She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household, and portions for her maidens.
She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hands to the poor and reaches her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
Proverbs 31: 13-15; 17-21.
A while back I blogged about a scary endeavor I felt God leading me towards. At the time i didnt know if the project would take off, but it seems as though, with eyes up rather than looking where my feet are going, the ladies who work in my house and i have pulled something together. This ‘something’ is a collection of beautiful things found and made here in Madagascar made available for sale to those i’m in physical proximity to sell to. 
As the ladies in my household and i have discussed the possibilities and the minutiae of such a project i’ve been drawn to the passage in Proverbs 31 that speaks of a woman who, it seems, did just what we are attempting to do: make lovely things and sell them for a profit, giving ‘portions for her maidens’, planning for the future well-being of her/their family. Interacting with merchant ships. It is this passage that gave our project its name: Distaff&Spindle.
It is my intent, that which i have been led to pursue, to sell these items for the profit of the ladies who work in my home and those families with whom i am in relationship to enable them to send their children to school, to help build houses to shelter their families, to help with doctors fees and medication, to invest in the lives of these families who invest their lives into ours. These are the women who help create and locate the things in our collection. The May Collection of 2011 is coming to Manitoba for sale in June – i hope to host a “Malagasy Market” to exhibit them for sale and for future orders and recommendations. Stay tuned here and to facebook for event details.
I welcome your comments and helpful critique. Entrepreneurial endeavors such as this are so foreign to me that i’m not quite sure where to start or get off.