Kiva

[Proinsias]

Every year my dad says that he doesn't want anything for Christmas as he has everything he needs. We still buy him stuff. It's a waste of money.

This year I'm thinking we give the money we would have spent on him to someone on Kiva.

Has anyone here used Kiva before?

It's more of a loan than a donation but the idea seems to be that you keep giving the money back, and if you lose it well what's £30 in the grand scheme of things.

Thoughts?

[ageofknowledge]

We had someone at Calvary Santa Ana involved in making Indian loans as ministry (he was a business graduate). I'm not sure if this is the org he went to work for in India or another but it appeared to have a positive impact yes. He married an Indian lady and went full time. I find this type of ministry fascinating to be honest. It's both spiritual and practical.

I like this approach MUCH MUCH better than a televangelist promising you that you'll become financially rich if you give them all your money.

The idea of engaging people in this way as a Christian ministry definitely intrigues me.

[cslewislover]

Yeah, there are also those retirement fund things too. Now I forget what you call them. Where you pay a ministry so much a month, and they invest it and get money from it, but you also get money from it when you retire.

[Proinsias]

Yeah, there are also those retirement fund things too. Now I forget what you call them. Where you pay a ministry so much a month, and they invest it and get money from it, but you also get money from it when you retire.

To my knowledge this is is more of a giving thing as opposed to a giving and receiving type thing. You don't benefit financially at all, someone else does. You're giving someone an interest free loan and the best you can hope for is that you get your original investment back, and then you, hopefully, give that to someone else.

If you want to be financially comfortable in retirement Kiva is not going to help.

[cslewislover]

Oh, yeah, I didn't mean Kiva (that's just a loan), I meant retirement things offered by other ministries. Like Samaritan's Purse has what I was speaking of, and Voice of the Martyrs, and many others, I'm sure.

[Proinsias]

I'm sure there are many religious organizations offering a good return, I was just curious if there were any alternatives to something like Kiva. I would like to give my dad something that benefits someone far less fortunate than himself, someone who feels they actually need something.

He doesn't need a retirement fund. Money means little to him. Any suggestions beyond Kiva?

[cslewislover]

Well . . . there are ways to give a nice chunk (or less ) of money for a specific thing, like say a water well, or a wheel chair, or help pay for a surgery, to a ministry in someone's name at Christmas time. Is that what you would like to do?