Who would think that a Mother's Day gift of earrings would many years later help a new ministry in China. Shelly Dettmer Schaller was our ELIC teammate for two years in Nanchang, China.
She gave me a pair of earrings she had bought in Hong Kong. Every time I wore the Chinese coin earrings, women would admire them and want a pair. I started making them because I never saw them for sale in Hong Kong or China.
After moving to Kunming in 2004, I thought about adding them to the Hearts & Hands product inventory. My neighbor, Wendy Eldridge, was looking for a product that was attractive and popular for the former prostitutes at Eden Ministry to make. I suggested using the earring design and that proved to be a very good idea. The first design was the beginning of the jewelry-making enterprise that provides employment for former prostitutes.
Eden Ministry produces beautiful jewelry but more importantly provides a safe haven for women forced into prostitution. Check out their website: www.edenministry.org
Thanks to Shelly's gift to me on Mother's Day, Chinese women are able to escape a life of bondage and have a means to support themselves through the help Eden Ministry provides.
Hi Jane and Leroy. I just saw this post...brings back such great memories! And I do remember those earrings! So neat to hear that they were an inspiration!
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