Micro Finance

Today I went out with the micro finance ministry site. This is where a group of women are formed to receive a money loan from the SI "bank". They then collectively all pay it back in a structured form by each starting some type of small business. This obviously provides in a way they did have prior to this program.
However the day kinda turned out to be a bit of misc. events. We first went out to a ladies home where she makes candles for her small business and sells them in her little store next to her house. She has been successful in this program started by Students International. We were going to help her make candles but there were already some in the molds and were not cool enough to take out yet. So we agreed to come back later in the afternoon which we did.


Then we went out to the sports site to watch a baseball game that was a big deal. Older teenage guys came from different areas to scrimmage. About 100 people mostly young men came out for the event. Several games were played and afterward a testimony and short bible message was delivered.


At the game a woman showed up who is a part of one of the micro finance groups called a bank and took the opportunity of the crowd to set up her newly purchased BBQ. She sold a lot of hotdogs on a stick along with other side munchies and soda.


Then we finished out the day with a weekly meeting of one of the banks. There the women gather and do a couple worship songs, get a short message from God's word, and then make their deposits to the SI bank and get their loan books updated. It was really neat to see how not just a group of women are being impacted but in reality their entire families. Then the community benefits as well from a stronger economy in these families lives. There are so many practical ways to touch lives and show Christs love at the same time.