Fair Trade Easter Eggs

Back when we lived in Kentucky I made a Resurrection Egg set, and I wrote a lesson plan for young children. I used it twice when we hosted an Easter Egg hunt with our neighbors. But I have used it countless times with my own children. This egg set has been a favorite for each of my children, especially at young ages.

When William was three years old, one of his favorite things to do every day was open these eggs and hear the Easter story. He would ask me to tell him the story over and over again. I would share the lesson several times in a row, until my voice was hoarse and I had to stop! Later on in the day we would do it again.

A few years later, Adelaide was asking to hear the lesson again and again. And now Stafford loves to open the eggs and talk about what we find inside. What a blessing it is to have my children asking over and over to hear the good news of Jesus Christ! This little egg set has been one of the very best teaching tools in our house.

I have a small set that includes only eight eggs. The eggs contain:

• Bread
• A picture of praying hands
• 30 pieces of silver (dimes)
• A nail
• A tiny cross
• Cloth
• A rock
• And the last egg is empty because the tomb was empty on Easter morning!

This year I decided to give our Resurrection Eggs a little update, and I recreated them with fair trade eggs from Mercy House! The items inside are the same, but the eggs are made by the women of Street Hope.

The women of Street Hope once lived on the streets of Mathare Valley in Kenya, but because of the simple job of sewing felt crafts, these women have been able to move off of the street and into their own homes! They have been able to leave survival prostitution now that they have dignified jobs. These courageous women are working their way out of poverty.

It brings me joy to know that my purchase of fair trade eggs helps women to provide for their families. These little felt eggs are sturdy and pretty! They bring a smile to my face, and they remind me to pray for Street Hope and for Mercy House.

Today Mercy House has these felt eggs on sale! They are also selling baskets with pre-filled Easter eggs. Click over to the Mercy House store to shop the Easter collection and snag a good deal on Easter eggs!

*Edited to add: The Easter eggs sold out in a matter of hours! But they will have more next year! Meanwhile, there are still plenty of wonderful fair trade products in the store if you want to support Mercy House and the women they provide with jobs. Mercy House also has a FREE digital Easter Bundle if you want some more ideas for celebrating Easter at home with your children.*

And if you are interested in making and using Resurrection Eggs, you can read my lesson plan here. If you have young children, I highly recommend doing this with them! Little ones love it!

What special things do you do at Easter to share the gospel with your children? I would love to hear your ideas!

Give Mercy

I cried last week when I learned that Mercy House Global had to pause the rescue of pregnant teen moms in Kenya. This ministry is a ministry that I have advocated for and supported for many years now. It broke my heart to read these words from Kristen Welch:

For the first time in a decade of March’s, we have temporarily paused the rescue of new pregnant teens in Kenya so that we can continue to support hundreds. 

I won’t lie: this wrecked me. 

God, we know you’re in control when things seem so out of control. Please rescue us, all. 

Friends, will you join me in praying for new donors, new shoppers, new sponsors, new club members to RISE up.

Due to COVID-19, Mercy House had to close their retail stores in Texas. The proceeds from these fair trade stores helps to support the work of Mercy House, so this has created a loss of revenue for them. And as the economy suffers in the months to come, this also has an impact on Mercy House, and on many other nonprofit organizations, who rely on the generosity of donors.

But even when the economy suffers here in the United States, the needs remain in Kenya. There are still more than 50 young mamas and 50 babies in Kenya who need our continued support. There are grandmothers of the babies in the maternity home who continue to weave rugs and make jewelry for Mercy House to sell. There are artisans in the slums of Kenya who rely on Mercy House to continue provide work for them. There are still more girls who need to be rescued.

My heart breaks for these little ones and their young mamas. My heart breaks for the grandmothers who are working their way out of poverty. They are counting on us to continue to be there for them in the hard days ahead as the Coronavirus pandemic spreads across the country and across the world.

If you are able, will you please join me in helping Mercy House continue their important work? I have started a fundraiser for Mercy House that I will share below. I will also keep a link to this fundraiser in my sidebar throughout the rest of 2020 (and possibly beyond!). I know there are many worthy causes that need our support right now. Perhaps Mercy House is one that you would like to consider supporting in the coming days and months.

Another way you can help Mercy House is by shopping in their online store. They sell beautiful fair trade products! The proceeds from the sales help to fund the maternity home in Kenya. By shopping in the Mercy House store, you help to provide jobs for women in poverty around the world, and you help to support the ministry of Mercy House. This is shopping with a good purpose!

If you do shop in the online store, you can use the code SPEAKUP to save $10 on a purchase of $25 or more. And currently all purchases over $75 get free shipping!

In the coming weeks I will be sharing more ways you can help Mercy House. I will blog more here, and I will share regularly on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Mercy House exists to engage, empower, and disciple women around the globe in Jesus' name. Engage those with resources to say yes to the plight of women in poverty. Empower women and teenage mothers around the world through partnerships and sustainable fair trade product development. Disciple women to be lifelong followers of Jesus Christ.

- Mercy House Global 

All photos are courtesy of Mercy House Global.

Mercy House Global Fundraiser

One of my favorite ministries is Mercy House Global. They rescue pregnant teenage moms in Kenya from desperate circumstances. These girls once lived in the slums and streets of Kenya, and they became pregnant as a result of rape or because of forced prostitution. Some families are so desperate that the mothers ask their daughters to trade sex for food. It's a tragic and heartbreaking reality.

Mercy House comes alongside these young mothers and provides them with a safe home, an education, medical care, job skills training, and much more. Through this ministry, they break the cycle of poverty. Most importantly, they share the gospel and provide regular Bible teaching and discipleship. The lives of these teenage mothers and their babies is being changed for the better. And for those who come to know Jesus, their lives are changed for eternity.

If you have been reading here for a while, you have heard me talk about Mercy House several times before. I love the work they are doing, and it has always been a joy to help them in whatever ways I am able. Recently I had the opportunity to join Mercy House as a volunteer Ambassador. It is an honor to advocate for these precious girls and their babies. I hope that someday I will be able to travel to Kenya to meet these girls and see the maternity home there. I don't know how I will physically do it, but it's a dream of mine nonetheless!

Mercy House from FILM LAB on Vimeo.

I want to write more about Mercy House Global in the coming months, but for now I have a need to share with you. Mercy House is $50,000 short of their fundraising goals for the year. If you are looking for a ministry to give a donation to this holiday season, will you please consider Mercy House?

I am partnering with Mercy House this month to help them raise these much-needed funds. Will you join me? Let's help them rescue more young mothers and babies in 2020! Let's serve these girls in Jesus' name.

Book Review: Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World

This month I have been reading Kristen Welch’s new book, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World. Kristen is the author of Rhinestone Jesus and the blog, We Are THAT Family. She is also the founder of Mercy House and Fair Trade Friday. Based on Kristen’s experience and previous writing, I knew that Raising Grateful Kids would be an excellent book, but it exceeded my expectations!

Kristen's family was living the American dream several years ago, but then, through a Compassion International trip, God broke Kristen's heart and opened her eyes to the great needs of people in poverty around the world. This led to a huge change in the way Kristen's family lived and served the Lord. Kristen and her husband began the hard work of moving from a child-centered, entitled home to a Christ-centered home.

In the introduction of Raising Grateful Kids Kristen says, “This book is my confessional. It’s a record of our journey of attempting to raise grateful kids instead of entitled ones. It’s the ups and downs, the defeats and victories of such a difficult task. It’s my unfinished story. It’s also a history lesson from the past, a cultural lesson for the present, and a daunting challenge to learn from one and overcome the second. But mostly, this book is an encouragement to parents swimming upstream in a society that demands we do what is culturally accepted.”

Raising Grateful Kids is filled with words of wisdom and practical advice based on Kristen’s personal experience and research. Kristen is very humble and real in this book. She doesn’t claim to be an expert or to do everything perfectly. She shares stories of their mistakes and failures and what works for their family. She comes alongside the reader as a friend who is in the thick of parenting and making hard choices.

Kristen does a great job of giving practical advice for raising our children to be grateful despite the entitled culture we have in America. At the end of each chapter, she shares specific ideas of ways we can live counter-cultural lives, be grateful, and serve Christ.

This is a helpful book for any parent seeking to raise their children to be grateful, Christ-followers in a world that wants to teach us that it is all about having more. Whether you are dealing with heart attitudes of wanting more, or are needing to make big changes in your family to move away from living an entitled life, this book will be encouraging and helpful.

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World releases on January 26! You can read more about it at raisinggratefulkids.com.

I received a copy of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World from the publisher through the Tyndale Blog Network. All opinions are my own.

Kristen Welch

Kristen's Blog: We Are THAT Family

Kristen's Book: Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World

The Amazing Story of a Simple Coin Purse

This is a simple, little coin purse, but it has an amazing story.

This coin purse comes from Zambia, it and it was made by women who are employed through Clothed in Hope. When Fair Trade Friday partnered with Clothed in Hope and placed an order for hundreds of coin purses, there was cheering and dancing in Zambia! What we see as simple coin purses were cause for celebration by these women in Zambia. I’ll let someone from Clothed in Hope tell the story:

The women of Clothed in Hope, all vulnerable women who have completed or are currently walking through our skills-training program, are so very grateful for our partnership with Fair Trade Friday/Mercy House. The first time I told them about our big order for coin purses to reach the homes of over 500 women across America, over 60 women cheered, screamed, danced, rejoiced. Because to them it's not just some extra money in their pockets to feed their kids or pay school fees. It's empowerment, it's someone who says "I believe in you. I am with you." It gives the message to these ladies, overlooked and oppressed by society, that they are worthy. That they have something beautiful to offer the world, a skill and a story that can inspire women thousands of miles away. Each product made for Fair Trade Friday boxes, from coin purses to earrings, is a way for women to rejoice in their story of hope and redemption that they've written as a part of our sewing and business training program in Lusaka, Zambia.

I love knowing the story behind my coin purse. It thrills me to know that this coin purse, and the hundreds of others that were ordered for Fair Trade Friday, brought such happiness to the women who made them. Every time I use this item I will remember the joy that it gave to women in Zambia. And every time that I use the coin purse, it will bring me joy too!

Image courtesy of Fair Trade Friday

Meet Maureen, a woman who works through Clothed in Hope. Here is her story:

Maureen, the woman pictured with Regina on her back, is the brains behind much of our jewelry line, specifically a beautiful earring design headed out to women as part of the Earring of the Month Club. Maureen graduated our life-skills training program in September 2014 after completing a 12-month sewing and business curriculum with her daughter Regina on her back. Maureen is showing her children that work is good, and that no obstacle is big enough to keep her from pursuing her dreams for her family.

Change the world. Look good doing it.

Image courtesy of Fair Trade Friday

I was privileged to be a part of the Fair Trade Friday club for a few months this year. I eagerly anticipated the monthly package! I have kept a few items for myself, and a few of the items have been given away as gifts. The rest of the items are sitting in my gift stash for Christmas and birthdays and other such occasions. I like to have at least a few gift items on hand for when a gift need arises. It saves me time and energy and money in the long run. Earlier this year when William needed a teacher gift, I let him look through my Fair Trade Friday stash, and he picked out a fun bracelet for his teacher. Fair Trade Friday is the perfect option for gift shopping when you are chronically ill and homebound! A variety of fun items come straight to your home, and you don't even have to think about shopping.

Each Fair Trade Friday club package contains 3-4 fair trade products. Packages have a retail value of about $50, but only cost $31.99. Because Fair Trade Friday is run by volunteers, the package cost is minimal for you, and all of the proceeds go to the artisans around the world. And it is making a difference in the lives of women and their families around the world! If you missed my post on Monday, you can click here to read more stories of the impact of Mercy House and Fair Trade Friday.

Are you wondering what type of items come each month in the Fair Trade Friday club? Here are pictures of the items from my monthly packages. There are a wide variety of items that come, and many of them are practical too! 

February Box 

Fair Trade Friday t-shirt from Freeset (India)

Handmade soap from The Zambian Soap Company (Zambia)

Lip balm from Zambeezi (Zambia)

Thrive Crochet Bracelet from The Refugee Project (Houston)

Reusable gift bag from Friends of Mercy (Kenya)

March Box

Crochet dishcloth set from The Refugee Project (Houston)

Fabric cuff bracelet from Tukula (Uganda)

Chitenge coin purse from Clothed in Hope (Zambia)

Love Mercy prayer bracelet from Mercy House (Kenya)

Reusable gift bag from Friends of Mercy (Kenya)

April Box

Handwoven and block-printed infinity scarf from Joyn (India)

Makeup bag from Tukula (Uganda)

Crochet flower card from The Refugee Project (Houston)

Organic farm-grown English Breakfast tea from Equal Exchange 

May Box

Reversible tote bag from 3 Cords (Haiti)

Wooden wrap bracelet from Freedom Firm (India)

Crochet jar opener from The Refugee Project (Houston)

June Box

Handmade pottery earrings from Back to Africa

Paper bead bracelet from Embracing Hope (Ethiopia)

Handmade paper journal from Village Artisan (India)

Reusable produce bag from Caring for Korah (Ethiopia)

Handmade Father's Day card from The Refugee Project (Houston)

Each Fair Trade Friday package also contains information about Fair Trade Friday and includes gift tags to use if you want to give a Fair Trade Friday item away.

This necklace, earrings, and gift bag are fair trade items from India that I received in a one-time box from Fair Trade Friday. They are lovely, and I think they will make a great gift for one of you! If you would like to have these, please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below. The winner will be notified by email on Monday, July 6.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to be a part of Fair Trade Friday, here are some helpful links:

Fair Trade Friday website

Earring of the Month club

One-Time Trial Box

Waiting List for the Original Fair Trade Friday monthly box

Mercy House Shop

It has been an honor to tell you about Fair Trade Friday this week on my blog. Thank you for coming here to read about Mercy House and their new Fair Trade Friday club. This summer I will be sharing some more about Fair Trade Friday on instagram, twitter, facebook, and pinterest. You are welcome to connect with me in those places and follow along as I share about my life, my faith, and my new favorite club, Fair Trade Friday!

Changing Lives with Fair Trade Friday

For several years now I have been praying for Mercy House, a maternity home in Kenya for pregnant and teenage moms. The girls who are brought to Mercy House have all become pregnant as a result of rape or because of forced prostitution. They come from tragic and heartbreaking situations, but at Mercy House they find hope and support. It has been a joy to watch the countenance of these girls change as they are rescued out of poverty and as they come to know Jesus. What a transformation! Through pictures I have seen the joy that begins to light up their eyes when they live in a safe place and find hope in Christ.

Today I want to tell you the story of Pauline, one of the first residents of Mercy House. I also want to tell you about Fair Trade Friday, a new ministry of Mercy House and a fun way that YOU can help to change lives around the world.

This is Pauline. When she was 15 years old she became pregnant through force. She was desperate and hopeless. Mercy House rescued her, gave her a home, medical care, good nutrition, education, and taught her from the Bible. They showed her the love of Christ, and the Gospel has changed her life. As a result of the work of Mercy House and the grace and mercy of Christ, Pauline and her son, Melvin, are doing well today.

Pauline has now graduated from the Mercy House program and is attending vocational beauty school. Her son is able to attend school as well because of sponsorship. While at Mercy House, Pauline learned how to make many different types of crafts, and she is now passing on that knowledge to moms in the slums. Each week she goes into the slum and teaches these women. The crafts that they make are sold through Fair Trade Friday, and the money these moms make from their crafts is able to pay for food, school fees, and rent. Their needs are being met because Pauline is teaching them useful skills, and Mercy House is selling their crafts.

Only a few years ago Pauline was hopeless, but now she knows Jesus, and she has hope! Her life has been transformed, and now she is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of others. Pauline is a good mom and teacher, and her future is full of potential.

In August of last year, Mercy House launched a new ministry that enables them to help even more women in poverty around the world. This new ministry is called Fair Trade Friday. It is something unique and special and fun that you will want to be part of!

Fair Trade Friday is a membership club that delivers one-of-a-kind fair trade products to your home each month. By joining Fair Trade Friday, you help to provide jobs and dignity for women in poverty. You remind them that they are not forgotten, that their work matters, and that they matter.

Mercy House partners with Christian organizations in procuring fair trade products, so when you support Fair Trade Friday you aren’t just helping to provide a job for those in need, you are partnering with organizations that will share with their workers the love of Jesus. We can empower marginalized women by providing jobs, but only the grace of God can transform lives, and that is why Mercy House works with Christian organizations in their Fair Trade Friday ministry.

Here is a glimpse of just a few of the artisans at work around the world as they make products for Fair Trade Friday:

Women in the Middle East making jewelry

An Ethiopian woman creating beautiful products

An Ethiopian woman making paper beads

 Women in Zambia sewing bags

A woman in Ethiopia spins thread from sheep's wool.

Another woman uses the thread to weave fabric.

The fabric is then made into little bags.

Kristen Welch, founder of Mercy House, tells about buying bracelets from an artisan in Kenya:

Probably one of the most profound moments for me was in a mud home in Kenya talking with a woman we were buying paper bead bracelets from for a Fair Trade Friday box. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them tight. She looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Tell the women in America that we need them to keep buying what we make. Tell them it is feeding my son and two daughters. Tell them not to forget us." I will spend the rest of my life reminding these marginalized women they are not forgotten.

The work of Fair Trade Friday is important. It isn't simply providing a food and money for those in need. It is providing meaningful work and restoring dignity. It is providing an avenue through which the Gospel can be introduced to those who might otherwise never hear it.

Do you want to be a part of Fair Trade Friday? It isn't just important; it is fun too! You receive unique fair trade products once a month, and 100% of the proceeds go to the artisans around the world. There are two monthly subscription options. 

One is the Earring of the Month club. This is a subscription membership that costs $11.99 per month, and you get a new pair of earrings each month! Each package comes with a small fair trade gift bag for you to use if you choose to give the earrings away as a gift.

The other option is the original Fair Trade Friday box. It comes with 3-4 high quality fair trade items for $31.99 a month. I have received a few of these packages, and they are amazing! I love reading about the different products, seeing where they were made, and praying for the women who made them. There is currently a waiting list for the monthly Fair Trade Friday box. If you want to join this Fair Trade Friday club, please sign up to be on the waiting list! Having spots filled on the waiting list helps Fair Trade Friday to plan ahead for orders with their artisan groups. When they are able to add more club members, you will receive an email letting you know that you can sign up and officially join the club!

If you want to try out Fair Trade Friday, but don't want to commit to a monthly subscription, you can try a Fair Trade Friday One-Time Trial Box.

If you are interested in buying specific fair trade items, you can check out the Mercy House Shop here for beautiful and unique products!

Please come back here on Wednesday because there is more that I want to share about Fair Trade Friday! I want to tell you about a special coin purse and the story behind it. I will also be showing you pictures of the items I have received through Fair Trade Friday this year so that you can get an idea of what comes in the packages each month. And! There may be a giveaway. :) So come back on Wednesday for more Fair Trade Friday fun!

Images are courtesy of Mercy House and Fair Trade Friday.

Rhinestone Jesus Book, Author Q & A, and Giveaway!

For several years now I have been following the story of Mercy House, and I have been thrilled to partner with them in small ways by hosting a virtual party, a home party, and helping with the (in)mercy campaign. The work that Mercy House is doing in Kenya is amazing and unique. There was no other organization in Kenya to help pregnant teenage moms until God opened Kristen Welch’s eyes to this very big need, and she chose to say yes to God’s leading to start a maternity home there.

In her new book, Rhinestone Jesus, Kristen tells her story and shares about the journey God has brought her on. She shares about high school, the early years of marriage, and the challenging days of motherhood. She shares about the hard things God brought them through as a couple and as a family. She tells the story of travelling to Kenya with Compassion International and her heart being broken there. The time in Kenya shook her awake from her American dream, and soon a dream for a maternity home in Kenya began to grow.

I loved reading Kristen’s heart in these pages. She is real and honest in Rhinestone Jesus. She will be the first to admit that their family isn’t perfect, but they are striving to glorify the Lord in all they do. In the process of telling her story, Kristen shares practical tips and ideas for nurturing our own families, growing closer to one another, and keeping our family focused on glorifying God.

Throughout the book, Kristen encourages other Christians to follow the Lord and say yes to Him in whatever He calls them to do, no matter how “big” or “small” it is. She says, “Saying yes isn’t really about doing it all. It’s about saying yes right where you are. It may seem small or insignificant, but any time you love someone or care for another person’s needs, you’re changing their world, and yours, too. It’s about looking up from your everyday life and seeing opportunities around you to make a difference. It’s about loving others as we are loved.”

Here is Kristen Welch to tell us more about her book in her own words:

1. What is your hope for your book, Rhinestone Jesus? 
My hope is that every person who picks it up will be inspired to say yes to God right where they are.

2. That’s an interesting title. Can you provide for us some context and meaning?
Rhinestone Jesus is a very personal title. As a teenager, I wore a rhinestone pin on my clothes that spelled J-e-s-u-s. I was introverted, so this was a way for me to “wear” my faith without having to say much about it. I was involved in Theatre Arts and each year they gave up made-up awards. I won The Rhinestone Jesus award from my peers.

3. What message do you hope will resonate with your readers? 
That God can do anything through anyone. He asks us to do the impossible-not because we are capable, but because we need Him to accomplish it. Saying yes to God requires ultimate dependence in our inadequacy. And He does it so that He will be glorified.

4. What do you feel “just a mom” can do with bold faith and a God-inspired dream? 
I think the beauty of my yes to God to start a maternity home in Kenya is that I am just a mom. It’s obvious to everyone who has witnessed this story, that I’m not the real author—God is. It’s proof that He can use anyone to do anything. When I initially said yes in the small daily stuff, I didn’t know it would lead to Mercy House. But I was called to obedience and that’s really what Rhinestone Jesus is about: saying yes to God right where you are and not waiting to have all the answers or a perfect life before you obey.

5. How did you feel God’s leading to step out in faith? 
It was saying yes to a lot of small things that led my family to a greater yes. We were terrified and still are most days, but God is faithful and teaches us through the challenges and victories. Our yes to God isn’t really about success or failure. It’s about being obedient.

6. What prompted you to follow through with this particular dream or calling—founding Mercy House, the non-profit maternity home in Kenya, Africa to rescue young pregnant women from extreme poverty? 
Starting Mercy House was a response to what I saw in Kenya. I saw a need and couldn’t find anyone meeting it. I prayed that God would send someone. And He sent me (dangerous prayer, by the way!) I have always felt that God wanted me to encourage and connect mothers through writing. Mercy House in many ways has become an extension of that dream that started as seed many years ago.

7. How has this dream taken shape? Can you provide an update? 
Mercy House runs two residential homes with pregnant and teen moms in Kenya. We have babies of all ages. It’s a lot like a (loud) home, where the girls live and learn, heal and grow. They stay with us until they are able to return home or until they can live on their own. We also reach out to single mothers in the slums surrounding the homes, with plans to expand this outreach in years to come.

8. How did you lead and mobilize a community to care deeply, and help build this dream? 
When I returned from that first trip from Kenya, I was wrecked. I processed the emotions on my blog for months. Looking back, I can see that I was in labor, working hard to birth something. I believe other moms were too, and when I asked for help, they said yes with me.

9. Why is it important to you to affirm moms who wonder whether their work really matters? 
Because many wonder if it does. I think it’s part of our make-up--we long to make a difference and we wonder if what we do does, in fact, matter. I am compelled to tell mothers YES. It matters so much more than you think. It doesn’t matter how small or big, saying yes to marriage, motherhood, and ministry--you name it, it matters.

10. What have you learned about listening to, and obeying God’s call? 
Sometimes people call me brave. If they only knew… Not only am I not courageous, I live with the same fear and inadequacies as other God-sized dreamers. Without a doubt, I think the Church (with a capital C) lacks obedience. I did for so much of my Christian life. I think if we have faith to believe in Jesus, we also have to believe that when we do what He tells us, He won’t leave us alone. It’s been the hardest journey of my life, stretched me further than I thought possible, but I’ve never been alone, not for a second.

11. How have you, and those closest to you, been impacted by trusting God and saying yes to a deeper, richer, more authentic faith? 
Simply put, it has changed every area of my life, in so many ways. I can honestly say I’m not the same person. When we step out and obey, God changes the world—our world. He changes us. My family said yes with me and God has used that to alter the legacy we will leave in the future.

About the Author: 

Kristen Welch writes the parenting blog We are THAT Family (you know the
ones). She is an (in)courage writer, a Compassion International blogger, and a
regular featured contributor to LifeWay's HomeLife and ParentLife magazines. In
2010, Kristen founded Mercy House, a nonprofit maternity home in Kenya,
Africa, which rescues young pregnant girls from extreme poverty. Mercy
House is almost entirely funded by readers of her blog. Read Kristen’s blog at
www.wearethatfamily.com.

Thank you for sharing, Kristen! It is a blessing to see what the Lord is doing through you and your family.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of Rhinestone Jesus. They also sent me two copies to give away to my readers!

* Would you like to receive a free copy of Rhinestone Jesus? Simply leave a comment to enter the giveaway! Winners will be announced on Monday, May 5.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

Learn Mercy

There is a place in Kenya called Mercy House. It is a maternity home, a safe refuge for pregnant and teenage moms. These girls once lived in the slums and streets of Kenya, and they became pregnant as a result of rape or because of forced prostitution. Some families are so desperate that the mothers force their daughters to trade sex for food. It's a tragic and heartbreaking reality.

You might remember that earlier this year I wrote about Mercy House and how they rescue girls from these tragic circumstances. They provide a safe place for young moms and their babies to live. They also provide medical care, good nutrition, Bible teaching, counseling, education, and skills (such as jewelry making and sewing). The girls and their babies are given a safe and nurturing home to live in while they learn and heal.

I love seeing the work that God is doing through Mercy House. For a couple of years now I have been following the ministry through their newsletters, Kristen's blog, and the Mercy House facebook page. It has been a joy to watch the countenance of these girls change as they are rescued out of poverty and as they come to know Jesus. What a transformation! Through pictures I have seen the joy that begins to light up their eyes when they live in a safe place and find hope in Christ.

Will you journey with me, from right where you are in your home? Let's take a quick visit to Kenya and see these precious girls and their babies at Mercy House.

 

I can't help but smile as I look at those pictures. The work of Mercy House is making a difference in the lives of young moms and babies, and I am thrilled that I can be a part of it, even in just a small way.

The ministry of Mercy House is growing! They now have 12 moms and 12 babies. Precious young moms and babies whose lives have been changed by the grace of God. As Mercy House continues to grow, their needs continue to grow as well. This fall (in)courage is teaming up with Mercy House and bloggers to help raise funds for some big needs of the Mercy House.

This big fundraiser is called (in)Mercy. Phase 1 launched a few weeks ago, and the $8,755 needed to buy a van has already been given! We're now on to Phase 2!

Mercy House is bursting at the seams and needs more space. Specifically, right now they need classroom space. Education is an important part of the ministry of Mercy House. Providing the girls with a good education now will help them to be able to support themselves when they graduate from the Mercy House program. 

Mercy House doesn't have enough room in the house for a classroom. They do have some yard space that will work well for building a classroom, but they need funds to build.

So what do you think? Do you want to help bless these girls in Kenya? If you would like to help provide a classroom for Mercy House, head on over here to the (in)Mercy fundraiser page for Phase 2, and let's learn mercy and give mercy! 

If you would like to read about all 5 phases of this (in)Mercy project, you can visit the main (in)Mercy Pure Charity page.

Let's watch as God provides the money for a classroom for Mercy House!

All photos are courtesy of Bess Brownlee.

Edited to add: The classroom for Mercy House is now fully funded! God provided the funds in less than 48 hours! If you still want to give to Mercy House, there are 3 more phases to the (in)Mercy project still coming up.