9/2/14

if~then

 I'm so excited to participate in my first 
Noonday Collection Ambassador Blog Train!  

Let me link you to Jessica who is ahead of me in the train, you can find her entry here
Tomorrow, Carissa will post her musings here.
Each ambassador will also be sharing what's on their mind 
and a Noonday Collection give-away!  
Read on dear Reader! Good things are ahead!

My turn in this Noonday Collection Ambassador blog train is finally here!  There is so much to share, so many beautiful pieces of jewelry, woven goods, leather goods, and more.  
But there's so much more to Noonday than that.  
Much more. 
I just want to share some things from behind the scenes, I do love a peak behind the curtain don't you?  
It's been nearly one month since the launch of our fall collection on August 7 and man have we picked up the pace!  Our numbers are growing and the impact has been HUGE!  
These are exciting times and it quickens my pulse.
  This new heartbeat and cadence has me marching arm in arm with my sisters as we speak out for those who are bound by the chains of injustice, yoked in oppression, the hungry, orphaned, and the hopeless.

...for them we carry this light that burns bright as the noonday sun.



Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
 to loose the chains of injustice
 and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
 and break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

Recently Noonday Collection joined forces with IJM for the #styleforjustice story team trip to Rwanda.  Traveling with a group of influential women who write and blog, their focus was to shed light on the inspiring story of a group of Rwandan women who overcame violence and incredible injustice.  Catch up on the who/what/where/when of #styleforjustice here.  
Much was sacrificed and even more was gained.




Is it not to share your food with the hungry
 and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
 and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
 and your healing will quickly appear; 
then your righteousness will go before you,
 and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Isaiah 58:7-8

Let me just say this.  It is not in vain.  That effort, that dream, that thing you do because the Lord put it in you to do it...it is not wasted when you've committed all, ALL, that you put your hand to  to the Lord!  He is the perfecter of those works and He keeps your tears and blesses the labor of love delivered from your obedience.  
HE is your rear guard!  
HE has got your back.
  
I'm waking up, at 41 it is about doggone time.  Waking up to opportunities around me to clothe the naked, 
take in and not turn away people in need.  
I have not perfected this, but I am not asleep any longer.
Obedience has been stirred by His call,
"If you love me, keep my commands."


Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
 you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
Thank you Lord!
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
 with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
 and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
 then your light will rise in the darkness,
 and your night will become like the noonday.  Isaiah 58:9-10

Daniel and Jalia share a bit of their story in this video.  It has been life-changing for me to see the work of the Lord, my God, in the lives of dear people, who also call Him theirs, on the other side of His globe.  Years of singing, "He's got the whole world in His hands" has not been able to make really REAL to me that God is not God of America alone. NO!  He is Yahweh, the Great I Am, and ALL the world is His!  There is not one corner in darkness that He doesn't know every minute detail of that corner!  Watch and hear His Spirit bear witness to the work God has given them to do...and that they are indeed doing! This. This is the come-to-life-fruit 
of His Spirit, accomplishing His good work and 
connecting lives on either side of the globe.




The Lord will guide you always;
 he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
 and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
 like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
 and will raise up the age-old foundations;
 you will be called 
Repairer of Broken Walls,
 
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:11-12

I am forever grateful that the Lord is the author of Redemption!  It has been His heartbeat for us.  Without redemption we would be destitute.  Our only hope is in Christ.  He forever loved us to the extent of giving His own life for us.  This act of sacrifice extended the arms of grace wider than the sea.  It is impossible to conceive His great love for us.  

In each of Noonday's pieces there is a story of redemption.  To me, I feel a great connection to the pieces of Ethiopia that are crafted from discarded shell casings that littered the countryside after decades of war.  
Tigiest shares her personal story in this short video.  Hear and see her story of redemption.
Beauty for ashes.




My hope is that you can see clearly how much more there is to Noonday Collection.  There is so much more than beautiful jewelry!  
The whole point is to partner with those 
described in the passage of Isaiah 58 we just broke down.
  
Noonday Collection's mission is this:



This mission is accomplished in partnerships.
Noonday partners with the artisans.
Artisans partner with Noonday.
Women partner with Noonday as ambassadors.
Ambassadors advocate for the artisans to provide 
a connection to a marketplace for their work.
Hostesses, who see the worth in this work, partner with ambassadors to host a Noonday Collection show.  

These women open their homes up to friends and family for a couple of hours to hear stories like I shared here.  They get to pick up, look at, and try on the beautiful things.  



They experience a connection with their guests 
and together they partner with the artisans by 
purchasing with purpose and placing their orders.



A show isn't a class where you listen to an ambassador lecture.  It's about relationship with people, it's fun and engaging, and it's often just what we need...connection with each other and something greater than ourselves. 



Hostesses are a vital link in this partnership.  Without our hostesses the partnership cannot succeed.  I hope you'll consider partnering with me and hosting a show this fall.  
I'd love to answer your questions and share more on that with you! 
You can email me at wendyhogan.noonday@gmail.com.

I hope you'll visit this section of my Noonday site and see more for yourself.  I hope you'll find some favorite things too!  
To encourage you along, I'm giving away one of my favorite things in the new fall line, but first I want to show you a few of my most favorites because it is impossible to have just one! 
(Items are numbered and linked left to right for each row.)


Scarves & Bags:
1. Amhara Scarf
2. Film Noir Clutch
3. Rustic Tote
4. Himalayan Scarf

Bracelets: 
1. Aurora Wrap
2. Rosario Cuff
3. Entwined
3. Basketweave Bangle

Earrings:
2. Cuzco


Necklaces:
1. Kampala
2. Pagoda  
3. Tigiest
4. Tierdrop 


Now it's your turn!  

To enter to win a pair of the Moondrop Earrings:

1.  Comment below to tell me your favorite thing from the fall collection on my Noonday site that isn't already featured here.  
 Use the country each item was made {with love} in, listed in the description online, to find a fact about who or where your favorite thing was made.  You'll find this information here: wendyhogan.noondaycollection.com/impact.  
Then share that fact in your comment!
2.  "Like" Noonday Collection on Facebook!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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