Faith > Fruit
I need to talk about this here so that it’s a permanent part of my story. It will be wordy and messy— as most processing is.
Faith is > greater than fruit.
I told my husband last night I literally need this phrase etched on my skin as knuckle tats.
He gave me a worried look.
I don’t make a habit of regretting saying yes to God in starting Mercy House Global —even on the darkest days.
But when you talk about something being hard for so long and “hard” becomes the norm, I think the temptation is to lose perspective.
And maybe —going on 13 years of this yes- that is what is happening to me? I’m fighting to keep perspective.
Starting a nonprofit (as an unqualified, inexperienced 34 year old woman) that now provides jobs for 30 staff in Kenya, 30 in Magnolia, TX, so that hundreds of trafficked teens and their babies can choose life in Kenya and thousands of artisans can provide for their families around the globe— well, it’s hard, to put it lightly.
It turns out keeping it going—- even harder.
Doing so —in, through and after a pandemic—followed by a maternity home burning down, losing our USA warehouse earlier this year and to still be “in business” is miraculous.
Now we are facing a serious economic downturn, higher cost to do business, more expensive rent (forced to leave red barn) lower sales, donations and I’m considering tattoos on my knuckles.
Hard took a turn.
The only thing that calms my fears, eases my frustration, helps me put one foot in front of the other, is remembering my one job: faithfulness.
It’s our calling in this life— to keep showing up, doing the next right thing, abiding in Jesus. Trust the Gardener, stay attached to the vine- this is the ultimate goal.
Gardening a plot in my backyard has taught me that even in droughts, rocky ground, poor soil and the worst conditions, somehow things grow. We plant seeds, water, do what we can, but the harvest belongs to God.
And sometimes things die.
This is also the cycle of growing things.
Honestly, one of my biggest fears is that one day, I will share a post that says Mercy House Global is ending because we ran high on hard and low on money.
We’ve had enough miracle moments to remind me this could happen.
I would be heartbroken.
I will have been faithful.
I pray that day never comes and somehow this organization continues for decades in the fight against the oppression of women… but we all know that isn’t really up to me.
Faith > Fruit
I truly believe the reason Mercy House exists is because a lot of faithful people abide in the vine. And God uses our collective resources to produce good fruit.
Invest in the future of Mercy House Global.
