Thursday, July 19, 2012

Ugandan Mamas and Me

Truth be told, my spirit has been a little stir-crazy since traveling to Uganda and getting all pumped about loving the poor through action, then coming home and having twins and realizing the "loving the poor" thing might need to take a back seat for a little bit as I care for my babies. Well, not a back seat exactly. I still sponsor two sweet girls in Uganda through Compassion International and we still give to a number of organizations that are doing some amazing things to help make a lasting change for the poor. So I guess I'm not taking a backseat, I'm just not as hands-on as I would like to be because I've got both hands full with the two little ones God has blessed me with. Maybe it should be easy for me to let that be enough right now. But it just isn't. There is too much suffering going on around the world and too much comfort in my own life and it just doesn't sit well with me. I have to do something more.

As I study my Bible, I'm finding again and again that for someone who claims to love Jesus, loving others - especially the poor - is a huge, non-negotiable response. A natural, overwhelming desire from a heart changed by Christ (don't believe me? check out this verse). 

I don't get (or want) a "veto" card on the caring for the poor thing just because I'm a mom with young babes. Motherhood is a huge calling, a lot of work and a precious responsibly, don't get me wrong, but even the "Proverbs 31 Woman" cared for the poor while caring for her own family ("She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy" - verse 20). But there is no denying that it's hard right now with the twins being so young. 

I find myself dreaming of the day when I can involve my kiddos in loving-the-poor-projects and use those opportunities to teach them about the love God has for the world and how we can show His love to others through the way we live. Those will be incredible moments that I will cherish and that I eagerly look forward to, but those times are still a few years out. 

So I started thinking - what talents/abilities/opportunities do I have right now that I could leverage to love the poor? Where can I start right now? And after a little planning, I am super excited to share with you what I've come up with.

You may (or may not) know that I make and sell beaded crosses. One of them (the one pictured on the upper left of my blog) is made with recycled magazine beads from Uganda and each time that cross sells, I give 50% of the proceeds to Amazima Ministries which provides approximately sixty meals for a child living in the slums of Uganda. But I also have many other styles of crosses, so I thought, why not use those crosses to help the poor as well? So I've opened an online boutique through Etsy (which is something I've been dragging my feet on until I got inspired by this idea) and 25% of all of my profits will be donated to Kiva - an organization that provides small, low-interest loans to help those living in extreme poverty start a business. (By the way, the repayment rate of these loans is incredibly high: 99% of those receiving a loan pay in back in full.)

One unfortunate misconception about the poor is that they are poor because they are lazy. However, more often than not, the poor are extremely hard-working. They simply lack the hope and opportunity to lift their family out of poverty. A micro-loan of just $100 would give someone living in extreme poverty the capital needed to start a business and begin using their talents and abilities to provide for their family. Giving them not only sustainable income, but confidence, empowerment, a sense of achievement and HOPE. All things that can break the cycle of poverty and be a catalyst for lasting change for the poor. Not a temporary hand-out, but a life-altering hand-up.

Here's my favorite part of this venture: I'll be providing loans specifically to working mothers in Uganda. As a working-from-home mother myself, who also happens to love the people and country of Uganda, it is a perfect match. (My heart just fluttered a little bit even thinking about it.) 

Another reason I chose mothers specifically is this: I love adoption (I have two adopted sisters whom I adore), but I would love even more for a mama to be able to keep and provide for her babies instead of having to give them up for adoption because she can't make enough money to feed them. I would love for kids not to be orphaned by AIDS because the only available way for their mother to make a living was to sell her body. A Kiva loan can change these things and keep babies the arms of their mamas. Be still my mother's heart. And my poor-loving heart for that matter. ::flutter flutter::

If you are interested in what I'm doing, here's the link to my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/jhcraftynotions

And here's a little peek of a few of the crosses I have available:








Thanks for listening to my excited ramblings. Creativity, helping the poor, mamas and their kids, Uganda:  this kind of stuff just gets my heart pumping!!  


10 comments:

  1. Wow! You are amazing! I love your drive to do what you can NOW even though right NOW is the busiest that you have ever been! God will bless you as well as the poor through your servant's heart.

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    1. Thanks so much for the kind word of encouragement Amber! Taking the steps I can now, hoping that as I'm faithful with a little, God will entrust me with more - for HIS glory!!

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  2. We love our beautiful cross and have enjoyed giving them as gifts! Did I tell you how much it blessed the socks off a single mom friend of ours who was reading Kisses From Katie and pining for Africa where she'd served for a few weeks with Mark and Moriah? She was feeling discontent with "just" serving her 4 adopted and 2 foster children here in AZ but heard from the Lord that she was right where He wanted her...she felt the cross was a precious symbol from Him (via us, via you, via Amazima :) to remind her of His love for her.

    Don't let any babies swallow those gorgeous beads!! The time goes fast...they'll be helping you in your endeavors before you know it. I wish you could see what Jordan's doing this weekend (seems like just yesterday that I was handed that red-headed firstborn, but 20 yrs have flown by!) She has a booth at the homeschool convention in Phx promoting her "Nissa" pattern, the dress designed for the Burundi orphans--it's raising money for them and spreading their story. If you have any friends attending, tell them to seek out the "Heavenly Princess" booth in the young entrepreneur's aisle! more here: http://heavenlyprincess.wordpress.com/

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    1. I am so proud of Jordan! What a great endeavor!! The dresses are adorable.

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  3. My heart is pumping just reading this. LOVE. Love love love love LOVE!!!

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    1. Just let me know if you want to host another give away sometime.

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  4. Looking good! You should look into putting a shop up on Zibbet.com A basic shop is completely free, and the community is great. We have boards on pinterest for promotion run by sellers (I'm in charge of the White one): http://pinterest.com/zibbetpicks/ One of the most important criteria for being "pinned" is good photography - you've got that covered for sure!

    Let me know if you do set up a Zibbet shop, and I'll spread the word in the Z community!

    Jordan

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    1. Thanks Jordan - I will look into setting that up in the next couple of days!

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  5. Just seeing this post Jen and you've inspired me. Thanks!

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