Loans that Change Lives

Almost exactly a year ago I told you about some 'loans' I was making through an organization called "KIVA". If you are unfamiliar, I urge you to follow the link and check out the details.

Here is the email I received today:

Dear Tally Wilgis,

We are very pleased to notify you that your loan to JULIA DIAZ LOP has
been fully repaid in the amount of $550.00. The payment was collected
and deposited by Alternativa Solidaria Chiapas (AlSol).

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=12354

The funds from this repayment will be deposited in your Kiva account as
"Available Kiva Credit" in the next 2 to 3 days. At that time, you can
re-lend these funds to a new entrepreneur, withdraw them into a PayPal
account or you can donate them to Kiva's operational expenses. For
further instructions regarding any of these processes, please visit our
help center: http://www.kiva.org/about/help.

Or, to view your Kiva loan portfolio go to: https://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=account.

Best wishes,

- The Kiva Team

I'm going to re-invest into Kiva. I absolutely love the program and what it does for people who have much less than I do. Additionally because it's a no-interest loan, the same donated dollar can be used by multiple people. The fact that I'm notified each month is great because its one more reminder of the blessings I have and the responsibility that comes with that blessing. Each month when I get an update it turns into a time I thank God I have the opportunity to partner with others to help the least of these.

I had an interesting discussion with a guy yesterday whom I had just met. He overheard me talking about my faith with a friend and he decided he wanted to interject his opinion. We ended up talking about his view that capitalism is inherently evil and how socialism is his dream scenario. This was after we discussed salvation and his rejection of the term 'evil' but I digress.

During that conversation he admitted that he was a relativist. **By the way our conversation was never mean spirited.** It was intellectual exercise. Anyway, in our discussion he made a few statements that I challenged.

He said: "Shoot, I could live in a home with sticks and mud for all I care." and later he said "I hate capitalism. It is the cause of so many ills in foreign countries."

On both points I called him out. I said "You're full of it. You just bought your lunch at a decent American resturant with a piece of plastic. You can't tell me that you despise the system all that much." And I said "By the way, if you care so much about child-labor laws let me ask you... where does the tag on your shirt say it was made?"

He laughed and admitted that his arguments didn't make much sense.

Here's the deal folks. What percentage of church-goers does the world look at and say "You're full of it."?

If you think your finances are God's, what are you doing with them?

If you think we should help the least of these... how are you doing that?

I encourage you to get involved loving and serving humanity while sharing Christ on a regular basis. Don't just talk a good game... live it out. Give and live beyond yourself. It's healthy and it keeps your integrity in tact when someone challenges you to see if you're changed by the spirit of God.