Exeter, NH - Brenda Perkins, owner of elements™ in Exeter, NH, is realizing a life dream of creating a thriving business of community. Her story is unique and inspiring one, and we are fortunate to be able to share it with you here.

The Road to Fearless
"I was a busy executive of a Fortune 100 company. I was always writing the check for a need or charity, but personally too busy to upset my balancing act of career and family. I was sitting with my sister one day when God changed the course of my life. She was planning a short term missionary's trip for fifteen teenagers to India. She needed a creative way to fundraise and work with the orphanage they would visit. In my typical cavalier manner, I suggested an art program. She looked at me and said," That's all great Brenda, but who will pay for it & who will run it?" Somehow, compelled by this obvious gap in my life, I signed up to help and went to India 5 months later. You see, India is a nation where 25% of the 1.1B population is homeless: poverty & sickness beyond imagination. I was forced to leave my comfort zone behind. In my arrogance, I thought I understood why I was going on this trip. I hsad to be there to organize & fundraise.heck, I was a business woman! Yet, when we arrived at the first orphanage that housed 400 children, things really changed.

The children clung to us, asked us to pray for them & remember their names. We stayed for 3 days doing art, playing games, painting faces & fingernails! When it came time to leave, you can only imagine how hard it was to enter the bus at dusk and see the silhouettes of hundreds of children surrounding us & calling us by name..calling out "remember me.pray for me" The pastor who ran the orphanage climbed on board to see us off. He stood in front of us and said, "Many people come to tour the orphanage, but no one ever comes to love the children.." With tears streaming down his face he said, "I want you to know, I grew up here. Only one time in my life did a Missionary shake my hand, look me in the eye and tell me that he loved me and he would pray for me. I want you to know that I would lie in bed at night and remember I had at least one person who knew me and was praying for me. I clung to that my entire life. You have done that for these children and they will never forget you."

All I can say is in that instant, I realized the unmistakable truth about being personally involved. It's not that writing a check isn't appreciated .it is very important: but it is the personal engagement that changes not only those you reach out to, but changes you. I was changed but also a bit paralyzed. In my comfortable upper middle class existence, I was living the life I had always felt I *had* to live, what should I do? yet after 3 years, and 3 trips to India I was no longer able to sit on the sidelines. I knew I was being called to do more.to fearlessly pursue God's vision for my life . This year, I sold my vacation home, and my "big house" and will be leaving my corporate job to open a business that will fund orphanages and short term service trips for teens. It had been a wild ride but I can hardly wait to get up in the morning to see what happens next!"

Following up.

Since opening the club, business has been phenomenal. Brenda said, " I love the concept of the club, and I wanted to be a business owner so that I could direct the profits, It is amazing how when you do a business for the right reasons, things come together and take off." Brenda took the leap and where most people get overwhelmed as to thinking about how one person, who is not a celebrity, or a multi-millionaire or billionaire, can make a difference.