Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Buy With A Purpose

A couple of weeks back Grae and I had the chance to help some friends out with a new adventure they have embarked on together. Ally is truly the one spearheading it, but I know she would say she couldn’t do any of it without Ben.

Ally and Ben both have a real heart for mission, and a big part of that call is global mission. However in this season of their lives they realize that is not what God has called them to. He has called them to have a global heart, but to be present to the missions that surround them currently on a daily basis. With that in mind Ally started developing a way to blend the two together and with that came Buy with a Purpose (BWAP).

It all started with a blog and showcasing products that were coming out of countries all over the world, but based/founded in the US. Then it flowed into buying products herself and selling them, and giving these organizations even more exposure than they would have had before. For Ally, this wasn’t just an easy way to make an extra income. Starting something like this from the ground up practically on your own isn’t easy, and she knew income wouldn’t come for a long time. It was the desire to make people like myself aware of these groups of people who exist around the world, who are making goods for the their survival, betterment of their community, and being wise with where we are putting our financial dollars. It can really be said that you are buying products that come with a purpose beyond your desire to “want it”. Hence, buy with a purpose.

Grae's and my involvement came when Ally and Ben decided to get a booth at Fish Fest, a huge Christian “Woodstock” of a day (where various different bands play throughout the day and businesses like Ally's set up throughout the space) and needed extra hands to help be available for all the day's logisitical needs. To get this kind of exposure would allow Ally and Ben the chance to share on a broader scale some specific organizations and their desire to open the floodgates for these kinds of products and their purpose.

Graeme had worked alongside Ally over the last few months in creating her logo and website, so it was great to see Ally and his work come together on this day. We got the chance to meet all kinds of people, share about four organizations Ally had been working with, and just support our friends with the calling they have on their lives.









Ally and Ben are world changers. They inspire Graeme and I to be prayerful about what our next steps are and what God is calling us to, but not just that, but how to live each day being influenced by the Holy Spirit. They are exciting friends to have and it is my hope and prayer that each of you find people like Ben and Ally, because you won’t ever be able to settle with the “average”.

Take the time to check our Ally’s blog and her website! She’s an advocate for these businesses, but really, it is the people behind the business that she is championing whether they started the organization or are the ones making the products. Her heart is for people; that we may not treat them and their causes like they are thousand miles away, but just around the block from us.

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