Press: The Weight That Shapes Us
Every climber knows the word press. To press is to lean your whole weight into resistance, to take the next step when the air thins, when the rock pushes back, when gravity insists you stay low. Scripture is not shy about this kind of pressing. It shows us that growth, refinement, even salvation itself, often comes when the human spirit is under pressure.
Job, stripped of everything, pressed through unanswerable pain until his faith shone like tested gold (Job 23:10). In the Garden of Gethsemane, the “oil press,” Jesus pressed into prayer so deeply that sweat fell like blood, showing us both His humanity and His surrender. The early church, scattered by persecution, found themselves pressed into mission, carrying the gospel beyond Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–4). And James reminds us, “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2–4).
The mountain is honest. So is life. The path upward is never smooth, but pressing against the rock is what builds the climber’s strength, what pulls the oil from the olive, what reveals the gold from the ore. To press is not punishment; it is preparation.
Pressing in Leadership & Our September Podcast
At Hands & Feet Project, pressing isn’t an abstraction—it’s a lived experience. Few embody that truth more fully than our Executive Director, Andrea McGinniss.
Andrea first set foot in Haiti in 2000 and was marked not by what was lacking, but by the radical generosity of the Haitian people: their best seat, their best meal, their warm hospitality offered freely. That moment became a compass, steering her toward a life of purposeful presence. Since joining Hands & Feet Project in 2006, she has served in nearly every leadership role—from Operations Director to Childcare Director, and since 2018, Executive Director.
Under Andrea’s leadership, Hands & Feet Project has expanded its reach and sharpened its commitment to family preservation, job creation, and Christ-centered care. Yet what defines her most is not strategy, but soul. She has never lost sight of the “one child perspective”—the conviction that true impact is measured not in numbers but in names, not in programs but in presence.
This month’s Project Red podcast presses into Andrea’s story, exploring what it means to lead through trial and transformation, to remain grounded when the weight is heavy, and to believe that pressing pain can become pressing hope. Along the way, we share big news about the road ahead—news you won’t want to miss.
As Bailey Hager sings in Leave with Oil:
“I will surrender to the pressing; there has to be a purpose for this pain. I came here broken, sowing my prayers into the soil—but I’m going to leave here with oil.”
🎙️ Tune in September 15th and walk away with perspective, courage, and maybe even oil of your own.
Pressing into Action: Little Hands Daycare
But pressing is not just something we talk about; it’s something we invite you into. This year, we are pressing toward the opening of more Little Hands Daycares—safe, steady places where families stay together, parents keep their jobs, children receive meals and education, and local teachers find dignified work.
Every shelf we stock, every classroom we open, is a declaration: pressing pain can become pressing hope. In Matthew 6, Jesus reminds us to consider the birds and flowers as evidence of God’s attentive care. That’s why our daycare classrooms are named after Haiti’s birds and blooms—reminders that beauty and survival are not mutually exclusive.
When you give to these classrooms, you are pressing back against poverty, isolation, and despair. You are pressing open doors for children to stay in the embrace of their families. You are pressing hope into the soil of Haitian communities.
Stock the shelves. Open the doors. Change the story. Shop Project Essentials.