Cows, Carpenters, Peas, and Avocado Trees

It's been awhile. I apologize. We changed houses and are farther away from wifi, I got a bacterial infection and was out of commission for a few days (doing much better, Gracias a Dios!), and we've been busy. These are my excuses. :)

Anyways. It has been a busy few...days? weeks? How long has it been even? Regardless, it's been busy. But I have some stories to share.

Cows and Carpenters
Last week we did several home visits to three men who have had loans with SI for much longer than many of the people we had previously visited. We visited two men with carpentry businesses who have been able to significantly grow their businesses, largely because of the loans they received. Now they are not only employing and providing for themselves, but also are able to provide for several employees. We also were able to visit with a man who keeps dairy cows, and who has grown that business with an SI loan. I know all you Wisco peeps may think that dairy cows are common place ;) but here it is not very common to keep cows for milk and cheese, and rather more cows are kept only to be sold for their meat later on. This is still a good business, but keeping dairy cows allows for this man to have a sustainable business. He currently is raising a bull, that when he sells he'll be able to pay off his loan completely. In a site where I'm told of so many people who are struggling to make payments, I came away greatly encouraged by this man who not only has income from the dairy cows, but who will also be able to completely pay off his current loan with the bull he is raising.

This one is his favorite cow.

Peas
On a different day I spent the morning helping a woman shell peas. She's received a loan from SI, and her job, or business, is to shell peas. She works for a co-op. One person plants the peas (like snap peas), others harvest, and she shells the peas before taking them to a factory where they are disinfected, packaged and exported. For several hours we sat and shared with this woman while we opened the pods and scraped out the peas. It's not necessarily physically demanding, though your back does hurt after, but it's long work. And not overly rewarding. We helped her with one large bag of peas, which resulted in 20 some odd pounds of shelled peas. For this she will receive Q1 a pound. It takes roughly Q7.5 to equal a dollar, so you do the math. Q1 for the peas and Q.25 for the pods, which she sells to farmers for feed for their animals. Not very much. But you will not find anyone more grateful for any job. She is able to stay at home to work, which means her kids get better care. Her family works with her, so they grow together. She can put food on the table, money in a savings account. Her children are healthy. She was incredibly open and vulnerable, and shared her whole life story with virtual strangers. She does not have much, but knows that all she has is from God, and thanks him daily for saving her entire family from alcoholism. God provides. He rescues and he provides. I may have not done a whole lot to help her business grow, but being there, working with alongside her allowed for us to share life, and share Christ.

She'd have 10 done by the time I had done 2. She's a pro...

Avocado Trees
Yesterday we moved some 2600 avocado trees. Baby trees...but hard work. We moved them, assembly line style, from a nursery to a semi, and from the semi to Magda. Farmers in the area are starting to participate in a program with these trees, a different micro-loan type program, and will receive them, plant and care for them, and will work with people in the states to sell the avocados and pay off their loan. Hard work. But it's part of the much larger picture we find ourselves in, and will bring blessing to many men in this area. Like with the loan programs I participate in, the men who receive these trees will have to attend weekly Bible studies. Spiritual growth through community growth. Both are good. Both are needed.

bien sucio. 

On every home visit I've done, every business I've seen, there has been one constant. My site leader summed it up well when we were with the man who keeps the cows. We were able to give his family a Spanish Bible, because of a donation from the group who was here, and share why our Bibles were so important in our own lives. As we were leaving she simply told him, "We care about your cows. We care about your business, and want it to grow. But so much more than that, we want you to know this word (pointing to his Bible) and to come to grow in Christ." That's it, folks. That's why we're here.