Material Matters
WE’RE THANKFUL FOR
Naomi Rose. Time with family this summer. A smooth transition to Santo Domingo. An incredible group of co-workers here. Finding a great church immediately. A wonderful nanny. The amazing support of brothers and sisters in Jesus. For God the Son, who is tangibly present here with us.
WE’RE PRAYERFUL FOR
Continued language acquisition. Health and safety. Wisdom to know when to listen / learn and when to question the status quo. Humility and love to err towards the former. For patience - relationships, communication, being useful - it all takes time. Ack. May we be attentive to God’s work and presence in the process.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
An earnest THANK YOU to those who financially support our work!
or OUR BLOG
The decked-out office Christmas tree. We even had a tree lighting ceremony!
Ministry & Life Update
December 2010
Feliz Navidad from Santo Domingo, the site of the first Christmas celebration in the new world! Though for us it doesn’t really feel like Christmas. It’s mas o menos a perfect 80 degrees every day. Andy (who hails from Florida) is happy as a clam. Marie is missing the snow.
The holidays are prime homesickness season, so we were thrilled to enjoy three Thanksgiving meals (we hosted just one). Of course, all had pork present. As the mother of one of our Dominican guests asked, “How can you have a party without pork?” She could not be persuaded that a 17 lb turkey was adequate on the meat front. Her fine chuletas (porkchops) did outshine our turkey.
This past month we’ve been sinking our teeth into microfinance-related work. Andy has focused on ‘Spiritual Integration’ (how Esperanza helps its associates grow spiritually) as well as improving management decisions via more robust data analysis. Marie is helping the communications department think more strategically about the nearly 600 visitors Esperanza hosts each year.
With Love,
Andy, Marie, Hannah & Naomi
Marie and the girls with a loan recipient and her little niece at a “Bank of Hope.” Three groups of 5 people each make up this bank. In addition to loans they can access literacy & vocational training and some medical services. Their bi-monthly meetings include prayer, worship and a devotion.
Fall Highlights
1. Celebrating with HOPE International as they pass the 1,000,000 loan mark!!
2. Introducing new Savings and Credit Associations in Haiti.
3. Piloting a video series in the Dominican Republic by Crown Financial Ministries called “God Provides” - the series uses 5 Biblical stories as its basis.
4. Signing a lease for a long-term apartment right next to our church and Hannah’s soon to be pre-school program. We have a spare bedroom for YOU!
5. Seeing Esperanza’s potential for growth in the DR and Haiti - we’re encouraged that our time here will not be in vain.
More than a loan...
Access to basic financial services is important. Much-talked-about micro-lending helps people start and grow businesses or evens-out cashflow for families who don’t have a “cushion” for emergencies or special needs. Equally as important is micro-savings: opportunities to save money in safe, local places where fees won’t eat the small balances.
However, Esperanza’s efforts go beyond financial services. We continue to be encouraged by the many tools available to our micro-loan recipients: business training, medical services, vocational training, literacy classes, etc. And all this is being led by excellent staff and partners, committed to following Jesus and sharing about his love and our hope.
‘
A Little Fun In Our Spare Time
Book Recommendation: Andy is working through this book in Spanish.
Fireworks are very popular here. We’ve seen more than 10 different shows from our balcony over the last 2 mos. The lit dome above is the Dominican National Palace.
Poster urging men to receive prostate exams.
Vocational training center in action.
School funded in part by HOPE & run by a micro-entrepreneur with Christian curriculum.
Our church here, Iglesia Comunitaria Cristiana, celebrated 15 years on November 28th! The party included a special service, balloons (Hannah loved hers), and cake. Next to Park Street’s 200 years (our home church in Boston) it’s just a beginning, but God is doing wonderful things here in La Zona Colonial. Both ICC and Park Street are “city” churches, which we really like. You see the diversity of God’s kingdom as homeless men and women worship next to prominent, wealthy men and women - both equally adored children of God - both being equipped to love and serve the King of Kings.
The Economy of Man and the Economy of the Kingdom of God by C. René Padilla
