Newsletter - December, 2019
| December, 2019 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 |
There have been several studies in different countries about microloans. These studies have demonstrated that the infusion of capital to an impoverished economy in the form of microloans, paired with business and budgeting training, not only helps the recipients of those loans, but also has a trickle-down effect on many others in that area. That is because a successful business owner makes purchases from other merchants, helping them to succeed. This in turn enables those other merchants to make purchases from different stores, etc.
Pulperias have been the single most successful type of business for our microloan ministry in Honduras. In fact, ever since our inception twenty years ago, we have never had a pulperia in Siguatepeque fail. Most of our readers are by now probably familiar with the term pulperia. In Honduras, it refers to a small neighborhood grocery store or mini-mart. Typically, these stores are operated out of a family’s converted living room. As a result, a pulperia normally has virtually no overhead and therefore has a high profit margin. For most of our loan recipients, a pulperia is a second source of income. Pulperias enable mothers to earn income at home, while their husbands work at outside jobs. 
Most families in Siguatepeque do not own a car. This means they would need to hire a taxi to go to one of the few supermarkets in town. Therefore, it makes sense for many families to obtain most of their staples from a nearby pulperia. Nobody gets wealthy from running a pulperia, but these little stores do provide a steady income for basic needs. This brings us to the story of Jose Gonzalez. Jose has been on the radar of the Society of the Good Shepherd for many years. That’s because ten years ago, we provided his sister Sonia with a loan so that she could expand a small pulperia she operated out of her house. Sonia proved to be so faithful in repaying her loan that we subsequently gave her a second loan—and ultimately a third loan (the maximum we normally give to any beneficiary).
Like so many Hondurans, Jose is a hard worker, but he does not have any specific job skills. He has worked at a variety of jobs over the years. Finally, his sister Sonia encouraged him to apply for an interest-free microloan from the Society. Jose had good references from his local church, as he and his sister Sonia have been faithful Christians since their teen years. Jose is a man of prayer, who almost never misses the prayer meetings of his church. When they were children, Jose and Sonia regularly attended church with their mother Maria. For many years, Jose supported his mother until she passed away. Of course, we did not automatically give Jose a loan for a pulperia just because he had a good testimony from his church. We checked out the neighborhood where he lived in order to verify that this would be a good location to open a pulperia. Plus, Jose already knew a lot about running a pulperia, having learned it from his sister.
Even though Jose has been a beneficiary for only a short period of time, he is already showing faithfulness in his payments. He also regularly attends the Society meetings for prayer and for mentoring from people like Alfredo Lainez. Alfredo was once one of our loan beneficiaries, but he has now been part of the board in Honduras for many years. He passes on his wisdom and business experience with new beneficiaries like Jose. We asked Jose what his favorite Bible verse was, and he told us it was Isaiah 12:2: “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” Becky Vega
The Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 • (717) 349-7033
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Honduras Donations
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