This whole process began when I discovered the ministry needed cereal boxes to make their beautiful jewelry. How easy is that? Saving our trash to send to them so they can support their families. Then I began emailing back and forth with Shelley Clay, the founder of ApParent Project. I began looking at her blog and I got excited! I asked Shelley if I could buy some pieces as Christmas gifts or better yet - was their enough time before Christmas to do a jewelry party and spread the word? She packed a box of 100 pieces of jewelry and it went out the next day.
I received the box several days later (they rely on people carrying the boxes to the states when they fly out and then ship it when they get to the states. My box came from someone in California). Anyway - I had been so excited about receiving it and showing it to people but had not prepared myself for the reality that sunk in as I sat with 100 pieces of jewelry on the floor of my living room. I was overwhelmed. All I could do was cry. Cry because I was excited. Cry because God had chosen me to help. Cry because as I read the story on each necklace, I realized that these are REAL people with REAL NEEDS and I don't have a clue!
Each piece of jewelry has a tag attached to it. On that tag is a small glimpse of the artist. I thought I would take some time this morning and share a few of these with you.
We decided this year that we want our Christmas gifts to matter. Not just to the person receiving them - but where we purchase them from as well. It was so exciting to watch my kids eyes light up when they came home from school and noticed the box had arrived. I spread the jewelry out on the table and they both went and got their banks. Anne, being Anne - quickly had a necklace on, a bracelet on and a stack in front of her and she was opening her bank to buy them. Made my heart soar. We scaled it back of course, and found a pink bracelet that was just her size. Jarod found something that suit him as well. They are both involved in helping me collect boxes to send to Haiti. Jarod had the idea of beginning something at his school and wants to set up a meeting with his principal after the New Year. They get it! As much as their little minds can.
If you are interested in helping to make a difference, I will have the jewelry at our church this Sunday for an Open House. We are opening it up to the community from 2 - 4 pm in the Choir Room.
Ocean Park Baptist Church
402 16th Avenue South
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
You know I have been dealing a lot with the whole Christmas thing this year. I came across another blog this week. Another lady who is supporting ApParent Project and I just love what she shared so much - I wanted to pass it along:
What Difference Does it Really Make?
"Through tear-filled eyes, I just read what a difference it can make, and wanted to share….
Someone came to the gate yesterday and wanted to see me. She needed some advice on a problem she was having. She has 5 children. Four of them are currently living with her. The two older children are on the school sponsorship program. The two younger children are in school but got kicked out of school this week because they could not pay their bill. The mother was very discouraged and told a few of her neighbors about it. That afternoon someone came to her house and told her that she could put her kids in an orphanage. She told me many other promises that were told to her if she would give them up for adoption. She was thinking about it and wondering what the best choice would be for her kids. She wanted to know my thought and if there was anything RHFH could do to help her. I asked her why she would consider putting her children in an orphanage to be adopted. She said that she cannot feed them a plate of food each day. They cry and are hungry. She cannot pay for their school. She cannot buy their uniforms or books. She lives in a stick house that is falling apart. All these things she could not do for her children were promised by the orphanage. I asked how she really felt in her heart. “I would rather know that my kids had a plate of food to eat each day and get an education than to hear them crying.” was her response. (http://haitirescuecenter.wordpress.com/)
This was written by someone at Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center. This situation is very typical of what the average mom or dad living in Haiti faces. While it’s easy to shake our head and think, “tsk tsk – shouldn’t have so many children”, or “tsk tsk – get a job”, I don’t think we understand how challenging and complex life is. Have you ever even considered placing your child for adoption because you haven’t been able to feed them ANYTHING for a day, two days, maybe three? None of us have. So, that brings me to the title of this post. What difference does it really make? What difference does it make whether I buy my sister something from Walmart, or an Apparent Project bracelet from Haiti?
That mom described above is just like the artisans who make these bracelets and necklaces I’m selling. Except they’re not exactly the same – the artisans have serious hope. They have an income. They have a job. The necklace you buy from him/her feeds their family for a week. An entire week.
Redefining our Christmas celebrations doesn’t have to be about going the “no present” route. It can become, instead, about giving life, health, and hope in the process of buying beautiful, meaningful gifts for loved ones. So what differences does it make? Well, it could be the difference between life and death."
Amazing! And so very true! I want to make a difference!
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