Jessica’s Message…What do the Beehive and a food distribution center in Haiti have in common?

A short note from Jessica Stone to the Beehive Family. 

What do the Beehive and a food distribution center in Haiti have in common? At first glance, nothing. But if you look a little deeper, you can see that the foundation for both organizations is rooted in relationships.

At the Beehive Salon of Carlsbad, my primary job was helping women to feel better about themselves by looking their best. My secondary job was building relationships. What I loved most about working at the Beehive was the opportunity I had to meet and interact with so many different women every single day. These women would come to me as strangers, and over the ensuing months realized that I cared not only for their beauty needs, but for them as individuals. We were able to share life together, as we laughed and cried at what life had dealt us in the last few weeks between appointments. These women came to me as strangers, and left as sweet friends. Women that I will greatly miss seeing every few weeks, but know that they have been entrusted to other wonderful Beehive girls.

My new job will be working for an organization called Outside the Bowl. My husband and I will be the representatives that will be living in Haiti. Before the earthquake in Haiti, OTB had been working with partners there to build a food center. Since the earthquakes, the need is even greater. OTB is an international organization dedicated to helping alleviate world hunger by developing food production facilities and spreading God’s Word to those it serves. (Go to http://outsidethebowl.org to learn more and our blog site is www.brandonandjessica.org). At Outside the Bowl, my primary job will be to facilitate the operation of a food distribution center. My secondary job, similar to the one I had at the Beehive, will be to build relationships.

To give you a little background, my husband and I both grew up in Southern California. In October 08 we purchased our first home in small town Fallbrook, and were ready to settle down to a quiet country life. However, God had something else in mind. At first it was a subtle restlessness that God wanted us somewhere else. He had been tugging at our hearts for the past year-both individually and as a couple- igniting in us a passion and desire to do missions. But where? And when? After months of prayer, a clear direction came from the Lord… ‘Put your house up for sale’. So, in this terrible economic and housing crisis, we put our trust in Him, and put our house up for sale. It sold in three days!! It just so happened that we were suddenly available to go anywhere in the world, and OTB needed someone to go to Haiti.

So, after two years at the Beehive, I will be trading in my tweezers for spoons. I will be changing the method I use to serve, care for, and love on people. But I won’t be changing the fact that I will continue to love on people, and through those precious relationships, I hope to show them the love of God.    JS