Be 1 of the 106!

I pulled up to Judy's house and hopped off my bike.  Dust came billowing out of her house as men were tearing down some old parts of her house.  Judy had talked for awhile about remodeling her house but I had no idea she was planning to do it this quickly.  I walked in and found Judy in the kitchen joyfully telling one of the neighbor ladies all about her plans for the house and what the upcoming weeks would hold.  While the plans were not grandiose, Judy was excited to have a house of block instead of old, rotting wood.  With a gift from a family member, some money they had saved, and a small loan from the Microfinance Site, Judy's dream of finishing her house is finally becoming a reality.

Dania, her husband, Julio, and I sat at the table in their living room drinking Dominican coffee and reading what scripture had to say about finances.  Afterward, we pulled out some paper and I helped Julio and Dania form a budget for the first time in their lives.  It wasn't pretty as we finished the budget and it told an unwanted truth.  Julio had lost his job 8 months ago and their family was making $200 a month with the income from her small business and the random part time work he had found.  We sat down, made cuts, made a new plan, and committed ourselves to being disciplined.  It was a tough evening but with a little help from the Microfinance Site, organized finances are finally becoming a reality for Julio and Dania.

Honestly, I could list story after story of the ways that the Microfinance Site has been helping, motivating, and ministering to families in just the last month.  Some of them would be exciting such as Judy's remodeled house and some of them would be disheartening like Julio y Dania's situation.  However, in both stories, I can assure you that growth is happening.  One is easy to accept, the other kind of growth hurts!

While we are encouraged by the stories of "growth" in our associates lives, the Microfinance wants to see more.  We believe in what we do and how we do it and we want to impact more people.  As a result, we have made it our goal to start five more banks within the next near in order that we may reach more people.  Ryan Holloway (Previous Director), Miriam, myself and countless others have put in a lot of hard work just to be able to arrive at this point.

However, we need your help!

In order to make this dream a reality.  We will need to raise US$20,000 for our site.  We need fourteen thousand for future loans as well as an additional six thousand to cover the costs of a new employee while we get the banks up and running.  The best news is with a 100% repayment rate, your gifts toward future loan capital can be recycled over and over again.  While raising US$20,000 might sound hard, perhaps impossible, Henry Ford once said that "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs."

So lets try it and see what happens!

60 people at $50   = $3,000

30 people at $100 = $3,000

12 people at $500 = $6,000

3 people at $1000 = $3,000

1 person at $5000 = $5,000

                              $20,000

All we need is 106 willing people to partner with us.  

How can I be one of the 106?

There are three simple ways that you can help!

1. Spread the word:  Tell people about the Microfinance Site here in the Dominican Republic and the incredible things that God is doing here.  Copy the web address above and post this blog to your facebook wall.
2. Plan an Event: Events are a great way to raise awareness and money for things you believe in.  Make it a Sunday School project at your church or if your a young student, go to your student council and make it a class project.  Get creative and start helping!
3. Give a One Time Gift:  Click on the link below and make a donation to the MF Site through Students International's website.  Consider making a gift using the giving chart above.
4. Give Monthly:  Think about making a commitment to support the Microfinance throughout the next year.  Instead of simply being one of the 106, commit to giving for a year and be 12.  Use the link below to make an electronic gift each month or contact me at ericmiller3725@gmail.com in order to make an electronic fund transfer every month right from your bank account.

       Click here to give online!

Thanks so much for your past, present, and future contributions to the MF Site.  As a ministry, we truly feel blessed to have hundreds of partners all over the United States that pray, support, and care for our needs.  If you want to know more about myself or what we do, check out the Students International or Microfinance pages listed above.  Also feel free to contact me at ericmiller3725@gmail.com.