You Guys Did It Again

LoPa Art was a project started by three adoption-orphan care-justice crazed women who were looking for a way to serve the least, the last and the lost of Ethiopia. The three of us were broken at different times, but all in the same way-we desired to use our talents to see restoration and grace permeate the people and the hearts of people we had grown to call family.




The basis for our business was simple. Buy fair-trade, handcrafted art work and leather goods, sell them to you beautiful people and fund a non-profit education and feeding center on a trash dump in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The three of us receive no salary, no percentage of the profits. We wanted transparency to be a clear as our passion.
Three years ago, we had over 100 kids in our program. We partnered with Children's HopeChest to find individual sponsors for our kids so that LoPa could focus more on funding projects to make this community sustainable.




This year we had over 210 kids accepted into our program and LoPa was able to re-focus on not sustaining the kids daily needs, but praying and funding their futures. Together with HopeChest we derived an amazing plan and a really lofty goal: Raise $60,000 to put our older aging-out boys to work in the construction business. We called it the Korah Brick Making projects.
HopeChest did the logistics of a website and we three LoPa girls hit the streets. And the boutiques. And the craft fair venues. And then we hit our knees.




We blogged, facebooked, tweeted, and held shows all over the country. We networked our social circles and brought you all beautiful jewelry and art work from our favorite artists and artisans.




And YOU all responded. By leaps and bounds you all have helped us spread our mission of love and justice for yet another year. We couldn't be more grateful. And today we are humbled and honored to announce that the LoPa Brick Project is 100% fully funded! We are over the moon and over joyed that God has used three women's lives to bring His glory and His justice. We simply cannot thank you enough.




We are in full swing preparing our 2013 calendar and praying over our next project. Please join us in praying His will over our mission and asking how you can further be involved. If you are interested in hosting a home show, please hurry and email us so that we can make arrangements. Our calendar is almost full. You can reach us at lopa3moms at gmail dot com





- Hugs n Love,

Lindsey

Seeing...

LoPa started as a dream of three mamas who loved Ethiopia and wanted to provide a way to fund the children we had come to know with food, education and the love of a Heavenly Father.

We started funding the program with just the sales from the art that you all bought and

Hands for the Needy officially opened last September as an Ethiopian non-profit.

We had 50 kids in the program.

50 precious gifts who would no longer be defined by their existence in a trash dump.

The Hero and I travelled last September to finalize the paper work and to help organize

a few things on the ground.

One of the team members who travelled with us was my amazing friend Amy,

whose husband works for Children's HopeChest.

The entire trip we kept praying and hoping that God would allow

LoPa, Hands for the Needy and Children's HopeChest to join forces.

We are thrilled to announce that it is finally happened.

With this partnership, there are currently over 200 kids

enrolled in the Hands for the Needy program.

I never thought that I would see how God was using so many people

that I love so much to continue to do His will.

But here it is:

A chance for you to see.

To write.

To connect your heart to another.

For only $34 a month.

LoPa is going to continue to bring you great product.

Our proceeds are going to continue to fund Hands for the Needy.

But as individual sponsors step up and choose to be a part of this program,

LoPa will be able to fund bigger projects, building projects, trade training projects...

So for the next couple of posts, I'm going to introduce you to some of the kids

we met back in September, who are now available for sponsorship.

Many of you have asked us about the kids in our program

and now you have the opportunity to walk this journey next to them.

First up is Asechalew.

He gets to go first because he is The Hero's favorite.

This is his family.

Asechalew is on the far right.

He is a twin with the precious angel standing next to him.

He and The Hero played thumb wars.

A lot of thumb wars.

Asechalew is 8 years old and is ready to be sponsored.

If you go here. It will take you right to his profile and you can start sponsoring him.

We are so blessed to be able to bring you this opportunity

and can't wait to see who God lays on your heart.

And It's Only Saturday

The last few days have been crazy.

We sold our house.

The sellers accepted our offer on another one.

We threw our first LoPa Art event in OKC Thursday night.

Friends came in from out of town to help and hang out.

Ethiopia for The Hero and I is in 10 days.

Between packing for the trip,

spending time with friends,

the art event,

packing up our house,

I was looking forward to quiet afternoon at home today.

The Angel and I were almost asleep on the couch for a nap

when The Dinosaur swallowed a penny.

So this afternoon was spent at the Emergency Room,

having X-Rays done and thanking Jesus that the penny

had successfully passed through his airway.

While I am hopeful that tomorrow will be a little more relaxed,

it is only Saturday.

And life around here is nothing if not lively.