I love the life I do and especially how through it many women have come through our doors, have impacted my life and the lives of others and I believe we have also impacted them.
The quilt in the picture represents some of the women we have worked with from the very beginning when there was no Creative Hands and there was no idea or thought along those lines. I would like to call the quilt- A Quilt of dignity restored. The reason for this is that as we were working on the quilt I thought of women from Iran, Afghanistan, Congo, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia and Greece. Each square or rectangle speaks of a life that walked through our doors whether we were just starting and I had no idea what I was doing exactly or where we were going. Each day we trusted God to guide us, when we realized there was more that God wanted us to do with this work than just a space for the women to come and hang out.
Oh, I remember the very first months and years, 2018-2020, when I was just learning how to weave and teaching women and how sometimes I would get stuck and stop and then continue. One thing I like is that there was never a thought in my mind to quit, stop or give up and that is truly because God kept encouraging me and the friends around me would pray and encourage. I remember almost every woman seeing the loom the first time and feeling defeated because it looked complicated and not something they could ever be able to use. But with time, encouragement and patience on the part of those teaching them we have seen the fear melt, the insecurities defeated, and we have seen lives transformed.
God is the Master Weaver, and we have seen Him weave lives together because at the end of the day, each of us is a tapestry that is being woven together by the one who formed us.
Each piece on the quilt reminds me of God’s grace and love towards all that He has created and that women from all over the world have come through our doors to learn and become part of our community. The pieces also remind of the many women and men who in turn have either come to Creative Hands to visit, hear our story, purchase the products or donate money so that the work can continue. Yes, we have seen the intended beneficiaries of this work blessed with a skill and then an income but were it not for the people like those reading this blog, those who have bought our products, the stories of these women would have been different. Each piece on the quilt belongs to a textile that was woven on the loom by the women, washed and cut into a product and each has a story of its own. But what I like about that is that as each woman wove the textile, it was an outward representation of what God was doing inwardly. God is the Master Weaver, and we have seen Him weave lives together because at the end of the day, each of us is a tapestry that is being woven together by the one who formed us. The threads we have used over the years are all different colors and different fibers and they speak of our different backgrounds, different nationalities, yet at the end of the day we all are daughters of God. I love how each piece is different and yet sewn together the quilt is beautiful. We are forever grateful that together with our partners and friends we can look at the quilt and say, “we all need each other because we all have a part to play and together, we are making an impact and the impact we make brings about a change in the story of the women and their children.”
The quilt speaks of restoration in many areas of the lives of the women, their dreams, dignity, self-worth, value, hope, and relationships. Truly, we have seen God working through Creative Hands to bring life and hope where there was despair.
Thank you for the role you have played and continue to play.
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