The difference is dignity

“I just want to thank TOLI. Most days, I sit and wonder where I would be if it were not for them...” 

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Meet my friend Mary. She wonders “where she would be” if not for TOLI. What does she mean? 

• Before TOLI, Mary made about $25 a month... Today she makes $180 a month — 7 times more. 

• Before TOLI, Mary couldn’t care for her kids on her own... Today she says, “I am solely taking care of my family.”

• Before TOLI, Mary didn’t realize her skills... Today she sees herself as a skilled seamstress and businesswoman. 

In 2018, Mary took a TOLI microloan to start a business. But the difference that has made isn’t just about money. It’s about dignity. Mary is a woman created by God with purpose, creativity, dreams, and a future. She’s now a leader in her community savings group and a more active church member. She dreams of expanding her business, and even hire employees someday. 

Has it been easy? No. Mary has endured trials at home and obstacles at work. But she’s different now. And she’s thriving.

The difference in TOLI’s overall impact this year has been remarkable too — and what’s ahead for 2020 is even more exciting: 

• Client-reported incomes increasing an average of 117%

• Now operating in 28 communities in 4 countries

• Doubled our locations in Egypt in 2019

• Currently launching in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Doubling our program investment in Kenya in 2020

We celebrate with Mary the difference TOLI has made in her life. But transformation like this doesn’t happen without God’s help — or without yours. 

Please consider including TOLI in your end-of-year giving. Your gift — a dignified, sustainable, Christ-centered  transformational gift — will make all the difference. Just ask Mary.

With gratitude and joy, 

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Inspired? Go deeper with TOLI in the new year. 

> Pray with us — in person, by phone, or on your own! Join us for our monthly Prayer Gathering every second Tuesday from 12-1pm — in person at the TOLI office (5785 N.Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80918) or by phone (conference line: 605-313-4819, access code: 928642#). Don't miss our monthly prayer emails that list specific prayer needs for our clients, field staff and ministry partners. 

> Host a TOLI speaker at your book group, bible study, or organization.  Email us  to find out more.

> Got skills or time to give? We occasionally need administrative help, event volunteers, or an extra set of hands.  Email us   to be added to our go-to list.

> Become a MONTHLY giver! Our plans for 2020 are ambitious! By giving an automatic, monthly gift, you'll help fuel TOLI's work in a powerful way. Click here  to sign up online — just click "Monthly" when prompted. 

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Have you seen our movie?  

Earlier this year we created the short film FULFILLED, which tells the story of the village of El Kom al-Akhdar, Egypt, through the eyes and experience of a brave young mother named Raouth. It’s her story, it’s El Kom al-Akhdar’s story, and, yes, it’s TOLI’s story.

But ultimately, it’s Jesus’s story.

Only Jesus can fulfill what’s missing, bruised, or broken in our world. But sometimes it takes one person’s story to reveal it.

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Still looking for that perfect gift?

Honor your loved ones by giving a TOLI alternative gift in their name! Every gift will help provide microloans to entrepreneurs in vulnerable communities. You can even choose which country you'd like to designate the gift to, and then present it with a printable card or digital pdf that you can email to your recipient.  Give the GIFT of HOPE here. 

The average TOLI microloan is $264. Imagine the power of one simple gift to transform a life, a family, even a whole community!

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Creativity rules.

You might think rural Kenya is an unlikely place for innovation. Think again. 

We want to introduce you to a few entrepreneurs we met last month. Their creativity and willingness to think "outside the box" is transforming their lives and their communities. Each of these clients took a TOLI loan of less than $300. That, paired with their resourcefulness, their courageous thinking, and the encouragement of a TOLI social worker, has meant a brand new start.

THANK YOU for helping these amazing entrepreneurs find their purpose and use their God-given talents. 

REGINA, Tea Sales. Regina's business idea is so simple, but so clever. With just a plastic bag and a candle, Regina has created a tea packaging business that's providing steady income and security for her and her children. She buys high-grade tea in bulk (we tasted it — it's delicious!) and then repackages it into smaller portions. She seals the individual plastic bags with a candle flame so the tea stays fresh, then sells the small portions to clients in her area, including schools and churches. (Click the video above to see how Regina works!) 

LENA, Veterinary Services and Supplies. Lena has loved animals her whole life. And even though it's rare for women here, she has long dreamed of operating a veterinary supplies business. But this spring, with the help of business training and a $300 loan through TOLI, she launched a veterinary services and supplies shop. Her business provides medicine, supplements and vet services for area livestock farmers.  

LLOYD, Banana Sales. Banana farming is nothing new. But Lloyd's business model is innovative, connecting local small-scale farmers with the larger banana market in Nairobi. Lloyd (shown above on the right) scouts for banana crops from independent subsistence farmers in remote areas, collects them himself, then transports them in bulk to the city every week, where he sells at a premium. Not only has his income sharply increased, his community has benefitted from the market expansion. 

LUCY, Butcher. When Lucy's husband, a life-long butcher, died a year and a half ago, she was left without an income. Then this spring, her community group introduced her to the TOLI program. Lucy courageously decided to take a microloan and continue her husband's business. Last month, Lucy reopened the butchery, and she now provides fresh meat as well as some of her own special recipes to her community. "Being a butcher is unusual for women here," she told us. "But business is good, and is picking up." 

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“ Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.”

— 1 Kings 3:12

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When Annie met Rose (top picture), a TOLI client with a dress-making business, she decided she wanted to buy a dress of her own. Rose measured Annie, helped her choose fabrics, and custom-made the dress by the very next day. Annie proudly wore it to worship that Sunday (above)!

Q&A with a TOLI Traveler

Almost 30 years ago, Annie Moore’s father began a ministry serving abandoned boys in the slums of Nairobi. Years later, it was his passion and legacy that sparked Annie's desire to go on a TOLI trip to Kenya. As a former social worker herself, Annie was intrigued by the “transformative shift” microloans can play in breaking the cycle of poverty. We asked her to share a few thoughts about this life-changing journey to Kenya with TOLI last month.

TOLI: Describe an encounter with a TOLI client that impacted you deeply: 

ANNIE: We met a woman whose business involved traveling from Kenya to Uganda to buy fabrics and selling them for a profit to dressmakers and other people through word of mouth. She seemed to be doing quite well and had plans of expanding her business, but what really struck me about her is the daughter she "adopted" (whom she saw had no parents) who now lives with her. The daughter is also taking a microloan to make and sell soaps. This daughter sends some of her money back to a brother suffering from some ailment for medication. Seeing generosity giving way to generosity was inspiring.

TOLI: How did you see God at work through TOLI? 

ANNIE: God was at work in the TOLI social workers as they were facilitating groups, working alongside of individuals, giving their very lives away with loads of joy and passion in the work they were doing. Observers, Teachers, Encouragers, Listeners, Supporters, Advisors, Travelers, God is using so many facets of these social workers!

TOLI: What would you like others to know about TOLI? 

ANNIE: The TOLI staff does an exquisite job of carrying out the business of getting microloans to people and pursuing growth, while simultaneously reassuring individuals that TOLI exists not primarily for the repayment of money, but most importantly, for the worth and value God sees in each and every person.

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Inspired? Jump in. 

> Be like Annie. Travel with us! Check out our trips coming in 2020. 
> Come to our next #TOLITuesday Prayer Gathering on July 9 from 12-1pm at the TOLI office, 5785 N.Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80918.

> Help more entrepreneurs find their purpose, gifts, and ability to care for the families and communities by giving today. A simple $300 microloan can truly transform a life — and a family — forever.  

We are miraculously connected

From our Executive Director

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I went on my first mission trip in 2001. I had said a brave yes to joining a short-term trip to Kenya with our church, where my husband was a pastor. I was eager — and scared. As a brand new pastor's wife and a 20-something mom with babies left at home, the idea of being a 'missionary,' even for just two weeks, was intimidating. 

Our group helped with a small building project, ran a VBS for a few hundred kids, and took lots of Kenyan tea breaks. One morning we visited an orphanage called Karai Children's Home, near the town of Kikuyu. It was a small home, recently built by The Outreach Foundation, who helped organize our trip.

We dropped by one morning and led the 40 or so kids in some silly songs. Halfway through Father Abraham, I took off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist, as the goofy song motions and Equator sun warmed me up. Next thing I knew a young girl copied me, taking off her blue knit school sweater and tying it around her waist, just like I did.

Kids at Karai (left) in 2001. 

This little act somehow settled all my fears. It suddenly seemed so simple: We were just two daughters of Abraham, doing something together, and discovering how big God's family is in the process.

But there was another girl there that day, a girl I would meet again — 17 years later.

When I returned to Kikuyu last fall with Touch of Love, we hired a social worker named Lucy. We loved her immediately because of her leadership skills, her smarts, and her dedication to the group of women TOLI was going to serve there. She had a heart for this community, because she grew up here. 

Teaching a small business lesson with Lucy (right) last month.

It turns out Lucy grew up just down the road — at Karai Children's Home. 

And, it turns out, Lucy was there in 2001. Lucy was one of the kids singing Father Abraham with us, one of the girls with whom I discovered I had nothing —  and everything — in common. 

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Sometimes the light shines on God's invisible webs just right, and suddenly you see everything is connected and glistening. 

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Why am I sharing this with you? Because God's plans are elaborate and exquisite. Because His plans are for every person. Me. You. A kid in an orphanage. A woman in a tea field. A man in a slum. It's why the church exists. And it's why TOLI exists. 

We are all children of Abraham, and we are miraculously connected, beyond the bounds of culture or geography. We are family.

My prayer for you — and for every one of our supporters, staffers, and clients — is that you would know yourself as part of His family, and that, as you say your brave yeses to how he wants to use your life, you may catch a glimpse of the glistening threads that connect us all. 

God's plans are elaborate and exquisite. And sometimes we even get to see them.

Yours in Christ, 

Abigail McConnell
Executive Director

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PS: Want to connect with us? 

Maybe it's by praying. Maybe it's meeting for coffee to hear more about TOLI. Maybe it's even going a trip with us. Maybe this is your brave yes... 

Or maybe there's another corner of God's kingdom I can connect you with.

Send me an email and let's find out.