Given the nature of poverty in Arequipa, we have long been considering whether a micro-loan project modeled on kiva.org would be a wise ministry. There is a large number of people living in true poverty here, but the great majority of the poor--and thus of the whole population--are the working poor. This means subsistence living, a precarious balance of minimal resources. Sickness, unordinary expenses, or even short-term loss of work are the kinds of situations that can quickly spiral a family into destitution. Many of you have yourselves experienced the uncertainty that accompanies job loss or a medical bill too big for savings to cover. We all live in economic systems that allow us to imagine the worst. I believe, therefore, that magnifying those situations tenfold gives us a glimpse of the reality in places like Arequipa. Rather than the loss of savings or the downsizing of a home, it is daily bread that is at risk for so many thousands here when something goes wrong.