Newsletter - October, 2011
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October, 2011 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 |
The small business that has worked best for the Society’s microloan ministry is the local neighborhood mini-mart—known in Honduras as a pulpería. One reason why pulperias have worked so well is that they require minimal overhead. That’s because the shop owners normally operate their pulperias out of their houses. Pulp-erias are also ideal for housewives because a mother can stay home with her children, while still helping with the family income.
Karla Gonzales de Zepeda is one such pulperia owner in Siguatepeque that the Society has helped through a mi-croloan. Actually, several years ago, the Society made a microloan to Karla’s husband, Francisco, who operates a car repair shop at their home.
Karla started her pulperia eight years ago, long before receiving a loan from the Society. Karla knew quite a bit about running a pulperia because her mother had owned one as well. And when she was growing up, Karla had worked in her mother’s shop. Little by little, Karla’s pulperia began to grow. However, it was hard for her to put aside any extra capital in order to expand her pulperia. Customers kept asking for items that she did not carry. Finally, she decided to apply for a loan from the Society of the Good Shepherd to expand her inventory and to be able to have on hand some of the additional items her customers often asked for.
Francisco and Karla live near a college, which is surrounded by apartments full of students. So Karla tried add-ing school supplies after receiving her loan. That worked very well for her, and her business continued to grow. Things were really looking up. However, one day Karla was robbed at gun point at her pulperia. The robber made off with the day’s receipts, and the experience so frightened Karla that she closed her pulperia for awhile. As a result, that wiped out all of the financial progress she had made with her pulperia. On top of that, the worldwide recession has made things difficult for all Hondurans.
Nevertheless, Karla got over the scare and re-opened her pulperia, and her business is gradually recovering. Through it all, God has been faithful, and the Zepeda family has had enough funds to meet their daily needs. Not only that, but Karla has faithfully made her loan payments, and her loan is nearly paid off now. Her desire is to see her business continue to grow so she and her husband can provide a good education for their four chil-dren: Cesar, Josmar, Erick and Carlo. The entire family is very grateful to God and to the donors of the Society for all of the help they have received.
Thank you for love, prayers and support for families like this one. Please remember them in prayer as they continue to grow together in every area of their lives. Karla also has a special request that our readers would pray for her mother, who has been very sick. Nancy Barahona
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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