Yesterday at lunch I met a girl (21) who has just graduated from U. of MD and is headed to George Mason University to get a Master's degree in Economics. (For those who wonder why I read FORTUNE magazine, it's for conversations like this.)
Her ultimate goal is to finish school and go in the Peace Corps. She wants to go into an underdeveloped country and help teach principles of business and economics as a way of improving their lives. She came down solidly on the left of many social issues referring to herself as a liberal. I talked to her about her background, where she was from, schooling, faith, the role of business in Society, and then the role of the Church in meeting the needs of the world. I told her about Severn River Church, and shared some of my story with her. It was a great conversation.
I had never thought of the Peace Corps dealing with economic development. I always thought of them digging wells and hosting clinics. What an interesting thought. Her hero is a man named Muhhamad Yunus, who won the Nobel Prize this year. He broke into the Indian caste system by lending small amounts of money to women. The women invested in their trades and education and though they had been turned away by every other lending institution were treated with dignity by Yunus. They paid him back and he started a new banking system for the poor. Fantastic world.
Anyway, I hope that you take opportunities to meet people, and share your story and the story of SRC. Let's be inviters.
--Ben
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