Updates and stories
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…”
— Ephesians 3:20
We are pleased to release TOLI’s 2019 Annual Report. Thank you for being part of what God is doing through our ministry partners and clients all over the world.
Maria* is a brand new TOLI client in Nicaragua who started a little grocery store this month with a $300 microloan. But her story is particularly special.
Maria is a single mom — of SEVEN kids. And until a few weeks ago, Maria's kids lived in an orphanage. Extreme poverty meant she didn't have the means to care for them in her home. That is, until now.
When Maria's children were released from Casa Bernabe Orphanage to return back into Maria's home, she was thrilled, but needed support.
So our ministry partners at Verbo Church, which runs Casa Bernabe, leapt into action. They fast-tracked Maria into the TOLI program, set her up with a microloan and the support to purchase inventory for her shop. Now Maria not only has her family back together, she has a real shot at providing a stable home, financial security, and a whole new future.
It's a perfect picture of TOLI's mission: Through local partnerships, our program is a powerful tool in the toolbox of ministries who are on the front lines, fighting for fragile families, and reaching out with the help and hope of the Gospel— just in time.
Because of Verbo Church and TOLI, Maria will not walk this road alone. She'll have a coach, spiritual support, other TOLI clients to cheer her on and learn from—and an army of faithful witnesses praying for her and her family.
That army is YOU.
Will you stop right now and pray for Maria and her family? Pray for courage, for persistence, for her children's welfare, and for our friends at Verbo Church as they support her. Pray especially for TOLI Social Worker, Junior, who will walk beside Maria every step of the way.
What's ahead for Maria and her kids is still far from certain. But because of your support and prayer, it is certain that they won't have to do it alone.
(*Names have been changed for privacy.)
Volunteers help unload Maria's new inventory for her shop.
TOLI Board Member John Jaeger with Maria.
Because of your incredible support, last year TOLI served more clients and partner ministries than ever before. And more supporters than ever are gathering around our vision of "dignified, Christ-centered, sustainable transformation." Our Annual Report will be released in February, but here's a taste of 2019 in review:
> 405 new microloans were granted
> 607 men and women in poor communities received TOLI small business training
> TOLI launched in Ethiopia for the first time
> the number of communities we serve doubled over last year
> TOLI's total revenue doubled over last year
> 6 team members joined our field staff and 2 team members joined our US staff
> 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. Got a question about TOLI's prayer ministry? Email Megan Nilsen for more info.
> Host a TOLI Small Dinner. Email Erin Eilmes to find out more.
> 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.
> 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.
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,
> 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.
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.
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!
Get updates and client stories like this straight in your inbox, just share your email address below. (And don’t worry, we won’t share your info with anyone, ever.)
Meet some other organizations we love!
#GivingTuesday may ring a bell, but #GenerosityTuesday? Tell me more…
We recognize that TOLI inhabits just one corner of kingdom work. There are so many other organizations that care deeply for their communities and have a great impact around the world, and even right here in Colorado Springs (where our headquarters are located).
In this season of generous giving, we thought it would be fun to expand our horizons and introduce you to a few ministries we love and think you might too! Perhaps one or more will touch your heart and compel you to partner in some way.
We are blown away by the support given and community created last Friday at Local Flavor for Global Good in Downtown Colorado Springs. So many of you braved the cold to enjoy a slice of Gold Star Pie and to support TOLI. Together we raised more than $6000!
Many thanks to Heather and Aaron Briggs of Gold Star Pies for donating all proceeds to TOLI, and to Mary and Dick Frieg of Savory Spice Shop who hosted and rewarded donors with discounts, gifts, and hot apple cider. And thanks to each of you who gave so generously.
THIS is what your generosity leads to ...
And then THIS ... announcing TOLI Ethiopia!
We are thrilled to officially announce our new partnership with Life Center Ethiopia, where Genet is a client in their widow program. This ministry, based in Addis Ababa, is dedicated to holistic orphan and widow care. Their sole aim is to help transform the lives of the most vulnerable, like Genet and her daughter.
Life Center has already disseminated dozens of microloans to widows in Addis Ababa and the small town of Sekota, where Genet is from, but they are hungry to reach many more men, women, and children.
Our new partnership will mean scores more vulnerable families will benefit from new small businesses, training, and spiritual care and support. We could not be more excited that God brought us together to partner in this effort.
And keep watching to see where your generosity will lead to next.
Our partners in Egypt are working hard to provide business training, microloans, and spiritual support to vulnerable families in neighborhoods from Cairo to Assiut. Here is a glimpse of our latest developments in Egypt …
TOLI’s BUSINESS COURSE equips new entrepreneurs of all abilities and backgrounds. Topics include: setting goals, identifying your skills, overcoming obstacles, marketing, pricing, customer service, record keeping, budgeting, saving, ethics, leadership, and more. Below are images from a recent training in for a class of 21 future TOLI clients in upper Egypt:
THREE NEW COMMUNITIES in Egypt are now part of the TOLI program. The first round of microloans are being granted right now to vulnerable families who are dreaming for a brighter future. Please pray for them, and pray for our new social workers, who serve as mentors, trainers, loan officers and program administrators. Pictured here is Saeed (last slide), who serves the areas of Manshiet Nasser and Garbage Village in Cairo:
FIELD STAFF RETREAT: This fall we brought together 22 Egyptian TOLI leaders — social workers, church staff, and key leader — from around the country for two days of training, leadership development, and worship. These field staffers are true heroes, pouring into the lives of clients and their families day after day. And we are so grateful to our strategic partner Heliopolis Evangelical Church in Cairo, which plays an integral role in TOLI’s implementation, growth, and effectiveness throughout Egypt — and beyond.
This retreat was a TOLI first, but definitely not the last! A few images from our two days…
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
— PROVERBS 3:5-6
One of the things I love most about TOLI is that it's an organization that deeply desires to move in step with the Lord and in sync with His Spirit. We may not always understand God's ways, but he promises if we trust in him he will make our paths straight. We will sense his lead and know which way to go, one step at a time.
And that is precisely where TOLI is today, as we sense him directing our steps to expand to Ethiopia. It would take hours to describe all the ways God has connected us with this beautiful, ancient country, but rest assured the whole story leaves us in awe.
In two weeks, I will travel to Addis Ababa — along with five other TOLI leaders — to help begin a new partnership with a powerful 'boots on the ground' ministry there. Like all of our partner ministries, this one is passionate about serving widows and their families, believing each one is made in the image of God to dream, create, and flourish as mothers and as entrepreneurs.
Each microloan given through this partnership will help change a family's story, out of poverty and into dignified work. The best part is, when loans are paid back, they will be reissued to other budding entrepreneurs in the same community, creating a beautiful cycle of opportunity and growth. Seeds that are planted, watered, and cultivated will bloom into brand 'new flowers,' dotting the landscape and fabric of Ethiopia. One loan. One business. One dream at a time.
Thank for you for praying with me for Ethiopia, for TOLI, and for all that will bloom from our partnership ahead.
Megan Nilsen
Associate for Communications, TOLI
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Give to support a specific traveler or the whole team. Funds raised in excess of travel costs will be invested in business training, microloans, and a salary grant for a local, Ethiopian social worker. And please pray for this trip, October 15-23.
THE TEAM: John Jaeger (Board member); Linda Hood (Board member); Erin Eilmes (Staff); Megan Nilsen (Staff); Monet Martin (volunteer); and Steve Hood (volunteer).
TOLI Founder Eddie Yassa has been in Egypt this month visiting clients, overseeing business training in poor communities, and hosting our first TOLI Social Worker Retreat — a powerful time of encouragement, leadership development, and prayer for our six social workers and various partner committees from around the country, as well as key leaders from Heliopolis Evangelical Church in Cairo.
Please Pray! TOLI is growing in Egypt. Please pray for all the social workers and clients to connect, seek the Lord, and experience His goodness in their businesses.
Come visit Savory Spice Shop and Gold Star Pies and support TOLI at the same time!
Gold Star Pie Truck will serve up fresh award-winning pie in front of Savory Spice Shop, where you can find free hot cider and the tastiest spices in town. Proceeds from the evening will benefit TOLI. Many thanks to these two local small business —Dick and Mary Frieg and Heather Briggs — for their generosity and passion for supporting small businesses in poor communities around the globe.
WHEN: Friday Nov. 1, 5-8pm
WHERE: 110 N. Tejon, COS (in front of Savory Spice Shop)
MORE DETAILS HERE
Until a couple of years ago, if you mentioned the topic of Leadership to me, it's likely my eyes would’ve glazed over. Who’s got time for such lofty thoughts while you’re elbow-deep in the real world of packing lunchboxes, finding deals on soccer cleats, and minding everyone’s screen time?
Well, things have changed. I’ve changed. I’ve learned Leadership isn’t so lofty. Leadership is as real as the people you’re standing next to, and as down to earth as the tools in your hands. Leadership is influence, and everyone has influence.
TOLI has taught me much of this. Why does TOLI invest in people who seem to have nothing? Because even if you have ‘nothing’ you still have influence. The words you say, the actions you take, the choices you make, the help you share, all impact the world around you. If you are a person, you have influence. That means no one has ‘nothing.’
So while charities see people to be helped, TOLI sees leaders to be built.
Clients who start a small business with a microloan, take business training, and engage in intentional Christian discipleship through TOLI are influencing their communities in ways that will long outlive our program. They are becoming leaders. And that changes everything. For good.
And it’s my honor to introduce you to three of them. These are three women who've taught me more about leadership than any podcast, book, or conference.
BRENDA was the first TOLI client in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. Once a struggling single mom, Brenda now runs a thriving small business. At a recent training, Brenda spoke to a room of 40, including TOLI clients, church leaders from around Nicaragua, and an American team from TOLI. “I want to tell everyone: Let’s learn to give back that little part of all that God gives us,” she said. Brenda is a motivator among the TOLI client community as she inspires, challenges, and brings people together. Brenda is a leader.
ANN is a grandmother in rural Kenya, who took a TOLI microloan to build her dairy cow business. A loyal member of a community savings group organized by our partner ministry, Comet House, we’ve seen Ann grasp the power of the TOLI program to transform lives. Because of Ann’s hard work and strategic vision, her daughter is now starting college — something Ann says would never have happened before she entered the program. Ann has paid off her loan, but is not done with TOLI. This month, she was selected to join the local TOLI Committee, where she will help recruit and train new clients and savings groups. Ann is a leader.
SOHER is a mother of two boys living in Garbage Village, a desperately poor area of Cairo, Egypt. Soher took a microloan years ago to buy a machine that recycles plastics and earns her steady income. Soher’s persistence and positivity has inspired many US TOLI Teams that have visited her over the years. And starting this month, she begins working for TOLI as an assistant to our Social Worker in her community, providing spiritual care and counseling of female clients in the area. Soher is a leader.
Brenda, Ann, and Soher are just three, but there are many more leaders being developed right now because of TOLI and our partner ministries. THANK YOU for investing in them by supporting our work. Through them, you are changing more lives than you'll ever know.
With gratitude and joy,
Abigail McConnell
Executive Director
Sheer curiosity inspired Randy Scott to travel to Nicaragua to see TOLI in action last month. Scott, a longtime nonprofit consultant, successful executive, and most recently, a TOLI supporter, was blown away by the simple effectiveness of the TOLI model. “TOLI is the ‘real deal,'" he says. "It works, and lives are being changed. A mere $300 loan can really change lives and people are coming to Christ because of TOLI’s engagement.”
His biggest takeaway from the trip? “There is no single solution to solving world poverty,” he says. “As Jesus said, the poor will always be with us. It is easy to become overwhelmed by world poverty and do nothing. I think I now see that the ultimate solution is bringing the people to a believing faith in Jesus Christ so that they can enjoy spending eternity with Him where there is no pain, hunger, and worry. In the meantime, if each believer can engage with organizations like TOLI that provide the opportunity to build relationships with those in need so that we can then share Jesus with them, we can and will make a difference.”
> Come to our next #TOLITuesday Prayer Gathering on September 10 from 12-1pm at the TOLI office, 5785 N.Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80918.
> Be like Randy. Travel with us! Check out our trips coming in 2020.
> Help TOLI change lives by giving today. A simple $300 microloan can truly transform a life — and a family — forever.
We all do it—constantly running to the grocery store to restock the fridge. Buying groceries is unavoidable, but did you know that you could be providing more TOLI microloans around the world while you do it?
By simply choosing TOLI as your nonprofit of choice at King Soopers or any Kroger brand store, a percentage of what you spend to feed your household will provide for our clients around the world. And it costs you nothing, besides your normal grocery bill!
FACT: Last month we received $271 through this program, thanks to just FIVEpeople who have started “shopping for TOLI” since May. That's one microloan! Can you imagine how many more loans we can distribute when others get involved? I can’t go grocery shopping anymore without thinking of our friends and clients around the world.
The program is super simple. You’ll need a SooperCard, which you'll connect to TOLI, and after that, all you do is swipe your card at payment and a percentage goes directly to TOLI.
SIGNING UP IS EASY:
1. Go to www.kingsooperscommunityrewards.com
2. Sign into your account or create one. Click Enroll Now.
3. Click Community Rewards at the bottom of the page. Search for TOLI or Touch of Love International or enter LX852.
4. Click Enroll.
Thanks for 'shopping for TOLI!'
Blessings,
Erin Eilmes
Development Associate
Erin (right) with client Rose (center), who's building a dressmaking business with a $300 TOLI loan.
Amir (above) is an onion and goat farmer; Marian (below) sells shoes. Both built their businesses with the help of $200 TOLI microloans.
HAPPENING TODAY: A TOLI Team arrives in Nicaragua to visit our ministry partner, Verbo Ministry, in Puerto Cabezas. The coming week will be full of client visits as well as partnership training with four other churches in the country. Please pray for our team — Heather Briggs, Linda Hood, John Jaeger, Naomi Jaeger, Abigail McConnell, Megan Nilsen, and Randy Scott — as they serve, learn, and worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Nicaragua. The team returns on July 31.
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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."
— 1 Kings 3:12
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)!
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.
> 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.
