Our Very Unexpected Journey (Featuring Widows, Wisdom… and a Sock Drawer)

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It’s been one of the funniest, most amazing, and hardest journeys I’ve ever been on. My name is Karen Rumple. My husband, Bill, and I have been serving as directors of a nonprofit located in Barahona, Dominican Republic, full time for 27 years. Buckle up for a story both hilarious and amazing all rolled into one!​

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We arrived in Barahona on January 27, 2000, with three kids in tow, a whole lot of excitement, and just enough fear to keep things interesting. We jumped right in, launching a water and well program and a children’s feeding program. Life was busy, loud, and beautiful.

 

One day in early 2000, we were feeding a large group of children when I noticed quite a few elderly women come up and ask for a sandwich. We gave them the food and off they went. I asked our team why no men or young adults came asking for help and that’s when I was told, “They are widows and destitute, some begging, some without any resources whatsoever, and they wanted help.” That moment followed me all the way home and I couldn’t get what I just saw out of my head. I told Bill, “I have to do something.” He said, “Then let’s do it.” I looked up as many bible verses as I could for guidance and there it all was, right in front of me. Scripture after scripture pointing me to “Do something”.​

 

Fast-forward to 2016. By then, we were caring for 100 widows. Over the years, we’d raised money through different events to build small homes,  buy land for shared housing, provide beds and stoves, fix roofs, and cover medical care and medication. But the needs kept growing… and growing… and growing. Eventually, we knew we needed a new way to help—and that’s where the Larimar story comes in.

 

Let's rewind to 2002. That year, I had a major medical emergency situation and flew back to the States.  One evening Bill called and said, “Guess what?” I said, “What?” He said, “I just made the most amazing investment since we’ve come here.”  I cautiously replied, “Okay. I’m listening,” even though I did not want to know. He said, “This town (Barahona) is where one of the rarest gemstones in the world is mined. I took our personal budget money for this month and next month and bought a bunch of Larimar. Someone from the neighborhood brought it to me.” I was speechless, took a deep breath and said, “Oh, did you? How will you buy food?” He said, “Oh, I’ll figure it out," meaning he would dip into our savings.

 

When I finally returned, he couldn’t wait to show me the stones—and I had to admit, they were stunning. Deep aqua blues and swirling whites, like looking straight into the Caribbean Sea. Beautiful.  I congratulated my visionary husband and promptly stuffed the Larimar into his sock drawer. And there they stayed. For 14 years. Every time I cleaned, I’d spot them, sigh dramatically, and shove them right back in.

 

Fast forward to 2016. We had enough funds for food and a few small projects—but nothing more. That’s when I had a lightbulb moment. I opened the sock drawer, pulled out the Larimar, and said, “Remember these?  Maybe I should learn how to make jewelry." Bill lit up and spoke. “Great idea.  We'll find Dominicans to set them in silver so they have work to support their families."  I said, "Perfect.  I can put everything together and we’ll sell the jewelry and use the money for the widows.”

And just like that… the sock drawer investment finally made sense.

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Fun fact:  We asked an expert what Bill's investment was worth and they said it had quadrupled!  Our stones were AAA+ quality and less than 1% of all stones mined make it into the AAA+ category.

 

During the pandemic shutdown, I dove in deeper and learned how to make custom pieces in silver and gold bronze from scratch.

 

In 2022, we launched Grace and Peace Jewelry Designs and helpthewidows.com with pieces we pay the Dominicans to create and the things I personally create, knowing we will be able to meet more and more needs.

 

All profits, every penny, will be given to support our 100 widows. We have roofs to repair, houses to build, stoves to buy and beds. Beds. Interesting subject. I’ve had widows come into the program close to 80 years of age who had NEVER slept on a bed. I still can’t wrap my mind around that. When they were given their very first bed, it was a sight to behold.

 

Thanks for coming along on this journey with Bill and I. I pulled him into this to help because it was all his bright idea originally, right? He’s a good guy and happy to help.​

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Through Grace and Peace Jewelry Designs and helpthewidows.com, we have the privilege of serving and empowering these incredible women—helping them gain dignity, security, and comfort. Things many of us take for granted, but things that mean everything to them.

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And to think… it all started in a sock drawer.