Freedom from Exploitation

How do you like my new necklace and earrings?  

 

I bought them today at church after services.  What did you say?   Isn't there a Bible verse against buying and selling at church? 

Matthew 21:12

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

I will try to explain why purchasing this jewelry is not only acceptable, but it is actually one tiny step toward reducing one of the world's greatest injustices, an injustice which just breaks my heart into a million pieces.
 
This jewelry was made by a group of 15 ladies who have been delivered from prostitution through a ministry called Hope House. This ministry was recently established in Uganda by a missionary our Sunday School class has adopted along with her ministry team and a dedicated woman who set the vision for this outreach.  This blog post includes a few pictures of the women making the jewelry.  They've come a long way since those pictures were taken and are now producing high quality jewelry and selling it to support themselves and their children instead of selling their bodies.   When these women were being exploited, they were not even paid enough to feed their children.  Now, they are running the jewelry program themselves, caring for their families, learning new skills including English and computing, and receiving counseling, discipleship, and Bible studies.  Most importantly, they are discovering their infinite value in Christ who gave everything, even His very life, for them.
 Romans 8 
³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?.... ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Here are a few of the other pieces I bought today:

Hand Beaded Necklace

Hand painted bone bracelet

They make and sell a wide variety of jewelry in all sizes (kids' sizes, too!) and colors.  The prices are ridiculously low when you consider the time and care invested into each piece.  I was so tempted to buy out the entire inventory, but I'm sure others would enjoy wearing the jewelry and sharing about the ministry as well.

Please join me in praying for Hope House and for all exploited women and children around the world.  If you are interested in purchasing jewelry or financially supporting this ministry, please leave me a comment or contact me.  Through our church, contributions can me made directly to this ministry without any administrative costs so a full 100% goes toward the ministry.  Or, you could leave a comment on the ministry's blog, Africa Love.

John 8:36
³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.