February 3, 2014

Counting Gifts as we Cut - a Sole Hope story





To Learn more, go to SoleHope                     

This is a special edition of Multitudes on Mondays... counting gifts all wrapped around my first ever Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party!

Count with me, won't you?

* - Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party Kit arriving... filled with info, bookmarks, a DVD with instructions, templates, etc!

* - The excitement of sharing the vision and inviting friends to come and be a part of something that blesses and makes a real difference across ocean and land.

* - Informative Booklet and DVD that gives directions and tips and makes it easy to host a party - even for this NON-sewing-blogger!




* - Gathering supplies and donations ahead of time.

* - Cutting the templates and tracing on material a few days before the party.  (A little prep work is SUPER helpful on the day of the party!)



 * - People are busy and even though I had a dozen or so say they were planning on coming, the closer to the party - the more friends' had things come up and were unable to attend. Instead of stressing out, I believed God would bring who He wanted and we would just have to commit to cutting a bit longer if necessary!

* - I kept it relaxed and low key... no browsing around Pinterest for recipes or party ideas... a trip through the local bakery and produce department, and I was good to go! Easy Peasy!




* - I collected plastic (milk cartons, laundry soap, or plastic binders) and purchased a few extra pairs of scissors - and borrowed a few pairs of Pinking Shears!

* - I set up 'stations' for cutting, tracing, organizing, and then assembling and bundling. 




* - The DVD was great - powerful, short, and to the point!

* - Everyone was ready to get right to work!




* - People brought extra jeans/denim... bags and bags!









Our Barrell was overflowing with Scraps by the end of the Party!




My sweet friends... sisters, really - who came to cut... and count, together!


These Girlies really ARE sisters! 

My party was scheduled from 9am to noon, and by 12pm we had 30 pairs of shoes cut and bundled and ready to be mailed.  My Honey and I finished up the rest of the materials that we had on hand and we ended up with a grand total of 40 pairs of shoes - all cut and organized, marked and ready to be shipped off!

* - FORTY pairs of shoes cut in a little over 3 hours!

* - Quick and Easy clean up!

* - Bonus - the one sister who was unable to come? Yeah - her family owns a small business in town that sells Sewing Machines... so she wants me to host another party, and have it there at the shop - and they will promote it and oh my goodness, who can KNOW how many pairs of shoes we will be able to cut?

All in all, this was a great way to spend a Saturday morning! In just a few hours, we partnered with SoleHope and that means that 40 African Littles who have never had shoes will get a pair to help them stay healthy (and you know there were ALL KINDS of hands laid on these shoes! Praying for each baby...)

...and we count on!  
(Next time I will catch up with my normal Counting of Gifts... numbered, one by one!)

Speak Life. Be Love. Shine On. 
~Karrilee~

Linking up with Ann Voskamp in Counting (beyond) one thousand gifts...


Are you counting too? What ministries or organizations do you support, counting them as the gifts that they are - both in what they do, and how you get to come alongside and help?  I'd love to hear!

8 comments :

  1. Oh, WOW! What an amazing ministry! I just love what you're doing and to have a party for it, is wonderful!
    I also love how you said you kept it simple--no browsing Pinterest for ideas---what a temptation, to get caught up in the details instead of what really counts. Love it.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Heather! Yes - Sole Hope is an amazing ministry - so fun to be able to partner with them to make a life changing difference that really requires very little from us (which is wonderful simply because that makes it more doable!) And yes - as much as I love Pinterest - it can add all sorts of (unrealistic) ideas floating around my party planning head! I'm skipping it for this weekend too, as I host an If:Local event! Now - inrl is months away - so I will Pinterest my heart out for that one! ;)

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  2. LOVED every bit of this post. Love how this brought women together. Beautiful!

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    1. Yes Ashely - it was a great day... a huge bonus realizing that the shoes we cut would actually be worn and used to help literally save lives of those babies! It's crazy to think this is their reality - but it is! Honored to partner with a ministry that is making such a huge difference!

      Love you, friend!

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  3. Anonymous6:53 PM

    Beautiful post and beautiful ministry! Glad I found you through the Ann Voskamp link up. Blessings!
    Mary

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    1. Thanks Mary! So happy you stopped by today! I need to revisit the link up and stop by a few blogs too! I appreciate you visit! Happy to be counting gifts with you!

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  4. I'm part of the wring group and I thought I'd drop by for a visit. I'm so glad i did. This ministry is amazing! Thanks for sharing. I'm trying to figure how to have my own shoe party. I had music on while I was reading this post and when I realized it was Beautiful Things by Gungor I thought how appropriate.

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    1. Mimi - thanks so much for stopping by! I need to go around and visit the blogs from our group as well! I am thrilled that you are going to host a party too! Just check out their website above (There is a link right under the 2nd photo!) - they make it super easy! I am hoping to do it again in March!!! Oh - and that is one of my favorite songs!!! How VERY appropriate! Looking forward to getting to know you better in our group!

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I always love to hear your thoughts! Remember to: Speak Life - Be Love - Shine On!
~Karrilee~

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