Confessions of an MK

Confessions of a happy MK!  (missionary kid)

I was a mk and happy.  Yes, happy. I am the person I am today because I grew up on the mission field.  Think about it. A missionary must be self reliant. He must posses ingenuity, and be resourceful. He must be adaptable. A Jack of all trades. Missionaries are bold yet humble. They flourish in the face of adversity. They know how to survive when to others all hope would be lost. I would be lying though if I were to tell you that all missionaries had these traits all the time. They are after all merely human. What I will admit to is having these traits some of the time.

My Missionary Experience

I grew up with amazing missionary role models. When our van broke down, my father taught me how to fix it so that we would not have to spend money on a mechanic. We built furniture out of packing crates and perfected the art of dumpster diving and then consequently reupholstering. Even though there was not much money for extravagances, we never went without food. We learned to roast marshmallows over candle light when the power went out, and the importance of praying over our food. When we returned for furlough, we spent what felt like months living out of our car, learning to be happy wherever you wake up, to go with the flow.

We learned the necessity  of the fundraising plea. There were times when we weren’t sure if we would make our goals, but, in the end God always provided for our needs. Now that I am an adult and do not live on the mission field, those lessons are sometimes hard but essential to remember. I sometimes doubt my own abilities and the generosity of others. When adversity looks me in the face I want to cower and hide rather than looking it in the eye. It’s difficult to face it head on. I am weak and afraid, yet unwilling to ask for help. Fortunately, last week I had the pleasure of spending a brief amount of time at Lake James Christian Assembly and I was reminded of how as Christians and as Missionaries I am called to look out for the needs of others and in so doing my own needs will be met.

Using My hobby to reach out ( I make soap)

I make several lines of soap. I have even developed a missionary soap. It much like missionaries has a broad range of useful attributes. Activated Charcoal is used as an amazing cleanser. Olive Oil and Sea Salt nourish the skin. Tea Tree Oil is a natural antibacterial agent which is used to treat fungal infections as well as ward off parasites. Lavender has healing properties. This soap is the ultimate Missionary Soap.

I have a special opportunity to turn this hobby into a real business. I’ve been invited to sell my soaps at the Johnny Appleseed Festival in Ft. Wayne, IN this September. This is an exciting prospect which will provide me with the ability to reach a much larger clientele and may even provide me with enough income to sustain a permanent store front in my own community. A brick and mortar store will eliminate much of my travel expenses and allow me to better provide for my family. However,  it will require more up front money than I currently have on hand.

I need your help

At the suggestion of several friends and family members, I decided to try crowdfunding with Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a company that allows people to pledge/donate to projects with the understanding that if the funding goal is not reached within the set amount of time, no money will change hands. This is scary for my and it is really stretching my faith. I’m praying that wonderful people like you will  help me reach my goal of $4,200.00 by August 21, 2014. We only have a few weeks to raise the funds, so the urgency is very real. Please Please give to my kickstarter campaign. Donors will receive my soaps as well as my thanks!

As a special thank you  to anyone who donates at the $50 level, I will send you 10 bars of my Missionary Soap or if you prefer, I will send them to a missionary of your choosing in your honor. If $50 is out of your price range, that’s ok. Every dollar counts.

For more information about me, how I got started making soap, my kickstarter goals and to donate, please visit my Kickstarter page. You can visit the webpage for my business Shirley’s Handicrafts (named after my grandmother) here.