The Monday after in Quito and women and poverty

Thank you so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers the last few days!  Things seem to be getting back to "normal," (whatever that is) and we were able to go to the park and the grocery without incident this past weekend.  Lots of shelves at the store were empty or less than full, but we were able to get what we needed and deliveries should be resuming.  I talked to one of the local reporters, Christian Zurita, for our HCJB radio station here in Quito this morning, and he was in the hospital last Thursday calling in reports about the President and his eventual rescue.  He talked about how God really gave him a peace while he was there lying down on the hallway floor with all the other journalists.  He is a new dad and certainly grateful for your prayers, too (as are his wife and baby!). 

I'm continuing to get ready this week for the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa where I'll be working as an English radio reporter.  We leave a week from tomorrow!  I was reading some of the background papers that the organization asked us to read, and was amazed at some of the statistics regarding women and poverty.  Basically, in most of the world, to be a woman means to be poor.  Almost 3/4 of the poor are women, and even though they are about half the world's population, they do 2/3 of the world's work -- but only receive 10% of the world's income. 

However, women in very poor countries are being trained in how to start savings groups in which they pool their resources, loan each other money to start and improve businesses, and reach out with donations to those who are suffering.  They depend on their own income and mutually support their fellow group members, and are able to save thousands in countries like Burundi where most people make less than $2 a day.  It's amazing!  They are learning about how much God values them and how Jesus reached out to women (the woman at the well, among others) -- and about how the Gospel of Jesus can bring justice to them when they haven't experienced that before.  Plus, when women get a little extra money, where do they usually spend it?  Better education for the KIDS, better nutrition for the KIDS, more medical care for the KIDS.  Women earning more benefits the household.  These African moms the story mentions are just like you, just like your mom.  I am hoping some of them are able to come to the conference so I can meet them and see even more how awesome they are!

Tim