I just returned from my second trip to the Dominican Republic. The first was in March, when I was interviewing with HOPE International and I took the trip to see Christ-centered microfinance in action. The trip was perfect—I got to see back office operations, the presence of the Spirit in the clients and staff, the compassionate and knowledgeable loan officers, and the solidarity among our clients that keeps repayment rates so high.
There was only one problem. I had to confront the fact that my Spanish was completely inadequate. I’ve never taken Spanish. I’ve taken one year of French, two years of Latin, and two years of German. So I can count to 10 in several languages but am proficient in none. I resolved on the flight home that I had to become proficient in Spanish. Not just for my work at HOPE—my kids are starting to learn Spanish and I’d love to go through the learning process with them. Continue Reading…
![Before Eveness Mulungu joined the Walusungu (“mercy”) savings group through our church partner in Malawi, she faced days where she and her family ate animal feed because they couldn’t afford human food. But that changed when she joined the savings group. Eveness used her first group loan of about $1.70 (U.S.) to start a business selling doughnuts and beans.
“By the end of my first cycle I made $140 (U.S.),” Eveness shared. “My life is no longer the same now; [I] was regarded as no one in the community. ... This was the first time in my life that I ever touched and owned big money like this!”
Pictured: Eveness, with her husband in front of their piggery—a third successful business that she operates.](https://blog.hopeinternational.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)