“The Door to Another World”

February 2008…It was O’dark thirty and I was pounding it out on the treadmill at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, BC. That morning, I decided to bring my palm pilot along in addition to the IPod. This was very rare, but nevertheless, I had it with me. While I was working out, there was another gentleman doing his routine and we started to chat. The usual back and forth led to what he did; mentioning that he was working with an organization called Opportunity International. He had recently moved to Calgary (which is a city that I frequent in my travels), and had lived in other various parts of the world. He then started to explain what he did and mentioned micro finance. Now to be quite honest, this was the first time that I had ever heard this term and was very curious as to what this meant. During our short time on the tread mills, I took some very brief notes on my palm pilot (go figure) and filed it away not thinking any more of it.

Turn the clock forward… during the fall of 2009, our congregation at Life Center in Spokane, Washington, started a study on the book Hole in our Gospel by Rich Stearns, President of World Vision. This study not only dramatically impacted me but also lead to more research and finding Kiva.org. The fact that I could help a couple or individual located in another country somewhere across the world, start up and/or expand their business was not only fascinating but life changing. It inspired me to take action and search for a way to spread the word. This, along with sponsoring children from all over the world who are less fortunate, really got me thinking about how I could as an individual or how our family as a whole, could make a difference for someone else. It was during this time that I looked in my palm pilot and noticed the information that I had taken down about Opportunity International. I then researched who and what they are all about. The more I researched about these three organizations, the more excited I got.

Today we look forward to opportunities to help entrepreneurs around the globe achieve their dreams and goals through micro-finance. There are many ways to get involved with helping others to better their own life; especially those in other countries around the world that are less fortunate than we are. If you want to know more about how you can get involved, change a life, and make a difference, go to any one of these links and start your journey today. Until next time.