What to do with the Inner Nudge? Our Conversation with Mama Rita from with Africa's Heart located in Israel

The Shelter from IXI Media on Vimeo.

 

It's easy to look back and see how God put the pieces of life together and understand why the bad things happened, why one's heart felt a certain way, and why the outcomes of situations were the outcomes. But the concept of looking forward and discerning the inner nudges of the heart, navigating the pain, and questioning the questionable outcomes, well that's just hard. Our conversation with Mama Rita, from Africa’s Heart in Israel, will inspire us that the pain, the nudging, the questions are worth it!

Rita did not have a plan to help severely traumatized women, nor did she ever think she’d be running a shelter on the top of Mt. Carmel.  As a Jew who had a true encounter with the Messiah, her journey took her on a different path than she could have ever imagined.  She realized that in following God, her life needed to demonstrate His love through serving others,  and in seeking to do that, her own aspirations would need to aligned with a much greater plan.                         

The condition of the African women, smuggled across Israel’s border with the Sinai, was heart wrenching for Rita and her team. "Many of them [were] stripped of their identity and both physically and emotionally broken, [they] recognized that there was a tremendous need to build their sense of self worth and value." There was no option to turn away, pretend it wasn't happening, and go on living life. Rita, after being exposed to the need had to do something about helping these women find hope, healing, and purpose and *walah* Africa's Heart was born, well not quite…

 

"As a number of the women were pregnant or with newborn babies and, in most cases, unable to work outside the shelter, the project had to take place on our property and without extensive training. One of our staff asked the interested women what kind of handicraft they were already skilled in doing. She then purchased the necessary materials and began meeting with the project participants on a regular basis to oversee their work. Within weeks, the women were producing creative and unique pieces of handiwork – crocheted, embroidered, and assembled by hand." This project allowed these women to create, find purpose, and support themselves. This form of empowerment truly brings healing in a woman who has been battered and abused.

But like with any product, but especially one that comes from purpose (Starfish Project is also a great example of that), there’s a need on the other end, the buyer *cue YOU*.
If you are feeling a stirring to help needs in your community, then Rita’s story will give you the tools for your tool belt. Trust me. But if you are like 100% of us, especially in the western world, that consume products of all kinds on a daily basis, then our hope this conversation empowers you and educates you that ministries and brands like Africa’s Heart, need you. Sure, the women in which they are helping can make products all day and all night, feel a freedom to create, however, the empowerment doesn’t come until SOMEONE (yes, I’m talking to you) purchases that product.
Ladies and Gents, this is Kelsey here, the host of The Talking Story Podcast and founder of Moi Moi Market, and I’m pleading with you to recognize the important role ALL of us have in making the difference in the lives of others. Until we can make the 18 inch journey from head to heart and not just listen to these stories, but actually apply them in our lives, women like the women at Africa’s Heart, will continue to struggle and potentially seek out abusive and exploitative situations merely to survive. But WE, can change that. WE are empowered to empower.

By purchasing bags and other products, which can be found on Moi Moi Market and Bought Beautifully, you are giving a beautiful gift: positive change in a woman’s self-perception and sense of personal value. That, my friends, is the foundation to true healing which breaks the familial cycle of poverty and gives the sense of purpose.


And if you are on a journey to try to find purpose, and feel a nudge in your heart. Don’t forget the ingredients of prayer and action. You can’t have one without the other.

To connect with Mama Rita and Africa’s Heart the email is:

cmlshelter@gmail.com

And the website is www.africasheart.com

1 Kings 18 (reference to Mt. Carmel in the Bible)