For those of you who follow me on Facebook you know that I
am kind of freaking out about our upcoming trip to the States in December. One
fried described me as ecstatic. :) Last year we spent Christmas in Bolivia and
although we tried our best to make it “our own” it was still extremely
difficult to be far away from our loved ones. We chopped down a tree, decorated
it, and made delicious homemade Christmas cookies, but it just wasn't the same. Although
there are some things I really dislike about Christmas (mostly the
commercialization and extreme consumerism), excitement still wins over.
Last time we were in the US (this past June) we had a chance
to speak at my in-laws’ church. We shared about what we’re doing here in
Guatemala and how we see God working in and through our lives. After the service we stood in the lobby with a little
table answering questions, handing out prayer cards, and receiving donations
for ANADESA- the NGO I worked with here in Guatemala in 2008 and 2009. We
brought some handmade beaded key chains and Christmas ornaments made by the
women’s co-operative of ANADESA and we gave them to people who made a small
donation. It was through this experience that my mother-in-law, Debbie, had the
idea to do what we're going to do in December….
Debbie is going to host a small open-house party at the
Katyl’s home in Northeast PA where Dan and I are going to sell handmade, fair-trade
Guatemalan goods. Most of the items we’ll
be selling are from ANADESA’s co-operative of 20 women located in Santiago Atitlan just a
short boat ride from where we now live. I just visited them yesterday to put in
an order and the more I think about this the more excited I get! We will be
selling mostly jewelry since that is what people were requesting last time. We’ll
have tons of handmade beaded bracelets, some earrings, Christmas ornaments and
key chains. I also plan to take some change purses and small bags made out of
used Guatemalan textiles. We will have a presentation of sorts that explains
more about ANADESA and Mayan Families (where we currently work) and we will be
using the profits that we make to make a donation or to buy more goods to sell the next time we come home.
 |
| An example of the types of bracelets we'll be selling |
Lots of people that come to Guatemala do exactly what we’re
doing so I think it’s a good idea. Many people in the US have never seen the
plethora of amazing artisan goods here in Guatemala. It’s truly amazing what the
people (especially women) here create and how they have passed on these
traditions generation after generation. Although it is a little scary since we
are investing a few hundred dollars in this venture, I am hopeful that we will
have a good turnout and that people will want to buy the products.
For those of you that live in Northeast PA please come out
to our open house on Sunday, December 16th at the Katyls’ home and help us
spread the word! (Dan and I plan to create an Evite soon to make inviting
people even easier.) I realize that most of our blog readers live in other
parts of the country or world so for all of you, please check out our good
friends’ online store featuring hand-made, fair-trade Guatemalan artisan
products- Las Casas: Make Life Fair. We met Jenny and David while they were working here in
Guatemala with Mayan Families and they quickly became very good friends. They have since returned to the U.S. and
launched their own business which is like a small scale Ten Thousand Villages.
Please check it out and tell your friends!
I think we can all agree that Christmas is a time of crazy consumerism. I know
I have fallen prey to buying stuff I don’t need or even truly want. Why not use
your dollars to support a worthy cause? With these products you receive a
unique handmade product and you can
also feel good knowing you are supporting indigenous Guatemalan women! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment