But as You Will
Several weeks ago, the Peace House girls were talking about forgiveness, asking why it’s so hard and why God believes it’s possible for us to let go of our anger and bitterness. Some of the girls seemed very closed to the idea, believing forgiveness may be impossible when you have been wronged in the ways that they have. Beatha was silent during the discussion, and I could see big tears welling up in her eyes. Finally she spoke up, saying that forgiveness is not about whether or not we understand it. And it’s not about whatever unforgivable thing someone did to us. It’s simply about God asking us to do it. Beatha went on to tell of when she had a newborn baby but no place to live. Her few family members said horrible things, refused to help, and left Beatha and her daughter to live on the streets. Her tears during the discussion that day were because of the tension that obedience was creating within her. At the same time that Beatha desperately wanted to obey God by forgiving her family, she also admitted that she was not ready to let go of the anger. She told us it was hurting her to disobey God. Unlike, Beatha I can’t remember that last time I was brokenhearted over my inability to honor God through obedience.
On this Good Friday, the day set aside to reflect on Jesus’ obedience and the forgiveness bestowed on us all because of it, I’m thinking on Beatha’s words. This morning I read in Matthew 26 about Jesus praying in the garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” It’s as if in that moment, Jesus gave us a glimpse of his inner turmoil, the same turmoil that Beatha described. Wanting very much to honor God, while at the same time being honest about the difficulty of the task ahead. Jesus chose obedience, and in doing so, made a way for us to be given grace and forgiveness in the midst of our own turmoil.
Measure Up
You've probably heard the old proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I recently changed it to “Give a girl a measurement and she makes one thing. Teach a girl to measure and she can make a billion.”
Although it took me a while to figure it out, I eventually realized that most of the Peace House ladies had no idea how to use a ruler or measuring tape. We needed to have measuring camp! First, we tackled the basics of using a tape measure and the difference between length, width, and depth. Next, Heather and I challenged the ladies with a scavenger-hunt-type list of things to measure, including tables, doorways, floor tiles, people, and more.
The funniest moment was when Dorcas, who’s about 6 months pregnant, asked someone to measure her. She claimed she’d be the biggest thing we measured all day.
Lots of Victories
Things have been quite busy at the Peace House during the last few weeks! Some days the teaching and learning together is difficult, while other days seem like a breeze. It’s definitely a one-day-at-a-time situation. The plan changes a lot depending upon which girls pick up on what skills. Every day is definitely a victory though. What's easy is seeing how proud each girl is of herself and her new accomplishments, even if on that particular day it’s just that she remembered to hold the scissors right side up.
Heather getting schooled by Josiane in the ways of the treadle.
A good friend and excellent seamstress, Heather Miles, is here for three weeks, bestowing all of her sewing knowledge on the ladies. We’ve mastered the art of making headbands, and a few of the girls completed their first child-sized quilt together. They’ve also used an iron for the first time and are learning about cutting patterns.
The first quilt-top that Cynthia, Therese, & Josiane completed.
The ladies have somewhat divided themselves into two groups – those who like to sew and those who don’t. Heather has been working with the sewers to improve their skills and take on new projects, like throw pillows and wallets. I’ve been working with the non-sewers on printing fabric with stamps that we made.
Getting their headband skills on.
Printing some fab fabrics....and doing quite well at it. They printed all of the fabric hanging in the top picture of this post within just a few days.
Using patterns for the first time.
We also celebrated International Women's Day with Fanta and Cokes all around. You do it glass bottle style with straws around here. And hot, minus the ice.
Moving Along
The Peace House ladies have spent the last couple of weeks mastering the sewing machines and working on new products. Along the way, we've learned different braiding techniques, finally sewn some straight lines, and even sold a few of the new products to visitors. So far, they're at 8 new products, plus super sweet sewing skills added to their repertoire. I'd say we're moving right along!
Necklaces & keychains....a couple of the new products made from African fabrics.
These necklaces made from recycled t-shirts and paper beads are the ladies' favorite new product so far.
First people to buy some of the new stuff. The girls were quite excited!