little things

Maybe it's because the end of school is finally drawing near, but now more than ever before, Brian and I have been doing a lot of thinking, praying and talking about what following Jesus should look like in our lives. Practically speaking. Where we should spend the money God has entrusted to us to steward. What our concerns should be (and not be). Who we should be spending time with. How we should be using our gifts. What our goals should be, both long and short term.

Along the way, we've discovered a few neat giving/buying opportunities that I wanted to share with you. Ways that we've been able to help others which don't even require much change on our part! There are so many incredible options out there.

1. Coffee

I've become that girl who literally doesn't speak to her husband in the mornings if she hasn't had her wake-me-up cup. My a.m. routine, every single day, goes something like this: I get out of bed, let the dogs outside and immediately stumble to the coffee machine. I'm a little bit hooked.

A few months ago, we discovered Gobena coffee. Not only is it organic and available from Ethiopia, Columbia and Guatemela, it is fairly traded and fresh roasted. But the best part is, 100 PERCENT of the profits are being reinvested in the lives of orphans! 1 bag (at $11) feeds 1 orphan for a month. Loving orphans by drinking coffee... genius!

2. Ugandan Necklaces

Last month we were brainstorming ideas for a gift for Brian's mom's birthday and weren't quite sure what to get her. My friend, Christine, had just worn the cutest necklace and when I asked where she got it, was surprised to find that she had ordered it through Katie's blog (if you've never read this girl's story, please go spend some time at her site).

After looking these necklaces up online, we ordered one for Mom and she loves it! It goes with everything. Plus, whenever she wears it, she gets to tell others about the women in Uganda who made it.

Katie has taught these women to make the beads out of recycled magazines. Can you believe that? They sell the beads to Katie and then she sells them to us. Then she gives 50% of the profits BACK to the the women's children! It's sustainable income and a ministry at the same time! Awesome!

3. Pens for Kids

I don't know how it is at your house, but we seem to have a certain drawer that just accumulates pens. Whether we just don't like the way that they write, or the color of their ink... we seem to hang on to pens that we will never use but feel bad about throwing away.

Now you can finally clean out your drawer and provide children in Africa with school supplies that otherwise they would not be able to afford. All you have to do is box them up and ship them off! It's super easy!

4. Sseko Designs Shoes

You'd have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard of TOMS shoes, but Sseko Designs is a newer (and in my opinion, cuter) online sandals store that you may not have seen yet. My friend Megan just sent me the site and I was immediately hooked!

The soles of each type of sandal are the same; the straps make them unique. You can tie them in many different ways. Aren't they adorable?

Here's Sseko's story in a nutshell: In the Ugandan school system, there is nine-month gap between secondary school and university. This gap is intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition for the university. Yet their society is impoverished and often males get the few jobs there are, so women must struggle to find any work.

SSeko hires a new set of women every nine months to live and work together, earning money that will fund their education and enable them, with God's help, to enact change in their country someday.

5. Cupcakes and Cookies for a Cause

Ha ha, I really have nothing to write here... yet! Just wanted to give you a teaser for a project I'm working on with a friend here in Indy. I'll keep you posted as we continue to move forward with our little adventure. :)

Have you run across any similar opportunities that you'd be willing to share? I just love supporting causes like these!