Kinship

I want to share with you about a collection of vendors who will be represented at the Marketplace who have seemed to grasp the idea that we each belong to one another.

The idea that "There is no us/them. There are humans fighting for each other, humans more aware of each other, humans believing God wasn't playing games when he called us His family, effectively binding us together despite the barriers that always made us think we were meant to stay apart." (Father Greg Boyle)

Imagine for a moment what it might be like to be a stranger. To be in a place where you don't know anyone. Don't know how to communicate with anyone. Don't know how to get around anywhere. To be totally misplaced.

According to Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of Great Britain, "the Hebrew Bible in one verse commands, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' but in no fewer than 36 places commands us to 'love the stranger'."

In Barbara Brown Taylor's book, An Altar in the World, she asks the question "why?". "Why should we love the stranger"..... "Because we have been strangers ourselves, the Bible says. Because if we have never been strangers, then that is because we have never left home......You shall love the stranger first of all because you know what it is to be a stranger yourself. Second of all, you shall love the stranger because the stranger shows you God."

We are so thankful that there are ministries like Ekata Designs who take the calling to love the stranger very seriously.

Ekata is on the ground in Memphis, TN working diligently to teach refugee women how to make beautiful jewelry, a small step to helping them become independent in their new life.

This is an excerpt from their website:

"Ekata Designs currently works with Refugees from Bhutan.  These women are ethnically Nepali, but for the past few generations they have lived in southern Bhutan.  In the 1980s and 90s the Bhutanese government began to discriminate and threaten these southern Bhutanese.  Fearing for their lives many fled to refugee camps in Nepal. After spending up to 20 years in these camps without being accepted into Nepal and unable to return to Bhutan, many families were relocated to the United States with hope for a new life.  Yet life in America is not without challenges.  Overcoming trauma from the past, learning a new language and culture, finding a job and becoming self-sufficient is a difficult process.

The Bible says that God defends the cause of the fatherless, widows and strangers in the land.  As followers of God, we are instructed to love the strangers living among us and to fear the Lord (Deut 10:18).  Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a refugee from Somalia, once said: “There are times when silence becomes an accomplice to injustice.” Ekata Designs was started to break the silence surrounding the plight of refugees and empower them to succeed in their new life.  We are privileged to work with several strong, beautiful, and talented refugee women in Memphis, TN teaching them to make and sell high quality jewelry. This is a small step in helping them become self-supported."

 





Aren't these jewelry designs beautiful!!! I have only seen them online, I can not wait to see them in person! And you should totally click here and see the beautiful faces and read the stories of the women who handcrafted these pieces. And I can't help but wonder if the women behind Ekata, the founders and the artisans, have somehow both learned a little something about strangers becoming friends, learning of their Kinship. How taking the time to be with one another regardless of background or even the ability to speak the same language has allowed them to witness in each other Jesus on earth. I am so excited that these women will be selling their wares at the Marketplace this year.

The next vendor I want to tell you about has learned that she has sisters on the other side of the globe. Her name is Tara and her motto is "Do for one what you wish you could do for all" (Andy Stanley). Tara founded No.41. No.41 uses fashion to provide sustainable employment and empower vulnerable women in Rwanda to create change for themselves and their community.

 

 

From their website: "No.41 started on a whim and a prayer in March 2012, with the intent of teaching young women from the Noel Orphanage in Gisenyi, Rwanda (ages 18-25) not only to sew, a culturally relevant trade that would always sustain them, but to give back to their community through a feeding program supporting local schools.

The first No.41 bag was sold in May 2012 and today we employ 20 women from the orphanage, as well as 10 from the surrounding village. We have 8 mamas better caring for their 12 children and 19 of our young women are now enrolled in university. In February 2013, No.41 opened our first feeding program, providing a hot, healthy lunch to 900+ students and teachers, daily.

No.41 is about empowering young women. Our goal is not to give them the world, but to show them that God has already given them everything they need to go out there and take it. When you join with us, you are truly changing the world FOR ONE"

 

Do you see the picture of those cute bags up there? The purchase of one of those bags provides not only sustainable income to the woman who crafted it, but it also provides 240 meals to a secondary student in Rwanda.

For $75 you get an adorable tote bag AND you provide:

FOR ONE CHILD, FOR ONE MEAL, FOR ONE YEAR

 

 

 

Maybe every lady on your Christmas list would want one?

 

And also check out these adorable aprons....



The purchase of one of these kitchen essentials will provide 68 lunches to one child! Talk about gifts that give! Every time you cook you can think about a child who is offered a free lunch because of your purchase. That is how you begin to change the world FOR ONE.

This ministry is doing amazing things. Not only are they providing the sustainable income to their employees, but it is the employees who have started the food program in their community. Sisters helping sisters helping sisters. I love it.

If you haven't heard of our next vendor then you are in for a treat! Noonday collection works with artisans all over the world... working to help provide sustainable income to it's artisans...helping to make all of us a little cuter....and also helps to raise funds for adoptive families. So many things.

Noonday is sold through a network of folks called Ambassadors. We had the fabulous, Rebecca Daniels, represent Noonday last year. You can read our write up here. This year, Alecia West, who is our very own noonday representative right here in Jackson, TN will be at the Marketplace to share all about how Noonday is using fashion and design to help brothers and sisters in other parts of our world gain sustainable employment.

 

And do you know how Noonday was founded?! Jessica Honegger, founder, had a home show to sell items she had found on a recent trip to Rwanda. Her family was in the adoption process to bring home a child from Rwanda and she thought this would be a great way to raise some funds. The rest is history!

 

A small glimpse into how these products are made:

 

 

 

Y'all. I love Noonday. A Lot. Their products are so unique and so beautiful. True story....I never really wore jewelry at all until I started buying Noonday products. Now...look at me!

 

Big earrings and all! All of that is Noonday. And hey.....I loaned out that adorable belt up there....so you know who you are....I need that back!

In all seriousness, I feel like we have been given the unique gift of affluence here in the west. We can use our money, our influence and our abilities to join arms with our Family here and across the globe.  I want to be a person that turns away from valuing things and seeks ways to value people. In my personal life, over the past two years, I have learned so much about how we don't make decisions in a vacuum. The way I choose to spend my time, my money and my voice can have negative or positive effects. All of those things were never really mine to begin with. I am FAR from perfect but I long to embrace my kinship with humanity. Will you choose to join me?

Let's Talk Food

We desire for the Marketplace to be not just a place where you can purchase one of a kind items, but also an experience.

We want you to grab your girlfriends, or a date, or your neighbor and come downtown to shop, sip on some coffee and spend some time sharing a meal together and chatting about life.

We are so excited that the folks from ComeUnity Café will be providing their yummy menu for our shoppers.

Have you heard about ComeUnity Café and their vision? Their tagline is: to LOVE, to FEED, to DIGNIFY. From their website:

"We exist to build community by providing nutritious and delicious food made with as much organically, locally and sustainable grown ingredients as possible to all people of Jackson regardless of their ability to pay."

 

ComeUnity café is one of my favorites. Not only is their food ALWAYS delicious, but the atmosphere promotes true community and abundant joy! It's a great lunch spot in Jackson, and I feel so thankful for Amy and her vision to make this dream a reality. We are so excited they will be a part of the Marketplace this year!

Also at the Marketplace this year you'll have the opportunity to buy raw, fresh pressed juice from the sweet people of Pour Me Some Juice!

 

 

Tiffany, mastermind behind Pour Me Some Juice, happens to also be a dear friend of mine and my neighbor! In 2012, Tiffany and her husband, Lowe, were pursuing the adoption of a sweet little boy from South Korea. During that time, Tiffany had an idea to juice for a few people as a way to raise money for their adoption. A few people, turned into a few more people and Tiffany realized that there was a real demand for raw juice that possessed so many health benefits. Not to mention her juice is amazing!!! Seriously. I had no idea raw kale could EVER taste good. But Tiffany's juice is SO good! And since this started as a way to help bring their sweet Paul home, they want to use this business to help bring more children home to their forever families. Ten percent of all of PMSJ's profits go to orphan care. Our family happened to be a recipient of a some of those profits and we are so grateful! 

 

 

This family is such a blessing and we are so thankful for their hearts that are poured out over everything they do. Recently they opened their juice and smoothie bar in downtown Jackson inside the Lift center. If you are in the area, you should totally check them out. My personal favorite is the Almond Joy Smoothie.....it's like dessert. But healthy. So that's a total win.

 

And last, but certainly not least, we will be offering delicious Ethiopian coffee by the cup from our friends at Indigenous Outreach International.  Click here  to read our post from last year about this ministry that is very close to my heart. They will also have a booth...you'll hear more about that later!

 

The profits from every cup of coffee that is bought and enjoyed at the Marketplace will go to support what this ministry does. I got to travel with IOI in January of this year to see first hand the work that is being done in Ethiopia. I wrote about my experience here. A part of my heart is in Ethiopia, so I'm asking you to buy as many cups of coffee as you can possibly drink :)

 

So grab a car full of friends and come out to eat, shop and enjoy one another! Come hear about the amazing things the Lord is doing in our city and around our world and take some time out to just be with one another. We want you to leave the Marketplace with a few things checked off your shopping list, a belly full and a heart fully refreshed.

You Don't Want to Miss This...It's A Prize!

I have an opportunity for you to walk home with the mother load of all gifts.

Are you ready for this?!?!

First, let me tell you about Baby University.

From the BabyU website: "Moms who participate in the program meet on a monthly basis to learn more about nurturing brain development in their new babies, and receive practical and spiritual coaching."

Baby University is a non-profit organization founded by Hether Pflasterer of Jackson, Tennessee. This program is offered in conjunction with Birth Choice of Jackson, TN, (which is a crisis pregnancy center) to extend support of new moms past birth. It's sort of a "next-step" program for moms for after the babies have been born.

 Hether just so happens to be one of my closest friends. Hether was a public school teacher here in Jackson for 17 years. During her time, she saw year after year a true need for early childhood education, not just for children, but for parents. She had an idea to come alongside new parents and offer one of the most needed resources.....the resource of a friend.

BabyU meets once a month for six consecutive months. Classes cover everything from brain development at each age, discipline issues and health and nutrition. What we also do, is join together in a big 'ol circle and share stories from the trenches. We talk about all the things the experts say, and then we talk about how this plays out in the day to day grind of raising little humans. And we also spend time talking through things like "how do we pray for our children?". At the last BabyU meeting, Hether passed out little index books to all the moms who were present and encouraged them to search for scriptures that speak to issues with their families. We all partnered up and spent time talking through how we can better love our children by praying scripture with them and for them.

One of the things I'm realizing by attending BabyU classes is how, just as a smile is a universal language, it seems that being momma is also something that goes beyond all the boundaries we can sometimes erect. Boundaries of socioeconomic status, culture, neighborhoods, age.....when we sit down and start sharing how we struggle with these sweet babies....it seems that all of those differences don't seem so large. Over the past several months we have grieved with a sweet momma who lost her baby to SIDS, we've rejoiced over all the new babies who have been added to that circle, we have laughed A LOT at stories of little ones who have their own big personalities, and we have all prayed earnestly together that God would guide us as we navigate this road of motherhood. Being a part of these classes personally has been a true blessing to my soul.

So.....are you ready to hear about the prize!?!?!

BabyU is ALWAYS in need of diapers and wipes. By attending classes, moms get a chance to use mommy money to shop in our resource room. Diapers and wipes are a hot commodity! So, here is a chance for you to not only contribute towards this awesome ministry, but win a prize! Yay!

This year at the Marketplace, we are going to have a booth dedicated to some non-profits who work with children in our city. One of the featured ministries is BabyU! Drumroll please........

If you bring a package of diapers OR wipes and drop it off at this booth, you will get a ticket and be entered into a drawing for a gift basket! This gift basket will feature items from a lot of our vendors! Pocket journals from Inkwell's Press, products from Made On Acorn Hill, pottery from a local potter, a stylish neckerchief from Garner Blue, jewelry, beautiful hand drawn cards, and more!!!!

 

So basically a $10 pack of diapers could win you a gift basket valued at over $150! AND....you'll be giving diapers to new momma's who really need them. WIN!

 

Now, go get those diapers!

Vendor Spotlight: Inkwell's Press

I am so excited to tell you about our next featured vendor who will be at the Marketplace this year. Ryan and Elyzabeth are dear friends of ours. And they are the creative fuel behind Inkwell's Press.

 The amount of thought and creativity that this couple puts into every aspect of, not only this venture of Inkwell's Press, but also in their lives as a whole is awe inspiring. I have witnessed first hand the craft and care that goes into each item they sell. I have sat in their home studio as Elyzabeth hand stitches each journal with a carefully selected wax thread. The pace that this couple takes to care for and deeply love not only their products, but every person who is in their life is a refreshing breath of air in our hurried, digitized culture.

Inkwell's Press exists to create beautifully printed 'artifacts' designed for everyday life that beg to be pondered, explored and discovered by future generations. Ryan and Elyzabeth are a wonder-struck, creatively determined husband-wife duo with a passion for telling stories.

"Everything that gets designed and printed in our lifetime will eventually be a small piece of the big story that gets told to our children, and our children’s children, and so on.  We want to humbly play our part in telling that story through the timeless beauty of tangible goods and services we can still touch, and see, and share with each other in our local neighborhoods.”  

 

 

Ryan and Elyzabeth hope that Inkwell’s Press will become a social enterprise supporting gospel initiatives that enrich the life and culture of local communities.  For now they want to get started by designating a percentage of their profits from the A New Thing fall marketplace to go toward Aarik and Brooke Danielson’s adoption.  

Inkwell’s Press will currently be offering a collection of hand printed, hand bound pocket notebooks and journals, along with limited edition screen printed posters and woodcut prints, as well as a few decorative pillows.

 

 

 

You do not want to miss this booth at A New Thing fall marketplace! And those pocket journals would make such great gifts!

Vendor Spotlight: Made On Acorn Hill

If you've been around Jackson, TN any length of time, then you've probably heard of these two mama's who make all natural goat's milk soap and other products. I remember the first time I heard about these ladies and their soap. I was at a Holiday event and they had a booth set up. When you walked by their booth the aroma would follow you! I turned around and followed my nose back to their booth and purchased my first Made On Acorn Hill product. It was a bar of soap and I was hooked! And honestly, I can not live without their chapstick. Ok. That could be a bit overstated. But we are some chapstick consumers in this house. MOAH chapstick is by FAR my favorite.

Their products are absolutely amazing. And more than anything, I love the heartbeat of this business. They say "Made on Acorn Hill is an overflow of the lives of two mamas and their families that has grown organically into what it is today." These mama's met for lunch one day and shared a desire to make handmade, all natural gifts for their friends and families for Christmas. From those humble beginnings this amazing company began. Their friends and families couldn't get enough and now we all get to purchase these products! But this business is still a family affair! Ashley's husband is a counselor by day and a goat milker by night. Mandy's husband is a lawyer by day and a label designer extraordinaire by night. And they say you can even spy a few of their 11 children helping to assemble products! That's right.... 11 children between the two of them! Their "real job" is that of mother and they also get to make soap on the side.... We're all so glad they do!

This past January when I went to Ethiopia, one of our main objectives while there was to speak to a group of pastors wives at the pastors conference that was being held. The women that I was going with had met and decided that we wanted to be able to present gifts to all these precious women. Soaps and lotions are not things that are readily available in Ethiopia. In fact, they can be quite difficult to come by. So we thought bars of soap would be a great gift. I was sharing this idea with a friend when she said, "You should check with the Made on Acorn Hill girls!". But here was the kicker....we needed 50 bars of soap! That's a lot of soap! But these ladies graciously donated it all! And NOT ONLY did they donate 50 soaps, they also put a gift set together for each of the women who were going on the trip! Complete with my fave....chapstick! This was such a blessing in many ways. The pastors wives were so incredibly thankful, and also......my suitcase smelled AH MAZING. And not only my suitcase, but our whole room carried this sweet aroma. And let's just say in Ethiopia....well.....the smells.....maybe not so pleasant always.

We shared with these ladies about how God has created women as life givers. What a gift to share these soaps, made my two mama's who are living out their life giving rolls with women across the globe who are also living out their life giving rolls.

So, come check out Made on Acorn Hill at the marketplace! Get some for you and stock up on gifts! You will be so glad you did!!!

All Call!

I have this great friend named Bethany. She has this way of getting a big group of women's attention by loudly proclaiming..."Hey Laaayydaays!" We all turn because if Bethany is shouting at us, we're pretty sure something amazing will follow.

Consider this my version of HEY LADIES!

We only have 8 spots left for vendors at the marketplace! Isn't that awesome?! We're adding four more spots this year to make it an even 20. But that means at this point, we have 12 confirmed vendors!

And it is sure shaping up to be an amazing group of people! We'll start spotlighting our vendors within the next month or so, but I wanted to go ahead and give you a sneak peak....drumroll please.....

We have BBQ&Bowties returning this year...our manly, mans booth
Noonday Collection
Made On Acorn Hill
Pour Me Some Juice
The Restored Attic
Clutch 1:10
Inkwell's Press
High Cotton and Company
Indigenous Outreach International
Statement Stash
Garner Blue
Fig Paper Co

.....I can't even begin to tell you the amount of talent represented on that list!

And just as a reminder....the purpose of the marketplace is to bring together a collection of vendors who make handmade, repurposed, or upcycled wares. A New Thing marketplace provides an opportunity to purchase with purpose, to buy unique handcrafted items while directing your money and hearts towards a greater good. The vision was to create a space for people to share stories, stories of redemption....of making old things new. Because everyone has a story.

At the marketplace, we want the shopper to put on the scarf you purchase and think about the God-revealed method of weaving the threads together. We want you to smell the sweet aroma of handmade soap you purchase and think of the momma's who made it while their little ones played at their feet. We want you to enjoy a cup of fresh juice and think about our friend who had an idea to help bring her child home from Korea and then help others bring their children home....all while being passionate about wholesome nutrition. We want you to sip coffee while you shop that was harvested in Ethiopia that helps to fund indigenous pastors and their families. You see, everyone has a story. When you, our shoppers, purchase at the marketplace and our vendors sale their wares, we all get to take part in these stories. God knits us together in such a beautiful way. And the ultimate story, the story of an ever-faithful, ever-loving God is passed down, shared, seen through eyes and hands that work to do what they were created for.

We just can't wait!

I Got to Go....

This post has been a few months in the making. It has taken awhile for everything to sink in. For what I saw and heard and experienced to really settle. Well. I'm not quite sure it will ever settle.

In January, I got to go to Ethiopia with Indigenous Outreach International. IOI was represented at the Marketplace last fall and is an amazing locally run ministry that supports indigenous pastors in several countries around the world. One of the things that I loved so much about going to Ethiopia was seeing the model of this ministry work. IOI is a true partnership. So what I mean by that is it's not a bunch of middle-class white Americans going to Ethiopia to tell them how to run their churches. Patrick, the founder and director of IOI, lived in Ethiopia several years ago and saw what amazing things the Lord was doing through the local church, and also saw how the ministers were working to support their families by various other jobs....trying to just make it. Patrick has written a short book about his experience there and the birth of IOI...it's a great read if you should be interested. (I think it can be found through the website).

Anyway, one of my dearest friends, Anna, works for IOI and runs their child sponsorship program. It's called the True Light Childcare program (TLC). After Anna returned from a trip in January 2013 and shared of her experience, I knew our family needed to be invested somehow in this good work. And on a whole other level....the Lord had really stirred something inside of me while Anna was away. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find myself praying for her and the people she was meeting and what she was experiencing. One day, while she was gone, I was standing at my sink. My little guy came in the kitchen to ask for some lunch. Well...I hadn't gone to the store and groceries were sparse. As he ran off to play while I tried to be creative in the kitchen....I was overwhelmed by the thought of mothers around the world who may never have enough food for their babies. A place where it is common for children to eat just twice a day. And for a split second, I feel like the Lord allowed me to feel that desperation. Now, all I have to do is run to the grocery store....I know it's not the same. AT ALL. But for whatever reason, I felt it for that moment and all I could do was stand at my sink and cry. Why? Why do I get to feed my baby and other mothers do not?

I don't think I can ever answer that question.

But, what I experienced on my trip this past January showed me a truth about hungering for something much deeper. It showed me how for years my spiritual appetite was being satiated by lesser things.

I began to learn of my spiritual deficiency as I was sitting in a one room "house" with a single mother and her two precious boys. One of the boys, Kedus (which means "Holy" in Amharic), is a boy that our family sponsors through TLC. This is how I got the privilege of being invited into this home.

Kedus's momma had been sick for some time. She had been growing thinner and weaker and was unable to work. Ayele, the man who runs TLC in Ethiopia, was so concerned about her that he made Anna aware of her situation. Basically for $500 she could have surgery and the medication she needed to recover from her ailment. $500. That was the difference of living and thriving or getting sicker and who knows what.

Anna made this need aware to our family right around Christmas. We didn't know how, but we were going to come up with what we could. Thanks to our families who gave us money for Christmas, we were able to come up with most of the funds, and the rest was given to TLC. Her surgery and medication was completely covered.

Ayele gathered all of the TLC parents and guardians while we were there visiting. He had asked us to share a bit. After we did, he got up and began speaking passionately to the 100 or so people gathered in this church. I read once that it can be a gift to not understand a language....because you don't get caught up in dissecting what someone is saying or distracted by a misspoken word....this proved to be true. I had no idea what Ayele was saying. But I knew it was important. As he spoke, Anna leaned over to me and pointed out Kedus's mom. She was sitting in a white plastic chair with a beautiful scarf around her head and tears streaming down her face. I'm not sure how Anna knew what Ayele was saying...but she leaned over to me and said "he is explaining how the Lord provides and is telling everyone that our gracious Lord has provided for her and her surgery". As one can imagine, I could not hold it together. Thankfully. Who really needs to hold it together anyway?

As the meeting was over, I got to go and meet her for the first time. Her beauty took my breath away. Her eyes radiated such warmth and joy. All I could do was hold her hands. We couldn't understand each other's language, but somehow we knew each other. She invited us over to her house....and I had no idea how this moment would be imprinted on my heart and mind.

When we arrived, I quickly knew that this home was filled with love. It seemed to exude from the mudded walls. She had prepared popcorn for us, and began to roast the coffee beans to prepare the coffee. As I sat beside Kedus and his little brother, they were excited to show me a little book that I had sent them. I sent it a year ago. A book with pictures of our family, pictures of Kaplan's favorite animals, and a picture of a bouquet of flowers, because Kaplan wanted them to give flowers to their mommy! Since I had sent the book, they had moved three times. The book was out on the only piece of furniture that sat in that small room. Right on top. And as Kedus showed it to me, he pointed to the first picture and spoke to Ayele. Ayele to tell me, "He said he knows your name is Autry". That's something huh? To be known. To be known by this family....what an amazing privilege! They also showed me some little matchbox cars we had sent. They didn't have wheels on them anymore....looked like they had gotten some good use out of them!

As we sat and enjoyed coffee and popcorn and shared a little about our lives, the Lord began to show me how much I needed this family.  I understood in that moment that this sweet family in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has something that I do not. They have a faith that's roots grow so deep that it surpasses any circumstance. They have a joy so abounding that it doesn't depend on the flimsy emotion of happiness. This family exuded a hospitality that I had never quit experienced. Not only did they invite me into their home, they loved me and my family, they pray for us, they keep our picture up in their home. This momma has not even been able to work, she was so frail and thin and she was squatting in this tiny room roasting coffee beans and making us popcorn. And her face. I just can't get it out of my head. The ways her eyes were light and her smile seemed to warm the entire room. She loves her sweet boys the same I do mine. They were playful together and she even laughed as the youngest one sucked his thumb...the same way I laugh at my boy who is too old to suck his, buy yet still finds it on occasion.  It was there that I began to understand that we are kin. That we belong to one another.

 "If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another."

-Mother Teresa

 

 

This mom, halfway across the world, is my sister. When my sister goes without her basic needs met, this should effect me. And not just in an expressed sentiment. In a I'm going to do all that is within my power to help her sort of way. And I just can't stop thinking about her. Every morning when I wake up, I think about what time it is in Ethiopia and about what she is doing. I know she has had her surgery and she is doing great! She has applied for an IGA loan (income generated activity...a microloan model that is being offered through the TLC program), and is getting stronger every day. Why the Lord chose my family to be invested in this families life is beyond my words. But I learned a little something about His pursuit of me....He wasn't content for me to go about my happy little existence....he exploited my ease by showing me her needs. And I'm forever grateful and forever changed.

 

This experience is teaching me so much. Still. It's teaching me about my sisters right here in Jackson, TN. Sisters that struggle to care for their babies. I don't have to travel across the globe to see that. I can walk two blocks.

 

This is what I am learning.... how we are all connected and how we all need each other. I need Kedus's momma to help open my eyes to my spiritual needs, and she needs my family to help meet some basic physical needs. We are incomplete without each other.

 

And while this is a blog about a marketplace event, this experience....this is why the marketplace event was even created. Basically....to put it as plainly as I can, I want you to come shop at this event because I care about your soul and I believe with all my heart the more opportunities we have to be connected with our sisters (and brothers!) here and around the world, the more opportunity we have to grow closer to our Savior. Let us not be content with our small circles of friends. Friends are so great. So needed. But Sisters.....sisters who you don't even know you have?! Sisters who you may just meet once, may just even hear about....oh how that can open our eyes to our own needs. Sisters, who our Lord moves heaven and earth to pursue...just like he does for you and me. We need each other. I need you! And our generation, our influence, our resources....well....can you even imagine what we can do together?!

 

I can't wait to tell you all the things going on with the Marketplace. Vendors who are committing and so many exciting things happening.....but I had to share this story first. Thanks for allowing me this little space and this little time to share with you.