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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Mary, an Ordinary Hero

This is a glimpse into the story God is writing in the life of Mary and her friends that design and create the jewelry you can purchase here.

As a child, Mary lost her entire family due to the war in Sudan. She went on to lose two husbands to war as well as the custody of her children as her deceased husbands’ families claimed them.  She 
survived in refugee camps but lost hope and a will to fight any more. Mary went up on a mountain to die.  After a dramatic encounter with Christ, she found a church that cared for her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They helped her regain custody of all 9 children again.

As a new woman, she went on to form the Ministry Hope Restoration Women’s Group, training local women in bead making and peanut butter trading using the skills she had learned in the refugee camps and that she was using to provide for her own family. 

She and 15 other refugee mothers from different countries—some widows and some abandoned--sell the jewelry in the marketplace, pool the money, and divide it among themselves according to each of their needs all while encouraging and supporting each other.


As God provided for them, He also led them to provide for others, leading them to take in orphans around them. Mary alone now cares for 7 orphans in addition to her biological children. 

Your purchase supports Mary and the women she works with as well as the many children they 
care for—many of whom are HIV+. When you wear your jewelry, be reminded of God’s provision, of the restoration only He can provide in the darkest situations, and of His call to love and care for widows and orphans.


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