"What good is it, my brothers," James, the brother of Jesus asks in his letter, "if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"

    Hmmmm. So, Jesus calls Christians to "have works" in His name. Very well, but is any guidance given as to these works?

    Indeed it is. Only a few verses before his question, James advises that "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions…"

    That’s a tall order for me. I only know two widows, and both of them are well off as a result of their husbands’ prudent investments. And I’ve never visited an orphanage, though I have two adopted sons. Frankly, if I ever did make such a visit, I’m afraid I’d want to adopt every one of the kids!

    So how does a sincere Christian "visit widows and orphans"? Clearly, James was writing in a time when such ministrations literally meant life or death. Widows and orphans were not covered by any kind of social security system then. If they had been, Naomi would not have required a kinsman redeemer and Ruth would not have appeared in the lineage of our Lord Jesus.

    But "widows and orphans" still abound. We just have to look a bit afield for them. One place where such people exist in abundance, at least symbolically, is the jungles of Africa. For centuries, it has been the custom for women there to gather firewood and cook food over open fires while the men engage in other activities (sadly, much of which is sitting and watching the women work, but that’s another story). As time has gone by, the nearby forests for miles have been stripped of available firewood. This requires the women to walk dozens of miles each day in order to glean what wood they can find, only to walk the same long path back to their village with a few meager sticks balanced on their head. Cooking, tending to the children, and a few hours sleep before repeating the dreary routine for the next day’s cooking is the only life they know.

    The problem is exacerbated when the rainy season comes. Now the cooking fires must be made inside the mud-walled huts where the family lives. There is always a hole in the roof to allow some smoke to get out, but inevitably the hut becomes filled with choking clouds of dense smoke. The blackened walls inside the huts testify to the damaged lungs of the inhabitants. The statistics regarding instances of black lung disease, stunted growth, and susceptibility to disease from compromised cardiovascular systems among such people are truly horrifying.

    But now there is technology which virtually eliminates both of these problems. Solar ovens, which use the powerful rays of the sun for heat energy, allow an African woman to stay at home where she can cook, tend to her children, and add to the richness of her culture without having to invest many hours each day trekking off looking for firewood. Moreover, there is no smoke with solar ovens; hence no smoke damage.

    Solar ovens can be as simple as a black metal pot with a lid encased in a thick polyethylene bag to trap and magnify the sun’s rays or as complicated as a parabolic dish, much like a satellite TV receiver, which focuses the sun’s rays from 360 degrees down onto a black metal pot. The most cost-effective solar oven is a relatively simple stainless steel box with movable metal sides which can be positioned to provide maximum reflection of sunlight onto a black metal pot inside the box.

    Solar ovens are amazingly efficient. The best of them, operating on a sunny afternoon anywhere within thirty degrees of latitude north or south of the equator, can generate heat up to 285 degrees. That’s enough to bake bread, cook a stew, and thoroughly pasteurize milk and water—which is critical to eliminate the ever-present danger of worms, harmful bacteria, and hepatitis A viruses.

    So what does this have to do with widows and orphans? A group of Minneapolis-based Christians has founded the Solar Oven Society, an IRS-approved 501(3)(c) organization whose mission and ministry is to provide solar ovens to poor natives such as our African friends. The Solar Oven Society is dedicated to seeing that needy people in sun-rich, fuel-poor countries improve their health, nutrition, finances (through better use of time now available for small industry), and environment. The simple act of writing a check to the Society is a direct and highly effective means of "visiting widows and orphans in their affliction".

    Think what could happen if a corporation or institution adopted this exciting technology as a means of outreach to the peoples of Africa. Suddenly "hands across the sea" would be more than a line from a Paul McCartney song. Such a magnanimous gesture could literally transform a nation. Moreover, if the gift of solar ovens is delivered in the name of Jesus Christ, we could see many, many new African brothers and sisters in the kingdom of heaven with us for the joyous eons of eternity. What could be a better crown to lay at our King’s feet?

    Call the Solar Oven Society at 612-623-4700. Ask to speak to Lee. I did, and I greatly enjoyed the conversation. She’s been to Kenya with solar ovens and showed the native people the vast benefits of transforming their culinary habits using solar cooking. I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to join her in this fruitful ministry.

Next week: how to partner a thriving business in Afghanistan for $25.

Posted by Hale Meserow

April 10, 2007