When Arnie Melissen, President and General Manager of North West Rubber Mats Ltd., went to Cameroon with his wife and daughter in June of 2000, he did not think he was going on a business trip. Instead, he anticipated taking a break from his business in order to look after the high school children of missionaries, while at the same time experiencing another culture and being a part of the literacy and translation work of Bible translators. While this was true, he also embarked on a business endeavor unlike any other in his career.

After several months in Cameroon , Melissen realized that there was a need in that country for which his 30 years of business experience could be put to use. While living in Yaoundé, the crowded and busy capital city, Melissen saw that there was an obvious discrepancy between the rich and the poor, and that a lack of available employment was a major cause of poverty. A person with a simple job paying the equivalent of $200 a month was able keep his or her family fed and sheltered. However, there are simply not enough people willing to invest in a country that is so economically corrupt and impoverished. Any investment would be a financial risk that a smart businessperson would be foolish to take.

Melissen realized, however, that until more people begin to take risks by investing in Cameroon , the country will never be able to move toward economic stability, and it is the millions of Cameroonian families who will continue to suffer. He contacted a member of the Cameroonian Association for Bible Translation and Literacy (CABTAL) and together they discussed the possibility of creating an income-generating project. After the purchase of a piece of property comprised of eight building lots, Red Barn Resources was born. Its name illustrated a connection to the “Red Barn Stall Mat,” North West Rubber's original product, which was sold to the agriculture market throughout North America . A contractor was soon hired to begin a building project, and he and his employees soon began to work. In May of 2003, a housing facility of four one- and two- bedroom units was completed.

The income generated from renting the facility goes to CABTAL, and to the CABTAL employee responsible for managing it. This project also provided the funds for the publication of the Gospel of Matthew into the Meta language in May of 2005. Red Barn Resources operates with the goal of providing employment as well as Bible Translation and literacy to Cameroonians, and there is no doubt that these goals are being accomplished.

In making this investment, Melissen shows that some risks are worth taking. While Red Barn Resources hasn't changed the world, or even the country of Cameroon , it has changed individual lives by providing employment, as well as hope and pride. Red Barn Resources proves that a good investment doesn't have to be a particularly profitable one.

Jacqueline Donkersloot