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Oh, y'all. This book was really good!  The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan is on our Fair Trade reading list, and I started with this one because it was readily available at my public library and it’s my favorite genre (young adult!).  15-year-old Amadou and 8-year-old Seydou left their home in Mali to look for work in the Ivory Coast, but what they found is work that doesn't pay except in punishing beatings and barely any food. After being trapped there for two years, a girl suddenly shows up - they've never had a girl on the farm before...

Ain't no 'hood like motherhood! Am I right?! If you've ever raised or helped to raise kids, then you know - motherhood is HARD!! My motherhood journey has been so greatly helped along by the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) organization where I found my best mom friends, and even though our kids aren't preschoolers anymore we are still great friends. My friend Claire is someone that I met in MOPS and whose MOPS experience opened up so many opportunities for our group. At present, she and her husband are living and working at a Christian non-profit organization in Haiti called Mission of Hope. Claire is also a big...

We are so excited to tell you about an incredible organization that is doing amazing things right here in our little town of Temple, Texas! .@the411house serves as a safe place for kids from traditionally underserved neighborhoods in Temple to come to play, eat, and hang out - and while they're there, they're encouraged, uplifted, and mentored to become the young people God made them to be. .They have family meals, concerts, games, summer camp, movie nights, Bible studies, guest visitors, scavenger hunts, and just LOTS of FUN! .They are really pouring into these youth in many ways. Our community...

"Um, no."        This was my internal reaction the first time I learned about Family Promise. I had heard about this program and that it would require me to spend the night at my church with a homeless family. I mean, there aren't even any beds at my church. Why would I want to sleep there, and with people I don't know? What if they snore?         Fast forward a few years to now, when I know so much more about Family Promise and their mission. They are such a valuable service to our community...

In my search for amazing fairly traded items to bring to my store - okay okay, I was totally shopping too - I stumbled upon Mercy House Global. I found out that this organization has maternity houses in Kenya, specifically for pregnant teens who have come out of abhorrent situations. These girls are loved and cared for throughout their pregnancy, birthing their baby, and on into the beginning years of motherhood. They are given an education and a marketable skill - two things that will truly and completely change their lives for the better. Mercy House Global also has a...