People think that a trip to Ethiopia will change you and they’re wrong. I’m back in my everyday life and yet I’m still coveting everything on net-a-porter.com and posting about fashion on my blog. Does that make me a bad person?
Absolutely not. I’m always going to be a girly girl that loves overpriced jeans and I’m always going to have way too many lip glosses in my pocketbook. But that doesn’t speak to who I am and my heart. As I sit at my kitchen table thinking about the people I met in Ethiopia, I realize that maybe this trip changed me in more ways than I thought. I’ve always prided myself on having a grateful, generous heart that would give anyone in need the shirt off my back, but I now know thats not what they really want from me.
While I was in Ethiopia I got to spend a lot of time with the women behind the FashionABLE scarves that I love so much and I prayed harder than I’ve ever prayed that God would open my eyes to what I could do to help them. At the end of the day, it wasn’t my eyes that God opened, but my heart. I knew within minutes that the main reason I was sent to Ethiopia wasn’t to give these women my charity handouts, but to take in everything they could teach me about love and courage. The stories behind each of these women brought tears to my eyes, not only because of what they’ve been through but mainly because of how far they’ve come. Not one of them made excuses and let their lives pass them by. It was a reminder that we all have a sad story in our life that could hold us back but why let that define us?
On each of the scarves there’s a tag that the women handwrite their “Able Statement”. In the past I’ve read them and to be honest, never put that much thought into it. It wasn’t until I was able to put a face to the name and see it with my own eyes that these tags mean far more than anything you could ever write on a piece of paper. Each scarf gives them a confidence they never thought they’d feel and allows them to get excited about their future. And isn’t that what we’re all searching for in life?
If you’re interested in how you can help, visit FashionABLE and buy a scarf! And thank you to all of the amazing girls on the trip with me for letting me use all of their pictures! More on them in another post 🙂
This is absolutely amazing Emily! If I could, I would travel down there and do the exact same thing as what you did. It definitely makes you think about life differently!
xo,
http://www.sincerelymissashley.blogspot.ca
I love this Emily! What an awesome experience. Heading over to the fashionable website to check out the scarves now!
These organizations that offer to educate these woman are remarkable. Thank you for opening my eyes and directing us to the most valusble way to help these ladies. I will be ordering from them and keeping their stories in my heart.
I really appreciate your honesty. It is such a wonderful opportunity to meet people who live in different countries with different circumstances than us. It is not that they are underprivileged necessarily, but they have different challenges than we face here in a America. Recently we took some of our youth to Mexico, my husband and I are youth pastors. They came back changed, not outwardly, but inwardly. They have a different level of compassion for others and a desire to go unto all the world and share the good news. As you know this may not always be sharing verbally, but more often showing the love of Christ by our actions. Again, thank you for this insight to your life and heart. You are such an example to our young adult women and youth. 🙂 Have a blessed day.
Great post. And by the way, I would be SO upset if you came back completely changed! Your style is great and we LOVE your posts! And you are helping them by showing off these awesome scarfs that almost all your readers are going to be buying!
That sounds like an amazing trip! If you like FashionABLE check out http://www.shoppriya.com/ … A girl from my high school founded Priya and they offer high-quality purses and jewelry handcrafted by human trafficking survivors. It’s such a neat cause! Give it a look! 🙂
Love this attitude about your trip!! You are right on with everything you said!! Thanks for sharing!! Love the pictures! Xoxo
Beautiful post Emily. Just went a purchased my first Fashionable scarf!
Emily,
I received my beautiful leather bag today (Tigist). The quality is wonderful and it is lovely…but more than that, I love what it is providing for these women. Thank you for getting involved and spreading the word so people like me can be a part of it, too.
Emily, such a great thing you have done even just by listening to there story!! its very inspirational!! And as always, you look glamorous! Would love to know where your outfits are from. I’m especially loving the tan/brown cardigan or sweater, not sure which, but it looks lovely!! Hopefully you can email where it is from! i even love the red leggings/jeans you wore! Thanks Emily! You are truly a beautiful person inside and out!
Michelle B
Love and appreciate your honesty.
Hi Emily!
First I just wanted to say that you are amazing! I’ve looked up to you for fashion inspiration for quite a while now. I could tell what a loving heart you have after watching your season of the bachelorette. After reading this post, I now know that I can look to your for inspiration in other areas of my life as well. So, thank you!
Also, wanted to let you know about a great website that I love, and thought you might too. http://www.sevenly.org/ I’ve bought some CUTE tank tops and jewelry from them, and the best part is, they give $7 from every item purchased towards a different cause each week. I think their items fit your style, and who wouldn’t love giving to great causes while getting something CUTE to wear! I have no affiliation with them, just thought you would like their stuff 🙂 Hope you love it as much as I do!
Hey Emily,
God has truly blessed you with your heart being as beautiful as you are on the outside. You are a women of 1 Peter 3:3-4.
A year ago I had the opportunity to go to Ethiopia myself on a missions trip. Through mutual friends we had heard about FashionABLE and got to spend sometime also at the facility and bought basically the whole little store they had of scarves. Hahaha
It was so awesome to see you going there as well and reading your blog about your time.
If you have time, watch the beginning of this video of my time in Ethiopia and you will see the looms and everything.. (50seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2v-Nn3Q2E4
I love seeing your Instagram posts and the new jewelry you come out with!!!!!
Your words here are so genuine and lovely.
It’s interesting that many of us came away with the same heart changes. Amazing, really!
We’re all enough, you know? That’s the word that keeps ringing in my heart. We’re all so different but we’re all so the same. God wired us uniquely, but He needs us to use the gifts we’ve been given and He wants us to give a rip about really loving each other – right here and everywhere. So we can be glitzy and low-tech and silly and serious and American and Ethiopian and every single thing in between and it’s all so good.
I LOVE Ellie Homcomb!!! I can’t believe you got to take a trip with her. Her music has blessed and is blessing me so much during this season of my life; my hubby and I have been trying to get pregnant for almost two years and it’s a struggle! If you have 2 minutes, read my story on my cooking & food photography blog (story is in my most recent post, “Salsa Fresca”. 😀 You are also an inspiration to young women, Emily; keep living out your faith! Blessings & love from California. xo gwen
this is just wonderful! what a great experience. i love to read this, getting back into my groove of reading during the kids fall naps. so sweet and love the blog.
I absolutely loved this article full of love and honesty! Just so you know I quoted “..We all have a sad story, but why let that define us?” for my instagram! xoxo