``Dare to dream His dreams, have the courage to go where He
leads.'' Sarah Smith left this closing challenge with persons gathered
at the March 7, 2005, dinner meeting at Das Essenhaus, Middlebury.
Smith, a member of Madison (Wisconsin) Mennonite Church, said that
in 1998 God planted in her heart a dream to provide micro loans to
women in the developing world. She joined MEDA in 2003 and is realizing
that dream by building houses and donating the proceeds to MEDA.
She owns SJS Enterprises, a company that provides consulting and
other services to the art glass industry. God's provision for
implementing dreams was illustrated in her account of the recent
founding of Sarah's Hope Jewelry, a company that sells glass jewelry
made by people in China, helping to raise funds for poor women in other
places.
Bob Kroeker, staff member in MEDA's Winnipeg office accompanied
Sarah. He reported creative MEDA activity in Tanzania and Nicaragua,
inviting support for those and other MEDA international projects.
Michiana MEDA ambassador Willard Roth spoke briefly on the
importance of busy business people finding time for reflection and
solitude.
Monday, November 10, 2008
We had a presentation
at Eighth Street Mennonite Church by Catherine Sobrevega and Mahbooba
Waizi. Catherine is MEDA's country manager in Afghanistan and is
responsible for the project, "Through the Garden Gate: Strategies for
Integrating Women into Sustainable Markets." This project helps women
improve the quality and yield of their home based gardens and build
links to sustainable markets in order to increase family incomes.
Currently, more than 1,500 women participate in the project. Earlier
this year, the project was a finalist at the 16th Annual Canadian
Awards for International Cooperation in the Centre for Intercultural
Learning Award for Gender Equity Achievement. Mahbooba Waizi is the CEO
of the Afghan Women's Business Federation and is joining Catherine to
speak about emerging women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan.
November 6-9
“Business as a Calling 2008: Dividends of Hope”
The 2008 bi-national convention took place at The Columbus, A Renaissance Hotel, in Columbus, Ohio.
Program Year Celebrated
The final
meeting of Michiana MEDA’s program year was held at BelmontMennoniteChurch on May 10.
Following a Tanzanian meal President Rob Steiner led the annual meeting.
Recognition
was given to four persons terminating their work on the Board. Susan Gingerich,
John Nussbaum, and Rob Steiner have been Board members. Willard Roth served as
ambassador. New Board members are Jessica Berkey, Conrad Brenneman, Renee
Hostetler, and Lowell Nafziger.
Melissa
Kinsey explained the partnership between ASSETS and GoshenCollege.
Nineteen persons recently graduated from the program. A new mentoring program
will begin this fall. A Michiana MEDA Investment Club report was read. Pastors are
encouraged to apply for a grant to attend the MEDA Convention.
Wally Kroeker, the director
of publications for MEDA and the editor of The Marketplace magazine, was the guest speaker. He showed a
video of the Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) project in Tanzania and also
spoke about Frozen Assets. He encouraged church leaders and pastors to focus their
ministries toward reaching out to our places of work in order to tap into
resources that are often “frozen.”
Michiana MEDA
PO Box 871
Goshen, IN 46527
Phone: 87-RSVP-MEDA or 877-787-6332
E-mail:
``Dare to dream His dreams, have the courage to go where He
leads.'' Sarah Smith left this closing challenge with persons gathered
at the March 7, 2005, dinner meeting at Das Essenhaus, Middlebury. 
