Many people ask us how we started or why we do what we do….That’s a great question!

Do we do it to feel good?

Do we do so that they feel good?

Do we do it because we should?

Nope. We do it because we are told to.

We at ’3seams’ believe that God has called us to LOVE people as Jesus did while He was here on earth. He has so generously given us a platform to do so and, for that, we are so grateful! Yes, creating jobs for women in the developing world is fulfilling; watching them keep their kids and have the ability to feed them is a blessing; But, knowing that Jesus is walking this journey with us…directing our steps…”AH!”… that’s the sweet spot…that’s where we wanna hang out FOREVER! ….such a privilege!

I have found that when you discover why you are placed on this earth, there is nothing better…no bigger blessing. I am certain that we weren’t plunked into this world just for the fun of it…or without purpose! God has placed a calling on each of our lives and when we discover what that calling is, we are blessed with the opportunity and the ability to fullfill it. Have you found your ‘purpose’? …your ‘calling’? Keep your eyes and ears open! God has BIG plans for you!

Some of you might be wondering about this Jesus we talk of… As our goal through ’3seams’ is to emulate Jesus in all we do, we want our community to know our heart…to know who ’3seams’ is at our core! Jesus is our core! Jesus is the truest and purest form of LOVE that you will ever experience and know. This video was played at our Christmas Eve Service tonight… I think it shares the LOVE! I hope that it touches your heart and brings you peace during this Christmas season. It is after-all, WHY we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is all about the LOVE…the greatest LOVE of all!

click to view VIDEO (thank you, Village Church, for sharing!)

May Jesus fill your home today and in the year to come with peace….with LOVE….and with great JOY!

Merry Christmas from all of us at ’3seams’!

Christmas is just 3 weeks away and, what I like to call, the “frantic shopping” has begun! Know what I mean? People become frantic to find the right gift, to spend the right amount of money, and to get everything in time! I can’t say that I haven’t had a bit of that myself…actually just did a bit of crazy, frantic shopping today… Living in Asia certainly adds to the “get it in the mail” frenzy!

I struggle with this time of year because I am a “gift giver”….I love to give gifts! Whether it’s a batch of cookies, a bouquet of flowers, or a special wrapped up something…I love to give gifts. I have found over the years, however, that I take more time and thought when doing it….especially with our kids. I want our Christmas morning to be special and full of LOVE….not frantic to get to the next gift. I want to give gifts that make my kids stop and appreciate…and maybe even challenge them in some way. Sure, there are a couple ‘just for fun’ items, but there is always something that has a story and that hopefully will tug at their hearts a bit.

Over the years, our nativity set has taken a beating. With all the moves our family has made….we have ‘lost ‘ a few pieces…a camel hoof, a wise man, a lamb’s ear, the cow’s horns… our nativity set was hurtin’! So, last year, we gave our kids a new one…we call it the ‘Coconut Jesus Hut’! The stable is hand crafted from a coconut and each of the figures are formed and painted in Haiti! We love our little nativity set…not only does it keep the true meaning of Christmas front and center, but knowing where it came from, also reminds us of our many blessings.

As you finish up your shopping this year, consider something that will challenge your kids….that will tug at their hearts!

‘3seams’ Product Update!! ONE WEEK LEFT (through Dec 10th) to bid on our very special Christmas sets (pictured in this blog)! We have an XS, S, and M set available. Each set consists of a dress, a wristlet, a small wallet, and a hair tie! Bidding starts at $65. Your bids can be placed by emailing us at: info@3seams.com We will email you if you are outbid to allow you the chance to counter-bid! These sets are ADORABLE! Happy Bidding!

my kids n’ i were looking through a bookstore this weekend and i came across this book! i had to share my find! this book is full of beautiful pictures and full information about the life children live around the world…
christmas is quickly approaching and i’m sure that there are little ones in your household making “lists”! here is our challenge to you… find a way this Christmas to gift something that will challenge your child to think globally! we will continue to bring you ideas in the weeks to come!

’3seams’ PRODUCT NOTE: don’t forget that every person placing an order at www.3seams.com between now and december 15th will be entered into a drawing for a “Christmas Accessory Set”! this set will contain a wristlet, small wallet, large wallet, and hair-tie!….a $37 value!

Our hearts are heavy today as a little mama in Haiti mourns the loss of her baby… One of these sweet little angels is now living with Jesus. Please remember Makensia in the days to come as she mourns the very unexpected loss of her baby girl. We love you, Makensia.

I am super excited about this week’s blog! One of my dreams for ‘3seams’ was to see a community come together with a common goal…to make a difference in our world! Over the past year, I have had the great joy of working with and partnering with some amazing organizations and businesses. They are SO amazing that I wanted to be sure and introduce them to all of you!

AFTERBELLY
The first thing I want to share with you is a web community called AfterBelly. In the words of their founder, Nathalie, AfterBelly is a ‘community of mamas learning to love well’! After the birth of her son, Nathalie had a growing passion for walking the journey of motherhood with a community of other mamas. From that passion, came a website that I so wish I had had when my kids were in those tiring, yet wonderful young years! However, I am overjoyed that I have it now and can share it with others! AfterBelly will provide you with weekly stories from other mamas, inspirational writings that will challenge your heart, activity ideas for you and your kids, etc…. AfterBelly is truly a community of GOODNESS! ….seriously, if you are a ‘mama’, or a grand-‘mama’, or know a ‘mama’…this website is for you. Check it out…TODAY! I assure you that you will be blessed by it! Thank you, Nathalie, for creating a place where mamas can come together…

PRINT 4 CHANGE
How many of your businesses are ever in need of printing services? Did you know that there is a way to get those projects printed while at the same time making an impact on our world? Let me introduce you to Print 4 Change. “Print 4 Change is a print management company with two passions: providing their clients with the best print product in the world and changing the lives of the poorest people in the world. Print for Change donates 50% of everything they earn to bring water, food, shelter, and education to those living in extreme poverty. With each client, with each job, they’re changing the world.” Through their partnerships with Healing Haiti and Opportunity International, they have been able to give $130,000 thus far! This is just some of what they have been able to do:

• Funding of 2 water trucks in Cite Soleil (Haiti) that deliver over 500,000 gallons of clean water every month
• Distribution of over 1.2 million meals
• Support to 62 orphans
• Support of over 1400 kids in school
• The building of ‘Grace Village’ which includes an orphanage, feeding center, playground, soccer field, tilapia farm, Restavek home, and a home for the elderly

So… whether you are a 2-person design firm or a Fortune 500 company, Print 4 Change can take care of all your printing needs! From business cards to t-shirts to entire store fronts, they’ve gotcha covered! Such an amazing company… Check ‘em out!

SARA D HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY
Getting Married? A New Baby in the house? Do you have an adorable family that just needs a photo? Sara D Harper is the woman for any and all occasions! Sara came into Haiti with ‘3seams’ this past May and is the eye behind the lens of many of our amazing images and our video footage! She is not only an incredible photographer/videographer, but she is an amazing woman full of JOY and COMPASSION for helping her world. Sara is located in the Atlanta area. Having Sara D Harper as a part of the ‘3seams’ family is truly an honor!

WAY BASICS
Way Basics is a company dedicated to all of our shelving needs in a simple, safe, and eco-friendly way! I found Way Basics while in pursuit of shelving for our space in Haiti. Our constant challenge is getting supplies into Haiti as we are incredibly limited by the airlines these days. These shelves were a life saver! We were able to get TWO book shelves into ONE duffle bag for less than 30 LBS! Not only were they super light-weight, but they literally went together in seconds! Way Basics is a company with mission and with heart…’3seams’ was honored this past week as they featured us on their BLOG. We look forward to outfitting our own facility one day with more Way Basics product! I encourage you to visit their site and consider them for your next shelving needs…

How many of you are aware of what is currently going on in the horn of Africa? This issue has been consuming me a bit this week. It is just SO hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that it’s happening…right now…today…this minute.
According to sources, these are the heart-wrenching numbers…
*30,000 children have died in the past 90 days.
*600,000 children are at risk of starvation.
*1000s of men, women, and children from Somolia are fleeing to refugee camps that are only meant to hold 90,000 max. Camps are now reaching 500,000.

Sometimes it’s hard to know how to talk about these issues with our kids. Much depends upon how old they are… However, I do believe there’s a way to do it. As I read articles online this week about the Somolian crisis, I was brutally open about it with my teenager, showing her pictures and processing along side her. I did approached it a bit differently with my youngest. I used ART. I told her about the kids in Somolia that were starving and that were without water. I then asked her to draw a picture. With that picture, I asked her to also write a caption… What might that child be thinking? Or saying? Not only was she asked to consider something that was challenging, but through her artwork, she really had time to process which in turn, hopefully, affected her heart.

Poverty is so REAL. This horror is gripping nearly 1/2 of the world’s population…..over 3 BILLION people live on less than $2.50/day. Our next generation here in North America has got to realize how fortunate they are. And SOMEHOW we have to teach them about the tough realities elsewhere. Our children are our future. Are their hearts full of compassion? Do they want to do something to change their community or their world? It all starts now. It’s up to us as their parents to get them thinking!

What a week! Where to begin….

THURSDAY: Many of you may not realize that this past trip into Haiti was a bit unexpected. Financially, it was a bit of a stretch, but we knew that God would provide as He always does! On my way into Haiti, I had the opportunity to take a ‘bump’ in flights…it postponed me only TWO HOURS, but resulted in an American Airlines travel voucher in the amount of $800!! Gigantic nod to heaven! Amen?

FRIDAY: While getting supplies unpacked, I was visited by a woman that I had met in Haiti 18 months ago. She came down to Haiti with a mission in mind to reconnect with ‘3seams’. Her ONLY day to do so was the ONLY full day that I was in country….AMAZING! While we met, she proceeded to pass along two monetary gifts of $100 each… these gifts plus the voucher made up the exact amount needed to cover the costs of this unexpected trip! THANK YOU, God for being ever present in this endeavor!

SATURDAY: Packed a suitcase of amazing product produced by 4 amazing women! These women are all working to feed their children, send them to school, fix their homes from the earthquake, and even to buys homes of their own…they are full of JOY and are such a JOY to have on the ‘3seams’ team! I am blessed each and every time that I’m able to spend time in their precense…

TUESDAY: We received a VERY SPECIAL envelope in the mail. After much waiting, ‘3seams’ has officially been granted Non-Profit 501c3 Status!! We are so thrilled to finally be at a point where we can grow our program through fundraising! A process that can take up to a year to finalize was finished in about 3 months! Yee-Haw!

THURSDAY: The amazing peeps in Madison, MS. supported the efforts of ‘3seams’ through an INCREDIBLE event. We are so grateful to Tracy and her team there for making it such a HUGE success!

I’m sure glad that I’m not driving the ’3seams’ train because it would be seriously less exciting! All of us at ’3seams’ feel so blessed to be a part of of this project! Thanks for taking the ride with us!

I feel like before we can move on to new and exciting topics, we have to touch on last week’s BLOG again….the one about the Lemonade Stand venture….

Long past due, I ventured into my neighborhood ‘Get New Tires’ joint this past week. As I waited to pay for this ‘non-exciting’ purchase, I became glued to the television. Our local news station was reporting on none other than…Lemonade Stands! They were talking about how police were ‘cracking down on’ Lemonade Stands in the area because those running them (5 year olds….) didn’t have a business license….without which, making them illegal! Do you need to read that again?!? ….go ahead….read it again… Yea…I’m not kidding…. Oi! I stood in that ‘Get New Tires’ joint and LAUGHED OUT LOUD!

That said, if any of you took our challenge last week and ended up with a visit from the local police, we at ‘3seams’ are deeply sorry! We had no idea that a child showing entrepreneur behavior in the name of charity would be considered a ‘crime’! We will be sure to research our suggestions better in the future! LOL…again!

Stay tuned for a Haiti update this coming Monday! I will be checking in our amazing seamstresses and bringing out more of their amazing work! Have a great week and weekend!

Our goal at ’3seams’ is to help create opportunities for you and your kids. As much of our country is experiencing great heat waves right now, we’re thinkin’ that there are some thirsty people in your neighborhoods! How many of your kids are itchin’ to have a Lemonade Stand?? I think our kids are just hard-wired with this ‘itch’! Why not turn this uncontrolable itch into an opportunity?!? An opportunity for you to do something hands-on with your kids as well as an opportunity to help your kids make a difference in their world!

Mission: Lemonade Stand (with a Cause!)

* choose a time and place for your venture.
* create your stand! (idea: go old-school and make your stand out of a refrigerator box! Remember doing that?!?)
* choose your ’cause’ and teach your kids about what your organization does to help our world…
* make lemonade and any other added treats TOGETHER (cookies, rice krispie treats, etc.)!
* post signs around your neighborhood and personally invite family/ friends/neighbors…
* at the close of your venture, let your kids count the money and be a part of mailing it into your ’cause’ of choice!

Choose an organization that your kids can excited about! Not only will your kids learn something new, but they can help educate those that stop by! Never under-estimate the plans God has for your children…they too can make a mighty difference in their world!

If you do choose to make ’3seams’ your ’cause’ for the day, we would be honored! Let us know and we will send you a little flyer to make available to your patrons! Email us at info@3seams.com

Much of what I write in ‘the blog’ will be based on foreign lands and different cultures because I’m passionate about growing the ‘bubble’ we all live in…growing perspective on a global level. However, I also want to throw things back home a bit… Our country is known as the land of plenty, of opportunity, and of privilege. Though, needs are quite great in the United States right now…whether due to the economy or natural disaster, many of our people are struggling. What are we doing to help? We don’t have to go far….

This week, I am in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with an organization called, Youth For Christ. On April 27th of this year, a tornado ripped through this city and destroyed anything in it’s path. An estimated 15,000 people were displaced due to the damage that occurred. So, why am I here? I have the privilege of leading a group of people (primarily teenagers) throughout the week as we do our part to help Tuscaloosa. Through the clearing of debris, hearts will be changed. The hearts of these teenagers will never be the same….Tuscaloosa will leave a fingerprint on their lives!

A few weeks back, 3 families in our neighborhood got together and made sack lunches for the homeless population in our town. The kids dug out their markers and crayons to decorate bags, cookies were baked, sandwiches were made…. We stuffed those ‘cutie-pie’ bags, loaded ‘em into the car, and headed down town. As we handed out lunches and water bottles that day, I was struck by something. Despite this food being very much needed, the love that went out with the lunch was far greater than the sandwich within it. How often does someone show love, concern, or interest to these people? When was the last time someone smiled at them? As we left down town that day, we had one lunch left. We saw an elderly man pushing a cart…he was frail…his hair was long and white…. My daughter and her friend jumped out of the van and ran over to him. His story? He had been a school teacher once… What happened? We don’t know, but his face certainly lit up as the girls put that sack and 2 water bottles into his cart… Love. The girls stepped out of their ‘comfort zone’ and showed love that day… yet somehow that experience will linger in our girls’ hearts forever… a fingerprint left by a school teacher!

Everything a child experiences molds them into who they will become…why not, in these precious few years that we as parents have them, give them opportunities to experience greatness; to experience things that will mold them into more and more of who Jesus was here on earth. Who knows? You just might go home with a little fingerprint too!

I so want my children to have a desire to show compassion and love. Not just because, “mommy says were gonna”, but because they just do! ….from the depths of their souls, they just do!

Our challenge to you….find something to do this month that challenges you, that grows you, and that ultimately shows love! I promise you won’t have to go far…look around your neighborhood…around your town…there’s an opportunity waiting for you…go snatch it up! You’ll never be the same!

For…as long as we have air in our lungs and we allow Him access to our lives, God will continue to mold us into who He created us to be! How great is that!?!