Investing in Treasure

Today's post is written by my dear friend, Heatherly Sylvia. I'm so excited for you to hear her heart today.

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.
Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"
The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back they'll die."
"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference to that one."
- attributed to Loren Eisley

The problems of extreme poverty, sweatshops, child labor, and human trafficking are overwhelming. They are overwhelming in scope, in complexity, and in emotion. They are issues that, as a Christian woman, I feel powerless over. Scratch that. I felt powerless over. Like the little boy and the starfish, I have the joy and satisfaction of knowing that I have been able to make a difference to several dozen women who have escaped prostitution and sweatshops, are fighting to keep their children, or are looking to provide for their families with dignity.

I am a voice for women who have no voice.

One of our Gifts of Hope recipients, Martha, seen here with the goat paid for by party sales.

Isn't that what we all want?

Dignity. Dignity is defined as the "bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or situation" or, and this one strikes a chord, "nobility or elevation of character; worthiness."

These precious sisters do not want a hand out. They do not want charity. They want to know they have worth.They want an opportunity, and that is what I have - an opportunity to partner with them through my work with Trades of Hope.

Trades of Hope sells fair trade products using a home party model. Party attendees have the opportunity to purchase gorgeous, unique handmade products while providing an opportunity for these precious women {and a handful of men} to provide for their families.

And the artisans have the satisfaction that comes from helping me, too.

Isn't that what we all want - to serve? To serve in a meaningful way that touches someone, that means something to someone, that glorifies Someone?

I hope to travel to Haiti and have the opportunity to meet the strong women of the Apparent Project. I want to hug them and thank them for the opportunity to share their stories, and for helping me put food on my table. I want to share with them how their recycled paper beads are making people aware of the plight of orphans in Haiti - and the fact that many of those "orphans" have parents still living that cannot care for them - and the lack of infrastructure that prevents the paperboard they use from being recycled. I want to meet these beautiful women who work downstairs to create and sell a product that is helping them, their children, and beautifying their community, while others watch their children upstairs, allowing the families to stay together. I want to share with them the compliments I have been given over their jewelry, they opportunities I've had to share their talent. Their strength.

One of the Apparent Project artisans creating treasure out of trash.

I dream of traveling to Bangladesh, of meeting the women who create Sacred Mark soap and tell them how much I admire them for making the hard, brave choice of staying in the red light district and making soap to symbolize their purity in Jesus. I want to meet the women who line up outside their co-op and beg for an opportunity to provide for their families without selling their bodies.

I dream of meeting the women of Thistle Farms, of thanking them and worshiping with them, of hearing their stories. Because but by the grace of God, I may have been a woman in need of the Magdelene Project.

You don't need to be a Compassion Entrepreneur with Trades of Hope to make a difference. You don't even need to go on an eye-opening missions trip like Amy did. Start somewhere: educate yourself about human trafficking here in the US; buy fair trade products when you can; volunteer in a soup kitchen; sponsor a child through Compassion; learn about the realities of being a woman in other countries. I've listed some resources below to help you get started.

These are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends.

They do not want a hand out. They want an opportunity. They want to know they have value. Dignity.

Isn't that what we all want?

I know that it's my heart cry.

I worship You, Lord, because you created me as your poema, your masterpiece, created in advance with good works set aside for me to do. {Ephesians 2:10}

Additional Resources:Want to learn more? Read Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn and Carolyn Custis James' Half the Church.

Christian singer Natalie Grant has a fantastic foundation that is working to abolish human trafficking which you can learn about here.

If you'd like to learn more about Trades of Hope, please visit our website: www.TradesofHope.com. To make a purchase click here. {This is my affiliate link.} If you'd like an opportunity to become a world- changer through Trades of Hope please email me at pinkdaisyjane@gmail.com

A busy wife and home school mom to two children and self-diagnosed book addict, Heatherly still finds time to work for Trades of Hope, a missional fair trade home party company that works with artisans around the world to make a fair wage. A textbook extrovert with little time for coffee breaks, Heatherly is convinced that Twitter, Facebook, and blogging were invented with her in mind.

Heatherly is an apprentice grace-giver. She hopes to one day be a professional.

You can read more from Heatherly at http://www.pinkdaisyjane.com/.
Follow her on Twitter @pinkdaisyjane.