It's Europe time!

Randy and I have both been working hard this week prepping for Europe -- getting our notes together to teach our classes, packing, finishing some final touches and edits on the Biblical Global Justice resources that became available TODAY! Check it out: here.

We invite you to pray (and keep praying!) for traveling mercies, energy despite jet lag, discernment as we speak and teach, and opportunities to speak the truth in love wherever we go and to whomever we are with.

Our itinerary is as follows:

July 27 :: Depart LA en route to Dusseldorf, Germany

July 28-August 4 :: Dusseldorf/Cologne, Germany for CONNECT conference with Students for Christ, Europe

August 4-5 :: Explore Cologne with Lindsay's former XA student from Cal Poly Pomona (who is working on her masters in an engineering program in Stuttgart, Germany)

August 5-8 :: Visit with Randy's old XA buddies (from UL Lafayette) in Brussels, Belgium (they are XA missionaries to university students over there)

August 8-9 :: Overnight trip to Milan, Italy to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary (which was last week) :)

August 9-12 :: Check out IBTS (Ph.D program that Randy will apply to) in Prague, Czech Republic (don't worry, we wouldn't need to live there; it's just another way Randy could work with a Fuller professor through a different [hopefully less expensive] school)

August 12-13 :: Return to Dusseldorf

August 13 :: Depart Dusseldorf en route to LA

Ciao!

Trade as One :: change lives with everything you buy

Trade as One, a Santa Cruz-based organization, sparked my interest about a year ago when my eldest sister (people still ask who's older when they see us together) volunteered for them for awhile.

They offer TONS of products in their online shop AND promise to ship things the same day (as long as orders are placed before 1pm). That's not too shabby, if you ask me.

Similar to Heavenly Treasures and many of the other companies I've researched over the last several months, Trade as One claims the following as their mission:

Our mission is to use fair trade to promote sustainable business 

and break cycles of poverty and dependency in the developing world. 

We all have a conscience. 

We want to make sure people get the chance to use it when they shop. 

As I quickly perused their website today, I realized that they have done a bunch of research for me (and you!) in regards to which brands commit to the Fair Trade standard. Hooray! Remember my hunt for chocolate brands that I could buy without the fear of participating in child slavery in the process?? Trade as One sells the same brands I found I could support.

I'm hooked. I think that when I cannot find a local place where I can buy things like chocolate, tea, and gifts, I'm going straight to their website. Check them out here.

*Image found here.

  

Hapa Handmade :: etsy shop

Most of you have probably noticed that I started a little Etsy shop recently. [If you don't know what Etsy is, you're about to enter into a whole new world of all things handmade, creatively re-done and just straight up clever ideas!] Over the holidays last year, my grandmother and her sister taught me how to knit and crochet and I basically just haven't stopped having a knit or crochet project in my hands since.

First it was frustrating as I learned how to stay consistent with my stitches. Then, I felt adventurous in finding patterns I thought I could follow. And all of a sudden, the obsession turned into a freeing way of expressing creativity (most of which I didn't even realize was hiding in there!).

So, I thought I'd share the shop with you all here.

Two of my dearest friends, Angi and Davinah, kindly offered their stunning creativity in calligraphy, photography and design to create my logo:

Isn't it pretty?

Oh, and since almost everyone asks why it's called "hapa" handmade, I'll explain the inspiration:
Since it was my Japanese grandmother who invited me into the world of yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks, it seemed fitting to choose a name that reflected something of my Japanese heritage. Ever since my siblings and I were kids, we have taken much pride in our identity as being half-Japanese (and half-white mix from my mom). We learned early on a slang word for people of our kind: "hapa." It basically means "half", but is often used to refer to half-Japanese or half-Asian mixed heritage people. So, there you go. Now you know the background to my shop name. :)

Pasadena Farmer's Market :: Locations & Times

Just thought I'd share the info on local farmer's markets...

We have three options in Pasadena:

1) Tuesday :: 8:30am-12:30pm :: Villa Park Center, 363 East Villa Street, Pasadena :: 626.449.0179

This is the one I have gone to for the past month. If you wait until noon or so, 

they often will give you better deals because they don't want to take produce back to the farm. :)

2) Wednesday :: 3:30pm-7:30pm :: El Molino Avenue & Union Street (northeast corner)

3) Saturday :: 8:30am-12:30pm :: Victory Park, 2900 block of North Sierra Madre Boulevard, at the intersection of Sierra Madre Blvd and Paloma Street (in front of Pasadena High School)

Farmer's Market

One thing Randy and I have learned is that a better way to promote more ecological living and fair trading is to buy local. 

 For example: buy from a Farmer's Market! 

The produce hasn't had to be shipped thousands of miles 

(which eliminates the waste of gas and environmental harm), 

 your options are more focused on what's in season 

(rather than importing things we want that are only in season in other countries),

you're buying directly from the farm/farmer 

(more directly than through any supermarkets I know).

I've included pictures of our most recent farmer's market visit. 3 bags of carrots, one honeydew melon, 4 squash, 2 bell peppers and 3 baskets of strawberries. 

(All for under $20!)

Heavenly Treasures :: Fair Trade Federation Member

I must apologize for being behind on my discipline of blogging every week about a Fair Trade product or company. I'm sorry!


But, here I am again, attempting to highlight a company that is well worth purchasing from.


Heavenly Treasures practices the motto, "Every product represents a changed life." Having been acquainted with the founder's son (ahem, actually dated him, but we've all moved on now!), I got to see up close and personal what these people are about. 

With micro enterprises in countries like Bolivia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, India and many other places, they are fulfilling their mission of providing a "livelihood project" for underprivileged people to make a consistent living. How? These micro enterprises offer jobs to (mostly) women, in which they are taught how to make a certain handicraft, which is then sold for a fair price through Heavenly Treasures. Much of the business has run off of donations in order to keep a high standard in the payment and treatment of these women. 


I love this:
 100% of the sales proceeds are reinvested back into the livelihood project.  The funds are used to ensure an ongoing market and source of income. When possible, funds are designated for special needs, equipping seminars and equipment.

Throughout college, since the shop is literally down the street from APU, I would go and shop for family members when it was their birthday or Christmas was coming. I mean, who wouldn't appreciate a gift that comes with a story? I could literally tell my grandma that the person(s) involved in making her apron (or scarf or whatever) have a consistent income and better life because of this organization. Isn't that cool?

Kathy Gaulton, the founder, is a woman to be admired for her endurance, business sense, compassion and love for God. What's so fascinating about her story is that she worked in the secular business world for a few decades before she took all that she learned and built Heavenly Treasures out of it. What a beautiful picture of God taking the skills and experiences of her past and using it to create a wonderful way to minister to and aid some of the most needy around the world. 

Check it out: HeavenlyTreasures.

Photos from here and here.