The Big Plan

Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am surprised by the truth of this quote in the development that has taken place, not only in my heart, but my mind and my actions as well.

I started blogging as a way to formalize my thoughts. I've always had plenty of opinions and ideas (just ask my family!), but many of them felt unfinished. I started my journals for this reason. A way to dump my tangled thoughts onto paper, sort them out, and form a conclusion. Once we made our jump over the Atlantic Ocean, it seemed a good way to keep up with my friends and family back home, as well as to try to sort out what we were supposed to be doing here.

So! It is with much enthusiasm, and an hopeful heart, that I believe that my small little seed of a desire has bloomed and might soon begin producing fruit!

I have prayed for years (and years!), knowing that in my heart burned a passion to serve God. And for years and years, I have had a sense of building - the things I found myself involved in were not the BIG 'IT', but were an essential part of preparing me for what was ahead. As I've matured (I am NOT claiming to have obtained! Only to be more than I previously was! :) ), I have somehow managed to identify and develop the gifts and interests that God has given me.
The best part is that now I have found myself in a place, where all the pieces seem to be falling into place and the puzzle is no longer a huge mystery! (Hurray!!)

So, you are wondering..."What in the world is it, Carla?"

Simply put, it is an outreach and community upliftment effort to the women here in Boksburg. Not just a feeding scheme, not just an encouraging word, but a skill developing, relationship building, Christ centered effort to give those who want an opportunity to get out of their current situations a chance to walk away and provide for themselves and their families in a way that is better for them, for their families, for the community as well.

There are so many women lately who, with baby's strapped firmly to their backs, find themselves begging for money at street corners, or even, in the case of some of those most closely located to our church doors, prostituting themselves for money and shelter.

I have been praying about this for months, and have been asking God to put it together for me. I've been watching, and am now seeing signs that He is preparing our church, our community and me, for this type of ministry.

A plan is formulating in my head, and I would really appreciate any constructive advice you might have.

At the moment, I am only one and realize the scope of my limitations.

I am praying for God to bring 3 women to me who would commit to meeting with me once a week, then in the mornings every other Saturday. We would begin with some basic skills in crafts, then move to basic business and marketing. Once we have built up a bit of stock, I would then take them to the local Saturday market and let them sell the fruit of their labor, taking the profit and reinvesting a portion back into their "business", and using the rest for income. It won't immediately replace their income, but hopefully, it will provide them with enough self worth to feel that they aren't bound to the lifestyles that they are living.

At the moment, I have a good bit of scrapbooking paper and supplies for making cards and small albums. Once they have mastered this, I would like to teach them some basic painting techniques, and work into a line of garden art objects (painted rocks, pots, mobiles etc). Once we have that skill down, we will begin some sewing skills. This will require more money for supplies and equipment, so hopefully, things will be progressing well at this point.

After one year, it will be part of their agreement that they in turn take on at least one other person to teach what they have learned. And this is how it will grow.

If the Lord should bring along another person to help lead this project, then it would be good to expand it to more women.

Now, this is where I ask for YOUR help. Would you please support this project in prayer? The enemy is about, and will be doing his best to destroy anything he can. These women are usually abused, hungry and sometimes drug addicted. They will need Christ to be able to pull away from the things that have had hold of them. Please pray for me. I feel such conviction that this is what I am to do, but I know the usual ways that Satan tries to keep me from completing what God has put before me. Please pray for our church as well. We are coming to realize that God has placed us in this inner city environment for a reason, and reaching out to our neighbors will change the face of our congregation. We need God's love full in our hearts to love our neighbors.

And FINALLY - please send me any good marketable low cost ideas. Crafts such as beading and decoupage are pretty overdone here, and supplies are quite limited and costly.