My Visit to the Refuge for Women House

As the director and founder of Shining a Light I take on the full responsibility of fund raising and spreading the vision of our work. As unrealistic as this is I have to constantly remind myself of who's ministry this really is and who is in control. That is why when I was invited to speak at a small farm house in the hills of Kentucky to a group of women battered and bruised by the world, rescued out of the sex industry and in hiding to protect their new lives I was excited about the opportunity to forget the bottom line and just LOVE!

We headed out there one Tuesday morning and were greeted by smiles and hugs. These women didn't appear to be angry or bitter they were loving and grateful. The Refuge for Women House wasn't a place of brokenness and sadness these were women who were healed, women who were hopeful and secure in their future.

I shared my story of addiction, sickness and sin and how God, who had no reason whatsoever to rescue me, pulled me out of a life of darkness, despair and death. I shared how He took all my pain and replaced it with respect, hope and a chance to give this love away to others. As I spoke I could see the light ignite in their eyes. I could see it begin to register that they too could recover, receive and change the world. That this life of pain and suffering that they had been given could be transformed into a life of love and hope, ashes could be turned into beauty.

The morning ended up with all 8 women digging through boxes of sandals picking out their very own pair, a gift from my dear friend and hostess Amanda Bledsoe and her amazing husband Todd. The picture shows the sandals they chose. Have you ever seen such beautiful feet? They are feet of women who were lost but now are found, women who were blind but now can see because they serve a God who is bigger then any addiction, abusive relationship, any job in a strip club and any mess we can ever get ourselves into.

We Need Your Hearts & Thumbs For 24 Hours

Thank you for opening your heart to learn about the women of Arusha, Tanzania and about Shining a Light. We are in desperate need to raise money to continue to grow our program. We need your help and the help of everyone you know.

 24 Hour Twitter & Facebook-a-Thon Fundraiser

   March 4th & March 5th starts at 7am 

                       

Every donation, every tweet, every pair of sandals sold and every like of our Facebook page; 
increases the awareness of Shining a Light and helps the women and their families that are members 
of our “Women to Work” program.

Arusha, Tanzania is stricken with poverty, single parenting is the norm due to HIV/Aids and rape. Hundreds 
of children live on the streets. Problems are everywhere, it is heartbreaking, we can choose to look the other way or we can break the cycle of poverty by offering a hand up.

Here’s How You Can Help 

Like & Share Shining a Light Facebook Page

Ask your facebook friends to help promote 
our 24 Hr Twitter & Facebook –A-Thon

Copy & Paste these tweets March 4th & March 5th

Follow us @ShiningaLightTZ 

            

24 Hr Tweetathon $10 Changes The Lives Of Women & Children Donate at Shining a Light Please RT #ShiningaLight

           

24 Hr Tweetathon Buy A Pair Sandals With A Soul A Hand UP Not A Hand Out #ShiningaLight Please RT 

24 Hr Tweetathon Every Dollar Helps Donate Now Help Empower Women Please RT #ShiningaLight

24 Hr Tweetathon Sharing Is Caring Donate Today Every Dollar Helps #ShiningaLight Please RT

Learn about Shining a Light

Buy a pair of Sandals With A Soul hand beaded by the women in Shining a Light organization

Visit  Shining a Light to learn all about the women in our program and to make a donation

From the bottom of our hearts thank you for your help! Want to talk with Jennifer (517) 974-3006

Since November, Shining a Light has been traveling the midwest and a few other places sharing the amazing stories of transformation in the lives of our women in Tanzania. Stories of hope and faith, ups and downs but most of all stories of Empowerment.

Our training center in Arusha, Tanzania is based around women who have had missed opportunities and a lack of resources to do the most basic of things, provide for their families. But now thanks to many generous supporters, lots of prayers and dedication of a few visionaries we are seeing change not only in these women but in their husbands, children and their communities.

Our founder, Jennifer VanderGalien is in the states until May. There are many more opportunities to catch her story and the story of Shining a Light but to also book your own speaking engagement. Just send us an email jennifer@shiningalight.org or find us on our website www.shiningalight.org or many of our social media sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN.

Bibles

  There is an awesome excitement in our workshop these days. Our Bible studies have taken on a new feeling as our Muslim students and those who have never had faith request Bibles and ask many questions. They have begun morning Bible studies together and have even been leading their own studies at home with their families.

Little Esther

Do you remember little Esther? Last year we had surgery on her legs after they were broke by an abusive step father. Then we had her fitted for a brace that she wore for a year to heal one of her legs properly but today we removed the brace and now she is jumping, dancing and twirling like any other 6 year old little girl.

Baby's Birthday

The work that Shining a Light does is empowering women. We work to train women in areas that will allow them to provide for themselves and their children. Along with this awesome work of transformation that God has allowed me to share in, I get to love on and minister to the children in my village here in Tanzania.

 

The other day we found out that it was Baby's, our little neighbor girl, 6th birthday. Knowing that birthdays are not special around here and that most kids living in extreme poverty as Baby is, rarely know their age let alone their birthday, we decided to go all out and throw her a party.

I dug out any and every toy, craft, balloon etc that I had remaining from friends visits, baked a cake and ordered sodas from the local shop and opened the gates to as many kids as I had sodas.

Donned in her homemade princess crown and handmade dress that came from one of our Shining a Light ladies, Baby, jumped, laughed, played and ate junk food until her hearts content.

My life is full of challenges living and working in a country where

 justice and equality is nonexistent but last Tuesday 

I had a day that makes it all worth it.

Sharing the Gospel

This past week we had a break down of the Gospel. I have been teaching on Business as a Mission for the past month and was getting a lot of questions that made me think that maybe their idea of the Gospel isn't quite clear and that maybe even some of them didn't know it at all. So, Screech!!!! I put on the breaks and took a few steps back. I began to think about how to share it without making it long complicated and more confusing. It's not that i think the Gospel is confusing but translating it into a different language in a different culture isn't always easy. I have had many, MANY misunderstandings the past 4 years i have been here.

First of all we bought Bibles. My friend Kendall and I ( we went through Teen Challenge together) got all excited about sharing this important story with our women. We bought Bibles, found a new believers Bible Study and Prayed for about a week that God would open their hearts.

We met last week and just shared our heart. I told them what Jesus did for me and what he is still doing everyday. I gave Bibles to Muslims who were excited to hear more and we had ladies sharing what God means to them. Afterwards we prayed. I asked if any had prayer requests and they laughed as they all put their hands up as if saying "who doesn't?"

This is what it's all about. I work so hard to make a quality sandal, manage our employees, work on contracts and job descriptions but this is the real work, the work that will really transform these women and their families.