Alegria Accessories Prayer Partners

I don't know how else to describe January...we suck in everything we possibly can...spend no money that is not essential for operations...and pray for nothing to break or sneak up on us. Just for example, I accidentally was looking at our sales numbers and had it set to compare to the previous month instead of the previous year.  WOAH - that will tell you why we have to hold our breath in January. It said we were down 71% compared to the first 18 days of December. So if you can imagine operating your household with 71% of your income gone, that's what January is like. Now we know January is coming. It happens every year. But what happened last year was a first for us. We drastically missed our 4th quarter projections. We could have a nice long talk over a cup of coffee to discuss the economic situation for small business in the United States, but the bottom line is that we have to adjust. Our 4th quarter was flat against last year, and our expenses continue to increase because the cost of everything has gone up. So what we needed to put back for January...that wasnt' there. We just barely made the other budget categories. I have debated with myself all week about whether or not to give this information to our Prayer Partners. But this situation is just exactly why I am so grateful for you. When you come here every week intentionally caring about our artisans and our mission and you are willing to lift us up in prayer and faith to the One who holds us in His hands, well, I want this prayer warrior army storming heaven about this very subject. We are not bringing this to Him without making a plan and working in wisdom. Of course, we ask that His will be done and if our plans are not His plans, interrupt and change our hearts. Here is the plan and what we are asking for Him to bless and move on behalf of our artisans for the remainder of January: Our Live Shopping launch on video tonight. We soft launched the website so we could get a little feedback and check to make sure all was working before bringing traffic with our video. We have also run ads on FB and Instagram to direct to our shopping page on our website. So tonight, we pray that we will have a HUGE crowd watching LIVE. And that they will be excited enough about our new collection to do some generous shopping tonight. Ads for the new collection. You may have seen it if you've been on Facebook or Instagram. Please pray that it is served to women who will get involved by shopping and sharing. Faire wholesale market. This is a big week for us. We launched the entire new spring collection because of this week. Please pray that our email campaigns to our stores and our leads would produce huge orders this week and lots of them. We pray that new stores try us because of the sales we and Faire run, and that our current stores reorder spring. God gives us our very breath, and I am believing as I pray with you today that He has sustained us, and He knows the bills and wages that need to be paid. He started Alegria and He who began a good work in us will complete it.

It's here...in just 2 days we launch our Spring Collection to wholesalers, and in 4 days we launch our new website with our new Spring Collection to customers! And in 6 days we hold our first In Person launch with a Style Show, and our Live Shopping Launch video is one week from tonight.  It's a busy week and, Prayer Partners, we are praying that it is an incredible week for working towards hiring our first new artisan in our 30 by 2030 goal. Here, the focus is on new jewelry, style, fashion, what will sell in stores...but in my heart, I see the eyes of the young lady who needs this job. Will you pray for her as she waits? Pray that the Lord will take care of her until we can afford to hire here. And then pray that more and more women will hear about shopping with Alegria and how it is having an impact on the lives of women who do not have the opportunity for a safe, living wage job. Pray that new people will shop and that tons of our Joy Creators will shop again.  Pray that our newest 'multipliers' will be successful in their efforts to share Alegria with new people.  Pray that new wholesale accounts will try Alegria and that stores that carry us will order. And I pray that you are following us on Facebook or Instagram and interacting so that you are seeing our posts. Did you know that a share of our social posts boosts that post to 5 times as many people with the Facebook algorithms that when you simply like it?  I pray you have RSVP'd to the Style Show on Friday or to the Live Shopping on Sunday, and that you are planning to treat yourself to something new. Finally, would you pray for all of us that work at Alegria to be able to rest this week in the midst of the busyness? Our artisans are preparing restocks and working to get them to us before the Faire wholesale market next week. (some of our bestsellers sold out or are close after a great holiday season!) And now I'm praying that the Lord would bless and keep you and make His face shine upon you and give you peace as you are blessing Alegria with your prayers!

Last week, I shared our 5 year vision: 30 artisans in Honduras by 2030. Yes, this still makes my knees shake, but I've watched God work miracle after miracle on behalf of his daughters in Honduras! I asked you to join me in praying for multipliers...and this week, I got 3 phone calls.  One would help us increase our wholesale and two would help us increase our retail!  He hears! So this week, I'm asking that you would pray for: More multipliers. In order to reach the $1M revenue mark we need to have 30 artisans stably employed, we have to multiply my marketing efforts by 5. I don't think this is 5 people. I think it's an army and strategies. But God knows and He's sending. Pray that He sends more and gives us wisdom and strength. For this year, for us to reach the revenue to add my salary and 3 more artisans in Honduras.  This would be the max capacity of our current office in Honduras, and is a stretch goal for our revenue. Joy-Creators and Joy-Partners, God is raising up an army of sharers and shoppers, story tellers and jewelry wearers, gift givers and store stockers...and together, we WILL see 30 by 2030! All glory to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine! (Eph 3:20)

We had a leadership meeting in November and one of the things we talked about was our vision for the future of Alegria. One of our supervisors said she has a vision for 30 artisans to have a job at Alegria by 2030.  Talk about a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal)! Or as I prefer to think of it, a IWG (impossible without God) goal. In Honduras, the main thing stays the main thing - jobs to rescue our Faith Home women alums from a life of little options, poverty, fighting to stay off the streets, food insecurity, exploitation. It is why we exist: the create safe, living wage jobs for women who grew up at Faith Home. Sounds simple, but for every job created in Honduras, we have to bring on about 40 new stores and at least 10 of them need to be reordering stores. We need at least 10 new Joy Box subscribers to cover the US expenses from that new job. And we need about 50 new customers that order for the first time. And there's just one of me. But God... Today I'm asking for a God multiplier for 2026. I'm asking that God would put our brand on a mountain, that we would shine joy out over a crowd that I can't reach by myself. I don't know how He's going to do it, and I'm ready for the work, but without Him bringing the harvest, we will end 2030 at exactly the same number we are at in 2025. 6. (because we lost an artisan this year and we haven't had the funds to hire someone to replace her - watch my live tonight at 7pm to get all the details.). But God...the work is continuing and we did not post a loss this year. We are flat and we broke even. For that, I'm grateful. Every day I log on to see another store or another brand shuttering. And we continue to make payroll. So I'm writing a 30 on my wall.  That's 24 new jobs. We have to 4x where we are right now by 2030. God can. Will you pray for wisdom and for divine intervention?  Thank you Joy-Creators for agreeing with me in prayer. There is power here. God is moving on our behalf and on behalf of the other 24 women in Honduras who need a job. See you tonight at 7pm CT for our Year in Review!

Our artisans gathered Friday to finish our spring collection and then celebrate Christmas together and if you haven't seen their Reel on our Facebook or Instagram page of their fun and games, you should check it out! It has been a good year. We have been able to scratch out a 5% increase which is remarkable considering the state of our world and the tariffs we had to absorb this year. So today, I'd love it if you would join me in praising the Lord for protecting us from a down year. We have worked harder this year, and I've done more events and tradeshows and more ads and more posts on social media to see that number be positive and not negative. So it also means our expenses were higher. We are still short in our budget about 130 orders. We are praying for our after Christmas sale to make up some of this. And I've seen God work some incredible miracles on behalf of Alegria.  I would ask if you would pray for 3 things this week for us: That God would move shoppers after Christmas and that we would see this gap close even more or even disappear. For our artisans to be safe over Christmas, and their families would grow stronger and stay healthy. And that they can rest. For Jenna and I to find some time to rest (even though this is so hard for me when I see a goal that isn't met yet.) I pray that you all have a Merry Christmas with your families this week. That we would all remember that it was the coming of Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us, Savior, Prince of Peace and King of Kings that created the first Christmas in an animal cave in Bethlehem so long ago.

Happy advent Joy-Creators! This morning as I sip my coffee before getting ready for church, I'm reflecting on Mary and her last few weeks before her first born son arrived. If you've been blessed to be a mother, you can remember those feelings. Wiggles and kicks, very little room for lungs and bladders, talking to him or her and anticipating that moment when you would see their face for the first time. I sang to my girls before they were born. Those days were filled with anxiety, tiredness, discomfort, swollen ankles, clothes that didn't fit, and preparation for the nursery and wondering what else was needed. I'm kind of feeling that about Christmas preparations this year. Focus on all the markets and marketing and trunk sales can grab my attention and I can miss out on the advent season. So this morning, I'm praying that you and I, and our artisans in Honduras can find time to worship the Christ of Christmas, that we can lay everything at His feet and remember that He came for US! What a gift! Every gift we give is just a symbol to point back to the greatest gift.  So let's start our prayer time with a blessing over all of our lives and homes and that we can rest in our relationship with the Prince of Peace. This week is the last week of making the spring collection that will launch in January. Our artisans save up their vacation days so that they can combine them with the holidays and have an extended 2 weeks off at the end of the year. It will be time with their children and with their family from Faith Home and extended families. It will be much needed rest. Please pray for them to be safe this Christmas (a good job makes them a target sometimes), and for them to be able to be healthy and to rest. Pray that they would grow closer to the Lord and have time to worship and reflect.  Jenna and I will also be taking time off and we would appreciate your prayers for rest for us also. And finally, we are not done with the sales we need to finish the year out with savings for January.  We are doing one last marketing push the last 3 days we can ship with regular shipping in time for Christmas. Please pray for a huge surge on our website today, tomorrow and Tuesday.  I'm also doing a LIVE sale tonight with our Charm Bar and praying for many orders online for charm necklaces and bracelets.  Then our Last Minute Christmas Shopping Open House is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at our office. Please pray for crowds of people to come and shop.  And finally, I'm setting up at the Duquoin State Fairgrounds next Friday, Saturday and Sunday for their Holiday Lights Festival. First year for us and for the event, so no idea what to expect. With all of these things, I'm praying for the final orders and purchases to finish this gap. Thank you for praying with me today.

Today can't be a pray from the sidelines day, it needs to be a pray and then take action day. A woman's life is counting on it.

Last week, I shared my prayer list with you, of what I'm asking God to do over this shopping weekend to begin the holidays. And after an absolutely dismal first two days with tons of traffic to our website but only enough orders for me to know the website isn't down...I went to bed last night.  Not to be overly dramatic, but 82% down from last year is devastatingly scary. And our Q4 is recovering a little, but we are down 13% over last year's Q4. These aren't sustainable numbers for Alegria. We aren't quite 4 years old yet, and we don't have a savings account that rescues us in a down Q4. We try to save in Q4 to make it through Q1. OK, so I've set the stage for what I believe in...a God who has been planning Alegria for eternity...who trained me in retail and jewelry sales for 23 years...and planted Honduras and Faith Home in my heart on a mission trip...who brought together young women in Honduras and set us up with jewelry supplies and skills and talents...and has brought you to read this page and pray with us.  He is NOT done! I believe that He is never late. He is a God of manna in the wilderness, but also of Jericho and walls falling when we march around them in faith. He is a God of a little baby and angels announcing to shepherds on a hillside. He sets up miracles so that only He can get the glory. So today, I'm believing.  I'm believing that you were waiting to see the new jewelry tonight at 6pm and then you're getting some gifts. I'm believing our ads will blow up tonight and tomorrow for Cyber Monday.  I'm believing our Joy Box will finally be sold out with subscribers. I'm believing for tons of eyes on our new drop tonight. For stores that sold through Alegria in huge numbers this weekend that will be ordering tonight and tomorrow to restock. He isn't done. Let's pray, let's join in and shop and share, and let's see what God has in mind for these hardworking women in Honduras and how He plans for us to be able to create more jobs. 

Five Days. What can five days do? I'm praying Ephesians 3:20-21 over these 5 days.  'Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.' I'm asking for enough to finish 2025's budget. This will give us the last 30 days of the year to save for January and February. It's a big, big ask. It would be the largest 5 shopping days we've had to date. I'm asking for at least 30% of our current Joy-Creators to shop with us over these 5 days. That would also be the single largest month for returning customers (even bigger than 'May in the Black') I'm asking God to bring us 30 new customers to shop with us in those days. For our ads to return new customers, and your sharing to bring in new customers. These are really huge asks, but I believe that the Word is true and that He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. I'm asking for these things so that God will be glorified and that others will come to know Him and trust Him through what we do. Would you pray these big things with me over the next 5 days and then through the 5 days of this shopping weekend?  Thank you Joy-Creators! May the Lord bless and keep you, and make His face shine upon you and give you peace!

This week, we are continuing our One Gift Can Change a Life campaign...(read on)

If you are a mom, you can instantly feel the fear of seeing a little one lying in a hospital bed with oxygen and an IV.