Changing the Atmosphere

My little town on the prairie is a happenin’ place. The announcement of the world’s largest pea protein processing facility opening here, followed by the announcement of Simplot’s plan to double its production, is breathing optimism into the atmosphere. I’m no economic development expert, but it doesn’t take a genius to know the ripple effect means all this good news is only the beginning.

As it should, much praise has been poured out on our municipal councils, city and RM staff, provincial officials, and all involved in making these industrial dreams come true. It takes the efforts of many people working together and putting in long hours to make massive projects reality. We applaud you all!

Today, though, I’d like to suggest there just might be an element to this success that is being overlooked in our media, board rooms, and coffee shops. A catalyst that no one can see. A force at work behind the scenes. Dare I speak of it? Consider the evidence and judge for yourself.

In 2014, my church (Prairie Alliance) embarked on a prayer journey where we discerned what God is calling us to be in our community. This led to the start of 24/7 prayer weeks, where ordinary people sign up to pray in one-hour slots, so that prayers go up around the clock for that week. I’m not suggesting for a minute that ours is the only church praying. A movement is definitely afoot across Portage la Prairie’s community of faith. Ours is simply the one with which I’m familiar.

During these prayer times, folks are given a list of specific things to ask God for. This list would fill three of my blog posts by itself, so I’ll point out a few items as they relate to recent news headlines. You can decide whether a connection exists. 

The list includes a section where we pray for our front-runners. It names our city and RM council members by name, as well as other community leaders. We ask God to deliver our citizens from pessimism to optimism, from a victim mentality to an empowered one; from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset; from fear to joy; from caution to vision. Are you seeing a link?

We’ve been praying for creative partnerships in Portage – for organizations committed to similar goals, that they can leverage resources for greater effectiveness. Have you seen this happening anywhere?

Here’s a sentence lifted right out of the prayer guide:

“Pray for the success of industry and business in Portage; that the resources generated by this success would be poured back into Portage for the good of the city.”

You can call it a coincidence. Or you can call it psychological, that what we pray for we somehow, subconsciously, cause to happen. Or you can consider the lyrics to the Chris Tomlin song we’ve been singing for years, “God of this City,” or the promise of the Bible where it says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) 

However you see it, doesn’t it make you curious to know what else is on that prayer list? It’s not top secret; anyone is welcome to jump on board. Trust me, if you live here, you’re “on the list.” You are being prayed for. Momentum is building. Oh, did I mention the repeating tag line in that song? “For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city…”

Economic Development 101

I’ve never had a head for business. Recently, though, I’ve stumbled upon a very basic and personal lesson in Economic Development—a microcosm of a much bigger machine that keeps roofs over our heads and food on our plates. Feel free to use this if you’re ever teaching a child and maybe it won’t take them as long as it took me.

This small-scale version came to me in the form of an advance payment from the publisher of my first novel. Not a large sum, but since the publisher is in the U.S., the payment was in American dollars—which right now looks a lot better than our own. That’s sad for Canada, but helpful for me—unless you consider that it also drives up the cost of my book for Canadian readers. 

But here’s my point. Those U.S. dollars came right here to me in little ol’ Portage la Prairie. I decide to throw a party to launch the book and I invite 13,000 friends to celebrate with me. (OK, they didn’t all come. Work with me.) I hire a local caterer to make and serve pie. I pay a local paper to promote it. I order a bouquet for the event from a local florist. I hire a local printer to make bookmarks as gifts for my guests. I give part of the profits to a local charity, as well as a tithe to my local church. And naturally, I buy a new outfit for the event. By the time that party’s over, numerous businesses and organizations in town have received a little piece of that money coming into Portage.

See the pattern here? My little event isn’t going to make or break any of those businesses, but when we keep repeating that scenario, it enables us all to live and keep on contributing to our community. 

Mayor Irvine Ferris tells me that a dollar spent in Portage changes hands seven times before it leaves the community. A dollar spent outside the community is simply gone.

“How do we know that’s true?” I asked my hubby. “Who figures these things out?”

His illustration helped me see it. Each community is a bucket. Each has a certain amount being poured into it, and each has leaks at the bottom. When the leakage beats the inflow, the bucket empties, but when the leaks are plugged and more pours in, the bucket will eventually overflow and you’ll need a bigger bucket. Growing communities enjoy a greater inflow than outgo. Simple, right? So simple you might think your purchases can’t help plug those leaks, but they can. Or they can enlarge them, your choice. Are you a leak-maker or a leak-plugger?

I want to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to all the leak-pluggers who came out to celebrate my book launch with me. This community is the best!

I’m working on a second book called Maggie’s War. Whether or not my publisher wants it will depend largely on how the first book does in its first three months. And how the first book does will, apparently, depend at least partly on how many reviews it receives. If you’ve had a chance to read The Silver Suitcase and would recommend it to others, you can leave a review on Amazon.com. Even a two or three sentence review is helpful.

If you’re still looking for a copy, you can buy one at Heritage Books or at our library. And if you missed the party, another launch is happening at McNally Robinson in the Grant Park shopping centre on February 12 at 7:00 pm.