It was Only Relevant for 24 Hours

We put up our new poster for the One Woman Campaign which showed 3 women rescued and $2,664 towards the 4th woman. A customer came in and as she was checking out, she looked at the poster. "Is it $1776 to finish the 4th woman?" Michelle looked at the poster, did the math, and told her it was. "$1776 sounds like a patriotic number, round it up $1776." I truly cannot make this stuff up! We put our poster up and in less than 24 hours the 4th woman was completed! Our poster was only relevant for 24 hours! I later thought about what our customer said and realized as Americans we associate 1776 with freedom.

Bringing 4 women quickly into an organization that had only 7 women, I was a bit concerned that we would overwhelm the ministry. I started thinking through steps needed to make the transition smooth and to make sure we were working towards a sustainable project. I felt we needed to build the infrastructure in order to position the 4 new women of Samaritan Creations for success. I started a list; more intensive counseling, increased job training, more equipment and workstations to accommodate the increase in employees. The list was intimidating and I felt God wanted me to trust Him and make my needs known.

4 days later, a check appeared in our mailbox. Instead of our donor writing a check for $8,880 for the 2 women she had pledged to rescue, she wrote a check for $13,320, the price of rescuing 3 women! I just sat overwhelmed when I saw the check. God, I want to position Samaritan Creations for success and I was apprehensive that  I may overwhelm them. "Make your needs known." Monday morning, I called the donor and thanked her for the generous donation. She said, "We just wanted to do more." I started sharing my heart for the project and the needs of the organization. She stopped me and said, "Marisa, if you need to use the additional funds for a counselor, do it. If they need more training, use the money for that. We want the women to have whatever they need to successfully transition out of this." After I got off the phone, I just wept. God continues to guide and direct the One Woman Campaign. He continues to provide for the women. Starting in June, the 4 new women and the other 7 will receive more counseling with a Christian counselor we were able to hire with these additional funds.

We wanted to invite you all to a very special event. Wednesday July 18th from 6-8 at our Oak Street location, we will not only be celebrating 4 years in the community but we will also have Kay Killar the Director of Samaritan Creations with us. She will be talking about the 4 women that The Marketplace community has rescued. If you have any questions, this would be the time to ask it to the woman who works with these ladies' day in and day out! For those who are unable to attend, we will be going Live on Facebook and Instagram at 6:30. We will also be premiering a new line of jewelry that we designed with Samaritan Creations. Thank you to all who have supported The Marketplace these past 4 years and who have "Rounded it up" and donated to our One Woman Campaign. All of this would not be possible without your continued support.