Open for Business!

A large part of my silence on the blog this fall has been due to a very full schedule.
And if you've been our friends for any length of time, you know that one of my big 'projects' each fall is to help some women from our village find markets for products they make by hand.

I love this project because it is valuable in so many ways...

• The women are able to supplement their family's income substantially (the last two years have earned them about 2 months' wages)
• Hard work is rewarded.
• This is a means for these ladies to earn extra money in the margins of an otherwise busy daily schedule that might not permit them to find an extra job.
• The knitters are affirmed in their creativity
• Risks are rewarded for styles and designs that meet clients' wishes and needs, while lessons are learned when the producers fail to take heed to trends from previous years
• I have 'an excuse' to meet regularly throughout the year with these ladies and their daughters for business coaching, meetings, and photography sessions.  (You know how life is -- sometimes you need 'excuses' to see people!)

• Others learn about Albania as these items are purchased and gifted to loved ones abroad.
• Our prayer team grows (I receive notes from friends who tell me they pray for us/the knitter/Albania whenever they use the product they bought through this project.

This year we have added some new items!  We have pillow covers, Santa hats, and boot cuffs!

We also have a new website with significantly improved shopping cart features!  No more confusing instructions!

We have some folks visiting us right now who can bring your item back to the States and ship it to you.  If you live in the area of Pekin, Illinois or Marion, Indiana, we might be able to drop the cost of shipping altogether if you are willing to arrange pick-up.

Come check out our new site at:  http://handmadeinalbania.org/

A special 'thank you' to everyone who so faithfully shares about this project and supports it with their business!  We are blessed with some wonderful friends and advocates for Albania!

#couldhavemissedthis | National Adoption Month

Thursday morning Shpresa, Bonnie and I will set up at table of knitted items at the US Embassy lobby to kick off our 2016 holiday sales season.  The goods are all hand made by some women from our village.

Try as I might to photograph all of their merchandise months in advance, I still get a few last-minute additions to the inventory that need to be cataloged.  Some of those items included a handful of little boy 'camo' stocking hats.  Thankfully, I knew just who to model this particular merchandise...

After looking at these photos on the computer, it occurred to me that I really haven't photographed Reni since his new front teeth have come in!  

My little boy is growing up!

Today in reading class, he got to the chapter in his Beginner's Bible of the story of Samuel anointing David the next king of Israel.

I told Reni how God used that story to confirm that we were supposed to adopt him.  He looked at me sort of surprised.

 He read the story and then I re-summarized how Samuel thought he was looking for one type of person to be king, but God had someone even better in mind.

God reminded Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

His eyes got really big.  "You could see inside me?" (half joking, half curious)

I said, "No, of course not,"... but that we had no idea of all the kids who needed families that God would lead us to a little boy with only part of his legs.  Such a difference could be really scary for some people, and if they only looked at him at his lack of feet, they would miss the most important part of what made Reni -- his heart.

It just occurred to me that November is National Adoption Month.  One of the trending hashtags is #couldhavemissedthis  ... but for the grace of God, we did not.

Please take a moment to read this article about the State Department's proposed changes to adoption policy. There are a lot more children like ours still in need of families...

http://thefederalist.com/2016/11/02/obama-administration-make-international-adoption-lot-harder/