It's  easy to look back and see how God put the pieces of life together and  understand why the bad things happened, why one's heart felt a certain  way, and why the outcomes of situations were the outcomes. But the  concept of looking forward and discerning the inner nudges of the heart,  navigating the pain, and questioning the questionable outcomes, well  that's just hard. Our conversation with Mama Rita, from Africa’s Heart in Israel, will inspire us that the pain, the nudging, the questions are worth it!

Rita did not have a plan to help severely traumatized women, nor did she  ever think she’d be running a shelter on the top of Mt. Carmel.  As a  Jew who had a true encounter with the Messiah, her journey took her on a  different path than she could have ever imagined.  She realized that in  following God, her life needed to demonstrate His love through serving  others,  and in seeking to do that, her own aspirations would need to  aligned with a much greater plan.

The condition of the African women, smuggled across Israel’s border with the Sinai, was heart wrenching for Rita and her team. "Many of them [were] stripped of their identity and both  physically and emotionally broken, [they] recognized that there was a  tremendous need to build their sense of self worth and value." There was  no option to turn away, pretend it wasn't happening, and go on living  life. Rita, after being exposed to the need had  to do something about helping these women find hope, healing, and  purpose and *walah* Africa's Heart was born, well not quite…

"As a number of the women were pregnant or with newborn babies and, in  most cases, unable to work outside the shelter, the project had to take  place on our property and without extensive training. One of our staff  asked the interested women what kind of handicraft they were already  skilled in doing. She then purchased the necessary materials and began  meeting with the project participants on a regular basis to oversee  their work. Within weeks, the women were producing creative and unique  pieces of handiwork – crocheted, embroidered, and assembled by hand."  This project allowed these women to create, find purpose, and support  themselves. This form of empowerment truly brings healing in a woman who  has been battered and abused.

But like with any product, but especially one that comes from purpose (Starfish Project is also a great example of that), there’s a need on the other end, the buyer *cue YOU*.