Newsletter - February, 2012
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January-February, 2012 Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40 Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033 |
Deborah and I recently returned from a very encouraging trip to Honduras. While we were there, we were able to visit the loan recipients and directors in the town of La Paz. This small town is about an hour away from Siguatepeque, where our main work in Honduras is centered. We began an expansion microloan ministry in La Paz several years ago, and a brother from Texas, Jerrell Hein, oversaw the initial work there until this past summer. The ministry there is blossoming quite nicely, and we’ll share more about it in future newsletters.
But the most exciting part of the trip was learning about what has happened in Siguatepeque. For the first time since we began our microloan ministry in Honduras in 2000, 100% of our loan recipients in Siguatepeque are now up-to-date on their loan payments. In fact, at the Saturday meeting with the loan recipients, we had six completion certificates to present to loan recipients in recognition of their completing their loan paybacks.
When we began the microloan ministry twelve years ago, we had to feel our way along to see what worked and what didn’t. At first, we had about 50% compliance. After several years, compliance climbed to 75%. Most of the loan recipients paid off their loans, but most of them were behind on their payments. A few recipients never finished paying off their loans. Over the years, we learned from our mistakes and made changes as needed. One of the changes is that we now partner with the pastors of our loan recipients, and these pastors assume a measure of accountability when we grant a loan to someone in their congregations. Another change is that we look more critically at the business plans that applicants submit and turn down any applications we feel present too great of a business risk. These changes have had a huge impact.
We had a very encouraging and spiritually rewarding time with our directors and loan recipients at our semi-annual Saturday afternoon meeting with them. We prayed together, sang together, laughed together, played together, and learned together. The directors had arranged for two skits, one demonstrating the proper way to run a business and the other one showing the wrong way. We all enjoyed the skits, as they were both informative and humorous. 
On a sad note, a few days after we returned to the States, we learned that one of the loan recipients, Antonio Diaz, had suddenly died. It was hard to believe, as Antonio had been at the Saturday meeting and had been a participant in the skit on how not to run a business. I had visited with him, and he seemed to be in good health and full of energy and enthusiasm. His death is a reminder of how fragile our human lives are. May we all do as much for God’s kingdom as we can while we are still alive and healthy. DB
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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