Wednesday, April 04, 2012

a conviction, a cause & a sponsor


i can't remember the first time i ran across the Noonday Collection
but i do remember
vividly
 the day i felt a strong pull in my heart to want to be a part of this company.

it's funny to even say "company"
because from the start,
i've really viewed it as a cause. a conviction.
the dream and a desire of a young mama
who "discovered that entrepreneurship was as old as the garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve to produce bounty from what He had given them. she spent days walking beside Quechua women hand spinning yarn from wool. she fell in love with the vibrant markets of Guatemala. she learned that all people were created in the image of God and had the ability to take a seed and make it grow. 
she learned that entrepreneurship was sustainable and aid was not."

she brought back to the states
jewelry made in africa
& began selling it to raise money for the adoption of her, soon to be,
 little man jack
from Rwanda.


i read jessica's story while sitting in my comfy white chair
it was january & cold outside
but our heater was running.
i could get up from my fancy laptop
& walk into my kitchen
open a refrigerator and grab a cold diet coke.
i could plop back down in that comfy chair and continue to read
& be , without a doubt, inspired
but that day, while savannah & thousands and thousands of college kids
were at the dome here in atlanta
giving their own dollars
3 million in fact
to help end slavery,
i asked the lord if i could be part of this "company" 
this group of women raising awareness of the orphan crisis
this movement to help others in vulnerable situations
move towards economic self sufficiency through
dignified job creation. that of a
sustainable income for them.

while i may never go to a third world country
(although i pray i do have the opportunity...soon!)
and see the faces of these beautiful people
or touch the hands of the one with HIV
that creates my favorite piece to share,
i can share my passion
i can call a friend and ask her to open her home for an hour & a  half
( it's not planning a wedding, right jessica?)
i can share with you, my sweet loyal readers, the stories that move 
me each time i read them.

when i wear my noonday pieces
when i share the stories
when you purchase their jewelry
i DO see their faces
& i DO touch their hands
&
together
we are a voice for them, for the oppressed.

the lord obviously opened the doors for me to join noonday!
i fell in love with jessica's heart & her contagious passion
i ordered dozens of pieces of jewelry
& built displays
set up a facebook page ( trying to set up a page!)
but primarily i felt a connection
with these artists.
i have felt the lord birth a desire to raise awareness
for the over 150-160 million orphans.
( that number. i can't even wrap my mind around that number.)

i also commissioned beki to create a special necklace for me.
i chose the family monogram necklace but instead of our names
i had her stamp as much of the verse that would fit!
i was THRILLED with the final piece.
it's a 1.25" sterling disc with a fresh water pearl
that reads the verse on each noonday page & each tag.
the verse that reads
"when you satisfy the needs of the oppressed
your night will become like the noonday"
isaiah 58.10


the rusted chain is one of my new sponsors.
she's offering you, my readers,  15% off your purchase!
please use the code
SIMPLE15
{thank you rusted chain!!}

.
when dan & i were in the early stages talking about noonday
& talking about orphans
i wished his mom and dad were still alive to see this part of our journey.
dan's mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer after her was born.
she then had a hysterectomy & was unable to have any more biological children.
they went on to adopt twins & another daughter!
dan adopted my three girls when we married
& my dad's parents were foster parents when he was growing up.
so adoption holds a very special place in the heart of my family
& extended family!

here are a few of my favorites~~
"love grows here" found here

"how great is our god" found here

"create your own message" cuff found here

~~~

"when you satisfy the needs of the oppressed
your night will become like the noonday"
isaiah 58.10

10 comments:

Marci @All Things Wonderful said...

I love your new necklace. So sweet.

Jessica said...

beautiful jewelry! what a wonderful message in this post. we all can make a difference!

Debby said...

Your necklace is perfect.
As your words say, you can make a difference in so many ways.
I think my biggest accomplishment was to adopt a special needs child with learning and emotional issues. Someday I will write about what we have gone through.
I admire you for all the good you have in your heat.

SSM said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
SSM said...

Hello Paige,

It's great to feel strongly about the product and purpose that you represent.

That's how I feel about the products that I shared with you when I started my business a year ago.

I know that by using them that I'm doing what's right for my family and the earth.

Keep working on reaching your goals!

Enjoy your day. :)

ps OMG no word verification. Yeah!

Tiffany said...

Lovely jewerely!

I love hearing your story about how you came to be party of Noonday. Very inspiring. I love how God works like that in our lives!

xoTiffany

Tracy ~Seeking Refinement~ said...

oh how I love this post!! SO precious, so personal. I love how the Lord works and places you in the right place in His perfect timing!

xoxo

Alecia said...

Incredible post...I love your heart for the orphans & the ones who create such beautiful jewelry. I pray you get to visit one of their countries one day...you would be a huge blessing to them & they would bless you more than you can even imagine!

The story about Dan's family is so sweet as is the story of your parents...God has given me a heart for adoption since well my earliest memory is from when I was 5. Can't wait to do that one day!

Gorgeous work Rusted Chain...the necklaces are beautiful.

Blessings on this new venture!

Anonymous said...

Paige-love,
Such a sincere post. I wear my "Kampala with Love" necklace with pride! I love how, by wearing it, I am always asked where I got it from.... and then out comes the Noonday story! God is awesome and it's a great joy to see how He is able to orchestrate such encounters with people. My husband's parents fostered more than 14 newborn infants when he was growing up, and adopted one of them. My own sweet mother was adopted cross-continentally, from Italy to South Africa. Orhpans are near and dear to my heart, and being a child of Africa myself,the plight is real and raw and overwhelming at times. But God...
Thank you, again for my gorgeous necklace! Love, Tonja

mollie's mom said...

I absolutely love the story of Noonday, the verse and the jewelry. I have been to a Third World country - Haiti is the place that touches my heart ( if you have a moment -http://madebymolliesmom.blogspot.com/2012/01/not-crafty-post-im-afraid.html) and I think that your involvement with Noonday is wonderful. I hope that someday I will have the chance to purchase a special piece from you. I already wear some great little bracelets that help provide daycare to the children of widowed or deserted women in Uganda so that they can work and support themselves. The wonderful thing about these unique pieces of jewelry that support those in need is that they often spark a conversation and the stories get spread. I'm sure that is true with the Noonday items as well. Looking forward to seeing more of the jewelry.
Marcie