Like the Dawn

Being married to a photographer has its benefits and challenges. When Scott said, "Let's get up early in the morning and drive to Jekyll Island to photograph the sunset," I might have been tempted to think of it as a challenge. Getting up at 4:45 in the morning is NOT my favorite idea of time well spent.

But.....going to the beach, witnessing God's glory, that is my idea of time well spent.

And, God's glory did NOT disappoint.

While Weather.com reported that sunrise was at 6:40, we arrived around 6:10 to allow Scott time to find the perfect location and set up. I was surprised to find so much light already penetrating the darkness of the night. With a full half hour until the sun first peeked over the horizon, we could see our path clearly as we walked out onto the beach. And, then.....

I saw the rays.

I snapped a picture with my phone and then I stopped. Overwhelmed. I couldn't see the sun, but I knew it was coming. It was only a glimpse of His glory, but it held such promise.

As I pondered the promise, I thought of Josiah's Blessings. Following the LORD's direction, I have begun to see the work God wants to do. Many times, I am overwhelmed as God reveals Himself through customers, or conversations, or material blessings. Still, there are moments of discouragement, when I lose sight of His calling, when I wonder how a teacher of 30 years will ever be able to effectively manage a business. But Saturday morning, I saw that one small glimpse of His glory, and I was reminded of His promise.

Isaiah 58:8 New International Version

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

 

From The Divinely Guarded Life, I read, "The firmer his faith in God, the farther a man sees." I pray to see with spiritual eyes, like the prophet Isaiah. I will hold firm to the LORD, knowing his light has just begun to break forth! I am trusting that His glory will guide my steps, as His glory in the pillar of fire guided the Israelites. And, I will continue to walk in peace, knowing His glory will continue to protect me, as the cloud protected the Israelites from approaching enemies.

Friends, if you have been struggling. Look to the dawn! The LORD has a breakthrough waiting for you.

Where there is no vision...

Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)

A friend said to me recently, "Robbie, you have never lacked for vision." That was her response to our conversation about Josiah's Blessings. I was sharing with her my vision for the future of the store, my dream for the impact we can have on families here in America and around the world.

I thought again of what she said today, "Robbie, you have never lacked for vision."

What struck me this afternoon, though, is that I had lost my vision. The divorce was H.A.R.D.  When  we were in the process of adopting the boys, and I saw my family falling apart, I began to lose my vision.

When the LORD spoke His will LOUDLY through an anonymous $25,000 gift to complete the boys' adoption, I felt His promise that my family would be healed. Then, after the boys came home and my marriage fell apart, I didn't know what to think. I held onto His promises, knowing that my Redeemer is faithful and true, that He will never forsake His children, but my vision was clouded.

I walked through the day to day parenting of my children, so thankful for my blessings. I was broken, though. I was tired. I was injured. The LORD was healing my heart, drawing me to Him. And, during that time I was forced to slow down and let Him minister to me, forced to allow others to minister to me. My vision was very near-sighted. I could only see what the LORD was doing daily.

But, God! He is so faithful to His promise to give beauty for ashes and gladness for mourning. The LORD has indeed healed my heart and healed our family in a way I never could have imagined. I sit here this rainy afternoon in Connecticut, visiting my son Caleb and his wife Casie. In the room next to me is my new husband and my four youngest children. Our family is complete with a husband and a step-dad who loves the LORD first, loves and cherishes me, and loves my children.

My vision for the future has been restored by the God of Restoration.

But what about others around the world, those in poverty, those who hunger,  those who are held captive against their will. What about the young girls forced into the sex industry or others who are enslaved?

I listened to one young girl tell of her life in a brothel in Asia. She had no hope for the future. She surely had no vision. I read of a woman whose sister had died, living behind a newborn daughter. Though her family had barely enough to eat, she took the baby home with her. I wonder what her vision for the future would be. And, what of the young woman whose husband left her, who was living under a bridge, who was so desperate she asked the American lady to help her find an orphanage for her youngest two children?

It might seem hopeless.

But God!

I believe God is inviting us to join Him in the work He wants to do in the lives of those who have no vision. I know that His son died that we might have life and life abundantly. I do not believe there is no hope!

We have the opportunity to help break the cycle of poverty, to enable and empower moms and dads to support their families with dignity.

Your purchases at Josiah's Blessings will offer an income with dignity to those in poverty in Haiti and those rescued from the sex industry in Asia. Other purchases will invest in communities in India promoting self-sufficiency rather than dependency. Still others will enable single moms in Kenya to support their children with disabilities.

Won't you join us?

Be a part of the restoring vision to those who have lost hope.

Ribbon Cutting: April 21, 4:00PM
Grand Opening: Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23

Blessings I Never Imagined

Learning about the organizations and businesses that make the products we will be selling overwhelms me with emotion at times. There is so much in my own world that I take for granted. I was incredibly touched by this blog post about the children whose parents work for JOYN, the company that makes the bags and wallets I recently purchased.

Read and be blessed! Know that you are blessed! Know that our purchases can bless others in ways we never imagined.

Little Bundles of JOYN!

At JOYN, we are in the business of fashioning better lives. We believe that our engagement with our workforce is not limited to professional excellence only. Our wonderful artisans are people who have been through immense and often unimaginable struggles. They have lived on the margins all their lives. Now that they are at JOYN with some semblance of stability, they want a different life for their children. They want for their kids what they wish they had for themselves.

The Little JOYNers

Our afternoons are filled with happy sounds of these little JOYNers. Two of our mothers, Mamta and Karma pack out all your orders for shipping. Mamta’s son Kanak is a few months short of one year and has taken to crawling all around the office. Karma’s son Sonam is now studying in a good school here and insists on finishing his homework as soon as he returns from school. Sonam’s father Nyima is a block printer here. His work table is right next to Bobby’s who is the proud Dad of our little Krishna. Krishna has a hearing impairment. He is now going to a really good school for the hearing impaired and is doing really well there. Our little Tencho is about the same age as Sonam. Her parents both work here: her dad Dorjee is a block printer and her mom Jhangchup is handing over her erstwhile duties as the office cook to transition into sewing bags. She is a tough little girl and has the most incredible smile.

Our kids have seen glimpses of hardships that their parents underwent. Little Sonam was separated from his parents for 2 years when they crossed over the border into India from Tibet, in the hope of finding an opportunity for a better life. Our sweet Krishna was abandoned by his mother because he is deaf and mute, and was raised single-handedly by a father who himself was struggling with alcohol addiction. Also, it is culturally acceptable for adults to hit children to discipline them, and that hard.

Incentives at Work

Back when I studied business management, there were several modules dedicated to employee performance and morale. But it was always about work: a good work environment, ensuring work-life balance, good incentives, close monitoring and supervision and a million such things. None of them were ever about personal struggles. None of them were about difficult family situations or illnesses or anything outside of the office premises. I look at the parents of these kids here and I know instantly that there is no better work environment and no greater incentive for them than a place where their children are safe and happy.

The things is, when we stepped outside the boundaries of what we know, we were able to find these beautiful little paths and ways that lead us to wonderful things. We stepped out of the definition of what businesses stand for. We work together, we live around each other and we built a family that is working together. We share what we get: both the successes and mistakes and we thrive in this loving environment.

Our Hope for our Kids

We cannot wait to see what they will grow up to be. We watch, happily how Sonam and Krishna have learnt to communicate with each other, even though Sonam speaks very little Hindi and Krishna cannot hear nor speak. We watch Kanak grow bigger every day and wonder how many languages he will be able to speak when he is older: Hindi, Rajasthani, English, Tibetan and the Indian sign language in the least!

Our hope is to be able to slowly set up an excellent activity-based after school crèche here at JOYN for all our kids. We are adopting a zero tolerance policy about adults hitting kids and are helping our people deal with issues at home and especially with kids and to step beyond what they know about raising children.

I think that together we make great bags. And I think that together we are fashioning lives for each other and for our kids that are just as great!

More Than a Handbag

The handbags and wallets that came today are amazing-the workmanship beautiful. The quality is much more than I imagined, hand woven material, hand printed, hand stitched.

But, more beautiful is the story behind them.

Each piece has a tag with the signature of the artisan who spun and wove the fabric, another signature from the block print designer, and other of the one who stitched it together. Each signature represents a life that has been given opportunity, not just the opportunity for employment and sustainable income. The artisans receive a good work environment, a daily meal plan, medical care, education for their children....JOY.

The products I received today were from JOYN, offering JOY to lives of artisans in India.

Did I mention....

They are BEAUTIFUL!

See for yourself.

The City Bag

Oh my goodness I love this bag- The City Bag- great size, inside zipper pocket, and open pockets for your phone! It's 100% leather and handspun cotton.  You can see me carrying mine tomorrow!
The price of the The City Bag is $119+ tax. I have one more to sell. There are other fabrics choices that can be ordered. Below are other styles I can order. Let me know if you'd like one of these when I place the next order.

         

 And, look! There are matching wallets, too.


    
The matching wallets are of the same handwoven fabric. Please note, that the remainder of the material on the wallets is faux leather. The price for each is $49+ tax.


I have more products to share and can't wait. God is so good. I am excited to join His work around the world changing lives through fair wages and supporting communities. Thanks for sharing it with me!

What If?

What if you could make a difference in the lives of many people you've never met?

What if your everyday spending could provide extraordinary blessings to the poor and needy in our world?

You CAN help make a difference. Your spending CAN provide blessings to others.

When I felt the LORD leading me to retire, I had no idea where He was leading. I had begun searching job sites, but my plans could be summed up with this conversation. A teacher I work with asked, "What are you going to do when you retire?" I answered her, "I have several ideas, but I am beginning to think it will be something I haven't even imaged yet."

And, then.........

The LORD began moving in our lives in ways I indeed had never imagined. So many God moments that I will share more of them later. And, in those moments, I have felt His calling to open a fair trade retail store. 

Introducing: 

Josiah's Blessings

What is Fair Trade?

Products sold as fair trade are the same as those sold in free trade. The difference is the treatment of the producers. Fair trade is supportive of the workers who make the goods. Fair trade guarantees a fair income and helps alleviate poverty in underdeveloped areas. Fair trade principles support communities as well as businesses, providing clean water, better working conditions, and increased living standards.

It  is an alternative approach to business, enriching, and assisting the lives of the producers, whereby they are no longer victims but victorious. It's a means to advocate for and support the least of these by empowering them to improve their way of life with dignity.

Fair trade provides hope. Fair trade creates opportunity. It enables the success of others in our world who have faced unimaginable hardships, perhaps through poverty, perhaps as victims of human trafficking and exploitation.

Josiah's Blessings will be opening soon in downtown Blackshear. I have been working already with producers in India, Kenya, Haiti, and China. I have been touched by the stories of moms whose children couldn't go to school because of disabilities. The children go to school now, and their moms make a salary that can sustain their families. I have cried as another mom, who was once a prostitute, shares how an organization rescued her. Now, she is a jewelry maker, and both she and her daughter have met JESUS.

Join me in blessing others. Join me at Josiah's Blessings. I look forward to sharing more!