February 21, 2019 - Recently I received an email asking if we were still in Bulgaria because they had heard a rumor we opened a store in the US and were no longer in Bulgaria.
Let me set the record straight – We are still overseeing the work for the FMC in the Balkans and we have opened a fair-trade store in Jackson Michigan that distributes the products our livelihood groups make and products from 13 other organizations that have similar goals and programs.
That means our shop had fair trade merchandise from over 30 countries on the planet on 5 continents. Economic imbalance is a real problem around the work – giving people a chance to work and earn income to support their families and churches is what we are all about.
We are trying to remind and educate the church that how they spend their disposable income can and does have an impact on ministry – the more we sell the more we have to keep the people producing the products they are making.
We hope that the church will think about buying the gifts they want to give from shops like ours and online fair-trade sites. We are not asking folks to purchase something from us once to feel like they have made a contribution but to rethink how and where they spend their money all the time.
WE have and will not stop working with planting churches, training pastors, setting up the girls home and all the things we are working on. We just keep expanding what God seems to be doing as He opens a door and provides opportunities.
Please pray for the store – Sales are important and with the cold, snow and ice they have had in Michigan – sale have not met our projections
Pray too for our partners and the people that they work with.
Finally, pray for Team Balkans and are getting ready for another busy summer of connecting with folks here and in the USA.