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What Does It Mean to Love Mercy?

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In a home in Africa, there are eight teenage girls who live with their eight babies, each baby one year of age or younger. These girls came to live in this house from circumstances that we can’t begin to imagine. Some were raped. Some were forced into prostitution to help feed their starving families. Some were abused. One was nearly burned alive.

They were rescued because one Kenyan woman and one American family said yes to God.

This is Mercy House Kenya.

What is Mercy House Kenya?

I began reading Kristin Welch’s blog several years ago when she took over this little meme known throughout the blogosphere as Works for Me Wednesday. I’d been reading WFMW’s former host, Shannon (Rocks in My Dryer) for quite some time. Initially I only subscribed to Kristin’s blog so I could link up my WFMW post. She did a lot of DIY posts and, if y’all know me, I’m not a do-it-yourselfer.

I quickly grew to love Kristin’s funny, relatable parenting posts. Plus, she’s a fellow Chick-Fil-A sweet tea lover. Anybody who’ll dress up as a cow for a year’s worth of sweet tea is going to earn my undying devotion. Or, you know, I’ll keep reading her blog anyway.

I eagerly followed along as Kristin and a group of bloggers (including another favorite of mine, “MckMama”) went to Kenya with Compassion International. It was after reading their stirring posts that my family and I decided to sponsor our Nathan.

I feel like I got a front-row seat to the birth of Mercy House Kenya through reading Kristin’s blog. If you’re not familiar with Mercy House or how it got its start, I urge you to take a few minutes to watch the beautiful documentary below, which gives the short version of how God orchestrated the events leading to its founding.

Why does Mercy House Kenya exist?

These are the startling facts about life in Kenya for many young girls:

  • 21,000 women are hospitalized each year from illegal, unsafe abortions
  • 13,000 Kenya girls are kicked out of school for being pregnant
  • 25% of pregnant women in Kenya are HIV positive
  • Every 30 minutes, a woman is raped in Kenya
  • Girls are forced into prostitution to provide food for their families
  • More than 20,000 children are victims of sex-trafficking in Kenya

*Information provided by MercyHouseKenya.org.

The goals of Mercy House are to provide a safe home for the girls and their babies and to partner with local churches to provide:

  • Proper prenatal care
  • Proper nutrition
  • Counseling
  • Ministry, including prayer and Biblical teaching
  • Training in a marketable skill for future financial support
  • A nurturing, family environment
  • Education
  • A post-graduate program
  • An account to start a small business or go to school after graduation from the Mercy House program

How can you help Mercy House?

There are lots of ways you can help support the work that Mercy House does. First, you can pray. Pray for the girls, their babies, the staff, and the founders. You can sign up for the Mercy House newsletter to be updated on specific prayer needs.

Second, you can give. You can give a one time gift, help purchase items on the Mercy House wish list, or become a monthly donor.

You can also shop. Mercy House Shop offers items handmade by the girls at Mercy House, such as bracelets, necklaces, coasters, and bowls. There are other items not made by the girls, such as fantastic t-shirts like the one I’m wearing:

Love Mercy T-shirt

Now, I’ve got to tell you – I didn’t think the wings were me. I never would have ordered this shirt, but I got it to wear and review for this post and I love it! It’s my new favorite shirt (well, maybe second-favorite after my I Love My Church shirt). I love the way it looks on me (I mean, seriously, I’m all like, remember when I was obese??) and it’s super-comfortable. I have to wear another shirt under it because it shows a bit more cleavage than I’d normally show – but my husband likes it. {grin}

And, this is a girly thing, but since I’m a girl…I really like that the lettering on the back is about mid-back rather than right on the shoulder blade like most shirts with words on the back. That means that a woman with longer hair can show her support for Mercy House without her hair covering up the website.

Mercy House Kenya

Mercy House Shop also carries a new product that I just love for a couple of reasons: tote bags! One reason is, who doesn’t love a bag and these are going to have a new pattern/color them on the fabric part each month. Do you notice how the handles have matching fabric on the inside:

Mercy House Kenya Bag

The totes are roomy and sturdy. This one was perfect for carrying my unsold items home last week after a local clothing consignment sale.

The second thing I love about the tote bags is the fact that they’re helping not one, but two organizations designed to help women and girls. The totes are created by the women of Freeset, an organization that rescues women from sex trafficking in Calcutta, India. You can’t beat that. For only $20, you not only get a beautiful bag, but you also help women in two different countries!

If I haven’t already given you enough ways to help, you can also host a Mercy House Party in your home or online. Click the link to find out more.

What does it mean to love mercy?

And by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. – John 13:35

He has shown you, O man, what is good: And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and love mercy, to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

 

I received a t-shirt and a tote bag for the purpose of review, but I love Mercy House and have supported them for a long time, so I’d have told you about them anyway. The opinions expressed are my own. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

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8 Comments

  1. I was on pinterest…I saw…*one new pin* and I clicked over. First off, you look A.Maz.Ing! in that Love Mercy shirt. I’ve been reading here long enough to know how long the journey was for your to get to this point…and WOW! The hard work has totally paid off. Kristin could use your image for her modeling shot of the shirt.

    And I LOVE Mercy House. I’m so glad you’re featuring them here. Blessings to you.

    1. Thank you for posting about Mercy House!

      I agree with this comment: “Kristin could use your image for her modeling shot of the shirt.”

      What an inspiration to me to get up off this couch!

      ~B

  2. You totally look fantastic…
    AND – thank you for bringing this organization to my attention.
    Inspiring and supporting other women is one of our most important missions as women.
    It’s an honor to help even in a small way – that is VERY big to them!

    Blessings,
    Emily

  3. I only clicked on comments to tell you how amazing you look in that shirt! …and then I see it has been said and I don’t even know you personally, but I am telling you again mostly because you were the inspiration for me to lose 30 pounds and start running again a year ago… Someday I will rock a t-shirt like you again!

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