Jesus is Enough

I sat out back at Rosa's table as she cried and shared with me all of the difficulties going on in her life. Financial difficulties, relationship problems with her husband and sons, and health issues. Having worked with people from these communities for over two years now, I have learned that I have very little that can fix their problems. So I sit...and I listen...and I pray. I pray that Rosa's family would find consistent income. I pray that her husband would step up and lead their family. But mostly, I pray that these difficult circumstances would lead Rosa to know that God is enough.

As we continue to talk, a lady named Estela from a nearby community walks in. She sits. She smiles. Her eyes sparkle as if she is hiding something from us. But she is dirty and sweaty from walking the hot dusty roads pushing her wheelbarrow, selling vegetables. She slouches when she sits as if she is too tired to hold herself up anymore. Selling vegetables out of a wheelbarrow wouldn't exactly be a job I'd suggest for any 55 year old woman. Yet she gently asks us how we are doing and then calls for Rosa's granddaughter, Johanna. She comes running up as Estela pulls two pairs of gently used shoes out from behind her back. Johanna tries them on, says thank you and runs off like most 5 year old children do. As I watched Estela joyfully give those shoes away, I couldn't help but notice that she didn't even have shoes that fit her. She had been walking around all day on the backs of her shoes because her own shoes were too small. I asked her if she had another pair for herself. She didn't. Rosa informed me that she had shown up at her house a few days before but barefoot. I was shocked. What kind of person walks around giving away necessary things when they don't even have them themselves? Yet to be honest, I knew the answer. I'd met Estela several times before and she is the rare type of person that doesn't do much else but sing or talk about Jesus. For her, Jesus is enough.

To be honest, next to Estela's faith, mine feels small.

But I hope that in both the good times and bad, that I too, much like Estela, will be able to say that Jesus is enough.

MiBanco Quarterly - 2nd Quarter 2014

MiBanco Quarterly - 1st Quarter 2014

Microfinance Newsletter 2014-Q1

Choosing Love

"YO SOY TERCERO, MICROFINANZA ES MAS QUE DINERO!"

Over the past three months I have heard that phrase repeated over and over again at bank meetings.  It is the new slogan at the Microfinance site and it simply means "I am third, Microfinance is more than just money." and we took it from Matthew 22:36-40 where Jesus essentially tells us that all of the other laws can be summed up as loving God with everything that we have and loving those around us. Since day one at the Microfinance Site, we have continually emphasized that we are more than just a banking institution. Gains in wealth can be helpful especially for the poor but they can never sustain true joy.  Love sustains joy and true love can only come from God. 

While our new slogan is short and easy to learn, the process of learning to love God and others well is anything but simple.  In fact, coming to a common census of what love even is can be quite difficult.  Recently, Miriam started a bible study over the concept of love and she opened the first study with a simple question.  What is love?  The answers that we got from each group and each women varied greatly but I was especially impacted by a comment that one of our associates, Judy, gave.  She said that love isn't true when we do nice things for people without really feeling like doing it. It is an unauthentic love.  It was easy for Miriam and I to explain to the group that "feelings of love" are part of what love is but that biblical love is something much deeper than just feelings.  It is a sacrificial love.  It is a decision.  However, I couldn't help but think how infrequently Judy probably sees this type of love truly modeled.  Our culture cries out that the key to freedom and love is to follow our whims, desires, and cravings.  It says that love is a thrill, a delight, an adventure.  It says that love is about MY feelings.

As a young guy working in a culture that is different than my own and in communities with different socio-economic factors than my own, I have been thinking about how choosing love almost always leads to feelings of love.  When I was in high school and college, a majority of my friends or people that I loved were people that I naturally had feelings of love for.  Many times that meant that we had common interests that drew us together.  While my love for them in no way was unauthentic, I didn't really find myself loving people that were much different than me.

  

However, as I have lived and worked here in the Dominican Republic, my natural feelings of love have much less often drawn me into relationships.  My decisions to love have.  (Or maybe it would be better to say that my ministry obligations have.) Every week as part of my job, I have gone and spent time with a lot of broken people, met their families, listened to their problems, and tried to serve them well.  However, an amazing thing has happened slowly over the past two years and four months as I have worked with people who for many might seem needy and unattractive.  My feelings of love (most days) have caught up with my obligation or decision to love which is a very beautiful thing. As I go and visit Ramona, the coordinator of the first bank that Ryan started almost five years ago, my affections of love for her are that of a son visiting his mother.  As I sit and shell beans with Martin and Rosa, I serve them because I feel a certain type of fondness for their family.  And as I walk into Frankely's house, I joke around with him not to try and cheer him up but because I feel that he is a close friend and brother.  

Actions of love for others will always lead to feelings of affection for others.

I'm not saying that I have learned to love perfectly or that my affections of love for each one of my associates don't wax and wane.  I still have days where I wake up and because I don't feel like loving, I don't.  I know that I still have a ways to go, much like all of us, as I learn to DECIDE to love God and love others the way that Christ has loved us.  For he did not come down from heaven for the thrill, the delight, or the adventure of loving something beautiful, he came to give himself up for the broken, the ugly, and the unlovely.  Jesus loved and loves us not because we are worthy of love but because He is love and it is part of his character.  May we root ourselves in Jesus' love and may we CHOOSE daily to make that love part of our character.

Please continue to pray each of our MiBancos as we continue to teach about loving God and loving others.  Pray that they may experience love through the MF ministry and that it would ultimately lead them to the author of perfect love, Jesus.

MiBanco Quarterly - 4th Quarter 2013

Microfinance Newsletter 2013-Q4

It Might Be Personal But It's Not Private

For those of us who have grown up in church or who have worked in Christian ministry, it is easy to throw out Christian cliches without really thinking about the words coming out of our mouths  When someone is hurting or going through a rough time we say, "I'll be praying for you." or "Don't worry. God is in control."  When getting together in a group we might say it is for a time of "fellowship" or we might sit around and give a "praise report".  When someone becomes a Christian, we have phrases like "born again" or "asked Jesus into my heart", or "saved" to describe the conversion experience.  In all honesty, I don't have a big problem with the words themselves.  Sometimes the phrases help us quickly describe a complicated event or issue.  However, I wonder if we don't throw out these cliches without even reflecting on the intended meaning.

Recently, I was at a bible study when someone in the group used the phrase "personal relationship". Normally, I have always liked the saying "personal relationship"  as I thought of it in terms of having a living, breathing relationship with God of the universe and not just following a set of rules or traditions. Yet somehow I wonder if over the years the meaning behind "personal relationship" hasn't changed  or become hazy over time.  I wonder if we haven't often changed the phrase to private relationship with Christ.  We do our devotionals alone with God, we go to a quite place to pray, and we go to church to spend time with others who want to keep their relationships private too.  We think being with other believers is good and healthy but not something that is vital and necessary to the health of our most important relationship.  We get together with others and we talk about things like food, sports, or the new things that are happening at work.  After all, talking about how awesome the cheese dip is or how great the National Championship game was is far less scary than sharing the struggles of a relationship. There is nothing inherently wrong with either cheese dip or a National Championship game.  In fact, I love them both and will continue to passionately talk about them.  We just too often use those topics to distract us from the greater things in life.

God made us for something much bigger than a private relationship.  Jesus called us to have a living, vibrant, personal relationship with the Father but also to be part of a people that has a living vibrant relationship with God.  After all, when Jesus walked the earth, he didn't hole himself up in a cave for three years praying and fasting to the Father.  No, he walked the earth eating and hanging out with people.  He went fishing with his followers, he took time to be with kids, and he celebrated big events in people's lives like weddings.  His disciples lived in community together, went through literal storms together, and while it doesn't say in scripture, I can only imagine they debriefed together after Jesus did some other weird thing they didn't understand.  "Hey Pete, did you see Jesus heal that blind guy by spitting in his face?  You don't think he's gonna spit in my face at some point do you?"

The older I become, the more I realize how desperately we need community in order to run hard after Jesus.  And community doesn't just mean being surrounded by people. In the DR, life is based on relationships. They are extremely important.  Entering a room without personally greeting someone is practically a Cardinal sin.  Yet interesting enough, when it comes to privatizing their relationship with Christ or the lack thereof, most of them are just like us.  Scared that we might get hurt.  So despite understanding my desperate need for community, I must confess that much too often, I too privatize my relationship with God.  In my head I'm protecting myself from hurt, but in reality I'm just trading a living exciting and personal relationship with God for a stagnant, boring and private relationship.  And while that trade makes sense in my head, on paper it seems really stupid.

MiBanco Quarterly - 3rd Quarter 2013

Microfinance Newsletter 2013-Q3

MiBanco Quarterly - 2nd Quarter 2013

Microfinance Newsletter 2013-Q2

What Message Are We Preaching?

"There is no way that Eric is a Christian."

I turned and looked at Frankely, a 22 year old with a severe spinal injury that has left him bed ridden and wondered if I had understood him correctly.  After all, I frequently visited Frankely, one of my bank associates son's, and would often pray for him before leaving.  Who did he think I was praying too?

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Well you just don't act like most Christians that I know" He responded.  "You don't wear the right clothes and you like to joke around a lot."

We continued talking and soon Frankely's brother joined in telling me how he used to be a Christian.  I asked him what had happened and why he doesn't consider himself a Christian anymore.  Sadly, he explained to me how he was publicly humiliated in front of his church for a pair of "demon" jeans that he had been wearing. He was so ashamed, he vowed to never go back.

As I left Frankely's house that day, I was challenged by his and his brother's perception of a Christian.  It was obvious that the members of the local church had missed it and in some ways I had missed it too.

WHAT MESSAGE ARE WE PREACHING?

I have been reading a book called "Creature of the Word" by Matt Chandler and he talks about this idea of preaching.  Literally, in the Greek to preach means "to proclaim as a herald."  All of us, whether we admit it or not, are heralding or proclaiming a message in the way that we live our lives.  Some proclaim joy, some proclaim despair, and some proclaim that power, money, and fame are the pinnacle of human life.

It was clear in Frankely's case that some local church members were proclaiming a message of good behavior and conformity to a list of rules.  If you read the Gospels, you see that message proclaimed a lot by the Pharisees.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure that that they were simply doing what they thought was best and hoping to edify the church by casting out "sin" but the message they proclaimed lacked grace that flows from a heart centered on what Jesus had done for them.  Their message was missing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As I reflected on the message I had been proclaiming, I realized that I had been visiting Frankely for months now and hadn't once started a conversation about Jesus.  I had been praying for him and assuming that through prayer, my message would be proclaimed.  Don't get me wrong, prayer is a powerful tool and God can do some pretty cool work when we pray BUT my message was incomplete.  My message was missing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So while I have been enjoying my visits with Frankely and with his brother, the next time I go, my desire is to proclaim a message actually worth sharing.  It isn't just a message that prayer is good but a message that saves.  A message that sanctifies.  It is a message that speaks of the good news of Jesus.

MiBanco Quarterly - Thanks

Last September, the Microfinance Site embarked on a journey to start five more micro-banks in the surrounding communities of Jarabacoa. We had written a road map to help us navigate to our final destination but we also understood that we would not be able to get there on our own. We would have to trust that the Lord would provide others who could help us as we slowly trekked along our way.
Since we took off on that journey, we have been able to raise $13,486 of our $20,000 goal and most recently hired a lady named Puny to help start the new banks.

While our journey is far from over, it has been awe-inspiring to witness the way that many of you have generously provided a cold cup of water when we have needed it most. Thank you so much for all the notes of encouragement that you have sent, for lifting us up in prayer, and for the ways that you have given financially to our ministry. You have been a powerful reflection of the generous and gracious King we serve. Thanks!

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this. Everything comes from you and we have only given to you what comes from your hand.”
- 1 Chronicles 29:14

Good Isn't Always Pleasing

Josiah and I cruised along the coast enjoying the ocean breeze awaiting our relaxing day at the beach.  The day had gotten off to a rocky start as my car overheated coming up the mountain and we discovered that my hood latches were broken.  But eventually the car cooled down, we found a strong rope to tie down the hood, and we continued on toward the beach.  The unexpected hiccup in our trip was slightly frustrating but I quickly forgot about it as my mind focused on our final destination.  The past month had been stressful for me and all I could think about was lying in a hammock with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.  I could spend the day sleeping, reading, and relaxing.  It would be a day of rest.  A good day!

CRASH!!!  Tiny shards of glass showered down over Josiah and me.  I slammed on my brakes and instinctively threw my head out the window.  We screeched to a halt as the hood of my car finished shattering my windshield before crashing back down to its original location.  I sat in the car for a few seconds stunned and clarifying in my mind that the hood of my car had actually just ruined my perfect beach day.  I stepped out of the car and assessed the damage.  The windshield was shattered.  The hood was no longer usable unless you wanted it for a tea cup.  I stood there and laughed.  I laughed not so much out of joy, frustration or anger but because it simply capped the most ridiculous month ever.  The month had already held a new roommate from Nicaragua, dealing with a stolen iPod, finding a new place to rent, preparing to move, moving, housing contract issues, living in limbo for a week, house hunting once again, moving back to the old apartment, having some money stolen, and hiring a new employee at the site.  All I wanted was one day of rest and peace before short term outreaches started coming to work.  Instead, I spent most of the day sitting at the mechanic watching them take off my windshield and thinking about all the money this was going to cost me.

"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"   Romans 8:28

I memorized this verse as a counselor at Bible Memory Camp about 5 years ago and for whatever reason, the verse has always stuck with me.  Maybe I remember it so vividly since it has a feel good message and it makes life seem like it will only hold pleasing things.  However, reflecting more deeply on the events of the past month, I start to really wonder what Paul meant when he wrote that God works for the GOOD of those who love him.  It surely didn't seem like God was working for my good throughout the last month.  It was hard.  I was tired.  Nothing in my life seemed stable or established.

However, throughout all the chaos of the last month, one thing is certain, I ran to the Lord more often than normal.  Sometimes I went and begged for help.  Sometimes I went overwhelmed and feeling abandoned.  Sometimes I went frustrated and ready to fight.  And sometimes I simply went to just be.

While some of the issues and problems have been resolved from the last month, I still feel tired and uneasy.  Running to the Lord time and time again didn't fix everything.  I'm still unclear of what life will hold for me tomorrow, or the next month, or even the next year.  I know there will be much better months and I'm sure some months will be much worse.  However, one thing that God has continued to teach me is that his promises are true despite my perceptions.  God is working for my good.  Good and pleasing moments in this life will come and God desires that I would have them but my good isn't just wrapped up in fleeting moments such as those.  The good moments are when we run to him!  For there is only one thing that is truly good and it is Christ, the Lord, the King of Kings!

"And You Will Know That I Am The Lord"

Martha McLeod spent two weeks at the MF Site last fall!  She has come back as an intern this Spring and God is using her organizational and administrative skills to impact lives in the Dominican Republic.  Here is part of her story!

Interning at the Microfinance Site this spring has been an unexpected blessing from the Lord.  I first came in November on a two-week outreach, and it was a joy to see God open all the doors for me to come back so soon!  But sometimes I wonder if he really had this planned all along, because he certainly never passed along the memo to learn Spanish.  The last month and a half has been a lot of things, but among them, it has been a crash course in Spanish.  For me, one of the hardest things about learning this language is when there are two words to express something that we only have one of in English.  Examples include the two verbs to be: "ser" and "estar." Even more difficult is the distinction between "por" and "para," which are both translated as for.  But then I think about all the wildly irregular things in English, and I offer a prayer of gratitude to the Lord that at least it's Spanish I'm learning.

Another example of this is the two words meaning to know: "saber" and "conocer."  Recently I have been thinking a lot about knowing, or rather, the idea of being known.  When it comes down to it, one of the deepest desires of my heart is to be known.  I want to be genuinely understood, probably because being known is so closely linked to being loved, or at least the two mean a lot more in tandem.  As I reflect on all of this, I think it is a significant part of why I love working at the Microfinance Site, and at Students International in general.  People here really understand me, and honest conversations abound.  It is easy to be genuine, and there is just a lot of love and encouragement, even a midst the unavoidable conflict and frustration.  Even in my short time here, I am known. 

Right now, I am working my way through the book of Ezekiel.  It is the current step in a study of the prophets that started about a year ago.  The last twelve months have revealed so many of the manifold riches of the Old Testament, but oftentimes, it's still hard to identify with the details of a time and place so far removed from my own.  Then out of nowhere, God reveals another gem.  In chapter six of Ezekiel, I started to notice this refrain: "... and then you will know that I am the LORD."  I guess it shouldn't surprise me that it is a desire of the Lord's to be known as well.  When I think about things terms of his desire (even his fight) to be known, a lot of those things about the Old Testament that seem so puzzling start to make more sense.  God is very willing to destroy things in the temporal realm in order to bring people to the eternal knowledge of him.  He is willing to do anything to be known, because if we really knew him, we would love him.  To realize that my desires are so similar to God's in this way feels sort of odd, but understanding some of these nuances of being an image bearer allows me to grasp things about God, and how I should relate to him, just a little bit better.  And for that, I am grateful.

As Miriam said to our new students this morning during orientation, what sets apart our microfinance organization from others is the fact that we share the truth of God's love with our bank associates and disciple them through life.  But what is discipleship?  I keep returning to one definition that is so simple yet so profound: to know Christ and make him known.  In that way, discipleship fits in with the character of God displayed throughout the Bible.  It has been a privilege to witness this in the work of the Microfinace Site the past several weeks.  I see our ministry daily declaring God's love, but what is beautiful is that it comes from the deep well of  Eric and Miriam's personal experience of that love.  They know Christ, and they are making him known.  

I pray it is a blessing to the heart of God to look down on this little island and see their faithfulness as his disciples, making disciples.    

The MF Site wants to continue to bring students and the poor together for the glory of God.  Consider being 1 of the 106 and be a part of what God is doing here in the Dominican Republic!

Faithfulness: A Big Word for Small Things

Every January brings about a new year that is generally filled with hope for change.  Generally,  this hope for change can be seen through a list of.......wait for it......RESOLUTIONS!  In all honesty, resolutions are a good thing and they generally motivate us to get up off the couch and do something (albeit in some cases it is only for a few days).

However, this year instead of writing just resolutions, a group of friends from college and I recently decided to write an impossible list (life goal list) inspired by our good friend Joel Runyon's "Blog of Impossible Things".  His blog is well done and the idea is fairly simple.  Step 1:  Pick something you previously thought was impossible.  Step 2:  Go do it.

As I made my list and as I started thinking about what impossible things I wanted to cross off in the year to come, I had to analyze more than just my desire to cross it off.  I had to think about mostly the small things.  Doing 100 push-ups in a row isn't a one time event that lasts for 2 minutes.  It is an event that is several months long full of small things.  Making a training schedule.  Breaking it down into small steps and then fulfilling it even when it is not the most convenient.  It could be a morning I would rather just stay in bed or an evening when I would rather just go to sleep.  (Those are not just examples but literally my two biggest temptations.)  20 push-ups here and another 20 push-ups there.  In reality, I wasn't just committing to doing 100 push-ups but being faithful to all the small things.

As I started to think more about my eternal goals and less vain goals such as doing 100 push-ups in a row, I realized that my relationship with God wasn't much different.  Maintaining an intimate relationship with him is almost never about doing big things but small things like spending time reading the word, talking with Him, and doing the ordinary, everyday things that he asks.

This past week, God showed me the principle first hand as Rosa, one of our Microfinance clients, accepted Christ for the first time.  Seeing people come to a relationship with the God of the universe and their creator is our ultimate goal at the Microfinance Site.  Seeing it happen is a BIG thing.  However, it happened on a Wednesday morning just like any other.  Miriam, my coworker went to visit her, share with her, and show her Christ's love.  It was something she had done numerous times before.  As Mother Teresa would say, it was a morning of doing  "small things with great love". Yet God used the small things to do something big.  It was faithfulness.


"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you: bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart."

-Proverbs 3:3-


Consider being part of the "Be 1 of the 106" fundraising campaign at the Microfinance Site and help 5 new communitiespf Jarabacoa hear the gospel for the first time as well as receive fair financial resources!    If you would like to make a tax free donation to the MF Site, simply click here or see the support tab at the top of this blog for more options!

The "Momtain" Miracle

I pressed down on the clutch and shifted into first gear.  The truck slowly lurched forward and I double checked that my dirt bike was tied down securely in the mirror as Villa Vasquez slowly began disappearing behind us.  I heard the voice of the police officer behind me casually say,

"You should have brought a rope so you could hang yourself."

Slightly shocked at such a cruel comment, I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the sad, scowl of the handcuffed man sitting in my backseat.  Defeated, he sat silently without even a glance in his direction.  I shifted my weight in my seat, prepared myself for the long three hour drive, and tried to wrap my mind around all that had happened in the last several days.

Three days earlier, I had come to work as always and parked my dirt bike in the motorcycle parking lot.  I climbed the stairs to my office, brewed a pot of coffee, and sat down at my desk for a morning full of office work.  Ten minutes later, my boss Brian popped his head in my door and asked me if a mechanic had been planning on stopping by to pick up my dirt bike.  Slightly confused, I quickly told him no as he explained to me that he had just seen a guy drive out the gate on my dirt bike.  I jumped up, rushed to the window, and my eyes confirmed the unwanted truth, my bike was gone.  Brian and I jumped in a base truck and took off in the direction the guys had left with my bike.  We spent the next 45 minutes driving around trying to catch a glimpse of the bike with no luck.  Stunned, we drove to the police station and filled out a police report with little hope that my bike would ever return.   The police told me they would call.  They didn't.

Frustrated, I spent the next several days trying to focus on my work and not on the fact that my bike had just got stolen.  Somehow, everyone that I knew had heard about what happened and wanted to hear the story.  Generally, I thoroughly enjoy telling stories but somehow this one was a little to fresh yet.  Usually at the end, they would tell me that when a bike disappears, it almost never reappears.  "Thanks for the encouragement." I would think to myself.

Friday morning, I got back from visiting an associate and sat down at my desk hoping to quickly finish up a few things before lunch.  As I started my computer, I heard Jayson York, one of our directors, coming out of his office talking excitedly on the phone and asking Brian if he had seen me.  Overhearing him, I walked out wanting to see what he wanted.

"Melisa has your bike." Jayson half yelled excitedly.
"Has my what?" I said skeptically.
"Melisa found your dirt bike while she was on the way to the beach."

In classic doubting Thomas fashion, I called Melisa so I could hear it and believe it for myself.  Apparently, Melisa, a friend and coworker of mine, was with a group of students driving on the interstate toward a beach on the north coast, 2 1/2 hours away from Jarabacoa, where my dirt bike had recently broke down as it was heading toward the border of Haiti.  As Melisa and the driver, who happened to be my mechanic, passed the bike, they both were fairly certain that it looked exactly like my bike.  They hit the brakes and parked the van on the side of the road as if something had broken down.  My mechanic jumped out of the van and started off in the direction of the bike faking a conversation on his cell phone.  As he passed my bike, he immediately saw the key identifying factor.  The sticker on the side read "Momtain Trail." (The previous owner who didn't speak English accidently spelled Mountain wrong on the sticker.)  Melisa and I had often joked about me having the only "Momtain Tail" in all of the Dominican Republic yet I had never realized how much of a benefit that might be one day.  Upon recognizing the bike, my mechanic needed only to turn around, walk past the van to a police checkpoint about 100 feet ahead and inform one of the several police officers.

Being a numbers guy, it wasn't hard for me to figure out that the odds of Melisa going to the beach, my bike breaking down at the spot, Melisa and my mechanic recognizing the bike, and that police officers were on hand are not all that high.  That doesn't even include the fact that they spotted the bike 2 1/2 hours away from where it was stolen.  Lots of people told me I was really lucky that I got my bike back but I knew it wasn't luck.  People don't get lucky with those types of odds.  I knew it was one of God's miracles in my life.  As I like to joke, it was my"Momtain Miracle".  :)

I could continue with the story and tell about my trip to Villa Vasquez, how I tried to navigate the justice system, bribed the cops, eventually took my bike along with the the thief back to Jarbacoa in MY truck, how I ended up on the news in La Vega, and eventually had to decide what justice should be for the thief, but instead of rambling on about all those things, I simply wanted to take this Thanksgiving Day and praise God for the way he took care of me. In all honesty, it was only a dirt bike that was stolen.  If it wouldn't have been found, I would have lived, moved on, and probably forgotten about it within a couple of month, BUT God was faithful and he cares deeply about me.

Last night at our staff bible study, Jayson spoke about  five reasons everyone should be thankful.  One of the things he mentioned was how thankfulness for what God has done in our life should result in a trust in the future.  It is easy for me to look back on my life and see all the reasons I should be thankful, the ways that God has worked miracles throughout my life.  However, I have to admit that it doesn't always build my trust that God will do the same in the future.  The Israelites were constant examples of this.  They wandered through the desert and God miraculously cared for them in each in every situation yet they never seemed to learn to trust that he would do it again.  Most of us tend to live life much in the same way.  I hope as you reflect on all the things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, you would rest in the peace that the creator God who provides those "Momtain Miracles" will continue to do it tomorrow and the next day!

Hannah Duncan: A Story Worth Telling

Name:  Hannah Duncan
College: Taylor University

Hannah Duncan came to the Dominican Republic with a group from her college, Taylor University.  With a love for life and lots of energy, Hannah used her passion for business, sense of humor, and love to learn in order to interweave her life story with those here in the Dominican Republic!

I was sitting on the brick ledge of a front porch in Jarabacoa. As I sat there listening to the women around me, I was hit with this realization: that contrary to my beliefs, in order for Microfinance to do “well” and accomplish its goal of improving the standard of living for others, the bottom line is ultimately not about sustainability. As I began to mull this concept over in my head, every fiber of my business-brained being cringed. For 3 three years I had studied in school that business is about the bottom line. It is about gaining profits, meeting quotas, being efficient, growing, and being sustainable. However, as I looked into the smiling eyes of the women around me, that was not the objective for the people at that meeting. It may have been a desire, but it was not the end goal. I saw this played out when I watched the women have their picture taken. The way the women reacted to getting their picture taken made me laugh. Several of the women were shy and needed some coxing in order to have their picture taken, while others pulled out the makeup and were ready for a photo shoot right then and there. As I witnessed this scene play out before me, I let the idea that gaining profits, growing, being sustainable was not what measured the level of success that the MF site would encounter, but rather success was measured by the depth of relationship built between the women in that circle. 

As the week progressed I was exposed to more ways of how impactful the MF site was for so many of the women. I made hospital visits and home visits, I washed chairs, de-feathered chickens, and taught a class on stewardship -- all things I never would have associated with Microfinance, but the reality is that all those things are what being the hands and feet of Christ look like. Microfinance is a truly empowering concept, but nothing is more empowering then a relationship established upon the love of Christ. Microfinance is one avenue to minister to people, but keeping it to the narrow mindset of bottom lines and profits is very constricting.  I am able to say that I have learned because of the relationships that I saw play out at the MF site. Microfinance is a very powerful tool that incorporates both the love of Christ with the empowerment of economic freedom. 

My story was impacted by the experiences I had on my trip. The MF site is not only impacting my story, but the stories of dozens of women and families. Christ tells us in Matthew 25 that, “‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” In my life I have found a knack with business. I have studied the history of Microfinance, and this concept resonated with me. It made sense. People can be pulled out of poverty through equipping them with loans. The part that I was always missing in my story was the relationship. Student International’s MF site has been able to intertwine the deep seeded value of relationship amongst a community and as a result, not only are people’s standards of living improving, but so too is their standard of loving as Christ loves!

The MF Site wants to continue to impact the stories of both students and the poor.  Please consider being "1 of the 106" and help make our future dreams a reality!

Audrey Williams: A Story Worth Telling

           Name:  Audrey Williams

           Homestate:  Ohio

           College:  Taylor Univesity

Audrey Williams came on an outreach for two weeks last July and impacted Miriam, myself, and several groups of women with the story she told.  With a humble heart, a willingness to share and a passion for photography, Audrey tells about her time with the MF Site from a slightly different angle.

//Through the Nikon-Glass//

A.Williams

            As a photographer, my experience is often much different from those around me, owing to the fact that much of what I see is through the scope of my camera lens. It would be my privilege to share with you what I experienced through my lens this past summer (2012) in the Dominican Republic at Student’s International’s Micro-finance Site. 

// Focus

--          Ask any photographer. They’ll tell you how crucial “the focus” is in an image. It determines the central subject of the photo and often reflects the centrality of a person, emotion, place, etc.--essentially what you want your image to reveal. The focus of the Micro-finance Site was never blurred, clouded, dim or obscure--it was Christ, through and through.   

            Humbly, the Micro-finance Site staff serves in nearby communities, allowing students to come alongside them in this mission at the same time teaching and equipping them to be servants of Christ, modeling an attitude of obedience. Within the ministry (bank-meetings, interviews, home-visits, etc.) the love of Christ overflows through the interaction of brothers and sisters serving one another for the glory of the Kingdom. What a joy to serve with two amazing individuals who bear the fragrance of Christ and model such love this past summer!

// Clarity

--          With the focus set, clarity comes next, assuming the overall clearness of the photo. Similar to focus, there should be no question as to what is happening in the image, every detail accounted for. In the Dominican Republic, this included eagerly discovering and experiencing new facets of culture and traditions in the homes of many generous Dominicans, in order that our view of the DR, micro-finance, and the work Christ is doing would register with a new crispness.

// Exposure

--          Now that the scene is clear and set, a photographer is keen to adjust the exposure of the image. Simply stated, exposure involves how much light the film is exposed to, revealing the scene to be captured. Likewise, I prayed daily for my rough exterior to be shed, in it’s place an exposed and obedient interior, eager to encounter light. A test of my willingness to be exposed came in the form of story telling--my own to be specific. I remember as I quietly murmured the last words of my testimony to be translated, looking up and my eyes meeting a bank-meeting full understanding eyes and a kind woman reaching for my hand. I remember the feeling of vulnerability that comes with being exposed, but what I remember most is the encouraging warmth of that sweet woman’s hand. 

            There are so many more photography tips I would love to share as well as reflections from my DR excursion, but I’ll conclude with those simple lessons I learned in my time at the Micro-finance Site.

Focus. Clarity. Exposure.

Christ--the focus. Discover and experience--to gain clarity and understanding of where you are. And finally exposure--both to what is being done in and around you.

Blessings.

A. Williams

The MF Site wants to continue to bring students and the poor together for the glory of God.  Consider being 1 of the 106 and be a part of what God is doing here in the Dominican Republic!

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.  

Gloria Merrick: A Story Worth Telling

Name: Gloria Merrick
Homestate: California
Age:18

Gloria Merrick came on an outreach with her church last March and spent a week with Miriam and I at the Microfinance Site.  I was continually amazed at her attitude and vulnerability as she connected with and loved the people around her.  While some people may write her off because she is young, God has already given her a story worth telling!

I am not a fan of soda, but denying a drink in a Dominican ladies home is about as disrespectful as you can be as a guest. I drank the Coca-Cola with a grin of gratitude. I was sitting on a lawn chair on a painted, cement floor. The walls were covered in many colors of decoration. In fact, the whole room shouted with bright, vibrant, exciting pictures and figurines. Surrounded by a group of local Dominican ladies I expected to be glanced at with awkward, uninviting eyes; the way a lot of Americans are guilty of doing with foreigners. The looks I got were none of the sort. Not even one. I was met with looks of acceptance and genuine interest. Little did I know this meeting was about to change the way I would deal with relationships from then on.

Before driving into the village to meet with a group of devoted ladies, Eric asked if I would want to share my testimony at the “bank meeting”. Not really knowing what to expect out of a “bank meeting” or in a woman’s home, I decided to do it. We walked down the unpaved, rocky road towards the home we agreed to meet at. Suddenly, I realized that it was almost time for me to follow through on my commitment. I had taken three years of Spanish in high-school, but being fully submerged in culture tends to change the classroom experience. Unsure of how translating a testimony would work, I trusted Eric to share God’s work in my life with a circle of attentive women.

With papers of praise we began the meeting worshiping with only our voices. In a language not native to me, I could still worship God with a body of believers. After spending some time sharing struggles and praises, Eric then transferred the script over to me. In a span of ten minutes, I stepped into vulnerability and openness telling the story of my life. When I spoke, I was encouraged with rounds of head nods. The atmosphere was thick with sympathy and love - love with the motivation of acceptance. These women really cared about what I had to say. They praised God through my story with edifying, uplifting words that gave my spirit more confidence. After a wonderful bonding time we got to business paying off loans and calculating simple math. (The kind you need, but don’t ever use in school) I realized how terrible my simple addition and subtraction skills were. Throughout the entire time I was visiting in their home, there was a recurring trait in each woman that boiled down to one word: grace.

 I stepped into this woman’s home not knowing what God was going to do with and in me. Reflecting back on this experience I understand more fully how big and all encompassing our God is. He is not confined to our nation, our city, or our church. He is the bigger picture that connects us all together. He is universal. 

God used this experience to teach me a very important business skill. He taught me that business is about the relationships. Before we started talking about money or anything business related we worshipped God and grew in relationships with one another. In turn, I now take that approach and apply it to many situations. Whether it be in a professional relationship with teachers or businesses, group projects or simple get-togethers, it stays in the front of my mind. It’s a new filter that keeps business talk and motives from getting in the way of relationships.

Each woman I met taught me that life is more than success. They had it down. They knew what it meant to serve others and care for each other selflessly. The only reason they were running a business was for the sole purpose of supporting another person. It makes so much sense why so many people in the States are unhappy and depressed.  It’s because we've lost sight of what business is really about. It’s not about the pursuit of money, title, and happiness. It’s about truly connecting. Connecting from the soul with one another is what God intends for each and every one of us.

Is Your Story Worth Telling?

I sat on one of the hard benches underneath the tiny hut/pavilion in Los Higos where MiBanco Esperanza always congregates.  Many of the women from the bank sat around the pavilion with me as Victoria, an American mother, poured out her heart to the women.  As I translated her life story, many of the women appeared aloof, distant, perhaps not even listening to the story.  Many of the women from Los Higos come from difficult family backgrounds and desperately need the same hope that I saw in Vicki.  Yet somehow each and every time the hope of Jesus Christ is presented to these women, it seems to be met with apathy and indifference.  I finished translating Victoria's story, the women made their loan payments, and I watched as the women hurried off to their houses.  Disappointed, I walked toward the truck along with Vicki and the other American students.  As we walked, Victoria turned to me and said,

"Well, I'm not sure if I the women got anything out of it, but I think God was doing something in me.  I haven't really shared my story much and it was good for me to think about the way I should do it."

Victoria went on to share her story once more at another bank meeting and God used it to greatly impact a few of the women.  However, throughout our week together she continued to emphasize how God had been teaching her through the telling of her own life story.

Every student that passes through the Microfinance Site shares their own testimony before leaving the site.  

When I tell students that they will be sharing their life story with the group, they are often hesitant, scared, and can occasionally be pretty awkward.  "What should I say?" and "My story isn't interesting!" are common phrases that I hear.  I've often wondered why we as Americans shy so quickly away from telling our personal stories.  After all, as Christians, story is one of the most powerful weapons that we can use and I have seen stories that can pierce even the hardest of hearts.  Perhaps it is because we fear opening up and being vulnerable.  Perhaps we fear that others won't find us entertaining. Or perhaps we fear the reality of what our own story says?

While the answer to that question may not always be the same, I would argue that the last question is what we fear the most. Telling our own story forces us to face reality and ask ourselves a deep and uncomfortable question.

Who is my story about?  Me or God?

The answer to that question has implications not only in the story that we tell, but also for our present and future story.  In essence, every time I tell my story and I say aloud that God is ultimately the one driving it, I am acknowledging that I'm not 100% sure where we he is going to take me next.  It can be a scary place to be.  It tests the foundations of my faith. 

However, those that live out God's story don't often have a lack of interesting stories. Jesus is the perfect example of this.  In John 6:38, Jesus pretty much says that he didn't come to tell his own story but the story of the one who sent him.  Two chapters later, he starts telling people that they have no life in them unless they eat his body and drink his blood.  While I might wonder why he phrased it like that, I can't argue that it isn't interesting .  He also does a couple other interesting things during his ministry like walk on water, spit in a blind guy's face to heal him, and provide salvation to the entire world.  But it wasn't just Jesus, the son of God, that did interesting things while telling God's story.  Peter gave up fishing and family and decided that walking on water, preaching in tongues, and hanging out with the son of God was pretty interesting.  Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven.  Then he outran a chariot. (Super cool)  David killed a lion, a bear, and some big dude named Goliath.  Moses parted the red sea and essentially defeated the greatest empire of the world at the time.  Paul left the stardom of the Jewish church and spent his life preaching the gospel, getting beaten, and escaping from cities in the middle of the night.  While my story might not be as grandiose as some of those men of faith, I definitely wouldn't call it boring.  God has called me to leave family in the states, learn a different language, and proclaim the gospel in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic.  It is not quite as cool as mocking the prophets as Baal, but every time I proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, I try to imagine myself mocking the devil nonetheless.

So is God telling an interesting story through you?  DO YOU HAVE A STORY WORTH TELLING?

If not, perhaps you need to ask yourself who is the story about? Me or God.

If yes, then how often do you tell it?  Victoria had an incredibly interesting story filled with the hope of Jesus Christ yet admitted that she didn't often tell it.  If a story is worth telling, TELL IT!  Don't worry about if people receive it well.  Victoria told her story twice.  One group took it to heart and another group barely seemed to listen yet it was equally powerful both times.  If a story is worth telling, TELL IT!

Over the past eight months at the Microfinance Site, God has given many of the American students that have visited stories that are worth telling.  My plan is to use the next several blog posts to let them tell the stories so look forward to several guest posts in the weeks to come!

A Couple Thousand Words from the Microfinance Site

Thanks to Audrey Williams, a student from Taylor University who spent two weeks with the Microfinance Site, we finally have some good pictures of the Microfinance Site.  Hope you enjoy them and they give you a glimpse of what life is like here!

A time of worship at our annual Mother's Day Celebration.

Playing team games in order to decide which women get to buy first
at the mini flea market we had.

FUN FUN FUN FUN GAMES!

Putting the puzzle pieces together as fast as they can!

A random home from Los Higos, one of the many communities
the MF site is working in.

Jesse, one of our students, and I flexing after peeling
a whole bunch of yucca at Lero's business.

Lero's husband peels yucca,
a root vegetable similar to a potato.

Ramon, Lero's son, filters some grated yucca
to get out the large chunks.

Lero grills the peeled, grated, dried, and filtered yucca into a bread/cracker called casabe.  She goes to town every morning and sells her product by simply walking door to door.

MiBanco El Tesoro

Explaining to Judy, one of our bank coordinators, some important information
about our new receipt system.

Miriam and I with Ramona at her small restaurant.

One of our associates granddaughters.

Washing the pigs at one of our associate's businesses.  

I think this sums our working relationship quite well! :)

Not even going to try and explain!