At a recent mother’s event I met Sara, a mother who acted on a feeling to make beautiful dolls for girls that promote faith too.
Years ago, I was frustrated as a mother that the American Girl dolls my daugther and all her friends wanted to have were part of a company who changed it’s values away from family and faith toward trendy, changing values. So, when I met Sara I was inspired. I don’t have little girls anymore, but I immediately saw the value in her idea to make dolls that promoted her vaules instead of the values of trendy society. Here is a short article written by Sara about her dolls and her mission to make the world a bit better.
Do you have any little girls in your family? If so, you are probably aware of the 18 inch doll craze they all seem to go through. I became aware of it when my oldest daughter was six or seven years old. It seemed that almost every little girl we knew either had an 18 inch doll or was asking for one. My little girl was no different. I began to think it would be a great idea to use little girls’ love for 18 inch dolls as a fun and creative way to teach them more about God. I imagined creating doll characters based on my seven- year old and a few of her friends.
It was a fun daydream to develop in my mind while I completed the tasks of diaper changing, feeding, and the other jobs that went along with caring for my two youngest daughters who were both still infants. That is all it was – a daydream – for almost two years, until one day I mentioned it to a friend. She loved the idea and encouraged me to make it a reality. An encouraging word from a friend – that’s all it took. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
It was clear that this was God’s project right from the start. Not only did He prompt my friend to encourage me that night, but He lined up every event that followed. From leading me to friends who offered sound business advice, to answering my prayers for help with the huge task of writing stories for each doll character, to providing me with a business partner, Shane Hodges, who had what I lacked – God has been in charge of Girls of Faith from the beginning.
Besides the Christian theme of Girls of Faith, another thing that sets our dolls apart from any other on the market, is that they are made in America. Being able to create and develop the only toy vinyl doll that is made in America is further proof of God’s working.
Our first doll, Audrey, is based after my oldest daughter. In her story, Audrey reaches out to a new girl at her church school. As she tries to share her faith with her new friend she learns that although she may not have all the answers she can make a difference in someone’s life by simply sharing the love of Jesus. Having three daughters myself I know the social struggles little girls go through. Our goal with this doll is to encourage girls to be inclusive in their friendships, and by doing so they can be living examples of God’s love.
Our second doll, Hannah, is based after one of our good friends, Hannah Truckenbrodt. In her story, Hannah is forced to get out of her comfort zone and make a bold move for God. The story concludes with her making a decision for baptism. Our hope is that this character will inspire little girls to follow Jesus no matter the cost.
Our third character will be released soon, and her story tells of a little girl with big plans for the future. She is inspired by stories her grandparents tell of their missionary adventurers. This story will help little girls understand that they don’t have to wait until they are grown to do big things for God. There are plenty of missionary opportunities surrounding us each day.
Creating Girls of Faith has been an exciting and educational journey so far. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” God has continuously built the next step in this “staircase” at just the right time and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for Girls of Faith. You can read more about our story and see our beautiful dolls at www.girlsoffaithdolls.com.