“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what Gas has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV

I never imagined that making a bar of soap could represent taking a bold step of faith.  When the idea to make goat milk soap first materialized in my head, I was thinking that it would be a cool STEM project to teach kids about chemistry. The more I researched the benefits of goat milk and goat milk soap, I started to think about how the soap itself could represent sustainability and self-sufficiency for families living in developing countries.  I started to think about how one goat could change the life of a family living in Kratie Province, Cambodia.  One milk goat can produce up to 90 liters of milk per month.  Goat milk is higher in protein and lower in fat content than cow milk.  And goats are smaller than cows.  They take up less space.  The more I researched goats and goat milk soap, the more I realized that I wanted to learn how to make it. Pretty quickly, my kitchen had become a soap making factory.

Making the soap was fun. I tried to make a soap I would want to use: only natural ingredients and essential oils with some oatmeal to make it exfoliating. My friend Johanne Wilson from COOL Creative designed a label that I really liked. The creative process was exhilarating.

But when my friends and I set up the Kid Power Organics table at Girlfriends Conference on January 15th, I almost froze with anxiety. I thought, “What in the world am I doing right now?” I was so far outside of my personal comfort zone that I felt disoriented.

What I learned from the Girlfriends Conference weekend is this: a step in a new direction is not a step of faith if you feel no discomfort. A bold step of faith takes you beyond your skills, abilities, and experience into an uncharted space filled only with possibilities.

Once the Girlfriends Conference began, I was swept up in the excitement of the weekend. I am so grateful to my friends who participated in our Community Development Panel Discussion on Saturday morning: Pastor Leigh Ramsey, Founder of SHE Rescue Home, Steve Stirling, CEO of MAP International, Silvia Torres, Executive Director of His House Children’s Home, and Thamara Labrousse, Program Director for Live Healthy Miami Gardens. Their insight into sustainable community development added richness to the conference.

And yes! We had real, live goats at Girlfriends Conference! They helped us highlight the importance of agriculture in developing countries, our upcoming projects in Kratie Province with Cambodia Care Ministries, and of course, goat milk soap.

What bold steps do you plan to take in 2016?

 

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 NLT