Crazy Happenings and Why You Should Be Going to the Whatever Girls Live Conference

We have a lot of things going on around here!  A week ago I shared a post over at Whatever Girls that featured Rosalinda as a "Girl of Note" and promoting her new business, Muddy Rose.

That interview turned into an invitation to attend the 2014 Whatever Girls Live conference not only for us as a mother-daughter, but also for Muddy Rose to be a vendor!  They only expense to us being travel!  *Praising the Lord*

Now we're currently looking into opportunities for Rosalinda to showcase her business and earn money to be able to make the 1,799 mile trip and the three nights stay at a hotel.  How amazing is that?!?!  What an opportunity!

Now, we aren't the only ones that should planning this trip.

Do you have a tween/teen daughter?

Do you want your girl to learn who to be through Christ and not their peers?

Do you want your girl to be empowered with truth about purity, self-image, and opposite-sex relationships?

Do you want them to know that they are not alone when it comes to honoring God?

Do you want to bond with them?

Do you, as a mom, want to be empowered to parent intentionally, and not in the heat of the moment?

Do you, as a mom, want to gain hope and encouragement for those times when you are discouraged and overwhelmed?

Do you, as a mom, want to learn how to be free from those negative struggles with shame, fear, and expectation?

Then you should meet us there!!!

And if cost is the only thing holding you back...seek His face and know that money is such a small thing to such a big God!

Also, the conference website lists some fundraising ideas to help you out.

You have 7 months to get it planned and organized.

Don't let this be something you wished you had done with your daughter.

Let it be an experience that neither one of you will forget!

We hope to see you there!

*I received nothing in return for this post.  I simply want everyone to know of this amazing resource and hope to see you all in Spokane, Washington in April, enjoying the girl that God gave you, as I will be!*

Being Taught By My Child

This weekend we completed a BIG project!  Back in June Rosalinda entered a competition to run her own business.  She came up with her own business idea and asked friends and family to vote.  She won by over 100 votes thanks to our amazing community.

She, along with six other kids, got to setup their business for the day at our local mall for 6 hours.  Rosalinda decided that she wanted to do all-natural face masks and scrubs and named her business Muddy Rose.  With a little bit of guidance, she researched her own recipes, had a say in packaging, approved all of the signage and mixed her own product.  She sold facials-to-go in small tubs for $5 and also offered to on-site facial packages.  For $8 a client received a facial (yogurt, banana, or avocado mask), a cucumber lemonade, and warm towelettes.  For $13 they received a honey scrub, facial of their choice, cucumber lemonade, and warm towelettes.

She accosted approached people near her table, asked them if she could interest them in her products and then explained what all she offered.  It was great to see her being so bold.  A couple of times she'd come back to me half-way pouting and I would just remind her that they weren't rejecting her because they didn't have time for a facial and she'd take a breath and get back at it. (I can't wait to use this experience to explain how to be bold in Christ in sharing the gospel!)

She made almost $300 (which wasn't quite what she was aiming for with a $500 goal).  As part of the learning experience, she reimbursed me for the cost of goods sold and ended up with $200 profit.  $200 is still a lot for a 10 year old!

She already had an idea what she wanted to do with the money.  After tithes and offerings, she wanted to set aside $100 for clothes (She's my little weed!), get a gift for her godsister, and dedicate the rest to the science kit aisle at Mardels (Love my girl!).  So, today when we went to church she took in just enough money for her tithes and offering, but during praise and worship she asked if she could go back to the truck and grab all but the $100 for clothes.  She said she felt like she needed to give the money to someone but didn't know who.  {Selah-pause-think}

My child sees those science kits as ultimate toys.  She constantly begs me for the really expensive kits with microscopes or robot building kits.  As much as I would love to get them and as often as I enter rafflecopter giveaways for Mardels gift cards, she is rarely, if ever, afforded the opportunity.  She now had the opportunity to get more than one, but was sacrificing her wants for the tug on her heart!

I told her just hold on to it and wait and see who God says and how much since she had the whole service to hear from Him, but did retrieve the money for her.  When we walked back into the sanctuary she approached her godfather, our Pastor, and asked him if he could help her figure out who to give her money to.  He told her the same thing...to just hold on to it until she heard from the Lord who to give it to.  After an amazing service, our Pastor asked for Rosalinda to come up front before all of the people.  He said that before she had even asked for his help, God had already told him to match her profits!  (By the way this brought her to her $500 goal!)  He started explaining her heart and how we should desire to have the same issue.

It brought me to tears as revelation set in.  I often struggle with balancing responsibility with faith-walking.  And as I saw my child not have any worries with her money, other than how to please God, I wept.  When was the last time that I truly checked in to see if I was pleasing Him?  Especially in my finances.  I am not a stingy person, and love to bless others.  However, we have had limited funds the past year and it has made me much more cautious about our spending, which has been a hindrance to God's desire for me.  I'm suppose to live supernaturally.  His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts, so it shouldn't make sense to me.  I should just do.  I should just trust.  I can't wait to walk out this repentance and report back the amazing things God's doing in our lives!

Please share with me your struggles, strategies, and victories in being a faith-walker and not just a faith-talker. Especially in those moments when it doesn't make sense!