Faith in Practice

By Styleofsam @styleofsam

When something from my healthcare background and fashion interest intersects, it makes me so happy! I purchased this beautiful blue Guatemalan huipil at a luncheon benefitting Faith in Practice. It was the perfect match for those colorful Lele Sadoughi fringe earrings and bracelet.

// Photography by Angie Garcia //

As mentioned previously, I purchased this beautiful huipil poncho (along with some dresses, shoes, and pillows) during a Faith in Practice luncheon to benefit the program and our surgery team going this May. It's a bold cobalt blue with super bright flowers embroidered on the neckline and sleeves. To let it stand out, I wore it over a white tank and flare jeans.

Even though the top needs no other accessories, I wanted to pair it with some of Lele's latest creations from the Tahitian Nights collection. The colors on the striped fringe earrings and slider bracelet were a match made in Heaven! And I couldn't resist a pop of pink with my bag! Can we say colorful on colorful?

THE STYLE Rx: Go BOLD or go home with a bright poncho for Spring / Summer! Wear it over a tank and with jeans, shorts, or crops! Don't forget the most important part, ACCESSORIES! They make the outfit!

I know the blog is about fashion, but I've wanted to share something that is near and dear to my heart, and this Guatemalan floral blue huipil top was the perfect segway to do it!

Faith in Practice is a non-profit organization that Mr. S serves with to do surgery for medical needy patients in Antigua, Guatemala. He has gone multiple times since before Little M was born. After every trip, he comes back exhausted but renewed in faith and with the knowledge that he has truly helped someone.

Personally, I know how meaningful a mission trip can be to oneself and others. My first medical mission trip was six years ago to El Salvador, and it changed my life forever. The medical team ran multiple family practice clinics, and my role was acting as a pharmacist. It was such hard work, and I felt like I got more out of it than the patients did. I wanted to do more. The next year, we went to Nicaragua. Again, it was tiring but so wonderful at the same time. Both mission trips were done in conjunction with staff and student from The University of North Texas Health Science Center. I haven't gone back because since Little M was born because I'm not comfortable traveling away from the littles to another country yet.

However, I am so proud of Mr. S. He participates with Faith in Practice by going with the Woolf-Parsley Surgery group to Antigua. They go three times a year. The first trip is to evaluate patients that may potentially need surgery. Then, the following two trips are surgical trips where they perform 50-60 surgeries each trip. He doesn't go every year (like this year because Baby MJ was born) but tries his best to go as often as possible.

My hope is to one day bring Little M and Baby MJ on a mission trip so that they will learn the true gift of serving and giving.

I can't physically donate my time right now but there are other ways to help. If you'd like to learn more about Faith in Practice, visit their website here. Or you can help the cause by volunteering time or donate financially!

Happy Thursday Friends! The Chic at Every Age gals are taping a TV segment for the CW Eyeopener on off the shoulder tops today! Poor Natalie is ill, so she wasn't able to tape with us. I'll share it when the video is available. And we are getting ready for vacation next week. I'm trying to gather all things needed for traveling with TWO children! AAHH! We're headed to Longmont, Colorado to visit friends and check out the Boulder area. If you have any suggestions, shout it out in the comments!

// love these ponchos //