I am passionate about connecting Up to God, In to personal transformation, and Out to serving our neighbors (both local and global).
I am always looking for a way to connect my family to the needs of the world in a productive and tangible way, and when I hear of an opportunity to do that, I am eager to pass it along to you as well.
A few weeks ago I featured what I thought would be a great gift to give to a newlywed couple or a college graduate, as well as a gift that, when purchased, brings hope and change to the world. An organization founded by girls I knew from college sells handmade blankets made from vintage saris by women at risk; women who have been rescued from the sex trade in Bangladesh. The proceeds go right to these amazing, strong and valued women. Read this post to get more of the story.
It wasn’t just another household item coming in the mail. It was the fibers of freedom, and the ripple effect of restoration reaching out and touching me and my kids in our bright little kitchen. Talking with my young children about the fear, danger, rescue and hope these women have experienced. Not sure even how to explain such a harsh reality, but sure about the deliverance these women now know and our calling to promote and protect their well-being.
To envision restoration at work, right there at my kitchen table, together with my young kids. Hope, dignity, healing.
Even if my kids don’t get it at all, I want to teach them about redemption and our role in seeing our world impacted by a tangible reality of restoration. Seeds of hope; hope for things to be made right, for justice, for healing. Seeds planted in my kids’ lives by exposure to the work of these girls. It’s the ripple effect of restoration at work.
It was so exciting to get the boxes in the mail. I opened them with my kids peering over my shoulder. Together we looked at them and loved every minute of the process. We unfolded them, touched them and admired the beauty. Then I carefully folded them back, tying the bow just right.
These blankets are not for us to keep (at least not these…someday I WILL get one for myself). These blankets are being passed along – a gift given so that the ripple will go out to touch someone else.
Such a gift not only makes the friend who receives it more cuddly and cozy as they enjoy its warmth, but it allows someone else to experience first hand the beauty of women who have been rescued from the sex trade in Bangladesh, India. The ripple effect of restoration moving outward.
The women who carefully create these blankets are not only discovering hope through dignified work, they are learning to be entrepreneurs, leaders and culture-shifters in their communities. Making a generational shift towards hope and life, away from oppression and bondage. Many of them are mothers to young children, children who now see a future of hope, rather than bondage. Again – the ripple effect at work.
Keep the ripple moving: If you have an occasion to give a thoughtful gift, would you remember this organization? Or simply mention the story and the beauty and the hope of these blankets to someone else, and keep the ripple moving?
Do you have a story, or an inspirational organization that could continue the ripple effect here today? I’d love to know of other worthy groups/opportunities to promote and support.