Today I am going to St. Mary's Villa to work with the kids on a project that I will be taking to Malawi with me. It all started a few weeks ago...I was on the phone with Carol at St. Mary's talking with her about our community group at church. I mentioned to her that I would like to do a power point of my trip to Malawi for the kids when I return. Her first response was "What can we do for them?" I was excited by the possibilities; one group of orphans working together to make a gift for another group of orphans across the world in Africa. After thinking and praying about it for awhile, all I kept thinking was "puzzle pieces" and "fabric". Now if you know me, you understand that images are the way that God relates things to me. As I pondered the two, I realized that puzzle pieces fit individual pieces together to make an entire picture, and so did fabric weave individual threads together to make a whole. "Hmmmm, so what do I do with that?", I thought.
I called my friend Pat (who is a quilter, and basket weaver, and maker of many beautiful things)... I thought that she would be able to help. Pretty much as soon as we started talking, Pat was on the other line drawing out a quilt pattern. It was both puzzle pieces and fabric! Success. Pat laid out a wonderful pattern of dark and light blocks and strips, which when sewn together, would make a unified gift to give to the children in Malawi. The plan was to have the kids at St. Mary's write messages and decorate the light colored squares with fabric paints and markers. After Pat was done, we would have a beautiful quilt for me to take to the orphans in Malawi from other children who innately understood their plight...to be abandoned ones, left without a proper family to love and guide them through life as God had intended.
But the good news is that God says , "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18
The idea began with connecting the kids at St. Mary's, unifying them and then connecting to Africa...but God wasn't done yet. That was only part of the picture. What would happen if I took cut fabric squares with me to Malawi? What if we had the orphan's in Africa write messages and decorate fabric for a quilt to be made when I returned? What if we surprised both sets of kids with a gift from other children?
It was fantastic! So simple, and yet so eloquent...tying kids together through the act of "giving"...To span the thousands of miles that I will be traveling with love. I am so lucky! I get to be the ambassador from one group to the other. What a privilege to present the gift of connection to each group of kids.
It's rather funny, how everything fell together in just a few days. God works like that. He has a plan. We have no idea what it is. When we finally understand our role in His plan, and step out obediently (and I think it also needs to be joyfully), things happen effortlessly. The day after I had called Pat for her input, she arrived at our community group picnic with containers full of fabric. Some of us ironed, some of us cut, some of us picked out their favorite patterns...all together, we made exactly enough squares for two blankets. Now you must realize that we hadn't even thought of making the blanket from the kids in Malawi yet...but God had. Pat had said that we might as well cut the squares, and "who knew, maybe there would be enough time to make a second quilt for the orphans". We cut all of the squares, but in my mind, I was wondering how I would be able to pack more than one quilt. Each of us on the mission needed their suitcase to bring medical supplies, clothing and food...it was already going to be a challenge to bring one quilt.
It was such a simple answer (taking the light colored squares for the kids in Malawi to decorate) but it still took two more days for me to hear what God had been suggesting. I laughed when I realized that we already had all of the work done! My friend Anne quickly went out and purchased the fabric paints and markers and gave them to me when we had gotten together at her house. Being extremely efficient, she had used craft store coupons and gotten quite a bargain. I really didn't have to do anything but tell people what God had put on my heart, and suddenly all of these details just fell together, and there it was: God's plan.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11
God's plan is always about prospering and giving hope. This overseas project was going to give lots of people hope. It was going to touch all of the kids, but it had already touched those of us who had the fun of preparing the materials. It touched everyone that I told about it. After talking with one person who said, "it's just such a feel good story of God's love and provision", the thought came to me: "Newspaper"...Hmmmm. Once again, I believe by God's prompting, I was suddenly looking up the phone number to the Ambler Gazette (our local newspaper). Against all odds, I was put through immediately to the journalist who would write the story if they were interested. I introduced myself and began explaining what we were planning to do. He listened for a good fifteen minutes while I tied all of the story together. When I had finished, he excitedly said, "I think that is a wonderful story!" He said that he needed to check with his editor, and would try to get back to me by the next day. He called me back in less than two minutes.
I answered the phone and a voice on the other end of the line said" is Amanda Schaefer there? This is Eric Devlin from the Ambler Gazette calling." "Um, yes...that was quick", I stammered, having been taken by surprise. "My editor loved your story and we want to run it with pictures and an interview when your return from Malawi."
We hammered out the details and discussed what would make the most sense logistically. We exchanged cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses and agreed to check in with each other again before I left.
Once again, what struck me was how effortlessly everything came together. I could not have come up with all of this on my own. It was a accumulation of simple tasks woven together into something much, much bigger...in itself, the plan was "puzzle pieces and fabric". God was showing me that working together with the body of Christ, when we allow Jesus to be the head, and each of us does our part, we do function together...almost without thinking, just as the body functions and moves about doing its work. When we work together using our God given gifts to do the work of Christ...it feels effortless, and seems that everything falls miraculously together...everyone and every action matters as much as every other as they all work together to spread the love of Christ Jesus.
"For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we though many, form one body, and each member belongs to the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is encouraging, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." - Romans 12:4-8
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,'Your God reigns'." - Isaiah 52:7
How lucky am I? I get to carry the good news to Africa, and back home again to Ambler. I get to carry it with me every day, everywhere I go...all I have to do is share it and God will do the rest.
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