Mercy House Global

How to Shop for Valentine’s Day | Promo Code (limited time)

February 3, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

I’m going to tell you a seemingly inconsequential story about some peach thread.

Last Christmas, the staff at Mercy House Global had a white elephant gift exchange. As they have been partnering with Syrian refugees local to Houston, to create fair trade product, the family was invited, too.

Everyone had a good laugh when Muna, the oldest daughter, pulled some peach thread out of her gift bag. Apparently this bit of thread had been passed around the barn since the Spring of 2018. No one really wanted it, and there was no obvious use for it.

But this industrious young woman, who is one of the candlemakers, took it home.

Could it be that when everything has been stripped from us and we have little to show for ourselves, that it is then that we can find use and purpose in the most insignificant things?

The next week, during a visit, Muna showed them this piece of art that she had crafted.

Nails hammered into a piece of wood formed the shape of a heart. She then looped the thread around the nails into such an intricate design, that I cannot quite wrap my head around how she did it.

The Mercy House staff immediately asked if she could make more. It is now a featured product in the Valentine’s Day collection on the Mercy House Global Online Marketplace.

There is something powerfully symbolic here. Nails in wood reveal the heart of God.

Without salvation would it not be us wandering through life aimlessly devoid of purpose?

Without the nails that drove through Jesus’ flesh, holding Him to a wooden cross, would it not be us poised to be cast away forever?

It is through this holy and merciful process of redemption that we are privileged to be woven into the greatest love story ever told.

The believer should have a love for repurposed unwanted things because this is our story.

This Valentine’s Day, choose to show love through honouring the redemptive love of Christ.

By purchasing tokens of affection from fair trade sources, you are not only showing love for the gift recipient. You are showing women who are unwanted in their culture, and oppressed by poverty, misogyny and exploitation that they are not forgotten; they are valuable and worthy of love.

Mercy House Global is generously offering a 15% discount on the items in their Valentine’s Day collection with the use of the promo code: LOVEOTHERS.

Head on over there today. And remember, you are the one whom Jesus loves.

Handmade Mugs | Day 10 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

February 2, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

At this point in the series, let’s bring things a little closer to home. Not all artisans are living overseas. There are some incredible over-comers here in North America.

This Mercy House Global Mug, for instance, is handmade by the women of Prodigal Pottery in Alabama. These women have faced homelessness, domestic abuse, and human trafficking.

Prodigal Pottery is a place of refuge for the oppressed. It is a place where they can escape to in order to heal and be equipped with employable skills.

The more I look at the hard situations in people’s lives, the more I see testimonies of hope and victory. In the details, I find gratitude and inspiration. In the stories of the broken experiencing healing and restoration, there I find my own healing.

As you cup this mug filled with hot tea, and feel the warmth, think of the hands that moulded this clay. Remember that you are partnering with a network of organizations with a mission to empower women. From Birmingham to Kenya, throughout Asia and back to refugees in Houston, God is using Mercy House to create bonds of unity that break the bondage of oppression and poverty.

🛍: $20USD

XO Earrings | Day 9 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

January 30, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

It’s a common signature; x’s and o’s. They are classic symbols that represent love, care and affection.

These earrings from Karama Collection add subtle chic to any look. They can be given as a sweet romantic gift (nudge-nudge, hubby, wink-wink).

They can serve as a reminder that we are loved and thereby prompting us to show love to others.

In Nairobi, three artisan women are employed in the crafting of these earrings from metals and beads. Through Karama Collection, their lives are being changed.

The lead artisan, Eunice, is the main jewelry maker as well as a designer. Once unemployed, after losing her job as a social worker, she is now moving up through the company. She enjoys her work as it allows her to be creative.

How proud she must be to be earning an income from creating these stylish studs earrings, forged from recycled brass.

There is something beautifully symbolic here. Because of Christ’s love for us, He submitted to go through the flames in our place. And through this redemption, we have been repurposed from a life of sin without God, to an abundant life restored to the Father.

We reflect this love when we remember the oppressed and the downtrodden. We can show marginalized women around the world that they are loved, not forgotten, when we do something as simple as give them our business.

🛍: $22USD

Cream Tassel Throw Blanket | Day 8 | 12 Days Shopping Fair Trade

January 29, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld 2 Comments

This blanket tells an incredible story.

It’s a story of hope, victory and miracles.

No matter where you are at in your life right now, no matter how bleak the future looks, my dear friend, there is hope.

I want to introduce you to the women of Korah. The name means “cursed.”

This community sits beside one of the largest garbage dumps in Ethiopia. Once a small population of lepers, there are now over 100,000 people living there. Many of them have leprosy and HIV/AIDS. There are many orphans and widows.

The reality of poverty here is beyond first world comprehension, without standing as a witness to the men, women and children scavenging through refuse in search of food or recyclables that could be sold. (You can read a first-hand account here.)

This “should” be the place where hope flees and faith fails. But instead, there is a group of mothers, Women of Korah, who connected with a non-profit organization called Caring for Korah. They received sponsorship and school fees for their children, as well as dignified employment.

Now the same women who once dug through garbage heaps, now weave Ethiopian cotton creating beautiful heirloom quality merchandise.

This neutral-toned, lightweight throw blanket, with delightful hand-made cotton tassels, is a testament to the overcomer’s journey.

These women are now out of the city dump, they are paying rent, and their daughters are receiving an education. None of this came about because they were given a handout. They were given an opportunity to work.

And they work hard, but with dignity.

If you are interested to learn more about the work being done through Caring for Korah, you can watch the video below.

🛍: $68USD

Fair Trade Bracelets Are Changing Lives in Kenya

January 28, 2020 by Sarah Neufeld Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I’m am slowly growing a collection of fair trade bracelets! And I just love these sticking ones that are made with glass massai beads from Kenya. It creates such a unique look!

But more precious still is that these fair trade bracelets are an answer to prayer to the women of Have Hope.

Have Hope was originally a community outreach program lead by Mercy House Global in 2010. Twenty women from the slum would gather together for bible study. This beautifully developed into an artisan group.

They began making jewelry to earn a sustainable income for their families. Because of the desperate need for work, these mothers are eager to learn and grow in their skills.

As we have hopes and dreams for our own family, they do for theirs, too!

So when you buy a product from Have Hope (there are many to choose from), you are partnering with a strong and ambitious group of women in Kenya.

Your purchasing power helps a mother, like you, send her children to school, put food on the table, and rise out of extreme poverty.

And here is one little hack! These fair trade stacking bracelets are on sale right now. If you buy 2, you can break them up into smaller sets. Then as you share these gifts, you can share their story!

Did you know that shopping fair trade can help prevent human trafficking? Read this article for more information.

🛍: $10USD