Dressember post two

This Dressember thing is exciting you guys!  

So, so much good is happening.  

I am going to paste some of the good news shared by the Dressember campaign into this post along with photos of me wearing dresses this week.  So many of you have been so very generous to give, to pray and to also loan (and in some cases give!) me dresses.  I value you all so much.

I sent out an email to family and friends that many of you probably received asking if each person would please consider donating $2 to this campaign to end slavery and bring dignity to women and girls around the globe.  

Not one person has yet donated $2.  

I am so, so very thankful for ALL of you who have donated more than $2 but I do not want the rest of us to think that our $2 doesn't count.  

Although I have reached about a third of the way to my goal of fundraising for International Justice Mission and their rescue operations there is still quite a ways to go to reach the $900 goal I have set for myself.  

However, if each person I sent the email to donates $2.  Just $2 then the goal will be met.  Do not think because you cannot donate $10 or $25 or $50 that your donation is not important.  

This is about being a team and letting God use us ALL to bring about His glory here on earth.

There is no "too small" amount.  

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61:1-3

my friend Peggy loaned me a "twirling" dress.  

"We want to encourage you today: You might not be raising much money, but you're participating in a cultural shift. People see what you're doing, and it challenges them to do something. There is currency in advocacy; you are challenging peoples' values to shift. You are shaking things up, and there is tremendous power in that role."  - Dressember campaign

"Bringing up the issue of human trafficking isn't usually comfortable; you might upset people when you take their focus off maintaining a comfortable, peaceful routine and call them to action. Some will want to join in the fight, and some won't; the only thing you can control is you. #Dressember is a fun and relatively non threatening way to engage in a huge injustice." - Dressember campaign

"Have we told you lately how amazing you all are? 2,544 of you have collectively raised over 223K and we are only halfway through the month! If you're looking at your individual campaign page, thinking you haven't done much, the way that 223K+ amount breaks down is to an average of $88 per advocate-- that's it! When we all put in even a small effort, we can yield big results!" - Dressember campaign

"We're excited to announce that we are officially over halfway to our overall goal! Donations have come in from over 30 countries-- from France to Finland, Mexico to Malaysia, India to Italy-- all overwhelmingly declaring the inherent value of all people."- Dressember campaign

Tuesday's style challenge layering a vest over a dress (and in my case I layered a sweater and a vest!)

 "Because of your advocacy, lives will be changed, people will be freed."- Dressember campaign

my sweetie, cutie pie in a dress that I wore when I was her age!

"Day 19! If this is getting (or has been) challenging, we hope that this small sacrifice serves as a daily reminder of the millions of women and girls who wake up without any amount of autonomy. We do this for them. This is our stand, and a dress is our flag. Together we will carve a path to a better future for women everywhere." - Dressember campaign

my friend Tabitha very generously gave me this dress!  

"Advocating for the inherent dignity of all people is something you'll never regret doing. Be someone who leaves a legacy of love, courage, and generosity." - Dressember campaign

one of the dresses my friend Julie loaned to me, so pretty 

"Dressember participants have raised over $270K as of today, from donations made in 33 countries! That's reason to celebrate!" - Dressember campaign

last night I pulled out my "square dance dress" and topped it with a green apron for our family date to go look at Christmas lights!

If you are interested in reading more, here is an article that my cousin sent me this week about the beginnings of Dressember.