Toilets and Micro-Loans ~ Happy New Year 2012!

I feel so blessed. Every day I look at what I have and couldn't feel more blessed. The thing is, I have too much. Way too much. I love being able to give. I want to give and actually make a big difference. This year I have been really interested in the ministries that make tangible progress in achieiving their goals. I love the idea that a ministry can set out with a mission, and even have a course of action and timeline for when their mission will be completed. And of course, once you finish helping one community, one village, or one city, what next? You move on to the next. If we all work together, then one by one, child by child, village by village, we can "seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:18) A while back I did a Mud Run with some friends, it was invigorating and freeing to run, jump, crawl and slosh through pools and piles of mud. After the race, I found a pamphlet on my bathroom floor and it must have come from my race packet. It was from a ministry called StarFysh. The pamphlet grabbed my heart and it hasn't let go. That is why Rylee's Collection is choosing Starfysh as the ministry to give a percentage of every single sale I have made this past year. (Find more info on StarFysh at http://starfysh.org) The best part about this, is that as I was looking at their Facebook page, I saw this post: "Now through the end of the year we're designating every gift that comes through our online PayPal donation account to help us build 400 latrines for villages on the island. With a lack of clean water, it's no wonder that diarrhea (typhoid fever, cholera, worms, hepatitis, among others) kills more kids here than any other disease. Help us make a difference. $20 - one family gets a latrine. $100 - five families. $2000 will provide an ENTIRE VILLAGE with latrines. Donate today! We appreciate your support!" I am so excited to help get this village their latrines!! Thank you for all of your support this past year, and please visit StarFysh's website if you're interested in learning more or giving to their cause.****************************************************************************************The second mission that was chosen this year is www.kiva.org. Rylee's Collection made micro-loans to empower entrepreneurs with very limited resources to build their businesses, increase their profits, and help provide for their families.The loan gets repaid 100%, but you can choose to just put the money right back in to make a new loan to another entrepreneur! I love the idea that as a woman and entrepreneur myself, I can give and assist other women (and men, too), in their businesses. Loans can be as little as $25 - check it out!!