Last year, we told our readers that we have extended our microloan ministry to a closed Muslim country. To be sure, Christianity is tolerated in this country—but only so long as it remains within the walls of a church. Evangelism or any public expressions of Christianity are not permitted. In the large cities, the government keeps an eye on Christians. For that reason, the names of people and places have been changed in this article.
In rural areas, the government doesn’t watch as much, so there is more freedom for Christians. However, there is always the danger of violence from radical Muslims. When Christians are attacked by Muslims, the government will usually look the other way.
Nikoloz was born in the city of Batumi, and he was raised by a single mother. His mother had been raised in a Christian family, but she had fallen away from the faith. However, she became an active Christian again when Nikoloz was a boy. So he was raised with an active church life, and he is a committed Christian today. Nikoloz has never married, and he still lives with his mother.
Right after high school, Nikoloz worked as a truck driver. Later, he took the required courses to become a barber. He later moved to Russia, where he worked as a barber and obtained extensive experience. He eventually returned to his native country and opened up his own barber shop.
His barbershop is small, being a little over 200 square feet in size. He works by himself and has only one barber’s chair. His practice is limited to barber services to men and boys. His prices start from $6.00 and go up to $12.00 per customer, depending on what services he performs.
Because Nikoloz had little capital, his barber shop was badly in need of refurbishing. A brother connected with our ministry became aware of his needs and told him he could obtain an interest-free loan from our ministry to repair and modernize his barbershop. So our ministry made Nikoloz a loan of about $1000, which he has put to good use.
To begin with, Nikoloz installed new wallpaper, countertops, and linoleum. He also bought a new sign for the outside of his building. He not only repaired the existing heating system, but he bought a small electric space heater to supplement the heating in the winter. He also purchased a sink and had the necessary plumbing done. Now he can wash someone’s hair as part of the services offered.
Nikoloz also bought a teapot to be able to offer tea to his customers, and he purchased an inexpensive music system to be able to play background music. He obtained some new chairs for waiting customers. Finally, he purchased a new set of hair clippers and a pair of barber’s scissors.
In short, his practice got a complete makeover, making it more pleasing to his present customers, and hopefully it will enable him to attract new customers. From the bottom of his heart, Nikoloz thanks all the brothers and sisters who made his loan possible.
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