Apparent Project

You know it's a small world when someone from your very first job pops back into your life umpteen million years later. . . lol!  Ok...for starters, I had a very interesting first job.  Folks, I delivered retainers!  Funny isn't it?  Well, I delivered them, and there was this sweet girl who worked there.  She ran off and got married, and I graduated high school, and moved.  And, that was that. . . . until 2 years ago when Little Bit started dance.  Funny thing, Cami (my friend) had a daughter the same age as mine!  They were in the same dance class for 2 years!  Isn't that funny?
Well, even if just for brief moments, having Cami back in my life has been a neat blessing.  Cami has this amazing "God assignment," as she likes to call it.  She is blessed with ministering to the ministry Apparent Project.  This is an AMAZING ministry, blessed by God, that helps poor, homeless Haitians keep their children out of orphanages.  The Corrigans teach artisans to make beads from cereal boxes.  The beads are used to make jewelry.  In the last 3 years since Apparent Project started, they have gone from 4 on staff, to 250!  The impact doesn't stop there though.  Haitians are paid to bring their cereal boxes, others (non-staff) are making jewelry to sell to AP, and hope is once again seen in Haiti as God reaches out to His beloved orphans, widows, and poor.  He is good!
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Sisi is a single mother living in her tent with 4 children!  She has been a wonderful addition to the Apparent Project sewing program and hopes to use her earnings from her hard work to rent a house and pay for her children to school.
The other neat thing about Apparent Project, is that buying jewelry isn't the only way to help.  I can involve my kids by having them break down cereal boxes, oatmeal, granola bar boxes, 12 pack of soda box, etc.  You should definitely read Cami's post about the journey of a cereal box!  We save them and give them to Cami, and she ships tons back to Haiti through Rays of Hope.    In addition to saving cereal boxes, you can host a jewelry party,  have a fundraiser, make a donation, blog about it, or simply pray for the ministry's growth.  I love the cards on the jewelry with the artisans info because it provides me a real person to pray for.

Apparent Jewelry is now in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has been picked up by Gap, Donna Karan, Macy's and Disney. Isn't that exciting!?

With Christmas right around the corner (yes I just said that!) Apparent Project items make great gifts!  I know I'll be going to pick some out at the next open house!  See you there? Here are some things you could pick up:




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And there's sooooo much more!!!