I learned via an email from Kiva that September 18, 2014 was the 5th anniversary of my first micro-loan via their organization. My first thought was, "Really? Where did those five years go?".
I started doing micro-loans because of the line from our confession in the ELW, "We confess that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. By what we have done and what we have not done..."
There is so much done and not done that ripples out from me. I know my standard of living was built in part from leeching money, goods, and people of other placed. That here are (unintended) consequence, even decades later, of the political and economic policies of first world countries like the United States. I may not have made the policies or had a say in the companies or even been alive multiple years ago, but I know my country directly and myself indirectly benefited.
I can't fix everything, but that doesn't mean I should give up. In participating with thousands of (now over a million) other people, things can change. My $25 and his $25 and her $25 and their $25 and so on. I like the fact that Kiva works with people in their context. People who have dreams and aspirations and plans, but who don't fit in with what a traditional bank does or wants to do.
I also started doing micro-loans because I didn't know quite what to do with honorarium monies from funerals. For me, providing pastoral care and presiding at a funeral is part of my call within a congregation; it felt odd to receive additional monies for it. However, I'm aware that not all my colleagues are compensated at guidelines and that for some, funeral monies make a difference in their budgets, paying back student loans, etc. Because of that I didn't want to create a president of refusing the honorarium.
That's when earmarking the money for a particular purpose came to mind; I particularly liked the idea of life coming from death. That those funeral honorariums helped others throughout the world have a better life. To embody one of my favorite Bible verses: " I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10
In the past 5 years I've deposited $1700 into Kiva loans. (Compared to many of my colleagues, I've presided at relatively few funerals.) As those loans have been repaid, I've relent that money multiple times. That means $5,850 has reached out to others. I'm amazed both in how little I've missed the money I've lent and how much my little bit has already done.
I give thanks for being able to see God's abundance at work in the world.
