The Love A Mama Community is on fire | Update on the Sunshine Project & Project Baby Bilum

Girls, you probably know that we reached our goal for the Sunshine Project, right? It’s been plastered all over my facebook, and I’m hoping many of you follow me there and already know the good news.

But yes, you did it. You gave more than enough to order a solar suitcase and cover the cost of shipping it from the US to Australia. I’m so excited to take it up to Papua New Guinea myself when my family and I travel there in July.

Truly ladies, we are bringing light to the delivery room.

I only wish there was a way to communicate to all of these beautiful women up there about all of the beautiful women out here who so passionately care about seeing their lives improved.

After all, we’re not that different.

Thank you for your commitment to others and for helping to make this project a reality.

And because I was launching the Sunshine Project (and a new website – did ya notice?!) I haven’t yet been able to report on our other very important project – Project Baby Bilum.

An update on Project Baby Bilum:

To date we’ve received 130 ring slings to take to the Bamu River region of the Western Province (of PNG).

I had tears streaming down my face a few weeks ago as I packed these beautiful slings into boxes the night before our ship sailed. I thought of the hundred and thirty mothers who would get to choose a sling that they thought pretty (even that makes my heart sing!) while also thinking about how many different women sewed slings, donated slings, gave money to purchase new slings, sewed on instruction labels, paid for postage, and gave of their very hearts to see this project happen. It truly is amazing to think about what you – a community of women who have never met – have done together.

I’m just so proud of you.

These slings arrived in PNG last week along with our medical ship and will be stored in Port Moresby until July when the ship heads to the Western Province – the poorest of the poor regions in PNG.

I absolutely cannot wait to introduce these dear mamas to your labor of love, and to see how a simple bit of fabric and two small metal rings just might change their daily lives and make their mothering that little bit easier.

And I’m so pleased that little baby Umi and her mother Komi (both pictured below) are being honored through this initiative. See? Even the lives of “least of these” can impact a village… perhaps even an entire region.

So thank you to the Love A Mama Community for giving, for promoting, for sewing, for praying, for believing. Truly ladies, you do know how to love a mama. So grateful for you.

Love,
A

p.s. There are far too many to individually thank, but I especially want to thank a few:

Kim Harris for her drive and initiative and hours behind the scenes, Megan Kimmelshue for embracing the movement and creating the Umi Sling, and Cathie Miller at Mbeleko Designs for designing custom illustrations of the safety instructions at no cost (that were then sewn into every single sling by another group of fabulous friends). I am incredibly grateful to have partnered with such passionate and talented women.