Monday Give-Away!! {and a fun way to DO GOOD}

Friends, I hope your weekend was relaxing! Mine was a mix of being a busy little Christmas elf {packing and mailing out calendars, working on my DIY tree stump coffee table, and tons of photo shoots!} and also being lazy and relaxed {watching my first Lifetime Christmas movie of the season, drinking tea, and having meals with friends!!} I'm ready to tackle this last week of school, and then be OFF FOR 5 WEEKS!! 'Tis the season:)

In honor of it almost being Christmas break for me, I'm having a whole week of awesome give-aways!! You won't want to miss it!! The give-away today is very near and dear to my heart.

This Fall, I have been absolutely smitten with a particular organization who is doing incredible work in Pakistan…Shining Light International. I know i've said this before, but the work they are doing is unprecedented in this region of Northern Pakistan. Pakistan has the 2nd highest rate of girls out of school, and SL is getting them INTO SCHOOL! Amazing!! SL is working with a nomadic people group called the Gujars and setting up remote tent schools for the children to attend, most of them for the first time in their lives! For years young girls were sold off as child brides at a young age, but now thanks to SL they are in school, breaking this cycle.

Shining Light has launched a project called LifeStitch. By connecting shops in developed nations with the unique products created at the LifeStitch Manufacturing center, women now have a much greater opportunity to support their families with extra income.

The scarf I am giving away today was hand-made by a woman in Pakistan working at the LifeStitch center. To see more of their products, click here. {it looks like most of their beautiful scares are sold-out right now, but they should be getting more in!} They also have these gorgeous kimonos that i'm loving here. 

What's even MORE amazing is that today I want to give you all the opportunity to host a house party filled with products made by the women at the LifeStitch center. Shining Light will send you all the items you need to host a fun, interactive party in the comfort of your own home! Don't just say you want to see "peace in the middle east", tangibly host a LifeStitch party and be a part of the empowerment process for these women!! To see how to host a LifeStitch party, click here. 

To enter the give-away: 

1. Follow Shining Light on IG {here} and FB {here}

2. Leave a comment below!! 

3. Follow Hope Engaged on IG {here} 

{If you don't have IG or FB, just leave a comment and you'll still be entered!}

So so easy!! If you win, you will receive this absolutely gorgeous fall-colored scarf that I am wearing below! Fall is finally hitting Southern California, so I am now legit because I have a leaf picture (like the rest of the world's been posting for ages, hahah! #i'mfinallyjoiningtheclub) 

Happy Monday!!

Thoughts on being a woman in the World

I think women are wonderful, I really do. Yes, we can be confusing and change our minds a lot and of course we make mistakes, but we can also be lovely and kind and use our lives to serve others. No matter where a woman lives, there can rise that spark of sheer beauty that is seen when she nurses a child, or cooks a meal that fills the family with goodness, or when she fiercely steps in to protect those she loves, or soothes those in pain with such delicate care.

When I was in Nepal last year, Kevin and I flew into one of the most remote areas i've ever been to.  Actually it WAS the most remote area i've ever been to {apart from here}. Lord have mercy, it was time travel, i'm convinced. There was no electricity, no cars {just your average ox and cart…yep!}, and no running water. Meals were cooked over a fire. I literally could have just stepped back in time 2,000 years, I'm NOT EVEN JOKING.



In my 4 day stint in this village, one major thing stood out to me. The women. They worked, and they worked hard. They cooked every meal (and we're talking waking at the crack of dawn to start breakfast, then starting lunch when breakfast was done, and then starting dinner when lunch was done. Then cleaning and going to bed, and starting all over the next day. Forever. and ever.} They were strong, they raised the children, they worked in the field. They were everywhere doing everything. I don't even know.

But I also noticed the women were hungry to learn. They were empowered with knowledge and hung to every word of the speaker at the conference we attended. Their eyes lit up, they were sharp. Women are marvelous like that. Ready to glean wisdom and apply it!

The bottom line is that women are important and fill such an incredible and sacred role in this world. And the more a woman is supported, valued and entrusted with the gift of knowledge, the greater her potential for beauty in the world grows.
And so when I recently read some statistics for women in Pakistan, my heart was tugged. Did you know that all of ALL THE COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD {that's 196!} Pakistan has the second highest rate of girls missing from schools? Let's put it another way…Pakistan has the second worst educational opportunity for women IN THE WORLD.

Schools without some of the world's most precious...

Imagine attending a school where half the room is empty and there are virtually no females present to add their voices or participate in class discussions. This is the reality for most schools in rural villages of Northern Pakistan. If we face the music friends, had you been born in Pakistan, you would be exempt from a formal education. Imagine your childhood without school of any kind. We can't. That has not been the reality for any of us.

But…the exciting part it that as women, we can collectively give to help support these sweet girls in their education!

Have any of you seen Malala on TV or read her book? This brave Pakistani girl stood up to the Taliban (even after they targeted and shot her at age 14) and fights for education for women. She is amazing and every time I hear her speak I cry like a leaky faucet. She preaches forgiveness, equality and empowerment. She is so wise. Her father had supported her in her education and she bloomed into a strong, loving, kind and intelligent woman.

Think of the incredible possibility and potential you can breed with your gift towards empowering women in Pakistan. Don't just say you want to empower women, do it!  Go and check out Shining Light International and see for yourself the incredible work they are doing in Northern Pakistan, and how they enroll and support Pakistani girls in their school.  This is revolutionary, and you will be blessed, head to toe! And consider giving monthly and being a part of their Ray of Hope club! Even $10 a month can go a long way!

Wouldn't you want someone advocating for YOUR education?
I thought so:)

Let's be women of action, kindness and generosity and bless our fellow sisters around the world…because that is in part what is means to be a woman: united, hospitable and generous. 

A Give-Away for a Cause!

turquoise arm cuff // infinity scarf // turquoise necklace // pearl necklace // t-shirt // beaded bracelet 

Friends, thank you for being a part of Hope Engaged this week as I shared about a tangible way to engage with peace in the Middle East {read part 1 & part 2}. My heart swells up with so much JOY when I think about the impact we can have in the world by giving of the resources God has gifted us!

Today I wanted to extend a sweet Give-a-way to ALL of you readers! There are 2 ways to enter the give-away:

The first option to enter is to: 
1. Liking Shining Light International on FB
2. Following Shining Light International on IG
3. Leave a comment below (on my blog) with thoughts on Shining Light International! {And maybe your favorite few prizes, so I know what to send you!}

The second option is to actually GIVE to Shining Light International, and become a part of their Ray of Hope Club: 

1) Go to the Shining Light Page to give your donation. Click HERE

2) Email me to let me know you've given {hopeengaged@gmail.com}

I will be giving away 6 prizes to 6 different people, so your odds of winning are pretty good! 

My hope is that this week you have been inspired and encouraged that amazing things are happening in Pakistan to bring peace, and the hope of good news, to a people who have long been forgotten! Never underestimate the epic role and impact your life can have worldwide!!

Mother Teresa once said, "we can do not great things, only small things with great love" .
Do great love today, and check out Shining Light International. 

Use your Life for PEACE! One way to do that today….

“blessed are the peacemakers”

{Read Part 1 here}

Ladies, are you ready to be invited into being a peacemaker in the Middle East? Are you ready to give of what you have been blessed, and share what the Lord has so generously shared with you?

Remember when I asked what YOU would do if I told you that the gift of your life could:

Educate youth from Taliban occupied regions?

Send the very first girl in the history of her family to school?

Provide a job for a woman who never dreamed she could succeed? 

Empower remote communities towards a sustainable future?

I hope you would stand up and say “YES” to being a peacemaker!!

YES to help bringing the kingdom of God here on earth

YES to educating children from Taliban occupied regions

YES to sending the very first girl in her family to school

YES to providing a job to a woman that never thought employment possible

YES to empowering remote communities

And today, i'm sharing about an organization that is making these statement become reality through generous and caring people like yourself! Say hello to Shining Light International! They work in Northern Pakistan, in remote areas where the Taliban has a strong hold. Their mission is to bring education and empowerment to a region that has seen very little of either endeavor.

Their vision is 3 fold:

-Education

- Job Creation

- Community Empowerment

Did you know….

Pakistan has the world’s second highest population of girls out of school?

and

The Gujjar people group (whom SL works with), is 98% illiterate and face little access to education or economic opportunity for their future?

Ladies, most of you were given the most incredible educational opportunities in your lifetime. But if you would have grown up in Pakistan, you would have mostly likely been kept from receiving any formal training of any kind. Truly a travesty.

So…where do YOU come in?

I want to challenge you to give and become part of the Ray of Hope Club!

You can give $10, $25, $50 or $100 a month! It doesn’t matter what you commit, the important part is that you take a step today and say, “I want to be part of bringing PEACE to the Middle East”. It may be a small part, but IT IS A PART! Wouldn't it be amazing as readers if we as women banded together to give $10 a month, and paved the way for a generation of girls to be educated in Northern Pakistan?!?! That is my goal here, and I hope you'll say YES to this!

And because I want to do this TOGETHER with you ladies, I’m offering some fun incentives!
Prizes for every one!!!

To Enter the give-away, click here. 

Here are some amazing ways Shining Light is working in Pakistan! 

- Tent schools for the nomadic Gujjar people! YOU GUYS…SLI is the first organization to reach the nomadic tribe of the Gujjars, who live in the high mountains in the north of Pakistan. Because of their traveling lifestyle, SLI has created tent schools so that the children can get education FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THEIR LIVES! This literally gave me the chills when I learned about it. Can you imagine being a nomadic child, and not having the opportunity to attend school? Now, not only is SLI reaching out to Gujjar children, but is specifically targeting young girls, who up until this point had never been invited or allowed to gain an education. This is ground breaking! There are now over 500 children in the remote village schools, 150 of them are girls, in school for the first time in the history of their people.

- Shining Light Academy: Like I mentioned, Pakistan has the second highest population of girls out of school. This is so disheartening! Imagine attending a school where half the room is empty and there are virtually no females present to add their voices or participate in class discussions. This is the reality for most schools in rural villages of Northern Pakistan. However SL has started a very successful academy that educates both young boys and girls! There are 375 students attending the academ.  130 of them are from persecuted minority Christian people groups from Taliban controled areas and  are receiving full scholarships, housing, food, and safety in the boys and girls' hostels.  

- Women’s Training Programs (Life Stitch Manufacturing Center): SLI has designed a year long women’s training program that trains women in skills such as sewing, knitting and embroidery, in order to start her own business! This is empowering women that have previously never been educated or given the chance to excel!

- Remote Village Development: Through the support of Shining Light, village committees are established to identify community needs and work with SLI to access urgently needed resources, materials, training and support for improved education and economic development. To date, over 500 families in some of the region’s most remote communities are directly benefiting from the Remote Village Development Program.

Ladies, I know so much is clamoring for your attention and support. But i'm asking you to consider investing your small part towards peace:) Let's DO THIS friends!!

Thank you for being awesome! Happy Wednesday! 

peace in the middle east, part 1

I was in elementary school when I first heard about the gulf war.

I was a freshman in college when the US declared war on Iraq.

And I was every age in between when told to pray for “peace in the middle east”.

It was vague at best, scary at worst. Tones of fear, confusion and then apathy clouded and peppered what I knew to be the “middle east”. And with no exception, I still find myself caught in the clutches of so much uncertainty and confusion when it comes to the tragic events unfolding in this ancient region. What am I to believe? Who is reporting accurately? And so on and so on.

But really, what it often comes down to for me in my tiny little space on the planet, is the ever present question,

“what can I do?”

It is in this small vacuum of curious good intention that I desperately search for an answer to help fulfill the desire to “love my neighbor”. For being that there are thousands of miles between here and the middle east, there is no doubt that given heart, soul and mind, these beloved children of God are my neighbors. When all the superficial is stripped away, they are just like me, just like you.

In the midst of figuring out what it looks like to engage in this part of the world, it has led me straight to my knees. For it is far too overwhelming to even stand on my own feet, when the weight and burden is great. And so to God I look, to offer my miniscule life, to cry out and say, “use me God. Use whatever teeny tiny resources I may have to bring your kingdom on earth”.

And He answered, unexpected and real and raw. And I want to share a small slice of how you can partner to bring peace to this region.

Because what if I told you that the gift of your life could:

Educate youth from Taliban occupied regions?

Send the very first girl in the history of her family to school?

Provide a job for a woman who never dreamed she could succeed? 

Empower remote communities towards a sustainable future?

This is true, friends. It is true. And because I want you to think long, and hard and deep about this, and get on your knees and ask God if he is calling you towards peace, I’m going to leave it at that today. On Wednesday I will be sharing with you all about an incredible opportunity to use your life and resources in a way that matters, and to engage with a region that for most of our lives, we do not understand nor feel connected to.

Shalom,