Forever Changed

Life changing reads

 
Earlier this year God prompted me to read several books that challenged me in my faith, and literally broke my heart for the poor, needy, and marginalized in our world.  Those books challenged me to examine my own heart and lifestyle in comparison to those in extreme poverty, those without access to clean, safe drinking water, and those who are entrapped in a lifestyle of exploitation and abuse.  Such intense conviction flooded my heart upon reading those books that I can honestly say that I will never be the same.  

I could no longer approach life in the same way.  All I could do was pray and contemplate ways that God might allow me to participate in giving to those in need on a much larger scale than I had been.  With that said, I will say that my husband and I are faithful givers to our church.  This has always been a priority for us.  We also give to those in need as we are able.  But, for some reason, I felt like I wanted to do so much more.  I had to do more!  Status quo was no longer acceptable. 

The challenge and frustration for me was having an intense desire to give more but not having the extra resources to do so.  We live pretty simply, not in poverty, but simply.  We don't drive new vehicles.  We don't take vacations very often.  We don't have television reception or cable or a lot of other "extras" that are the norm for many people.  God has blessed us with a small but beautiful home in the country that we love.  In so many ways we are very blessed!  But how could we share these blessings with others?  For a time my husband and I thought, prayed, and seriously considered selling our house so that we could pay off our debt in order to share a larger house with another family.  This would reduce our expenses so that we could live even more simply and also allow us to be able to give more to those in need.  For some reason God did not open those doors.

After much prayer, I felt God gave me an idea that would allow me to give more within the context of our current budget.  God laid it on my heart to change my approach to gift giving.  I was already purchasing gifts throughout the year for family birthdays, Christmas, and other special occasions. God prompted me to begin purchasing those gifts from organizations that were making a difference in the lives of the poor, needy, marginalized, and exploited around the world. 

Instead of purchasing gifts without purpose or intentionality, I decided to purchase gifts from organizations that were providing hope to the hopeless.  This change felt good but it seemed so insignificant.  But it was all I could do with our current resources, so I prayed and entrusted my desires to God.  After all, he is the initiator of my desires to be a difference maker in the lives of the hurting, needy, lonely, and the broken in our world.

After months of this new approach to gift giving, I discovered an opportunity from one of the organizations I had been supporting.  The Starfish Project, an organization that provides shelter, counseling, healthcare, vocational training, and an alternative means of employment to exploited women in Asia, was looking for individuals to partner with them to sell their jewelry and to promote their mission to provide hope and new life for at-risk women living on the streets of Asia. 

Blue Green Ceramic Hand Knotted Necklace available at the Starfish Project

When a woman enters the doors of the Starfish Project, she is offered a place to heal and grow as well as an alternative means of employment.  She is given the opportunity to earn an income by making handmade jewelry for the eco-friendly jewelry company established and operated by the Starfish Project. 

After much prayer, I felt this was a divine opportunity to give more to the needy and to those living in crisis.  In my partnership with the Starfish Project, I have the immense privilege of sharing their mission with others while making an eternal difference in the lives of at-risk women in Asia.  I am overwhelmed by joy as I consider the blessing and the gift of this opportunity.  In exchange for my time, I earn commission on the jewelry that I sell, but the majority of each sale goes directly to these needy women in Asia.  (This is not a multi-level marketing business.) 

If you would you like to support the mission of the Starfish project, please visit their jewelry store by clicking here.

At check-out, please select me, Jennifer-Motion Lights, as your independent representative from the drop down list.

Thanks for your generous gifts to those in need! 



P.S.  If you know me personally and would like to host a jewelry party to promote the mission of the Starfish Project, please leave me a comment on this blog or speak to me in person. 

We can party to change the world!