A God-Given Passion

God is very creative in the way he distributes gifts and talents to us.  What may seem to be a modge-podge of interests to us is God's way of creatively making us his hands and feet.  For me personally, having an artistic flare has been my interesting but empty gift.  You can make pretty things, but you can't really do much of anything. Little did I know that God always has something better in mind.
Enter my freshman year of college. I had heard rumors that college is "the best years of your life,"so my expectations were high.  Harder classes, different people, new perspectives.  The anticipation was high.  Being in a new state, I was also faced with the task of finding church to attend while at school.  Some friends and I quickly settled on Engedi Church, proving to be one of the best decisions I would make.  Engedi Church, though being small, is involved in many things, one of which being the eradication of human-trafficking.  One morning at church the issue of human-trafficking was tied into the sermon, and sitting there that morning listening to what the pastor had to say ignited a fire within me.  It couldn't be more clear to me that morning that I wanted to be a part of the efforts to help the victims of human-trafficking.
For me, it wasn't a question of if I could do anything to help, it was a question of how.  I wanted to do something right away, I just needed an accessible outlet to help.  But how does a busy college student fit this into a student's schedule?
Yeah...I wasn't too sure how to answer that question, either. So for awhile, I just dreamed of the possibilities. Mission trips, internships for school, future professions.  All of these options were too far in the future for me to be completely satisfied.  It's a good thing that I have never been too patient or else I would have given up looking for more satiable options.  I was constantly on the lookout.
In the mean time, a friend introduced me to a new craft- creative and easy way to make a fashion statement out of a headband.  I was instantly hooked- I began making headbands for friends and family as Christmas gifts.  I eventually became a pro at making them as well as juggling my time between crafting and homework.  Soon I began thinking that I should sell the headbands and make some extra cash.  Then, I began thinking that I could use the money made through selling the headbands and donate it to organizations that are already making gains to end human-trafficking.  It was a good idea, but I wanted to take it a step further.  I wanted the headbands themselves to have a connection with the people they were going to help, but I didn't quite know how to make that connection.  Then, I friend asked me if I wanted to buy a bracelet from Threads of Hope.  The bracelet was made by a woman in the Philippines, who sold them on the beaches to have a means to support her family.  Unfortunately, just selling the bracelets is often not enough for these women, so in order to make more money they sell their children into prostitution.  Threads of Hope sends the bracelets oversees where more can be sold, allowing these women to keep their families safe.  Human-trafficking. It only took about two seconds for me to put two and two together and decide that I should use the bracelets to make the headbands. So I bought 50 bracelets, began making headbands, and the rest is history.
My hope is that people will see that human trafficking is a big deal.  Its a big problem.  But Love Always Protects makes it easy for people to get involved in ending it.  By purchasing a headband, a hairclip, or a necklace, you are making change in the world.  This project is not about making money, its just about protecting those who have no means of protecting themselves.  Its about ending human exploitation across the world, including right in our backyard- the United States. A wise man once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." (I will send a free necklace to the first one who can tell me who said that.) So, be the change. Wear the change.