One of the organizations that was highlighted during the 40 Day Fast that I have been reading about is Kiva.org. They are a microfinance organization that links lenders (at least in America and perhaps around the world) with borrowers in developing nations. For instance, tonight I was able to help make a loan to Hafiz, an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan so that he could purchase a milk cow.
This is kind of a neat convergence point. I have been increasingly interested in microfinance since joining Chatham, but their involvement is a rather technical aspect of helping organizations in this field mitigate their foreign currency exchange risk. So, it was great to learn about Kiva and come across this opportunity to really get connected and involved.
I think the final tipping point in getting me to pull the trigger on this is catching the enthusiasm from the people in my small group who just returned from the Morocco trip. There was a request to borrow the Prayer of Jabez and leafing through a journal version I have of the book again tonight challenged and convicted me.
"He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." - Proverbs 19:17
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