For the Love Mug Swap- It's Not Just All About the Mug

So as part of the For the Love launch team I participated in a mug swap.  For a $5 donation to Help One Now, we were randomly assigned another sister to "stalk" and then "mug".  Help One Now is a an organization in Haiti that partners with local leaders to care for orphans and children that live in extreme poverty.   Their goal is to transform communities and break the cycle.  Me and my fellow For the Love sisters, will be sending on big check to the organization next week when we gather in Texas.

This is the kind of organization that is totally up my alley don't you think?

What happened next was basically a bunch of us randomly friending each other on Facebook, finding each others blogs, Pinterest boards and Instragram accounts.  We then went shopping for each other.  It was totally our choice as to how much we sent in the box.  The object was just a mug, but I know for me, I wanted to do a little more.

I was assigned "A" from Alabama.  I found A on Facebook and then looked back over several months of her posts.  I then found A's blog and read for a couple of hours one night.  And then I chose a theme to build my box around.  I chose red.  Well, the girl does cheer "Roll Tide" on occasions.

I then started my shopping.  First stop, Target.  I mean I had other things to get too, but what better place to start then at the store with the big RED circles.  I looked in housewares, I looked through the back to college area (the perks of living in the middle of college central), I looked through the beauty area.  And I settled on these two items:

Yeah I know, a little random.  But it was a start.

The next day, I was on amazon shopping, for I don't remember what, and decided to check out the mugs.   I searched all kinds of combinations of colors and sayings and types and sizes and finally came upon one that had this on the box:

Jackpot.  Thank you Amazon Prime.

I then decided that I needed a couple of other things to round out the box.  So I ventured to the local Hallmark store during my lunch break and found a couple of more items.

Later that night, I wrote a note in a card that I found, and packed the box by securely wrapping, added air bubble thingies, and taped it up and finally addressed it.

I prayed over it first with my FTL mug in hand

It took me a couple of days to actually make it to the post office but I did and off it went.   It journeyed from NC to Alabama to A's home.

And of course, once the mug made it to it's destination, A announced it to the group via our private Facebook page that it had arrived.

It made by day.

Yes this swap was about blessing a sister and maybe giving her a little something to remind her of God's grace but for me this process ended up being about so much more.  It was more then just a mug.  It was about finding someone that understands what I am going through.  It was about finding someone to partner in prayer with.  It was about finding someone that gets it that sometimes life just sucks.

A and I have a lot in common.  More then we would prefer to have, but I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to get to "know" her.  I am sure that this is just the beginning of a new friendship.    And I can't wait to give her a hug next weekend in Texas.

And since all of you know that I am more of a giver then receiver, I was so much more concerned about the box that I sent then the box that was going to be sent to me.

But alas, my box arrived this week as well.  And I was "mugged" by "A" from Florida.  I think she did a great job stalking me as well.  And totally understands that "Carolina Blue" is the best shade of blue (even if there are a tons of shades of the actual color).

I have greatly enjoyed getting a chance to make two new friends.

So who's in for having our own mug swap?   It is so much fun to stalk and then mug.