Goddess: Help A Mother Out

Today I'm switching around my goddess feature... I'm in the midst of writing about another amazing goddess that I want to share with you... but as you all know, life gets in the way of these fun little endeavors like blogging :). My middle child has a virus, and so it goes... well, everything goes. Life stops while he mends. Oh... and the goal of getting it NOT to spread to the other kids in the house... oh boy.

So, I thought this week I'd link to a GREAT organization and let you explore their site for yourselves! Two women started Help A Mother Out in order to provide diapers for homeless mothers throughout their area. The organization is now spreading to other cities, too.

As a mother myself, I can't imagine not having access to clean diapers when my kids were babies. Many women are forced to use one diaper a day, if they even have that. Shelters want to help, but lack funds to provide diapers, as they have to focus on the even more pressing things like food, water, formula, and medicines.

This is an amazing story of women helping fellow women. What goddesses they are! Using their gifts, time, money, and influence to provide a basic, yet hugely important, need. Be inspired!

It sounds big, and maybe it is, but it’s also very small: It’s one or two people, figuring out how to move beyond rhetoric to action; a handful of people buying cases of diapers off an Amazon wishlist; busy mothers donating their collections of hotel shampoos. It’s finding the time and the means to lend a hand to our community. We may not be changing the world, but changing diapers is pretty important too.-- from the women of Help A Mother Out

goddess: NieNie

I'm a bit behind schedule this week, but I still wanted to do a goddess feature! This week's goddess has been on my mind and heart as I recover from my surgery. This eye surgery has been way more of a doozy than I thought it would be, and honestly, every time I thought of this goddess I found strength. Because what I've been through, just one eye surgery (with another to come in a few weeks), has been nothing, NOTHING, compared to what Stephanie Nielson (nicknamed "NieNie") has been through.

I started reading her blog after she almost perished in a plane crash, a crash and a survival story that made national news, and even Oprah! She and her husband were burned, but lived. Stephanie's body is over 80% burned, and she will endure pain and surgeries for the rest of her life. She writes with such honesty and truth that I crave her inspiration for my own life, especially when I'm dealing with pain.

Stephanie is of the Mormon faith. I do not share this faith with her, but I still feel a connection as a woman and a mother. I love that I can learn from her and what she believes, but I don't feel intimidated or judged for not sharing her faith. She just freely shares her life, her recovery, and her journey, in an intimate and sweet way. I think this is such a great example of how we aren't all the same, but we can all respect, love, and learn from one another.

One thing that I love about Stephanie is her idea of beauty. She seems to see beauty in a different way than I have never experienced, and by reading her words, I've started to see beauty in many different ways and on many different levels than I did before. She is a great teacher of appreciating the gifts life has blessed us with.

I hope you enjoy reading through her blog and learning about this lovely lady. Her life is a testament to strength and perseverance!

Goddess: International Princess Project

Have you heard of this project? (I heard about it on a blog I like to read, called Rage Against the Minivan, which yes, is a hilarious name, especially if you're a mom)...

Oh boy. If this isn't what the goddess mission is all about, then nothing is...

Watch this video.

Then, go to the International Princess Project's website and explore it. Get to know this project, and get involved.

The more I see amazing women taking action to save their sisters around the world, the more I'm convinced that this is where hope lives. Grassroots efforts to help others. Sure, we need big government money and huge organizations to help. But who really knows these women and what they've been through? Who really knows how to lift them out of a desperate situation? People like the founder of the International Princess Project, that's who. Get to know her through the website... get to know their mission... and GIVE! and BUY!

Have a lovely Tuesday, goddesses!

Goddess: Charity

I'm so delighted to introduce you to this week's goddess! Her name is Charity, and she is from Montana. Charity is a single mom to three beautiful children, and she is driven to be the best person she can be while gracing this earth. I met Charity through a friend, and she inspires me! Please take a moment to get to know Charity, and to familiarize yourself with the organization she works with, Redeeming Waters.

Read on to learn and be inspired by Charity! She is witty and smart and totally incredible!

1) Tell us about what inspired you to adopt children at such a young age (meaning your young age!)... what led you to them? To that country? Did you have your biological kids yet? I'd love to read more about that story.
As odd as it sounds, I just knew I was supposed to adopt.
Every young couple has important decisions to make about family size, etc, so when it came time to decide if we wanted to try to have that allusive girl,(after 2 biological boys) we just knew that adoption was the way to go. To be honest, age has always been just a number to me. I think that God gifts people with different maturity levels at a variety of ages, and I personally know quite a few mature, wonderful parents in their early twenties.( I also know plenty of people in their 40’s and 50’s who have not grown up yet!)
At the time of our adoption, we had 2 biological boys. My mom’s best friend used to be a missionary in Africa, so I grew up listening to tales of their experiences. Africa seemed like an obvious choice. Initially, we went through the adoption process in Rwanda, only to have the case dropped….. after a new mandate for age requirements was initiated during our adoption. We saw a powerful documentary on Liberia, and decided to switch countries.
We always thought that we would adopt a baby, but God had other plans! My daughter is 14 years old, and there is not a day that goes by, that I am not incredibly grateful to have her in my life. Adoption is wonderful.
2) You are a single mom now. I'd love for you address how you do it all... take care of your kids and take care of yourself.
Being a single mom is sometimes VERY difficult, but surprisingly enough, it has also showed me just how incredibly capable I am. Being a single mom constantly challenges me to be a better person. How do I do it all? Just one foot in front of the other I suppose…fall down 7 times, get up 8 : )
We are busy, that’s for sure. I am blessed to have a wonderful support system that helps everything stay together. The biggest piece of advice I can give to any single mom, is to get a good sense of humor. It helps everything become easier.

3) Tell me a little about putting yourself through nursing school, and how you were inspired to do that!
Initially, I thought that nursing school would be a good fit for me, but after going that route for a while, I had a complete change of heart. I decided to go Pre-Law instead. Not only is law something I have always had a love for, but during our adoption I had to navigate the legal process in Liberia with little to no help. It was hard at the time, but has been one of the most important experiences of my life. I’d love to help other people do the same.

4)Tell me about your water mission AND your work in Haiti, and what your organization is called, and how people can get involved, and GIVE!
Redeeming Waters International is an organization that was started by one of my best friends, Jocelyn Tarquini, in 2007. Jocelyn and I both adopted our children at the same time, from the same orphanage, and RWI was started after they came home. I was lucky enough to get an invite to come on board in 2008.
As any adoptive mom will tell you….. when you are adopting, your life is absolutely CONSUMED with that process. For that year or two years, however long it takes for your adoption to be completed, you eat, breathe, and live your adoption. It becomes part of you, and you do anything to feel closer to your child, a child that is thousands of miles away.
What I find that people don’t often talk about, is just how “out of sorts” you feel when the process is over! You put all of your time and energy into that one thing, so when your dream is finally fulfilled, you are left with a big space in your life.
I feel like helping with RWI has filled “my space” and renewed my purpose. It has given me a place to use that drive and energy.
RWI started out trying to provide clean water for 3rd world countries, but we have been blessed to be able to expand that help in a number of different directions.
We are not only trying to start a movement for clean water in desperate places, but we are also trying to advocate for pregnant mothers and their babies. Hundreds of thousands of women die each year, because of a lack of a clean environment for their birth, as well as a good, solid, childbirth education. Part of our mission is helping provide expectant mothers with a “clean birth kit,” to help reduce the rates of infant and child mortality.
We have also had the opportunity to put on some basic medical clinics, sport ball exchanges , and eyeglass clinics.
Anyone who may be interested can check out our website http://www.redeemingwaters.org/.

5) tell me your favorite food, drink, way to relax, way to have fun :).
My favorite food is P.F. Chang’s Double Pan Fried Noodles. UNFORTUNATELY, we don’t have a Changs here in Montana, (Sonic is as nice as it gets ; )so when I travel…we have to stop!
As for relaxing, I like to spend time with my friends and family. We are all very busy people, but usually set aside one day a week to get together for some food and laughter. I love telling the important people in my life, just how much I care about them.

Thank you Charity for sharing your life with us. You are truly an inspiration! Readers, GO and SEE her water organization website, and GIVE! What an incredible way to love people around the world. To conclude, I'll leave you with a quote I stole off of Charity's facebook profile:

“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.”- Win Borden

Amen to that! I hope you've all been inspired by this lovely goddess today... Charity, may your light shine brightly forever!

Goddess:Suubi ... giveaway!

Suubi means “hope” in Luganda, a language of Uganda.

A man and his wife were in Uganda a few years ago, adopting their children. They got to know a woman at the orphanage. She asked them to look at the beads that she and her friends were making. They used old paper from magazines and newspaper to make these beads. They wanted to sell them in the United States, to make a better life for themselves and their children. These are real goddesses.

Under the organization of Light Gives Heat, Suubi was created. The women grew in their numbers. The organization now sells many of these beads here in the United States and in Canada. The profits go to the women, who are now better able to feed, clothe, and educate their children.

When I watch the videos on their website (and I encourage you to spend a lot of time on the site, and really explore it and watch all the videos to get to know this organization), I am simply humbled. Those raw and deep, purely human emotions come to the surface when I see what these women have endured, and how they used their creativity and drive to literally pull themselves and their families out of poverty. These are the women who teach me, who inspire me, who knock me down when I’m whining about life; only to build me back up again by showing what pure strength and resolve did (and can do).

I hope that these goddesses, and the people who work for Light Gives Heat, simply take your breath away. I hope they inspire you to dream bigger and reach farther and work harder. Because we are them, and they are us.

And of course- buy! Buy these beautiful creations! I have the beads and a bag sewn for EPOH. We have a few t-shirts in our family, too.

I would love, LOVE to send you some beads! I have some beauties. Start to follow this blog, link to us on your sidebar, or mention the goddess mission on facebook. Leave a comment to let me know that you have done so, or email me (goddessmission at gmail dot com), and I will randomly pick a name on Saturday and announce the winner here. Hopefully you’ll win, and I will contact you and mail you the beads, and you will look like the fabulous goddess that you are! Or, you can give them to a goddess you love. Thanks friends! Now go and learn more about Light Gives Heat! And GIVE!

Goddess: Erin

Today I'm so pleased to tell you about a goddess named Erin. I had this whole other post planned, about a great organization powered by great women, where you can give and be a part of something huge. I'll share that with you next week. This week, however, I just kept coming back to Erin (who so creatively helped me design this website), and wanting to share her with you. She doesn't know that I'm writing this about her, so I'll keep the details vague to protect her privacy, since I didn't get her permission. Below is a picture of Erin's back as she sits in a beach chair:

Erin is one of those women who is just like many people you and I know. She's a mom, wife, sister, daughter, and friend. Erin has three kids. She has a huge heart and a quiet power, and that's what sets her apart. Erin doesn't care so much about what is popular or trendy- she follows what she knows is right for her life.

Erin and her husband got married upon graduating from college. But unlike most recent college grads or newlyweds, they didn't settle down in pursuit of the American Dream. Instead, they took off for Africa to work with children in desperate situations. They helped to love, feed, and play with the kids who needed these actions desperately. Erin and her husband are Christians, and they wanted to take their faith literally and care for the orphans and the widows as their faith teaches them to do.

It was at this orphanage in Africa that the young couple met two children who had been orphaned. They were siblings, and the Americans fell in love with them. Erin and her husband were young, and the rules of the world dictated that adopting these kids would be foolish and not worth it. But Erin saw something else. She saw hope. She and her husband returned to the US to gather paperwork and took the necessary steps to adopt their children an ocean and a continent away. Erin waded through the adoption process by herself, knowing that she was forging a trail in a country that hadn't allowed many adoptions of their orphans. Months and months later, they finally received word that the adoption had been approved, and Erin went to be reunited with her children, and brought them into her life and her family for the rest of time.

Erin recently had a third child, and her older kids are totally in love with their new baby. In the years following the adoption of her kids, Erin has answered countless questions about adoption from her kids' native land, and has helped many families navigate the adoption system and process. Oftentimes Erin gets a family started and never hears from them again... she never gets the recognition or thanks that she deserves from the adoption community.

I think that part of this is that Erin refuses to compromise her family's welfare. She doesn't run some huge organization to help hundreds of people, and she doesn't seek attention for the work that she does with adoptive families or with her kids. She would be the first to admit that she's not perfect, but she does her best each day to do what's right by her family, especially her kids. Her older kids need special love and attention, as many kids "from hard places" do. She is unapologetic about her life of hard work and sacrifice to be sure her kids not only survive, but thrive. And she does all of this under the radar, without boasting or seeking glory.

Erin is such an awesome example of living what you believe, and I'm so honored to feature her as our goddess this week. Erin, you are amazing! Thank you for being you, and for showing strength and wisdom beyond your years. You are truly a goddess!

Goddess: Greg.

Yep. My first Goddess feature is a guy.

What?

I know! But listen- he's such a good goddess lover! He builds schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He started doing this before America's 9/11 tragedy. He was a climber, climbing the world's (I think?) second tallest mountain, K2 in Pakistan. As he was descending the mountain he became disoriented and was rescued by villagers who took him in, fed him, let him rest, and nursed him back to health. He wanted to give back, and asked what they needed. They needed a school, especially for girls. GIRLS!

In the midst of terrible news about floods in Pakistan, and of course news everywhere about extremists, I wanted to highlight Greg Mortenson and the amazing work he's doing in that region of the world, among people who are grateful and helpful, wanting and needing their girls to be educated. Especially to combat extremists in the region who would rather girls have zero education and the inability to think for themselves and to make a living for themselves. Greg quickly teaches us that most of the village leaders and residents do not agree with the extremist mindset. They are proud of their girls and women, and want to empower them in order to improve living and economic conditions in their villages and towns.

If you haven't already, read Greg's book, Three Cups of Tea, co-authored by David Oliver Relin. I know this is old news to most of you, but Greg just HAD to make it into my Goddess hero list. He made it his life's work to improve the lives of girls across the planet from where he was raised, all based on a chance encounter. I personally learned more about the Muslim faith and the truth of that region (quite different from what I'd learned through the evening news) from this book than from anything else. I'm so inspired and awe-struck by this story, and by the lives of all involved in risking their comfortable lifestyles to serve these girls.

“Once you educate the boys, they tend to leave the villages and go search for work in the cities…. But the girls stay home, become leaders in the community, and pass on what they’ve learned. If you really want to change a culture, to empower women, improve basic hygiene and health care, and fight high rates of infant mortality, the answer is to educate girls.” –Greg Mortenson

Goddesses like Greg Mortenson... they are the people changing our world for the better. Using their lives for good, and seeking the truth always through serving those who've been nearly forgotten by the wealthier nations. What I love most is that he wife is the ultimate goddess... she and his children support his work and bless him as he serves thousands of girls and their families. What an awesome lady!

Check out Pennies for Peace, their fundraising effort, to learn more about how to serve the girls of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Now more than ever, they need our support. Let's EDUCATE our girls!