Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Sak Saum!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are excited to ring in the new year! This holiday season was a busy one for Sak Saum thanks to so many of you. Your home parties, church sales and online purchases have been such a blessing as we bring 2011 to a close.

We also loved hearing stories of Sak Saum Christmas gifts being given and received. We are thankful we helped make the holidays for you and your loved ones a bit more special. As you know, the heart of Christmas isn't about presents -- wallets, scarves and bags. (though we do love those things!) It's about Jesus, the son of God who gave of his own life so that we might live abundantly. And that is the heart of Sak Saum as well -- seeing lives restored and blessed. Our prayer for 2012 is that our girls will give to others out of what they have received. This is the spirit of Christmas that is intended to be lived year round.

Every year, In His Steps (our umbrella ministry) hosts a Christmas program in Saang. There are dramas, songs, dances, lucky draws (door prizes) and a message about the true meaning of Christmas. It is a powerful event for the community. For the program this year, the Sak Saum girls prepared a drama about being set free by God's love. We hope you will take time to read In His Steps' blog and view the video highlighting the Christmas program. To do so click here.

We close the blog this time with a few pictures of our annual Christmas gift exchange. The girls drew names and surprised each other with presents. Fun times!

Teddy bears were a popular gift this year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fair Trade with Coconuts

So...we know we promised a sneak peak of fall colors this blog. However, we then realized that it is only mid-May. In the design world, you have to think about six months ahead which means we are up to our ears in gorgeous tweeds and robust corduroys. But the rest of you are just getting ready to sip some iced tea and head to the pool for the first time! Needless to say, we decided to postpone our fall preview for a few more weeks.

Instead, we want to introduce you to someone very special. His name is Bang and this is his story. Ginny, Sak Saum's director, first met Bang several years ago. He was quite a different man then. His wife was the primary bread-winner with her job as a police woman. Unfortunately, Cambodia's police are paid very poorly, contributing to a lot of corruption. You can imagine the loss of dignity and purpose Bang experienced as a man unable to provide for his family. What could be done to help him and his family? The answer? Coconuts.

Sak Saum was able to help Bang establish a business carving coconuts into beautiful buttons, ornaments and even musical instruments. Now Sak Saum practices fair trade with Bang, buying his incredible handicraft to use on our bags and other products. As you can see from the photos below, Bang no longer lives with despair and low-self esteem. His eyes shine with the hope and purpose he has found. What a great God we serve!

Meet Bang...

Hard at work cutting the coconut shell...

 Some necessary tools and uncut buttons.

Sanding coconuts. Did you know they are a natural Cambodian resource?

Hard at work...

And the fruit? Key chains, ornaments, buttons, musical instruments AND hope and dignity.

We use Bang's buttons and rings on our bags quite often.

See you next time!