mine last night and was completely baffled by what I was told.  He's studying to become an engineer and as such he needs to complete a senior project.  So I'm sitting there thinking he's going to be building some solar powered candy cane maker or something of the sort when he throws me a complete curve ball.

"Well, I went to some meeting about this sugar making thing that needs to get designed and....well... hopefully by winter break I'll be going to Mali."

Note: This guy isn't Africa inclined, I recall several conversations where he would complain about Christians constantly going to and talking about Africa and that people just need to get over Africa.

Apparently he's joined a program that's funded through the Peace Corps in hopes of creating a juicer that will get sugar out of the sorghum plant.  The plan is to construct the juicer out of materials that are efficient and abundant in Mali.  After juicing the plant, the liquid can go through a process (hey I'm gonna be a 3rd grade teacher so I dunno all this jargon) that will solidify it into sugar, which is a pretty hot item in regards to trade.

If all goes well they'll be able to teach people how to make and operate the machines and then sell the sugar to make money for food, shelter, education, whatever.  The best part is that the idea is to create something that will make the people of Mali self-sufficient in trade and manufacturing.

I'M SO STOKED BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BLUE FOR THIS GUY TO BE PARTICIPATING IN!

I can't help but be a cheeseball by thinking of the line from that song Through Heaven's Eyes

"No life can escape being blown about 
By the winds of change and chance 
And though you never know all the steps 
You must learn to join the dance"

It has been a year since being "over Africa" and all of a sudden there was this change in him... and now he could be well on his way to changing tons of lives for the better.  This is a crazy example of how God can use the most unlikely characters as part of a great story.

STOKED.