Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Using My Voice

Last August, I sat in a living room full of women, some I knew and some I had never met.  Some that had heard the Noonday story before and some who were there to hear it for the first time.  It was the night of Noonday Collection's first ever National Trunk Show. Women from around the United States (over 3500) were joining hands together one this one special night to hear about the #Styleforjustice trip that had taken place earlier in the summer.  If you aren't familiar with #Styleforjustice, last summer Noonday Collection partnered with International Justice Mission and traveled to Rwanda with a group of storytellers to hear stories of women who's lives had been changed because they had overcome injustice.  If you are not familiar with International Justice Mission (IJM) I encourage you to check them out and read more about the work that they do.

This night was even more special to me because two years ago I had the opportunity to travel to Rwanda and meet these precious artisans, and I remember standing before them and telling them how honored I was to share their stories back home in the states.  Seeing how far they'd come since I'd been there brought tears to my eyes. I saw sweet Charlotte who we traveled to the market with to look at fabric (she may or may not have had influence in the choice of our daughters name ;) )


Since coming home with Jacob, I've struggled to find my voice again, navigating though this new world of parenting (to an almost 5 year old at that!) can be tricky, and now welcoming our Charlotte any day now, it can be so easy for me to feel sorry for myself, that my life looks different and that I can't do the "big" things that I once did, but the thing is I can and I will.  Just because I'm entering a new season doesn't mean that I can't use my voice for big things and doesn't mean that I can't make a global impact right here in Fairfield.  Because I can. God gave me a voice and a passion, and while it might look different now than it did over the past few years, I believe it's my job to teach my children about the realities of our world and the opportunities we have to use our voices for those who can't speak up for themselves.  

Noonday Collection is one way that I am using my voice and will continue to use my voice.  To speak up for the men and women around the world who haven't seen justice served.  For the widows, for the orphans for women who is HIV positive and doesn't have access to medical care, for the family that doesn't have clean water.  This is why I will continue to use my voice. 


Today, Noonday officially launched their Style For Justice collection and I am pumped! Back in August we voted to see which pieces we wanted to be created and now they are ready to be purchased! This is the perfect way to use your voice right where you're at and share the powerful stories of these women. The number of pieces that were made are limited, so be sure to shop quick! Which one will you choose, and how will you use your voice?  



 http://www.stephanienunes.noondaycollection.com/styleforjusticecollection