I pursue you, Jesus, so that I may be caught by you.
I press in so that I may know your heart.
I stay close so that I may be like you.
Loving Lord, grant me:
purity of heart,
humility of soul,
integrity of life,
charity for all.
Richard Foster, Prayers from the Heart
We loaned some money to two families in Peru a while back through Kiva. And, I thought you might like an update. They’ve each paid me back a little over four bucks! That’s cool because it means these two families have been able to build their businesses enough to start repaying the loans they received!
If you are unfamiliar with Kiva, it’s really quite simple. You loan 25$ to the working poor to help them start or build their small business. They use your money to make repairs or buy new equipment or any number of things. Once they start making money, they begin paying back the loan. You can read a lot more about it here.
Sophia is Peruvian. Actually, she is a Peruvian citizen and a U.S. citizen. She was born in Lima, Peru and lived the first 5 months of her life there. So, she got an alpaca for Christmas. Alpacas are indigenous to Peru and Ecuador. (For more on our life in Peru, visit the archives.)
Where does one get an Alpaca? Here, of course! So, I guess you’ve figured out that she didn’t actually get an Alpaca. But, somebody in Peru or Ecuador is going to get one from Sophia.
We thought it would be an appropriate crescendo to our anticipation (see advent calendar), using our resources to labor alongside Jesus to bring hope to one of Sophia’s fellow Peruvians.
Kiva was recently featured on Oprah, CNBC’s “Business Tonight” and was also mentioned in Bill Clinton’s latest book. There is a lot of junk on the internet, but at the same time it can be used in amazing ways by God. I think Kiva is one of them.
Here is Kiva’s description:
We let you loan to the working poor
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can “sponsor a business” and help the world’s working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you’ve sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.
So, I decided to jump in. I mean, what’s 25$ anyway? I’ll spend that on a book and not think twice about it. I found a woman in Pucallpa, Peru to support. She is seeking a 350$ loan to fix up the moto-taxi you see there in the background. Having ridden many times in one of those bad boys, I feel especially invested. Let me know if you decide to loan to her too. That would be pretty cool. Here’s the link to her profile.
