Christmas 2012 & More

If I take a moment and reflect on this season life has been full, sweet, joyous, adventurous  and packed.  Between all life's sweet demands I have not been able to tell you about the amazingly encouraging moments within this outreach, but please know my heart is dedicated to this outreach - donating stuffed handcrafted handbags to homeless and abused women in the community of Durango.  Every contribution received goes directly into each handbag, literally, and I am open and listening for God's direction in this ministry. 

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With that I would like to invite you to participate in our December 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give.  This is a fun and unique Give because we donate 30 Heavenly Handbags to the Durango Community Homeless Shelter and Southwest Safehouse as a Christmas gift to every women staying in the shelters.  Imagine having nothing and receiving a thoughtful gift on Christmas morning that is especially for you.  Think of the joy that comes from receiving such a special gift.     

We have created a fun partnership this year, so there are multiple ways to give.  Please consider donating to Heavenly Handbags this Christmas season in one of the following ways:

1.  Donate Life Essentials :: below is a list of Life Essentials, items that pamper women, which are stuffed into each handbag.  Shop for all the items on the list and donate the Life Essentials to Heavenly Handbags OR donate $12 and Heavenly Handbags will purchase all the necessary items.

2.  Thirty-One Partnership :: Donate $25 to help purchase a unique handbag and stuff it too!  We have partnered with Trisha Ross and Thirty-One to provide a fun bag for the women receiving a Heavenly Handbag this Christmas.  

Please be apart of the miracle as we give 30 Heavenly Handbags to homeless and abused women this Christmas.

   

Life Essentials List

Shampoo

Conditioner

Lotion

Body Wash

Loufa

Brush

Perfume

Chap Stick / Lip Gloss

Deodorant

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Face Wash   

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I have yet to share the success of the October 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give.  Below are some photos that display the cuteness of each stitched Heavenly Handbag and the success of collecting all the necessary Life Essentials, which are stuffed into each handcrafted handbag.  Enjoy!! 

Just received and newly stitched!!

Collecting Life Essentials

Distributing Life Essentials

Stuffed and ready to be donated!!  

A thoughtful gift for homeless and abused women in Durango.

Grand Celebration :: Two Years

I love to celebrate victories, and what we have accomplished in the last two years is worth a grand celebration!  We successfully donated 165 Heavenly Handbags in the last two years.  That means we encouraged 165 deserving women who were facing huge life obstacles.  I think that is an incredible accomplishment that could not have been done without the continued support and prayers of those women and local businesses who continually supported Heavenly Handbags.  There are no word to express my gratitude for the amazing support and contributions.  My heart is filled with great joy because of the generosity of other we have accomplished great things.  THANK YOU! 

In reflection of the last two years I want to share the success of the numerous Heavenly Handbags Gives that we have accomplished.  ENJOY!



1ST Heavenly Handbags :: August 2010 Give

August 2010 Heavenly Handbags

August 2010 Heavenly Handbags Give

October 2010 Heavenly Handbags Give

October 2010 Heavenly Handbags Give

December 2010 Heavenly Handbags Give

 

February 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

February 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give
 

April 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

April 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

       

June 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

 


June 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give
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Delivery to a widow in Guatemala

August 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

August 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

        

October 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give 

October 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

 

December 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

December 2011 Heavenly Handbags Give

February 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give

 

February 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give

 

April 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give
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Becoming Girls

 

June 2012 Heavenly Service
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Cooking dinner at the homeless shelter

 

August 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give
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TWO YEARS!!

August 2012 Sweet Success

I am thrilled to report we successfully completed the August 2012 Heavenly Handbags Give. We handcrafted 10 chic handbags, stuffed each handbag with Life Essentials, and they were distributed to women staying at the Durango Community Homeless and Southwest Safehouse. I am not photographer, but I tried my hand at creatively photographing the Heavenly Handbags - it was a chic country occasion.

 

August is always a celebratory month for Heavenly Handbags because we successfully hosted out first Give in August 2010. This means that we have been giving Heavenly Handbags to the women we serve for two years. Thank you to the women who continually pray, support, and give to Heavenly Handbags, you are part of the success. We have successfully donated over 165 stuffed Heavenly Handbags in the last two years. That is incredibly inspiring! Thank you!!

 

They say a picture says 1,000 words, so I hope you enjoy my armature photo shoot and reflect on the amazing success of the last two year.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired?  Click "Join this Site"  to get regular updates and learn how we give to underserved women in the community of Durango. 

Christmas Morning

This is an end to an eight week journey(+)!  Reflecting on what we have established in "HOW" we accomplish this ministry and the "SUCCESS" of Heavenly Handbags has allowed me to personally understand and grasp the magnitude of what we have accomplished in two years.  Although there are numerous success stories left to share, I want to focus on one unique annual Give - December. 

Christmas is a great time of year, a festive and celebratory season.  In the month of December we ensure every woman staying at the Durango Community Homeless Shelter and the Southwest Safehouse receives a Heavenly Handbag.  That entails sewing and stuffing thirty (30) Heavenly Handbags.  This is no small task, and yet in the two years we have hosted this December Give we have successfully achieved this goal.   

It is my desire that each woman receives a Heavenly Handbag on Christmas morning, a special gift specifically for them.  I have no idea what these women staying at the shelter are thinking or feeling, but I would venture to guess in this festive time of year they are overwhelmed by their current circumstances and lack the joy that most of us feel during this season.  I know there is some assumptions made in that statement, so please do not take it as fact, but just consider your state of mind if you were in similar circumstances.  That is why the gift of a Heavenly Handbag is important to me, in hopes it will bring some joy. 

December 2011

December 2012

December 2012

The feeling of receiving a special gift makes my heart smile and joy enters in, and I pray every year that this is what YOUR gift of a Heavenly Handbag does for these women.  I have learned in the two years we have been donating Heavenly Handbags that a little thoughtful gesture goes a long way.  Although I cannot capture their expression on Christmas morning, I would venture to guess a smile sweeps across their face knowing that there is a Community who Cares!

Thank you for following me on this journey.  I hope you have learned a bit more about HOW and WHY we do what we do.  Please follow this Blog as I will continue to post more regularly.  We look forward to donating more Heavenly Handbags in the future and hope you will consider getting involved.        

Power of Community

I have mentioned the Community who Cares in previous posts, but Heavenly Handbags would be nothing without the support of this growing community.  That is why I want take a moment and acknowledge the immense success in Community. 

This community, this generous and caring group of women significantly contributes to the success of this ministry.  The Community who Cares consists of women and men throughout La Plata County who donate their time, talents, and resources to stuff each Heavenly Handbag.  It is in the following facts that the generosity of this community is revealed:

1.  There have been over 100 women who have contributed to Heavenly Handbags, donating the necessary Life Essentials, sewing Heavenly Handbags, or giving their time to support our different efforts

2.  Due to the generous hearts of the Community who Cares we have donated over 165 Heavenly Handbags since August 2010...

3.  That means that 2,805 Life Essentials have been donated

4.  Not to mention, that 330 yards of fabric were provided to create each handcrafted handbag

5.  Finally, we have partnered with multiple businesses and organizations in the area who have helped to complete a Heavenly Handbags Give

In my opinion that is COMMUNITY!  There are different women and people, from different walks of life contributing to one  common goal - to love and encourage women in their community.  It is my joy to work, talk, laugh, collaborate, and plan with each person who has contributed to Heavenly Handbags.  I do not know how to express my sincere gratitude, as thank you does not seem good enough.  Please know that in your giving you are planting seeds of hope for each woman who receives a Heavenly Handbag. 

Soon after we started giving Heavenly Handbags to the Durango Community Homeless Shelter and the Southwest Safehouse, I received a thank you letter from the staff, which stated the following from one of the women who received a Heavenly Handbag:

"I've never felt this good about myself, it really helps  knowing that people in this community care about me."

This why we do what we do, Thank You to the growing Community who Cares!

Heavenly Encouragement in Distant Places

This is a sweet story about women encouraging other women in distant places.  In June 2011 we donated 10 Heavenly Handbags to different recipients.  We conducted our usual bi-monthly Give, stuffing ten handcrafted Heavenly Handbags.  However, these handbags where delivered to widows in Guatemala, brave and courageous women raising their family with no home to call their own. 

We partnered with Mission Outfitter who took a mission team to Guatemala to build homes for widows.  We brought some of our handcrafted handbags and stuffed each handbag with hot pads, wood spoons, soaps, towels, and more items to say "Welcome Home."  At the end of the construction the team would bow their heads pray for the new home, the future of the widow's family, and then deliver each Heavenly Handbag.  It was truly a touching moment!

Heavenly Handbags ready for delivery to the 10 widows

I had the immense privilege to pray over a widow's new home and her beautiful boys, and personally deliver a Heavenly Handbag.  A moment I will truly never forget.  Even now tears stream down my face as I reflect back on that moment.  It is in these moments of reflection that I know and understand that God is in the midst of this ministry, creating unique opportunities such as this to encourage different women in need. 

Delivery of a Heavenly Handbag

Praying as a united team for the widow and her family

While on this mission trip I purchased 10 crocheted handbags from another widow.  Each handbag is lovingly crocheted to pay her her children's education.  The handbags provided 4.5 months of schooling for two of her children.  Once back in Durango we used these crocheted handbags to stuff and donate to homeless and abused women here in Durango for our next Give.  Cool, right?  

Crocheted handbags by a widow in Guatemala & delivered to homeless and abused women here in Durango

Ready for Delivery