Before & After

Our new students receiving Bibles

It's just two weeks back for me over here in Arusha and I hit the ground running. It feels like I was only gone a short time but yet so many things have happened while I was gone. We had a group graduate and a new group start. Our sandal sales have increased from 70 pairs a month to 200 and the needs of our women just keep growing. I have learned so much these past two years since we have started and see the many growing pains as learning steps to make us stronger.

Rukia, one of our graduates sharing her story of transformation.

These past two weeks I have met with our graduates and interviewed our new students. These two groups are drastically different. As I listen to the new women my heart breaks and there is a shadow over my day as I hear stories of neglect, abuse and hopelessness but the shadow is lighter this time because my next meeting is with one of our graduates and her smile lights up the room. She is radiant! She greets me as a friend and an equal. We sit and discuss her new sandal business and make arrangements for her to fill orders for us that keep piling up. She tells me about the opportunity to send money back to her home village to her mother so she can start a business of her own. She discusses her daughters future and how the entire family has hope! So as I meet and build relationships with our new students I have a sense of excitement about the transformation that is about to happen to them. They too have that same excitement because they see our graduates and how a new life has begun for them.