We will only have one post on days that we feature a product, company, or person that is making a difference in our world.  We want to give them the spotlight for the day!

When you ask, the Lord gives.  We asked for you all to share with us some fabulous products we might love and you did.  Erika over at Jacksons’ Journey sent us a picture of a map clutch since she knew from reading our blog that I have a slight obsession with maps.  She mentioned that Amanda from L Boutique Headbands is selling her products to raise money for a move to Nambia to do mission work.  Instantly we were intrigued.

When we went on her store’s site we fell in love.  Her store is amazing.  Everything from clutches to headbands, hot pads to burp rags and everything in between and it is ALL fantastic.  I’m pretty positive I would buy one of everything if I had the money.  Here’s a small teaser:

After messaging with Amanda, we knew we wanted to feature her as part of our Making A Difference series.  So here we are.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee and get to know this amazing woman with us.

PPS: Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a graduate from Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska.  I graduated with a degree in Intercultural Studies. During my first year of college I attended Nursing School and near the end of that year the Lord had pressed upon my heart to do missions full-time and Nursing just wasn’t my desire anymore.  I changed schools and cities and through my program I went to Mali, West Africa on a 6-month cross-cultural experience.  There we learned more about living in another culture while doing homework and attending classes by our own professors and by Malians.  Before Mali, I had been to Ecuador for 3 weeks and Swaziland, South Africa for 2 months.  I knew missions was my calling and it was just a matter of time and preparation.  My experience in Mali completely confirmed that I could live on the mission field.  It also showed me how WONDERFUL the people of Africa are.  They are so generous, so compassionate and kind, they are hilarious, and strong in all ways.  It was hard but so worth every moment (good or bad).  It has changed who I am and how I see the world.  More importantly it has given me a sense of humility in following Jesus Christ to the ends of the world.  It is all about obedience and glorifying the King of Kings.

In the past I have done alot of scrapbooking and even sold my stuff at a craft show for the first time.  I eventually moved past scrapbooking and took a break from crafting for a while.  One day I was surfing the web and found some adorable tutorials on how to make fabric flowers hundreds of different ways.  That was the beginning to buying tons of fabric and spending hours sitting on my floor with the music playing in the background and making hair clips and headbands.  I decided that instead of just letting people donate towards my support and just watching it come in, I wanted to do my part as well.  I wanted to work for it and I definitely am now.  Most evenings after work I will be on the sewing machine or on the floor cutting something out.  I’ve done a couple of craft shows since this summer which have done okay but I hope to get the word out about my store and where the profit is going.  100% of the profit goes straight to AIM in my account.  My new store is at www.lboutiqueheadbands.com. Or find me on facebook under “L Boutique Headbands”.

I approximately need $12,000 for outgoing costs which includes a ton of stuff I don’t know about (yet) and airfare.  On top of that, I also need roughly $2000/month to live on.  This is the toughest part.  Yes people can donate and I can continue to sell my products, but to find people and pray about special supporters to give a monthly commitment for 2 years (to begin with) is huge.  I’m facing a huge challenge but it is not too big for my God.

PPS: When do you leave?

I wont leave till at least next April.  All long-term missionaries have to do a 3-week orientation in Kenya before they head to their specific countries.  The next one isn’t til April.  I will only leave then if I have all my support in.  It is really up in the air right now and I have become content with that.  So many things are unexpected and cannot be planned when going to the mission field or even following a spiritual life and that is why we have to trust.

I am going with Africa Inland Mission.  They work only in Africa in select countries.  Their mission is to reach the unreached people groups.  You can find where they work on their website, but many Muslim countries they are working in cannot be publicly displayed. AIM has over 900 missionaries in Africa today.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  And thank you even more to Jen and Katie who have given me this opportunity to share my heart and where the Lord is calling me to.  I am beyond blessed and therefore hope to give those blessing to the precious children of Namibia who so deserve it and much much more.

{all images used with permission by Amanda}

Amanda has a blog that you can check out here.  She’ll keep you in the loop of new products, how she’s doing with fundraising and other fun tidbits.  You can also check out her beautiful photography that is available for purchase as well!  We’ve truly loved getting to know Amanda a little more and hope you all will join us in prayer for her and her upcoming adventure.  We also hope you help support her by purchasing an item or two…after all, they’re so amazingly fantastic, how could you resist?

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