A Story of Sacrifice

What kind of sacrifice or commitment are you willing to  make in behalf of the business you have

started or want to start? Are you willing to " sleep " with the chickens?

 

Let me tell you about a man named Moses. Moses had a dream and goal to start a

small business, and began by making a plan. The plan was simple, by most standards. He

wanted to raise chickens. But for someone living where a dollar a day was a good day, it wasn't

so simple. He made a list of all the resources and people he would need to help him understand

what it would take to raise and sell chickens. First, he would need money to buy 25 day-old

chicks and enough feed to keep them for six weeks until they could be sold. Moses had done his

homework, and knew that the optimal age to sell chickens was between 6 and 7 weeks old.

 

For months, Moses, his wife and six-month old baby ate only one meager meal a day. He found

odd jobs wherever he could. and saved every "Zim " ( about 5 cents ) to purchase the chicks

Finally after months of sacrifice, perseverance, and dedication, he had the funds to buy 25

chicks. What a happy day! Moses brought the chicks home. He would now have to keep them

warm and fed until they reached the selling age. He had an old tin washtub and some wire. As

small as the chicks were, he could easily contain them in the tub with the wire over the top.

During the day, he would take them outside, but when night came, the chicks came into the

house to sleep with the family. Moses would wake several times during the night to water and

feed the chicks.

 

Everything worked well for the first few weeks, but then the chicks began to grow out of their

tub at an alarming rate. Now they had to be watched 24/7, unable to stay in the tub any longer

Because of the great risk of theft, Moses now became security for his investment. He did what

he needed to do to protect what he had struggled so hard to achieve.  He had made a goal and

plan and he was determined to make it happen! Of course at night, the chickens, no longer small,

fluffy chicks, were herded into the house to spend the night. The nights became very long

with 25 chickens running around, but you can't let them out of your sight day or night. They

were the results of a plan that was working.

 

Moses' house, to say the least, was a mess! But his wife supported him and his plan and knew what

kind of sacrifice had to be made. She tried her best to help with the chickens, while trying

to keep the house clean enough to raise their baby. What a joy it was to get to the end of the

sixth week, and sell all the chickens. Then they started the process all over again, this time

having enough profit to buy 50 chicks! For another six weeks, it now became twice the

challenge. When 100 chicks were purchased, Moses realized that housing had become a huge

problem.

 

Plans were added to the original goal, and some of the profit was used to adapt this growing

enterprise. A chicken coop needed to be built. One hundred chickens in the house at night was

just not working. Moses and friends built a chicken coop behind his house-using scrapes of

building materials. To keep the chickens safe during the night, Moses built a raised bunk into

the side of the coop. The chickens are no longer sleeping in the house, but Moses is sleeping

with his chickens!  Are YOU willing to sleep with the chickens?

 

So this is used to show people that have nothing to start out with. How much and what it takes for

them to start a business. We love you and miss you see you soon. Love mom and dad Grandpa

and Grandma and Elder and Sister Van Sickle