Grace Case | Summer | 2025

Renew

VOLUME 31

SUMMER 2025

There is a breaking before there is a

becoming.

Isn’t that what the seed

must whisper in the dark?

That cracking is not the curse. it’s the call.

To split wide open is how the

light finds you.

We think we are ruined when we are simply being

readied.

The ache is the anthem of awakening.

The emptying is the evidence of grace coming to fill.

B l ac k a n d N at u r a l S i s a l Basket RETAIL VALUE: $80 Made by Have Hope in Kenya Your Black and Natural Sisal Basket is a functional, multipurpose basket that elevates the aesthetic of any room. Use it to store a plant, towels, or even books and toys. Made by artisans at Have Hope in Kenya, this basket does good while looking good by providing opportunity and hope to families on the other side of the world.

If your dyed basket requires reshaping, use a steamer to soften the sisal then reshape.

Pouring water on the basket will cause the dye to run.

Have Hope In 2010, these lovely women from Kariobungi slum named their Bible study group “Have Hope” to establish a sense of hope where there was none.

Today, these women are proudly part of the working class in Kenya and have become skilled artisans. For years, they have been slowly and faithfully working their way out of poverty, one product at a time. They are diligent to save money as a group and have started multiple small businesses.

In 2022, with your generosity, Have Hope began training to become expert basket weavers. They are learning a skill that will make a way for them to sell in the Kenyan market and in our fairly traded subscription clubs, stores, and seasonal wholesale lines.

About the artisan: Monica

Monica’s life was once marked by abuse, hunger, and instability. With no education or steady income, she struggled to support her four children while enduring a violent marriage. But through Have Hope, everything changed.

Today, Monica’s husband treats her with respect, her children sleep with full bellies, and her home is filled with peace. “Life is now very good,” she says.

“I enjoy every bit of it.”

T URKISH BAT H + HAND T OWELS RETAIL VALUE: $32 Made by Kalkedon in Turkey These Turkish cotton towels are handwoven with luxuriously soft, naturally dyed 100% cotton. They can perform various tasks all over the house because they are absorbent and quick-drying.

Before first use, soak your Turkish towels overnight in cold water. This will help with absorbency and softness.

After soaking, wring out and hang to dry. After that, you can use them regularly. Machine wash on cold and tumble dry on low.

Kalkedon

Kalkedon Towels launched their business to honor ancient Aegean tradition. Made by deeply valued artisans, their Turkish cotton towels are unique, traditional pieces that come from a little town in the Western part of Turkey.

The towels are woven with Turkish cotton that’s been ring-spun on traditional jacquard looms and dyed with organic and traditional dyeing techniques.

Although the GDP per capita is not so low in Turkey, unemployment is high and the income level is low in the villages where Kalkedon’s artisans live.

The orders for MHG Clubs create opportunities and affect the artisans’ lives significantly.

Because when all

you see are holes— in your story,

in your strength, in your

soul—

you are closer than ever to the place where God pours in.

Pours

mercy into the marrow,

hope into the hollow places.

The serpent said He withholds.

But the Cross says He gives—

Himself, whole and bleeding.

To renew means to return to this truth:

He is good.

Still good.

Always good.

Local Hope

Local Hope is an artisan group from Houston, Texas, comprised of vulnerable women, including refugees and survivors of human trafficking.

The group receives support from Mercy House Global through skills training and employment opportunities. Local Hope aims to provide a supportive work environment where women can rebuild their lives and gain economic independence.

In addition to creating economic opportunities through job creation, MHG extends its support to the local refugee community through various programs. These initiatives include ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) classes and empowerment luncheons. In addition to fostering fellowship, the events also provide skills training, empowering individuals to enhance their capabilities and to integrate successfully into their new environment. MHG’s multifaceted approach goes beyond commerce, emphasizing community development and the holistic wellbeing of its members.

Bamboo Switch Bamboo Switch®, an eco-lifestyle brand based in St. Paul, Minnesota, is dedicated to championing a plastic-free world through bamboobased products and innovative solutions. Founded by Alex, a nature enthusiast from Germany, and Jordan, a nurse committed to fostering harmony between health and the environment, the brand operates with core values of boldness, sustainability, community, humility, and responsibility.

More than just a provider of ecofriendly products, Bamboo Switch® is a movement inspiring individuals and families to embrace conscious living and collective action. With a mission to restore balance to the planet and create a lasting impact, the brand invites everyone to “Make the Bamboo Switch™” for a brighter, greener future for generations to come.

O r a n g e + C l ove | 7 o z .

S u g a r S c r u b i n A p o t h e c a ry Jar + Spoon RETAIL VALUE: $16.50 Made by Local Hope in the USA and Bamboo Switch in Vietnam White sugar, coconut oil, and orange + clove essential oil.

Treat your skin to a spa-like glow with our Orange + Clove Sugar Scrub.

This 7-ounce exfoliant, infused with invigorating essential oils, gently buffs away dry skin while leaving behind a silky, moisturized finish. Housed in a charming apothecary jar and paired with a sustainable bamboo scoop, it’s a beautiful addition to your self-care ritual.

Care instructions: Hand wash spoon with warm water and mild soap. Rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry completely. To preserve its durability, avoid soaking or placing in the dishwasher.

Avoid getting sugar scrub in eyes, nose, or mouth.

Sobremesa

Sobremesa means “over the table,” a word that captures the joy of staying a little longer in good company. Their collection of ethically made tabletop goods is rooted in that same spirit. Each piece—handcrafted from recycled glass or clay—honors artisan skill, fair wages, and sustainability. In creating this order, they were able to support more than a dozen artisans and local small businesses. Sobremesa brings stories of dignity and design to the table, turning everyday meals into something more.

About the artisan: William

William has been working with Sobremesa for more than fifteen years. He began learning the trade at a young age, starting out as an assistant. Though he’s had offers from other companies, William remains deeply committed to the art of glassblowing. For him, it’s a passion more than just a job. He describes it as a rare craft that allows him to use both his hands and mind to create beautiful, functional pieces that others can enjoy.

When Sobremesa receives orders, they are able to provide William with a weekly salary, plus production bonuses and full employee benefits, including social security that ensures access to medical care. His work supports a family of three. During off-seasons, William supplements his income as a heavy-duty truck driver.

Handblown G l a s s Wat e r Carafe + Cup RETAIL VALUE: $44 Made by Sobremesa in Guatemala The Handblown Glass Water Carafe + Cup made by skilled glass workers in Guatemala is both beautiful and functional.

Keep this set within reach on a nightstand or bathroom counter for a quick sip of water when you need it, or use it as a beautiful way to store mouthwash.

To make the pieces, the artisans crush and then melt down broken discarded glass and hand blow the molten fragments into fresh recycled pieces. Not only does the group protect and renew their environment by recycling glass, they revitalize their community with living wages, insurance, and skills that continue to serve people beyond their kiln-lined walls.

So lift the

broken pieces

in trembling hands,

an offering of fragments, a liturgy of lack.

Say yes to being made

new

though it means letting go of what we call whole.

Joy is not the absence of pain;

it’s the presence of God in it.

And He comes—not always

to calm the storm,

but to walk on

its waves toward you.

Ethical Global

Ethical Global partners with fair trade communities in Sri Lanka to create beautifully crafted, sustainable products, while transforming lives in the process. With a mission to provide ethical employment and dignified work, they empower more than 200 women through long-term, stable jobs, fair wages, and flexible work opportunities.

Each item is a testament to craftsmanship and care, made by artisans who are paid living wages, offered leadership training, and supported with education resources, healthcare access, and essentials like schoolbooks and staple food hampers. Ethical Global’s transparency and commitment to the Ten Principles of Fair Trade are core to every decision they make.

By choosing Ethical Global, customers join a supply chain rooted in justice, dignity, and hope—helping create real, lasting change one product at a time.

This order of Spa Body Brushes for The Grace Case provided at least fourteen artisans with 263 hours of dignified work.

s pa b o d y b r u s h RETAIL VALUE: $26 Made by Ethical Global in Sri Lanka This lovely, ethically produced brush is handmade from 100% natural jute fiber. The Spa Body Brush has gentle bristles, ideal for delicate, mature, or sensitive skin and can be used for all over dry body brushing.

Practiced for centuries, the gentle ritual of brushing the skin with a dry brush, followed by showering, has benefits of beautiful skin. This self care practice gently exfoliates, increases circulation, and stimulates the lymphatic system, supporting detoxification of the body.

Our body brush is biodegradable and can be composted when it reaches the end of its life.

Mercy House Global Not only did your purchase of The Grace Case provide dignified work for artisans around the world, but one hundred percent of the profits go toward funding the work of Mercy House Global.

Even now, God is turning graves into gardens, and scarred palms hold the soil of your

soul.

So

rise, soul.

You were always meant to bloom

cracked open.

Not despite the breaking, but through it.

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