I have no terms to define and since this will be a fairly one-sided dialogue I'll ask the questions and answer them.
Why am I working for free? Why am I living and working in Lancaster, PA? Why is this 'the beginning of an adventure and the beginning of a dream'? Why has it taken me 7 weeks to actually write my debut blog entry?
THE CONTEXT:
So I just graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington this past May of 2010 after 4 solid years of growing, learning, stretching, and getting a true calling for how I am to serve with my finite time on earth.
Through my time in college I was blessed to be apart of some unforgettable and amazing groups of people (Phi Gamma Delta, Greek Intervarsity, Exodus Church, The Canvas, IU Dance Marathon). I am indebted to them for the way they have grown me, supported me, and walked along side me. I hope I returned the favor and left my footprint on their lives as well.
After having my world rocked and radically altered through a few life trajectory altering experiences in college I found myself with a heart to use the resources and opportunities I have been blessed with to serve the nearly 4 billion people who live on less than $4 (USD) per day, most of whom are living in developing nations.
After experiencing life in some tough communities domestically and abroad I came to further understand that most of the world's poor are as content with being poor as you or I would be. Living with so little doesn't lead to simplicity of life, it leads to unimaginable difficulties. Having to sell one of your kids into indentured servitude just to provide for the rest of your children, being one of the 850 million who goes to bed hungry, being one of the over 1 billion who has no access to clean drinking water, being one of the 2 million children who dies every year from diarrhea, etc. None of this has to do with being a outlier of a problem in a far away land. It is the reality of people just like you and I with the same basic needs, hopes, and desires as you and I.
It's Not About Depressing Statistics, It's About HOPE.
After realizing how similar I am with most of the world's poor it unlocked a new frame of mind for addressing the world's under-developed nations, and aspiring people. I came to understand that for most people living in poverty, the last thing they need is a charity or a favor. They need access to the same resources and opportunities that I have grown up with and have taken for granted. These people don't need a hand out they need a hand up. Charity/relief is essential for many of the world's poor who need rescue from their current circumstances, but most of the world's poor simply need that opportunity or that access to basic services.
After a trip to Leogane, Haiti about 2 years ago I learned from a friend about the powerful tool of microfinance. Microfinance, which essentially entails providing small business loans as small as $50 to persons in developing nations. These loans are paid back over consistent intervals, with relatively low interest rates.
(Stephen Mann discussing microfinance with a local Haitian, Scutt. I listen and learn)
It's easy to take for granted the ease of access to capital.
However, most of the world's population does not have easy access to capital, and microfinance institutions are basically like the opposite of commercial banks in the Western World. They go out and find clients in destitute, hard to reach areas and allow them access to such credit services even despite their lack of collateral.
Most microfinance institutions provide more than just a loan disbursement function. Many also provide savings services, insurance, life skills education, business training, biblical teaching, etc. Today there are 100 million individuals who have used microfinance loans, but there are over 450 million that could benefit from such a loan yet don't have access to them.
After realizing that most charities simply create dependence, drive out local entrepreneurs, provide merely short-term assistance, and often leave people or communities worse off. I further learned about microfinance as a viable tool that entrusts those in need with resources and allows them to use their entrepreneurial spirit to work themselves out of poverty. By showing people that they have worth, are dignified individuals, and have the God-given skills and abilities to provide for themselves and their families microfinance unlocks what is already in individuals and allows them the means to reach a level of their poverty alleviated and a level of self sufficiency.
THE NEXT STEP:
After learning and studying microfinance for a few years it seemed almost too obvious to head in that direction vocationally after graduation from college. Through a seeming coincidence (there's no such thing) I stumbled upon an organization called HOPE International which was providing microfinancing services plus many other services to poor communities across the world. The most intriguing and powerful part about HOPE was that they were also a Christian organization which was addressing spiritual poverty as well as physical poverty. I knew that post graduation I wanted to go into ministry or serve the world's poor, and I saw HOPE as a way to funnel both those desires. After further learning about HOPE I knew I had to get plugged in with the organization. And putting all my eggs in one basket as I often do, HOPE was the only place that I applied as it was the only place I wanted to work.
It wasn't the way I would have scripted it, but I eventually landed an internship position with HOPE about a week after graduation and was moving out to Lancaster, PA (HOPE Intl's HQ) a few days later.
Now I find myself working for the type of organization and doing the type of work I have long since aspired to do and am so thankful for the opportunity to be out here.
But most importantly this is only the beginning of the adventure and the beginning of the dream...
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