Elizabeth Anleu Rodas is a member of Los Pensamientos development group which received a Kiva loan of 65,000 pesos on 21 September 2009. Development groups are groups of more than 10 people which have a bank account and meet weekly or fortnightly to make their repayments. They have a representative and a governing committee. Los Pensamientos group are currently repaying their loan.

Elizabeth works selling fragrances and cosmetics and requested a loan of 1,000 pesos to buy more products and to repay a debt for products that she had already bought. Thanks to this loan Elizabeth has paid off much of her debt, she has purchased new products and she has made a small proft which she used to buy new sneakers for her grandchildren.

When you support Share5, you are supporting hard working women like her not only in Mexico, but also in Cambodia, Burundi, Rwanda, Ghana, Thailand, and the many other places that Share5 has made loans through the Share5 Fund.  AND… because we carefully look to make our loans through specific Christian organizations that provide the loans in the field, we know that the Gospel is being offered to address not only physical poverty, but eternal spiritual poverty as well.  Its a beautiful thing.  Its TEAMWORK in action.

So, thank you for changing lives… while you were sleeping!

See the full list of the over 25 loans that you have helped us provide around the world.

Set up your automatic $5 monthly contribution to assist with the Share5 Fund today!

We are officially now less than 4 days from taking over the house for Different Miracle.

So far, over $1200 in funds has been raised, and while things are not entirely worked out, here is what has transpired in the last few days in the way of NON-cash contributions…

• Many local people have volunteered labor for the upcoming build Oct 1-5
• Sherwin-Williams has agreed to donate our paint
• Lowe’s HEAVILY discounted a new range and several lights
• Someone donated over 100 sheets of sheetrock
• We are waiting to hear on some potential furniture and flooring donations
• We have had a sign company donate some various items you’ll see in the finished pictures…
• A church in Nashville is beginning to help us coordinate a plan for the family while we work on the house.
• and finally…  The family is now registered at Walmart for your gifting convenience

  under “Different Miracle”!

We will have an organizational meeting on Sunday at 7pm in Madisonville, KY to finalize alot of the remaining details.  We have made two trips to the home for measurements and prep planning, and the homeowner has made significant steps in preparing for us to take over, so here we go!

We are still greatly in need of some final cash resources, as it looks like we will need 2 new showers and some baseboard heaters, so if you can help out in that way, please see don’t hesitate – use the button on the left!

We’ll look forward to sharing the progress with you, and ask for your prayers as we start the construction work on the 1st!

]]> http://www.share5.org/2009/09/the-different-miracle-countdown-begins/feed/ 0 http://www.share5.org/2009/08/where-your-treasure-is/ http://www.share5.org/2009/08/where-your-treasure-is/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:43:33 +0000 Chad Houck http://66.147.240.185/~sharefiv/2009/08/where-your-treasure-is/ Thank you to the children of Life Church Boise's Summer Vacation Bible School for choosing Share5 as their ministry recipient for their VBS offerings!  The funds raised will be used to provide small "microfinance" loans to hard working people from various parts of the lesser developed world;  small loans made from small change.

These children are leading the way to storing up their treasure in heaven.  As Matthew 6:20-21 states, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where theives do not break in and steal.  Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Where is you treasure today?  What are you trusting in, and what are you investing in? 

Where Your Treasure Is… from Share5 by WorldWins on Vimeo.

If you would like to share your treasure with Share5 by investing in microfinance loans, join us and we'll help you put your treasure where it makes eternal difference!


Support Share5 Microfinance Loans Now!

Without Kiva, it would be impossible for a small organization like ourselves to identify, qualify, facilitate, and fund loans to eager third world entreprenuers in some of the poorest of the poor countries in the world.  With Kiva, however, that seemingly impossible dream is a reality.  Kiva has developed a network of already practicing MicroFinance Institutions (MFI's) throughout the world and given them the technology and the partnerships (joint effort with PayPal, Cisco, and a ton of Silicon Valley companies) to bring together their borrows/businesses with the funds of lenders large and small worldwide!  We have pre-screened a handful of these lenders, specifically two that are affiliates of HOPE International, that are Christian MFI's, meaning that they see sharing the Gospel as part and parcel of the loan process.   Here is how it works…  Share5 style.

1.  You make one of two types of fully tax deductible contributions to Share5:     
        a.  Contribute $5 or more a month into our Microfinance Specific fund
        b.  Make a general contribution in any amount, or monthly support Share5,
                and 10% is automatically earmarked for microfinance!
2.  We take those funds, and monthly deposit them, via PayPal, to our Kiva Lender Account. (As part of their partnership with KIVA, PayPal charges nothing for this service!)
3.  We watch for loan requests to be loaded from one of our pre-screened MFI's, and then we fund those respective loans from our lender account.
4.  Once again, PayPal transfers the funds, free of charge, to the third-world offices of the MFI, facilitating the International exchange.  (yes, that IS awesome!)
5.  The MFI makes the loan and oversees the repayment process with the local entreprenuer, transfering the funds back to Kiva via paypal as they are repaid.  Funds are then redeposited into the lender's (our) account.

Here is where this gets amazing…
1.  The repayment rate on Kiva, and with Hope, is upwards of 98% on average, meaning losses are extremely minimal. 

2.  We are currently funding 4 loans on Kiva.  As an example of how efficient the system is, the first repayments from loans one and two, only a total of around $8, are currently in use, recycled and reloaned in loan four!

3.  Lenders are collected in groups called "Trust Groups".  These co-ops are similar to our small groups concept in US Churches in that they meet weekly or bi-weekly to make their loan payments and also for education, fellowship, and in the case of our Christian MFI partners, sharing of the Word of God.  They also have cross guaranteed one another's loans, which is why the repayment rate is so high.  If one person can't make their payment, the other 5-10 make up the difference.

We could not do this without your support.  your funds are the funds that are making a difference.  Would you please consider making a standing monthly commitment to fund microfinance work and the spreading of the Gospel through this project?  You can start with as little as $5 per month!

The
race is on.  You can help us create a huge impact – build 40 homes for
homeless families in Mexico while exposing over 400 US youth to the eye
opening experience of serving, loving, and sacrificing for the less
fortunate.  We call it "UthBuild, building youth by building for the
poor." 

Please check out our website at
http://share5.org/uthbuild.aspx where you can see a slideshow of the
last home built during spring break.  We have literally seen families
living in a 7×7 box with a tarp roof move into these simple homes with
tears in their eyes.  It is humble, but it is real, it locks, its
watertight, and it is theirs.  Each home costs approximately $2500 to
build including windows, doors, and a toilet and shower upgrade. 
(basic house is only $1600 w no plumbing or wiring)   The house at
right was build by 16 kids in 4 days.  Amazing!

That means that
with $100,000 we can pay for 40 homes and offer the opportunity to over
400 American youth to be a part of building and creating a miracle in
the life of another human being.  It can be a powerful, revolutionary
thing.

 Here's how to help:

1.  Go to http://share5.org/uthbuild.aspx and read about the UthBuild concept.

2.  Create a twitter account at http://twitter.com or log in to your account

3. 
Send a reply (a tweet) to @realhughjackman (just put the word "@realhughjackman" without the quotes at the beginning of your tweet) before the 24th of April mentioning
why UthBuild is your charity of choice for his challenge.  You only get
123 characters after his name, and you'll need to include the domain
name http://uthbuild.com in your tweet

4.Visit us at our website
at http://share5.org and coming soon at http://www.UthBuild.com to find out more ways
that you can get involved with us.  Perhaps you would like to raise the
money to sponsor a home, or maybe join us to build!

The first is a sermon preached by Chad at New Horizons Church in Southgate, CA just after Valentine’s day (if you wish, you can watch this one in High Definition on Vimeo)

Chocolate, Church, and Jesus from Share5 by WorldWins on Vimeo.

This video is a montage of week one of our trip to Mexico on a building project with Bethany Community Church’s High School Ministry (Tempe, AZ) for spring break.  Hope you enjoy!

What ensued was a modern day miracle.  19 people who were not professional builders in any aspect of the phrase put together their willingness to sacrifice a couple of days with their confidence that in God all things are possible, and when the "dust" cleared, not only did we provide a safe, locking, dry, and comforting home for a family of five, but we were actually able to go beyond and begin a second build, leaving a project at about 60% complete (habitable but not finished yet) for another team.  Imagine that.  God allowed us to go beyond what we had imagined.  He proved once again what it means to have more than enough;  more than enough time, labor, energy, enthusiasm, and love to go around.

So here we are.  6 days from our departure we have returned again to Tempe, AZ.  Our plans were to go on to the other corner of the valley for the week, but as you know, plans change.  We have decided to return to Mexico this week with the second team heading down this Sunday and finish what we started.  We will build another house for Anna and her 4 children, and we will finish the second house that team one started for Renaldo and his family of 9.  One and a half houses is the target.  It will be a new team of 20 or so, and a whole new dynamic.  Different but none the less capable.  Once again, I am expecting that God will work a miracle through the hands and feet of the young people and willing adults that will place themselves as available vessels through which He can be glorified.  We will go down to Mexico, we will offer ourselves as a gift, and we will come home humbled. 

How can I say that so confidantly?  I know the God I serve, and I have confidence in His miracle working power.  May the same be said of you today as you go about bringing forth the miracle he has called you to deliver.  May you be His hands and feet.

See our Flickr album of the Week 1 Mexico Build 2009 – Irma's House and for Week 1- Renaldo's Addition!

Sunday we depart with Bethany High School Ministries for build week 1 of 2 in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) MX.  We will be assisting with the build/completion of 3 homes over 2 weeks for a couple of homeless families.  The home design (originally created by Amor Ministries) is a very simple 20' x10' wood framed structure covered in stucco.  Our version has 3 windows and a locking door, offering these families a security they have never known before in their cardboard and pallet constructed home. The homes are constructed solely by hand, using no power tools or air tools.  Just hammers, hand saws, hand trowels, and sweat of a team of roughly 15 teens and adults.  (see photo courtesy of Amor of a prior group's build) The idea is that if the tools are left behind, you have given the family (who will work with us) the ability to replicate the home for others.  Its the classic adage of teaching a man to fish…

We'll take lots of photos and videos this week, so watch for the uploads after we return.  In the meantime, please be praying for these families and for our team that this experience will deepen not only our compassion for others that have needs we can scarcely imagine, but that it will strengthen our passion to make a difference with our lives.  (see the "Passion" challenge!)

TOMS Shoes are a comfortable, simple, and stylish way to show that you think about the decisions you make and how they affect others.  Started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie, TOMS committed that for every pair of the Argentinian styled shoe that they sold, they would give away a pair to a child in need in a lesser developed country…ONE FOR ONE.  Its that simple.

TOMS SHOES… check them out today.  Your feet, and the feet of a child, will thank you.

For more information, check out our TOMS partner page on our site!

If you want to create a link to this story or link to TOMS from your blog and help us with generating not only great shoes for needy children, but also funds for microfinance, please use the URL below to ID your link with Share5's affiliate ID (AID):  http://www.tomsshoes.com/?aid=1264&LinkID=1264 and either grab one of the images below or just do a google image search for TOMS Shoes!