Palmers on Mission!

New website and blog

2010-05-30T22:40:00.002-04:00

Hey there, all you wonderful people!

Thank you so much for reading our palmermissions.blogspot.com these past two years. We may update it occasionally, but we have a brand new website with its own blog. We'll be using that blog from now on.

Our new website address is refugeesewingsociety.webs.com

Please take a look!

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Much love --

Cathy and Tim Palmer

A snood by any other name . . .

2010-05-18T21:19:00.008-04:00

What's a snood and why do I need one? Bhagirathi and Dil (below) from Bhutan -- along with others in our yarn group --made some really pretty snoods this week.I thought it would be fun for the ladies to model the works of art they'd made. Snoods were first popular in the Victorian age -- and now they're haute couture again.

Man Maya's lovely gray snood catches her long hair and sets off her pretty earrings.A snood fits over your hair differently than a hat does. Harka shows us how it sits slightly back on the head.A large snood can hold a lot of long hair.
Fancy a spot of tea with Sharon?Why, thank you kindly. I believe I shall!

While wearing a snood, one cannot hold back a smile . . . as Saraswati demonstrates. Godeliva, from Congo, made a snood that fits more like a cap. Pretty snood on a pretty lady!If you think you need a snood, you're right! We sell them for $10 each. This coming Friday, we'll be having a big market at Clarkston Community Center. Come on over and snood up!

Devi's Day

2010-05-11T19:59:00.007-04:00

This afternoon, I went to a puja -- or pooja -- on behalf of one of my students. Devi's birthday is today, so everyone gathered in her home to worship and celebrate. She's on the left with two of her friends.A puja involves the worship of one or more Hindu gods. One corner of the dining room in Devi's apartment had been set aside and decorated with a string of lights and various plants and food. A priest sat in another corner of the room. Each person present knelt before him while he sprinkled flower petals on their head and wound a red string around their right wrist. The small round glowing picture on the floor was the object of worship today. I heard several different names of who it was -- Vishnu, Durga, and Devi were all mentioned -- so I'm not sure who was being honored.
Though the puja was given in celebration of Devi, she and the other women were working very hard in the kitchen! Here, Durga and Jasoda were helping prepare food for guests.Naina went around with more helpings of the delicious curry.
This was my plate. On the upper left is a dish made of rice, coconut, milk, sugar, and butter. Beside it on the left is "pickle." I've learned that Bhutanese people have all kinds of things they call "pickle." Some are like what we call salsa. This was more of a cilantro flavored cabbage slaw.
On the lower part of the plate we had a collection of fruit -- papaya, apple, sugar cane, and grape. Next is roti, a fried bread that is yummy. Beside it, on the right, is vegetable curry.

I sat beside my friends, Netra and Radhika. These men welcomed me at the table. They enjoyed practicing their English with me. They're getting very good!
I'm a lefty, and it's hard to eat right-handed. In most cultures, it is very rude to eat with your left hand. I'm able to handle a spoon pretty well, and I'm learning to pick up food with my fingers, too.
Maybe the best part was bringing home bowls of delicious food to share with Tim and Andrei.Dhanibad! "Thank you" to my wonderful Bhutanese friends for sharing this special meal with me. And happy birthday, Devi!

The usual silliness!

2010-05-09T18:30:00.018-04:00

It's been a long time since I wrote -- as so many of you have reminded me. Well, we're back! While I've been away from this blog, life has continued in its usual crazy way at The Refugee Sewing Society as well as in the world of the Palmer family.

Tim turned 60! And how amazing that Dunkin' Donuts all over the nation celebrated his birthday, too!
Dear friends of ours from Missouri made a surprise visit for Tim's big day. Sharon and Rich McClure showed up at our door. They took us to a Braves game -- the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history.
Geoffrey couldn't be with us, but he sent a gorgeous azalea to his father. We planted it in the front yard. Tessie had a bit of a shock -- as did we all -- when snow began to fall just at the start of spring. She kept staring out our bay window as if trying to figure out what that white stuff was that kept falling out of the sky.
But spring arrived at last. As I drove the women home from sewing class each day, we practiced the names of the flowers -- dogwood, redbud, forsythia, azalea, wisteria.
PureFUN! donated lunch boxes, ice-packs, and food storage containers as an Easter gift for all the women in the advanced sewing class. When a church team came to visit, the women ate in the auditorium. Jasoda got a kick out of bringing all the lunchboxes at the same time. This wonderful team turned their spring break into a mission trip. They did an amazing job organizing, sorting, folding, and storing the vast amount of fabric, sewing supplies, and yarn that The Refugee Sewing Society has been given in the past months. I think there was some momentary shock when they first saw the size of their project!But that quickly passed as they dived into their mission.
I enjoyed watching adults and youngsters working together as a team. These girls did a great job on the sewing notions.The guys got in on the action, too!The entire auditorium became one big folding and sorting arena!
By the end of the day, they had stored everything in its place. Thanks, Darby and crew! Lest you imagine that the fabric is just sitting around, let me introduce you to our newest product line. Cute little dresses!The women are enjoying funneling their creativity into this project!
These dresses are selling like hotcakes. At every market, women are snapping up one or more to take home to daughters and granddaughters. Thanks for supporting our women!
Some of the dresses have little bonnets. The women got a kick out of trying them on!Speaking of projects, Andrei and Tim brought home a large load of decking scraps from PureFUN! They led to our first backyard flower garden.We built the raised bed at the edge of what used to be a very nasty swimming pool!
Ta-daaaah!
More guests arrived -- a favorite couple from Missouri who had been serving in a Florida ministry for a month. We love Dale and Janice Webb! We took them to see the big Hindu temple in Metro Atlanta. It's hard to believe this building is actually in the USA!
Dale and Janice are helpers. They helped us pack up to move to Georgia. And when they came this time, they kept on working. Dale decided the floor in the kitchen dining area needed a good mopping!But we let him rest afterward!Back at the RSS, Hinde was giving us her opinion on various matters. She keeps us all laughing. She's studying for her GED. At 28 and the mother of six, she is determined to go to college. I admire her so much! One day she came in asking the meaning of "hold your horses" and "TV dinner." She said, "I know what a TV is, and I know what a dinner is. But what is a TV dinner?"Rabha and Hinde have become good friends even though they don't speak the same native language. Hinde is from Somalia and Rabha is from Sudan. Here's Rabha looking lovely.The RSS volunteers are very excited about our newest marketing idea -- Missions in a Box! Todd came up with the concept one day. If you order a box for $20, we'll send you enough materials for a single WMU, Sunday School, or other meeting. You'll get a booklet about our women and the ministry of the RSS. You'll also get a fun quiz, door-prize, DVD, bookmarks, and other printed matter. The rest of the box will be filled with RSS products for you to offer for sale to your group. Cool idea!

Almost immediately, we got orders for 10 boxes! It took Amy, Sharon (below), and me a while to assemble all the components, but we finally mailed off our first one!Today is mother's day, and I was delighted with Andrei's latest cake -- a gigantic chocolate candle! We enjoyed our teatime on the deck this afternoon.I'm so grateful to be a mother to my two wonderful sons -- Geoffrey and Andrei. And I'm honored that God has allowed me to love and mentor such beautiful refugee women. As I watched this mama goose hurry along a parking lot along busy Memorial Drive, I thought of all the dangers and obstacles that come our way as mothers.
May God watch over and protect all mothers -- including the feathered kind!

I feel pretty . . . oh, so pretty!

2010-02-22T18:49:00.008-05:00

Let's show off. Our yarn group makes some gorgeous things . . . and the women who made them are beautiful, too. Our Iraqi friend (above) loves to knit scarves. So does our Congolese friend below.
Hanaa, from Iraq, could knit day and night. She loves making creative scarves.
Our Somali beginner is learning how to crochet our famous and very popular dishcloths.
How about this pretty scarf, made by Hloa?
Dikura made some eyeglass cases. We've sold a lot of these!
A lovely scarf that's extra long. Our Bhutanese friend made this to our specifications. Great work!
Another pretty scarf made by this sweet Bhutanese woman.
Bhutanese scarves are so pretty!
Saraswati, from Bhutan, knitted this warm scarf.
I love everything Dil makes. And I love Dil, too! Her face has such character, and her personality is so gentle and sweet.
A beautiful navy blue scarf made by our Bhutanese friend.
Man Maya figured out how to crochet these shawls. Love 'em!

How's this for a soft, warm scarf?
Padma is one of our best crocheters. She is from Bhutan, and she's very shy. But look at her handiwork! Gorgeous.
Here, lovely Samaher from Iraq, was discussing some paperwork problems with me. Government documents always pose a big hurdle for people with limited English skills. Isn't Samaher lovely?
Our Sudanese student loves to crochet. Notice those interesting fingertips?
Dipping your fingers into henna dye is very popular among our African Muslim students. It's as pretty to them as a nice shade of lipstick is to us.
Speaking of pretty . . . we have some of the loveliest volunteers. Here Yvonne, an Emory student, is helping cut tags.Kristin works in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory. She is so loyal and supportive. And pretty, too! They say pretty isn't just skin deep. Working with these precious women, I'm sure beauty goes all the way to the heart.

And the winner is . . . Indiana!

2010-02-11T21:39:00.007-05:00

Maybe not in the Super Bowl, but in my book Indiana is No. 1! I spent three days in Indianapolis right before the big game. What a fun place! Ladies of all ages gathered for the Women's Enrichment and Renewal event with the theme "Designed with Style." Allison Kinion, director of women's ministries for the Indiana Baptist Convention, picked me up at the airport. This lovely and delicate lady not only organized a huge event with eighteen speakers and 800 attendees, but she also helped fold bags, arrange displays, and prepare for The Refugee Sewing Society's marketplace.
It wasn't long before women began browsing.
These traditional Bhutanese caps were a source of amazement . . .
. . . and amusement!
Our refugee bags were a big hit.
I had brought several hundred market bags, so arranging them was a challenge.
We parked a snood atop the easel that displayed photos of our women at work.
Amy's bead group had made gorgeous necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. She found boxes that made them easy to transport and display.
The baby caps and booties were popular.
I don't know what I would have done without the wonderful volunteers. This gentleman kept watch over the cloth diapers and knitted scarves.
And this fellow could add prices in his head faster than I could punch them into a calculator!
I was so grateful for those who stepped behind our tables and helped keep the stock organized and replenished.
After my short speech, a wonderful message by Page Hughes, and music by Tina Hutchison and company, women flooded into the halls of the hotel and rushed over to our tables to begin shopping in earnest. "I'll take that and that, please!""And I'll pay you, too!"
Market bags? Who wants market bags?
We like that green stuff in the bottom right hand corner there. Our refugee women's handmade items earned nearly $4,000. Amazing! God is good . . . and I love Indiana.

Bustin' out all over!

2010-02-10T20:45:00.009-05:00

Sometimes when I look at our small rooms filled with women sewing, knitting, or making jewelry, I'm amazed at how harmonious we are. The advanced sewing class actually chose to remain in our narrow room even after we started renting a larger one. They like all that togetherness . . . and so do I!

Yarn class has about 18 students -- more than we can keep busy making marketable products. Even so, the women in this group love to come together over knitting needles and tea.
On the left, a young woman from Sudan chats with her Iraqi friend. They both speak Arabic. The Sudanese woman is expecting a baby soon. We are always blessed with many women awaiting the birth of a child.
Elaine, our new yarn group leader, has her hands full -- literally! Here, she and Sharon are sorting through our popular dishrags. We sell a lot of these wherever we go.
Two Bhutanese friends discuss knitting techniques. Padma, on the right, is skilled with yarn, and she enjoys helping others in the group.
I love the beautiful faces of our Bhutanese refugee women.
Hanaa and Elaine share a laugh.
Dhan, from Bhutan, is helping a new Somali student learn to crochet. What a sweet spirit!
Hanaa, on the right, is helping another Somali learn to crochet. Most of the women in yarn class already know how to knit and crochet, but some are new at the craft.
When the sewing group gets busy, we have to set up our ironing board in the hallway. Netra came to class wearing a turquoise salwah -- and a pink cap to top it off!
Our new Iraqi student, Samaher, has blended right in with the advanced group. She makes some really pretty bags.
Hinde and Rabha are always kidding each other. Here they were discussing which one was jealous of the other's sewing skills. Our ladies keep us all laughing!
Beautiful Hinde . . .
Buddha's baby is due any day now . . .
Tulasa suffers terrible migraines and can't find any medicine to relieve them . . .
Zahra works on a market bag handle . . .
We have lots to rejoice over and lots to pray about. Join us, won't you?

Hello mutter . . .

2010-01-31T19:23:00.010-05:00

A favorite food my Nepali Bhutanese friends share with me is mutter. Mutter means peas. But these are not like peas you've ever eaten. One afternoon, Jasoda invited me into her kitchen to learn how she makes mutter. I thought I'd share Jasoda's recipe with you!

First, soak ordinary dried peas overnight in water in your refrigerator. Jasoda didn't measure anything, so I'm just estimating how much she used of each ingredient. About 2 cups of dried peas went into this batch of mutter. The next day, chop up a bunch of fresh cilantro (the green leaves in the background, below). Then slice a tomato into small chunks. Jasoda slices by holding the tomato in one hand and shaving off slivers with a very sharp knife.
Begin heating your pan. Jasoda uses a wok she brought from Nepal. Use medium high heat.
Chop five or six green onions. Then dice one very hot chile -- probably a jalapeno, though that's not what Jasoda called it -- into very small bits.
Add oil to your hot wok. Cover the bottom -- about a half-inch deep. I'm guessing 1/4 to 1/2 cup of oil.While your oil is heating, take your spices out of the cupboard. You're going to need whole mixed cumin and coriander (nearest dish, below) and cumin coriander powder. We bought these in an Asian market.You'll also need turmeric powder.Put about 2 teaspoons of whole cumin and coriander into your pan. Then add a tablespoon of cumin and coriander powder and a teaspoon of turmeric.When your spices are sizzling, add chopped green onion, chile and tomatoes.Next add your tomatoes.Give this mixture a good stir and let it sizzle for maybe 5 minutes (or less). Grin at your teacher, because she is amazed at your mutter-making skills. Jasoda makes mutter almost every day.When your spices, onion, chile, and tomatoes are nicely mingled, drain your peas and add them to the mix.Stir quickly as they fry.
Turn the heat down a little and cover. Five minutes later, lift the lid and add the fresh cilantro.Cover again, and let the dish cook for 10-15 minutes. When done, the peas will not be soft. They are nice and firm, with a consistency something like raw peanuts.Spoon out a little mutter for each person at the table. Eat up, feel that gentle burn on your tongue, and settle back with a satisfied smile.

I'll be giving you the recipe for taro and hot tea next time!

Registration

2010-01-25T22:13:00.005-05:00

Seventy-seven women. You read that right -- 77 women. That's how many showed up on January 19 to register for Refugee Sewing Society classes.The halls were jammed with women of every imaginable people group and language. Sharon arrived in time to rescue me from total overload. When no one else came, we prayed in earnest. We had barely opened our eyes when two volunteers from Emory and another from Rrisa walked through the door. Hallelujah!Before we let the women register, we handed out consent forms for them to sign. Refugees are resourceful. With few tables around, they made do.

With a chair . . .Or the floor . . .
Lovely Dhan always helps others. Her beauty is far more than skin deep.
Much discussion revolved around the consent form. What is it? Why do you need it? What is a signature? How do I spell my name in English? We were able to take about 40 women into our 4 programs -- beginner sewing, advanced sewing, bead group, and yarn group.

I know we could double the size of this ministry if we had more volunteers. I think it's time for Sharon and me to do some more praying!

The road is long, with many a winding turn . . .

2010-01-25T21:44:00.008-05:00

I call my car the refugee-mobile. Every class day, I drive my ladies home from the community center -- and that's a lot of apartments to visit. Often, I drive to speaking engagements, too.Not too long ago, my car had a birthday. Yep, it went from 99,999 miles to 100,000 miles. Pray we can keep movin' on down the highway!
Notice the GPS in the first photo? That was a Christmas gift from our son, Geoffrey. He knows his mama well. I'm lost a good bit of the time while driving in Atlanta.

A recent trip took Amy and me to Alabama. We had the great joy of speaking, showing our amazing DVD, and selling our women's products to WMU executives from all over the US.I love doing markets with Amy. She's a whiz at setting up lovely displays.People in the churches, schools, and other places we visit are always so generous. On the way home from our Alabama trip, we stopped for lunch and decided to add up our students' sales.Every item has a tag, and every tag has a student's name, the item, and its price. When we sell an item, we cut the bottom off the tag. That's how we know whom to pay, and it helps us know which items are selling best.I've spent most of my life as a fiction author, and Amy has spent most of hers making videos for such clients as Home Depot and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. You wouldn't think two such artsy ladies would make a good sales team -- but you'd be wrong.Well, okay, I'll confess that by the end of the conference we were calling each other Lucy and Ethel. But we still did a better job of selling than our namesakes did selling Vitameatavegamin!

Running behind!

2010-01-20T21:22:00.009-05:00

That seems to be my theme song these days. Like the white rabbit, "I'm late! I'm late!" I've been trying to finish a book since November. Finally on Sunday evening, I pushed the "send" button, and off it went to New York.

Now let's see what's been happening since I last wrote a blog entry . . .

One chilly winter day, I invited the leaders of The Refugee Sewing Society to my house for a lunch meeting. Carol Harrison is the secretary-treasurer of our almost-a-nonprofit ministry. We've turned in the paperwork, so now we'll just have to wait. Carol keeps us organized and on track taking minutes, calculating our income and outgo, and generally making sure we run smoothly.Todd Harrison, our CEO, helps us function as a ministry/non-profit/business. That's quite a job! He and Sharon, a board member, worked out prices for jewelry bags our women will sew. Caleb -- in the red cap -- is one of our favorite RSS leadership members!
This is my usual position when Todd tries to explain how a real business runs. Headache! Brain freeze! Zone out! Poor Todd has his hands full teaching me -- and in a couple of weeks, he'll be teaching our women how to read their new paychecks and keep track of their work.
After lunch, Amy and I decided to go visiting -- kutembelea, as we say in Swahili! Amy loves Radhika, one of her bead students.It had just snowed the day before, so we had a rare Hotlanta experience!
After our chat with Radhika and several of Amy's other Bhutanese students, we went over to our Somali friend's house.
Only one of Kuresho's children survived the war, and in the refugee camp, she began giving birth to a second family. Her last child (of 14 or 15 in all), is this precious little girl with Down Syndrome. I hadn't gotten to meet her, so that was really fun for me! Kuresho has two Somali treasures she's very proud of. These creations are made of beads woven into long strips. Here she wanted to show us how to wear them by putting them criss-cross on her daughter. Beautiful -- mother, daughter, and beads!
I also got to meet one of Kuresho's sons. He is a responsible young man and an excellent student. His mom sent him to fetch an envelope full of certificates he had won for perfect attendance, student of the month, and many others. She is rightfully proud of him.He had just put up a new wall hanging for his mother. Somalis love to cover their walls with fabric. It gives the room a tent-like feeling. What a great day! I loved spending time with the wonderful leaders God has brought to run The Refugee Sewing Society. And what fun to go visiting with Amy. We'll do it again soon!

Family Time

2009-12-27T20:21:00.024-05:00

I love this nativity scene carved in Kenya. My mother gave it to me many years ago, and when I set it up, I always remember how precious she was to me. She used to place small brass camels as well as various African animals around the manger of my family's scene. This year, Tim took a look at our own creche and mentioned that he didn't think there were any elephants at the stable in Bethlehem. Oh, why quibble about a few details? After all -- it's Christmas! The Palmer family Christmas of 2009 was warm, joyous, and blessed. We began by taking an Iraqi family to shop for things they needed. Our home church, First Baptist of Camdenton, Missouri, had sent us a generous gift gathered by the children who attended vacation Bible school there this past summer. Their gift also helped a family from Burundi to enjoy a Christmas blessing.
Then came the moment we'd been eagerly awaiting -- Geoffrey arrived from Nebraska! He's the production manager at an advertising agency in Omaha. His employer sent him a few days earlier than planned so he could shoot some commercials for a company in Atlanta. He looked wonderful and far too grown up.
The Christmas tree in the corner of our living room was a reminder of so many cherished family memories.
But there was much work, fun and general silliness ahead! One afternoon, Geoffrey and I decided to bathe both dogs. Tessie, eleven, is never happy about bath time. Before I knew it, Geoffrey had climbed into the tub to keep her calm.
After the baths, Tessie was cold and shivering. We dressed her up in one of my warm sweaters. Suki curled up beside her friend, and they both relaxed and fell asleep.
Another memorable moment came when Andrei brought home a jacket, neck warmer, and ear protector band given to him by a very sweet woman where he works. When he put on the ear band, this was the result.
The day before Christmas eve, we all went to Stone Mountain Park. It was gorgeous -- lit up and shimmering as beautiful music filled the air. We rode the train around the mountain, singing Christmas carols and listening to the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.Andrei was beside himself with joy when he discovered a patch of real snow! He misses Missouri, and we are already planning another trip to Stone Mountain so he can ride a tube down the snow-covered hill. For the past 25 Christmas eves, Tim has gathered one or both boys and read "The Night Before Christmas." I also read the Biblical account of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.
Everyone wrote a letter to Santa Claus, and then we went to bed. Good thing, too. There were some very sleepy people in the Palmer house this year. Tim has the ability to sleep soundly in an upright position. Geoffrey slept 14 hours one night and dozed off whenever possible.
Even our wild little Suki got drowsy.
Christmas morning, Andrei assumed his favorite task -- passing out the presents.
He gave Geoffrey two bags of beef jerky -- which interested Suki immensely.
Perhaps she scored a little smackerel?
Andrei received glue sticks so he can continue building his amazing cars.
Tim was delighted with his new polo shirt.
I got an electric blanket. Yay! Even in Hotlanta I have the coldest feet known to mankind.
Andrei got one, too.
He was happy with the welcome mat for his new front door.
Tim always loves to get books to read.
Did you ever hear about the 5th Beatle? Yeah, that's him in the groovy glasses.
The Refugee Sewing Society's yarn group provided this black scarf. Gopi made it, and I bought it for Geoffrey!
"Starship Troopers" is a Geoffrey-Dad favorite.
Geoffrey gave us a GPS, so we can finally navigate Atlanta without getting lost every few minutes. Wheee!

My happiest hours were spent putting together this 1,000 piece puzzle of Bruges, Belgium. Tim and I took the boys there to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. The puzzle brought back fun memories, and it made lots of new ones, too.
Geoffrey and I stayed up several nights into the wee hours -- setting pieces in place, talking about the past, present and future, and laughing a lot.

As I write this, Geoffrey is in Chicago preparing for another commercial shoot tomorrow. We all miss him so much. How very blessed we are! We all love each other, and we are surrounded and filled with the Holy Spirit, the greatest gift of all.

Selling the goodies!

2009-12-17T10:52:00.007-05:00

Perhaps our most exciting times involve market events. Generous churches, women's groups, and businesses invite The Refugee Sewing Society to sell our wares. Most recently, PureFUN in Lawrenceville welcomed us.

PureFUN is the daycare supply company owned by our partners and friends, Todd and Carol Harrison. Brenna, who works for them, originated the idea for a trunk show. Last Saturday, we loaded women into our cars and took them to the PureFUN headquarters. Carol (above in the white vest) helped explain how the business works. We took them on a tour of the building, and then shoppers began to arrive. Todd (below) and Carol manned the check-out table. The women were curious, as always, about American ways. Our new friends at Discovery Point daycare had already purchased 40 mat sheets from us. They came to the trunk show and bought a big stack of doll clothes and many other items. Thank you so much!
I love taking pictures of our customers with the women who have made the items they purchased. That's fun for everyone!
Amazin' Amy Cornett, our bead group teacher, has been zipping from one market event to another. I have loved watching her blossom into an eloquent public speaker. She spoke recently to the Windy Hill Women's Club. She does a beautiful job of setting up displays. Women attending Amy's events enjoy looking through the gorgeous jewelry, bags and other items before making their purchases. Amy also spoke in Augusta at the annual associational WMU meeting. The WMU (Women's Missionary Union) dates back to the 1800s and is a primary source of missions education and support in Southern Baptist churches.We love the WMU!

This group also let Amy set up shop.If you would like to help the ministry of The Refugee Sewing Society by inviting us to your home, church, business, or other venue, please contact us at ulu4tea@gmail.com.

Kickin' up our heels!

2009-12-15T18:19:00.009-05:00

Today we had The Refugee Sewing Society Christmas party at our house -- complete with singing, dancing, eating, and getting paid lots of money!

Sharon (the cloth diaper lady) borrowed a 15-passenger van, and Sherrill (super volunteer for the beginner sewing class) drove her car filled with women. If you're going to kick up your heels, you should first kick off your shoes. After all the women had arrived, we ushered them through the buffet line.
No meat, no eggs -- the theme song of the day. The volunteers had all worked hard to make sure that none of the foods contained either ingredient that is taboo for our Muslims and vegetarian Hindus.All the women were beautifully dressed! Look at Netra in her turquoise sari.Kuresho wore a long beaded band from Somalia. Her hijab had sparkles on it.
Hinde brought Yusuf, who was an absolute angel the whole time.
Buddha wore this gorgeous salwa from Nepal.
Rabha looked as beautiful as ever.The women took their places at our very long table. We had placed nativity scenes of all types as centerpieces.After we ate, the singing and dancing began. What fun!Some of the older women did a dance I had seen at their Teej celebration.
All the volunteers decided to join in! Sharon was groovin' to the beat.
Or maybe not!
Sherrill did some fancy moves.Though the singers were Bhutanese, it was fun to see others dancing, too. Rabha from Sudan enjoyed dancing with Jasoda.
Even the ol' teacher burned up the dance floor!I also had the joy of telling the women about the birth of Jesus and His amazing love -- and sacrifice -- for all of us. After that, we gave each woman a small gift bag filled with soaps, toothbrushes, gloves, and other pretty things.

Thanks to Carol's careful calculations, we paid the women for several weeks' work at the end of the party. It's always fun to hear their squeals of joy and get such big thank-you hugs. We also had the huge joy of providing 7 women in the advanced class with brand new sewing machines. We were able to buy them for $50 right after Thanksgiving. We offered the women the opportunity to purchase them from us for $25.

Thank you for your many donations of fabric, yarn, beads, and so many other wonderful items. We also appreciate those of you who have given money. Because of you, we were able to put a sewing machine into each of these homes. Two of the advanced class women already owned machines, so now all nine are equipped.

Your prayers, volunteer hours, and other gifts of time, treasure, and talent mean so much to us. May God bless us every one!

Happy endings

2009-12-10T21:26:00.012-05:00

You've probably heard I write Christian fiction, mostly romance, so I love happy endings. This week we've been saying farewell to our students -- just until January. The beginner sewing group has been so much fun. I love watching women who've never sewn suddenly grasp this wonderful new skill and get so excited. Many of our woman have never had any physical proof of their worth. When we hand out certificates, we see the broadest grins you can imagine. They are proud of themselves -- and rightly so!
Sherrill joined us on Tuesdays this past session -- and wow, what a great help! She has really made a difference with the beginners. They love her, as you can see!
Amy is still working with her bead group. They're such sweet women, and they are very loyal to Amy. She's been going to many different places to sell the women's jewelry, and the response has been fabulous!
Despite Indira's saucy smile, it's not all fun around the Refugee Sewing Society. Well . . . okay . . . it is all fun. But we work hard, too.
Sharon has been teaching the women to create sets of cloth diapers.She is getting some awesome sewing out of our ladies. They're making diapers, inserts, and liners. Today, Rabha made her first diaper. She was so proud of her accomplishment.
Jasoda shows another of our lovely creations. We're making uniform skirts for Muslim girls! Our Somali and Sudanese women told us about their inability to find long skirts for their daughters. Ta-dah! We made nine skirts in girls' size 14 today, and that's just for starters.
We're also having fun making fabric jewelry bags. We have two customers who are ordering from us, and we look forward to all that sewing. The women love to make jewelry bags. They tell me the bags are relaxing to sew. Great!
We've also been sewing sheets for daycare mats. That's going to be a wonderful new outreach for us. In case you're wondering why we all love working with these women, I'm adding a little photo grouping I shot this afternoon. Hinde is so expressive, and she always has BIG stories to tell. She keeps us laughing every day.Wow, I'm going to miss my friends! We'll have registration on January 18, and it seems like years away. Please keep all of us in your prayers, and check in with the blog now and then. Just because we're out of class doesn't mean it's all over. Nope, we've got a trunk show on Saturday, a wedding on Sunday, a tea party on Tuesday . . .

The Refugee Spirit

2009-12-03T21:17:00.004-05:00

Today something rather amazing happened.

For several weeks, I had been working with a young woman from Bhutan who is in our yarn group. A gentleman wanted a 6 foot long red scarf with black lettering that read Steve the Chimneysweep. He had asked for a black border around the edge of the scarf.

This order had been placed many months ago, but I had not found anyone capable of creating -- or even willing to attempt -- such a masterpiece. Then Pabitra stepped forward and said she would like to crochet the scarf. She is a lovely, intelligent young lady, and she speaks almost perfect English.

Sharon Koerber and I enjoyed working with Pabitra as she planned out the lettering and calculated how much yarn was needed for the project. Sharon bought the yarn, and I wrote out the instructions on the back of the customer's business card.

Today Pabitra arrived with the completed scarf. As she unrolled her creation, my eyes went wide and my heart nearly stopped beating. Pabitra had painstakingly crocheted the entire set of instructions from the back of the business card. The scarf read Red cotton scarf black letters black edge Steve the Chimneysweep. What to do? What to say?

Pabitra was rightly proud of her work, and I was amazed at the careful effort she had put into the scarf. But this was definitely not what our customer had ordered. Not only that, but the cost of the yarn had already eaten a large chunk of the money Steve the Chimneysweep had offered to pay for the scarf.

I couldn't make words come out of my mouth. I had no idea what to say. So I just started praying, "Lord please tell me what to say to Pabitra!"

The words began to come. I told Pabitra the scarf was beautiful. I said there was a problem, and I explained it carefully. She said, "But I did exactly what you told me to do." I said, "Yes, you did. You crocheted exactly what I wrote. And you did a wonderful job."

After the momentary shock (hers and mine), we came up with a solution. Pabitra will keep the part of the scarf that reads Steve the Chimneysweep and add a long section of red crochet with black edging -- and NO letters.

I will keep the rest of the scarf. Red cotton scarf black letters black edge is a concrete visual aid illustrating the incredible difficulty of communication between people who speak different languages -- no matter how fluent. But it's more than that. You see, as we were discussing what to do, Pabitra said, "I will do this, because I want to please the man who ordered this scarf. That is my main interest. I want that man to be happy with his scarf."

I have no idea how many hours Pabitra spent crocheting all those instructions on that scarf. But she was not defeated by news that might have left others weeping and wailing. I have decided that we will pay her the full price of the scarf, not deducting anything for the yarn.

Pabitra is a perfect ambassador for the refugee women we serve here in Georgia. She is indomitable. She is determined. She has the spirit of a survivor. Whether it's ethnic cleansing or a set of confusing instructions, she will not be defeated. Ever.

I am honored and humbled to be surrounded by such women.

Home work ... and rest!

2009-11-28T21:16:00.006-05:00

Rest time is a precious commodity in the Palmer home these days. Tim and Andrei are working full time -- plus drivng a forty-five minute commute each way. I'm racing from RSS classes to markets and back home to write a book that's due in January. We're dog-tired!After the bullet went through Andrei's apartment window, we moved him to our house. Our friend, Bob Cornett, and his wonderful crew have been converting our garage into a small apartment for Andrei. Chris has done a lot of the work, and we've enjoyed feeding him at our table now and then.TIME FOR THE REVEAL! "Driver, move that bus!" Well, we didn't have a bus, but Andrei enjoyed the big moment anyway. Ta-da!Awesome!
Andrei is particularly proud of the pedestal sink he chose.
Yep, definitely a cool bathroom!
The refrigerator came in . . .and then the stove . . . and Andrei is at last living in his little home sweet home! When he's not at work, he is usually making cars. Here's an MG, his latest creation.Take a look at that interior. Fur-lined floor and doors. Amazing dashboard. And a totally groovy steering wheel. Though pets require attention and care, our two dogs have been major stress-relievers. Sukari -- our little "brown sugar" -- arrived shivering and terrified after many days of roaming the streets dragging her leash. We put up posters, sent out emails and tried hard to find her owners. When nothing panned out, well . . . even Tessie voted to keep her new little friend.After a flea bath tonight, Tessie needed an extra dose of love.Suki was in the doldrums, too.
Misery loves company. Suki found the warmest place in the house and curled up next to Tessie, her best friend, protector, and playmate.
The coming month is completely full with events piled one upon another. We appreciate your prayers for strength, patience, kindness, and an overflowing measure of grace.

Busy, busy, busy!

2009-11-28T20:47:00.004-05:00

Brrr! It's cold outside. But inside Clarkston Community Center, things are hot! Our women come bundled up from their long walks in the frigid air. They don't stay bundled for long.The Refugee Sewing Society's members have been blessed with a lot of contract work lately. We are using donated knit fabric to make nightgowns for dolls. These clothes are marketed through PureFUN, our business partner's daycare supply company. We're also sewing playclothes for two sizes of dolls. The women are learning a lot as they sew these detailed, tiny clothes. It's great preparation for their upcoming projects with full-sized clothing. In addition to that, we've been sewing mat sheets for daycares and drawstring-tied jewelry bags.The women love to sew market bags and refugee bags. We're making them by the bushel and hoping they'll sell well at all the markets we have in December.

A recent market was held at Emory University. We were invited to participate in a large event at which Valentino Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, was the guest speaker. Representatives from refugee agencies filled the large room, and The Refugee Sewing Society was honored to present our products for sale.Thanksgiving week brought a break in our usual class schedule. But there was no rest for the volunteers of the RSS! On Tuesday, we had an organizing, sorting, and shelving day. Tiffany Woodcock from PureFUN helped so much. Lest anyone think that volunteering for the RSS is a piece of cake, I present this photo of Carol Harrison hefting one of our incredibly heavy metal sewing machines. Several people have donated these old gems, and we're eager to put them to use.
But for the time being, we needed to get them off the floor. It took two women just to hoist each machine from the floor to the top of a cabinet. Our room is ready now for the final run to Christmas. We'll be operating on a reduced schedule so I can finish a book that's due on January 15. In the new year -- look out, world! The Refugee Sewing Society is gearing up for a lot of excitement. Please keep us all in your prayers, and may God bless you for your love and support of our precious women.

Alterations

2009-11-07T12:13:00.006-05:00

No, not those kinds of alterations! We're not hemming skirts or letting out pants' seams. But we are experiencing lots of changes, and they're wonderful!First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia, included us in their recent missions outreach. David Jackson constructed beautiful new shelves for The Refugee Sewing Society.
We are thrilled with the help this has brought to our room. We're now able to get organized and better manage donations, storage, and many other needs.
Aren't these awesome? David and others from the church took measurements and built the shelves to my exact specifications.
We now have shelves designated for fabric, supplies, and machines.My father, Harold Cummins, and my stepmother, Phyllis arrived for a short visit just after the shelves were completed. They joined in the fun of organizing and folding many boxes full of fabric.The new shelves led one of our students to sing out, "Happy sewing, teacher! Happy sewing!" Thanks FBC Woodstock and David!
The changing leaves on the tree in our yard reminds me that the Palmer family has another change afoot.
After the random gunshot incident, we moved Andrei home with us. We all agreed he would be happier with a place of his own. A great construction crew led by Amazin' Amy's husband, Bob, is transforming our garage into a one-bedroom abode. Andrei will soon have his own home sweet home right next to ours.

This has been a time of high tension for the Palmers, so we appreciate your prayers and support. I'm so happy that God has allowed me to work with women who quickly take all my stress away.

Yesterday as they were cleaning our sewing room, I realized I was watching refugee resourcefulness at work. Tulasa was down on her knees under the table using a wadded plastic bag to sweep up lint and fabric scraps. When I started taking photos, the women all got so tickled they were just about crying. These happy faces always bring a smile to my own.
Change can bring hardships and joy. Around here, it's all good!

You are so beautiful . . .

2009-10-23T19:22:00.003-04:00

Busy little chickens . . .

2009-10-22T20:32:00.009-04:00

When I walk to our storage room, my students follow behind me in a line. They are so chirpy, small, and cute that one day I started calling them my "little chickens." When I want them to go somewhere, I sing out, "Come my little chickens!" They all laugh and hurry after me.

These past few days, my little chickens have been very busy! We attended the Refugee Policy Forum at Agnes Scott College. Refugee Family Services invited us, and we enjoyed the opportunity to meet lawmakers and others who work on behalf of refugees. Our market was a big success. Afterward, I took everyone out for ice cream.
It was very cold outside that day, so I think they wondered a little about my sanity. Tim and I always took our boys out for ice cream after any event that was noteworthy. This event certainly fell into that category!

Speaking of cold, the yarn group -- under Shirley's guidance -- has crocheted some adorable baby caps and booties. Aren't these precious?
The women are so skilled. We show them photos of what we want, and they return to us with beautiful creations like these.
Amy has directed the bead group into making some gorgeous necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. We are finding earrings to be a big hit.
I am thrilled with my beginner sewing class. They are getting it! I have promoted two of them to the advanced class. The others are making very good bags now, and it won't be long before they graduate, too!
We borrow a larger classroom on Tuesdays when advanced sewing, beginner sewing, and bead group all meet at the same time. It is a VERY busy and crowded room. We love it!
The advanced class is making refugee bags. These are a big hit everywhere we go. Many have two pockets -- one for a cellphone and one for a bottle of water.Hinde is rightfully proud of her first refugee bag. She put the pocket on the side -- a great adaptation of the form.Rajaa made some extra-large refugee bags. They're great for tall people!
Don't you love this fabric?
Here's another of Rajaa's masterpieces.
Durga got a kick out of modeling her bag. She is such a sweet, kind woman. I love her.
Netra decided her bag could be carried the Bhutanese way. How do you like this? Very clever!Yesterday, I was calling my little chickens to follow me to the storage room. One of them called out, "Teacher, teacher! You are the big chicken!"

Come see our flock of lovely ladies at Clarkston Community Center. The big chicken herself would love to sell you some booties, beads, and bags!

I will fear no evil (Text by Tim)

2009-10-18T20:12:00.011-04:00

"...I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The LORD gave me everything I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!" Job 1:21

Though the hour was late, our younger son, Andrei, was in his apartment working at his table when a bullet blasted through the upper left corner of the window above his bed shortly after midnight Saturday.
A mile away and a short time later, I awoke from a deep sleep in the wee hours of Saturday morning to loud knocking on our front door. Not sure whether I had dreamed it, I waited. Then the sound came again, from the window of a front bedroom. By then Cathy was starting to stir, wondering what was going on. I told her someone was outside knocking. At that moment the unknown fist banged on the bedroom window right next to our heads – a startling and frightening noise that got us up and creeping out our bedroom door.

Clutching the keychain panic button of our alarm system, I peeked around the corner of the entryway and saw through the glass of the door our younger son, Andrei, standing with a policeman on the front porch. A new fear: Andrei was under arrest!

The policeman quickly assured us, “He’s OK; he hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then the two of them told us what had happened. Someone fired a random gunshot through the window of Andrei’s nearby apartment. When he stepped outside to call 911, the police – who already were there investigating a report of gunfire – saw him and got the story. He asked for a ride to our house, where he spent the rest of the night.

The next day, Andrei and I went to his apartment to get some of his stuff. We knew he had spent his last night there.

Seeing the bullet hole in the glass a few feet above his bed and the second hole in his bathroom wall slammed home the terrifying reality of the incident. The bullet had passed through the doorway into the bathroom and gouged the wall. At the time of the gunshot, Andrei was at his work table a few feet away in the efficiency apartment. If he had been in bed, it would have whizzed right over him. If he had been going into the bathroom, it would have cut him down.

Sunday morning in church, we sang a popular praise chorus titled Blessed Be Your Name. Hearing it, I marveled again that Job could accept with equanimity the loss of everything he had.

I thanked God with everything I had that He did not take away Andrei, but spared him. Yet I also realized that if the ending had been different, I still would have only one place to turn. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Please join us in prayers of thanks for God’s mercy and in prayers for our safety. Sometimes it’s a scary world.

Volunteers

2009-10-16T17:44:00.011-04:00

Volunteers give time and talent to The Refugee Sewing Society every week. They are the lifeblood of our ministry. Without them, we would fold.

Amy's bead group always amazes us. Under her guidance, they are creating beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Amy taught them how to make beaded Christmas ornaments. We sold a lot of those at our last market day!
Shirley runs our yarn group. She keeps track of crochet hooks, knitting needles, and yarn. She helps the women know what to create and how to fashion their art into salable merchandise.
Sharon runs Bunny Buns, our cloth diaper initiative. The idea to sew diapers was Sharon's, and she has spearheaded the effort to create these useful items. Our prayer is to one day see bright green baby bottoms all over Clarkston!
Brittany faithfully helps set up and run markets, manage our money coming in and going out, and has just started helping me answer emails and keep track of our calendar.
Chelly, a member of North Metro Baptist Church, helps often in our bead class.
Rina came to us from the Atlanta Sewing Guild. She has been testing the older sewing machines people donate. I want to get as many as possible up and running, because these metal machines are the most hardy and most reliable. Rina comes on Tuesdays, too, and helps with teaching, setting up teatime, and much more.Sherrill came to help out last Tuesday. Our busiest and craziest day of the week is Tuesday when we have both beginner and advanced sewing . . . and beads!
Shelley attends Emory University in their school of public health. A group of Emory students has become involved in helping the RSS sell market bags. This lovely young lady also bought several bags the last time she visited. Thanks!
Here are the Emory students cleaning and sorting out our storage room.
I'm saving our two newest volunteers for another blog. Todd and Carol have stepped into our lives in a big way, and we are so grateful. We also have some long distance volunteers. They are awesome, and I'll tell you about them later, too!Oh, yeah! I'm also a volunteer. I wouldn't trade that joy for anything.

Beads!

2009-10-16T17:25:00.006-04:00

Amazin' Amy -- in her brand new sari, above -- is our bead teacher. She claims a lack of talent in jewelry making, but the sales at our last two markets tell a very different story.
Krishna takes beads from the boxes that Amy has sorted. It's a challenge to keep the beads in order. It also takes a lot of skill to know what appeals to American buyers and how to make those items.
The bead group works around a table, sorting and chatting. Our Bhutanese and Somali students love to make different kinds of jewelry. And wear it, too!
We usually have beginner sewing in the same room as the bead class. It's a busy place! The sewers are in the back cutting fabric, while the beaders circle a table and work hard to complete their projects.
Amy always makes us smile -- whether she's teaching, pirouetting, singing with her guitar and harmonica, or talking with her students.
Does this necklace look like something you would buy? Yes? Me, too!
Please check out our brand new Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=8022268&ga_search_query=RefugeeSewingSociety&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Keep coming back! Our products are flying out of there very fast, and we're replacing them fast, too. If you see something you like -- buy it now! You'll get more than a cool bag or beautiful necklace. You'll get the joy of knowing you've helped feed a refugee family!

Ridin' along in my automobile

2009-10-07T21:47:00.004-04:00

I call my car the refugeemobile. I drive a lot of miles each week with a gaggle of giggly girls on board.I never knew that shutting and opening a car door could be so confusing. Did you ever notice that we use a handle to open the door from the outside . . . then we pull on a piece of molded plastic on the inside to shut the door . . . then we pull on another handle to open the door from the inside? Neither did I! Now I'm very familiar with the many nuances of car doors.
And don't get me started on seatbelts! I spend a lot of time teaching my women -- even when we're not in class. My favorite moments occur when one of them suddenly understands, and I hear a great big "Ahhh!"

We all remarked on the amazing resemblance of Netra and her two beautiful daughters. In Nepali, there's a word that means "exactly the same." Netra and her girls are definitely "barabari!"
Pray that the refugeemobile keeps going. It's at nearly 100,000 miles, and I've still got many roads to navigate as I transport my pretty friends.

My man . . . down!

2009-10-05T20:50:00.005-04:00

That's Durga hiding behind the stack of market bags. She is quiet, painstaking, and very gentle. One day last week she got very excited. "Teacher!" she called out. "My man . . . down!" She tilted herself over to one side to demonstrate. "My man . . . down!"

Huh?

Communication is always a challenge with refugees from so many different countries. I hurried to Durga's side to discover that she had chosen a fabric covered with pictures of Noah, the ark, the animals, and the rain. On one side of her bag, Noah was right side up. But on the other, he was upside down. "My man . . . down!"

I explained how to cut the fabric and turn it to place Noah the right way up. Then I took the opportunity to tell the story of Noah and the ark. The women gathered around and everyone listened raptly. When I came to the end, I began to explain that Noah had not died because he obeyed God.

Durga's face lit up with a smile as she broke into my story. "He pray to God!" she said.

That's right, Durga. Noah prayed, and God listened. God spoke, and Noah listened.

Am I listening now? Are you?

Whatcha doin'?

2009-10-05T20:36:00.013-04:00

We're making lots of cool stuff, that's what! Have you counted the days to Christmas? Do you want awesome gifts that keep on giving? Why not shop with The Refugee Sewing Society!
We're sewing really cute doll clothes. We have clothes that fit the American Girl size doll and also the Cabbage Patch doll.
We're sewing two kinds of nifty bags. We have our standard market bag -- our biggest hit at only $10 each. Take a look at these pretty fabrics! Buddha is modeling our amazing red market bag. It was a huge success at our last market. We only have 17 of these lovelies left.
Hinde is hard at work every time we open our doors.
Big news -- we have a new kind of bag! We call it the refugee bag. It's so amazing that people keep buying them almost as fast as we make them. Tim graciously agreed to model the bag. It goes over your shoulder and across your chest. The zipper is on the inside. Becca, who's very happy with the new market bag that Zahra made, brought us the original refugee bag.
The bag originated in Zambia. We're excited to watch the response to our newest product. Thanks Becca!
How about this pretty fabric? We have several refugee bags still available in this pattern.
But this is one of a kind!
We're stitching, ironing, and folding these bags just for our customers.
And as Zahra can tell you, we do measure carefully!
Our beginner class is trying out for a job sewing sandal straps for a really wonderful company that benefits schoolgirls in Uganda.
Our beginner class has many older Somali women. They can relate to the Ugandan girls. If you never went to school in your whole life -- like most of these Somali women -- measuring and sewing straight lines is a challenge. We're up to it!
The yarn class is making our best-selling dishcloths. If you've ever used one, you'll know why we sold out at our last market! And they're only $3 each. Will wonders never cease?
Shirley keeps the yarn ladies moving along. But we are in crisis right now. We have no yarn! And we also need very small crochet hooks. Can you help?
Shirley keeps digging, but this basket doesn't contain the five loaves and two fishes. Nope, there's just nothing left. That's the last of our yarn on the table, so we really need your help.
The doll blankets we made have gone over big. And Montaha will tell you how much fun she's having every time she gets paid. Today she let out a shriek and got positively hysterical with happiness! Hanaa is faithful to our program, gradually bringing her friends to join us one by one.
Our bead group is busy, too. They are making gorgeous Christmas tree ornaments. I'll save them for another blog. Stay with me!

Birthday fun

2009-10-05T20:17:00.004-04:00

I had thought birthdays weren't much fun anymore. Wrong! This one turned out to be very special indeed. Friends and family showered me with special cards and gifts, making me feel so loved. The women all enjoyed the gorgeous bouquet Tim brought to our sewing room.

As always, Andrei baked a yummy and creative cake. This one is a book -- honoring my role as an author -- with a chocolate chip cookie "cover" and a "spine" made of iced Reese's peanut butter cups.
Khaga and his wife, Jasoda, were tailors in their refugee camp in Nepal. They specialized in sari blouses and petticoats. I let them borrow a sewing machine one weekend -- not knowing that this beautiful blouse would be the result!
Jasoda had been quite distressed that I didn't have a proper blouse for my sari. She and her husband were excited to give me their gift. Before I could unload the sewing machine from my car, Jasoda hoisted it onto her shoulder and set off. I almost imagined we were hiking up the Himalayas!
Andrei has been baking a lot these days. Here's his Peterbilt semi cake. He made this for our church potluck.
Andrei's cakes are always a highlight of the gatherings.
Thank you, God, for another year with family and friends so greatly loved.

I could have danced all night

2009-10-01T21:46:00.004-04:00

Joy broke out all over the place today!
Amy, our amazing bead teacher, brought some clothes her mother wanted to donate. I have never witnessed such spontaneous ecstasy! The moment the women put on their new outfits, they all began to dance and sway around the room.
Some of these women never smile. I have been utterly unable to lighten their hearts. But with pretty jackets, beaded sweaters, and the fun of something new to wear, they were transformed.

Thanks, Amy -- and Amy's mom -- for your kindness!

Hands

2009-09-29T21:35:00.004-04:00

The hands of my students always fascinate me. When I sing the hymn, "He's got the whole world in His hands," I always try to picture God's beautiful hands. We are made in His image, and how lovely are our hands.This young woman decorated her hands for Eid, the Muslim celebration that ends the month of fasting known as Ramadan.
All day long at The Refugee Sewing Society, I watch hands at work . . . reaching for yarn . . .
. . . gathering fabric for a puffed doll sleeve . . .
. . . snipping thread . . .
. . . turning a hem . . .
. . . measuring carefully . . .
. . . threading a sewing machine . . .
. . . and, of course, sewing . . . May these hands fold in prayer to the Creator God, lord of heaven and earth.

Buzzin' with Baptists!

2009-09-08T21:32:00.004-04:00

September 3, 2009, was a really fun day for everyone! The entire staff of the North American Mission Board came to Clarkston for their Spiritual Focus day -- all 270 of them. They rolled into town on buses and set off to begin serving. This event was bathed in prayer from beginning to end.
A great group came over to Clarkston Community Center to meet the women of The Refugee Sewing Society. I had the opportunity to show off the work our ladies are doing -- our cloth diaper initiative, our gorgeous beaded jewelry, our crocheted doll blankets, our tote bags, and much more.
The NAMB staff had brought 40 kits to make beaded watches. Our women really enjoyed the time they spent making this craft. We invited members of two ESL classes for senior citizens to join the fun. It made for an interesting mix of men and women, Bhutanese and Somalis, young and old.The focus and concentration these refugees dedicate to every task is always an inspiration to me.
Afterward, the women gathered in the hallways to greet the incoming NAMB staff for lunch.
The men waited to greet guests, too.While our guests shopped in The Refugee Sewing Society marketplace, the dedicated Chik-Fil-A people brought in the lunch.NAMB people covered Clarkston that day, but we RSSers think we got the cream of the crop! They really blessed us with their willingness to plunge into this new world and make a difference in the lives of Atlanta's refugees.

As I was driving one of my students home, she got a very worried look on her face. She pointed to the beaded watch on her wrist and said, "Teacher . . . watch . . . for me?" When I nodded and told her that, yes, she could keep the watch, her face filled with emotion. "Thank you!" she said. I know that came right from the heart.

Hello Dolly!

2009-09-08T21:17:00.003-04:00

We are excited about dolls! Our awesome partner, Todd Harrison, was offering three sizes of dolls to the daycares his business serves. But he eventually had to stop selling the dolls because he couldn't find clothes to fit them. Along came The Refugee Sewing Society!I really enjoyed watching the women in my advanced sewing class when they saw the dolls for the first time. They hugged and cuddled those babies. They dressed them up. They rocked them. I guess girls are the same all over the world!
I was excited about the opportunity to sew clothes for Todd's dolls, and I decided our new Iraqi student could take the first try. She was a seamstress before coming to America, and she can make anything. Surely she could make doll clothes, I thought.
Wow -- was I ever right! One weekend at home sewing on her machine, and here came EIGHTEEN adorable dresses. And bloomers to match! Aren't they cute?Please pray that all the women can learn to sew these dresses -- perfect training for them to make clothes for themselves and their families!

Teej!

2009-08-30T22:21:00.006-04:00

Teej is a Bhutanese Hindu celebration for women. Though I grew up among Hindus, I had never heard of it until the women in my sewing classes invited me to come to the community center on a Saturday afternoon.I wore a sari Tim had bought for me, and my friends were impressed that I had put it on by myself. Of course, they immediately hustled me to the ladies' room to pin, tie, fold, and tuck my sari so that it would actually stay on !

Teej is a day when women wear the color of their marriage saris -- red! Lachhi on the front right and Saraswati behind her to the right are members of The Refugee Sewing Society. Don't they look pretty? When women dress for this celebration, they put flowers in their hair . . .beautiful beaded wedding necklaces around their necks . . . and, of course, their prettiest saris. Jasoda had arms full of bracelets, a lovely sari, and a little niece on her lap.Saris came in every shade of red -- and some just beyond it. Like orange . . . and purple!Teej involves a LOT of dancing. Women grouped by their apartment complexes came to the stage to dance. The older women performed a dance that explained how once they had been oppressed and forced to labor hard. But now they are free to do as they please! I won't deny that the food was a highlight for me! This plate holds a samosa, curry, pickle, chapati, rice, and many more things that were all delicious. Hari shared her mealtime with me.The women sat like bright birds around the foyer as they ate their late lunch. It was definitely yummy for one and all! I loved seeing my students with their children and mothers all enjoying this day together. The mother in this photo wore an intricately detailed gold nose ring. I had never seen anything like this before. She was so elegant. Though it was a day of festivities for women, I began to realize that the men were in the building, too. When I asked why, one of my friends said, "They come to serve us!" This festival has roots that go deeply into the foundation of Hinduism, including a day of fasting and another day of worshipping a stone or clay phallic symbol. Though my own faith teaches another path to God, I really treasured spending this very special time with my friends.

Friends at my door!

2009-08-10T20:43:00.004-04:00

I was surprised to look up from my work in our sewing room to find 9 women gathered outside the door! The Refugee Sewing Society fall session wasn't to start until August 11. The women were a full week early.They weren't sure of the registration date, they told me, and they didn't want to miss out on a single day of class. The women wrote down the correct information along with my phone number. I'm expecting a call soon. My refugee friends love to call me up and say, "Hello teacher, I want to greet you!"Friends come in many forms. Our beloved Border Collie, Tessie, has made her first feline buddy. The two cats we had in Missouri were a little stand-offish. But this lovely cat -- dressed in black and white like Tessie -- enjoys the company .The two friends like to nuzzle each other. What more could you ask of a friend?Andrei was sad to learn that his friends from the restaurant where he has worked all summer would be leaving for school. He decided to bake them one of his spectacular cakes. This one is a Peterbilt semi.Awesome work, Andrei! I understand the cake was a big hit with the whole restaurant staff.
Sometimes a dad can be your best friend. This past weekend, Andrei and Tim went to a water park. Looks like dad was having more fun under the water-dump bucket than Andrei! The best part of my week was a visit from my dearest friend, Janice. We grew up in Kenya together, and we love each other deeply. Not only did we talk till all hours each night, but we found time to eat at an Ethiopian restaurant and the DeKalb farmer's market, watch a couple of movies, and totally clean and organize the sewing room.

I'm so grateful for friends of every kind. What would life be without them?

Gearing up!

2009-08-03T19:52:00.003-04:00

The Refugee Sewing Society is getting ready for an exciting new session! We're going to be sewing 300 tote bags and making cloth diapers -- among many other projects. An important step was learning to use our new sergers. Sandy, from A-1 Sewing in Atlanta, taught us the ropes . . . er, threads?
I was thanking the Lord for Sharon, who attended the lesson with me. She caught on fast -- a good thing because her diaper group will be using the sergers a lot.This little machine looks small and cute. Don't let that fool you. With four spools of thread, four needles, and a fabric cutter, the thing is a monster! Once we tame it, we'll be able to really enjoy what it can accomplish for our women.
I have been refining our diaper prototype. We hope to sell these diapers to refugee women as an alternative to disposables. Our diapers will cost a bit more up front, but they will save the moms SO much money in the long run. Putting elastic in the leg openings is a bit of a challenge, I discovered. Our advanced sewing group will also need to remember to cut corners. In sewing, that's a good thing!Please pray for all the volunteers and the women who will attend classes of The Refugee Sewing Society this fall. Thank you so much for supporting us!

Wedding Belles

2009-08-03T19:26:00.005-04:00

What a gorgeous wedding I attended on Saturday afternoon. The evening reception was just as lush and beautiful. Our dear friends, Sharon and Rich, were giving their sweet daughter into the arms of a truly wonderful young man.
I was sad Tim couldn't be with me as every aspect of the celebration honored Jesus Christ and the solid foundation He can provide for a new marriage. After 32 years, Tim and I can certainly affirm that.

Our friends held the reception under three large white tents. So lovely!
One of my favorite people -- also a favorite of the ladies in The Refugee Sewing Society -- Lucia was at the wedding! She always keeps me laughing . . . and inspired.
Flowers in shades of purple, yellow, and orange graced every table.
The cake was yummy -- of course!
I loved spending time with old friends and meeting new ones. As the reception party ended, everyone celebrated with the band's rousing performance of "Brown-eyed Girl."
Jay spent a year teaching school in Africa. Lindsay also taught in Africa one summer. Graduates of Wheaton College, they are not only beautiful young people, but they have a heart for sharing the grace of Jesus with the world. I can hardly wait to watch what God is going to do through this new husband and wife team. May He bless you richly, Jay and Lindsay!
An extra gift for me was spending time with Sharon's college roommates, The Belles. These seven women have been close-knit friends for many years, and they always celebrate joys and mourn losses together. Kay was my roomie for Saturday night. She's a beautiful woman with a warm and loving heart. I'm so grateful to know her.
With only one Belle unable to attend wedding, the remaining six spent a rousing time telling stories and laughing about their shared memories.
My heart was full to overflowing as I returned home to my own best friend . . . my husband Tim.

Family time

2009-08-03T19:01:00.005-04:00

My father and stepmother surprised us with a visit last week. Earlier, they had canceled a trip here due to family illness. But they were able to come after all, and we were so happy to see them. Dad is healthy and strong -- and as inquisitive as ever. He wanted to see Atlanta's sights, so we visited the Dekalb Farmer's Market, the Atlanta Zoo, and the history museum. At the museum, dad photographed and filmed everything that interested him. The old car and fire engine were amazing to study.I enjoyed a display about the work of architect Leila Ross Wilburn. We used to live on a street in Missouri lined with homes like the ones she designed.I used to say the houses looked like they'd been built by the seven dwarfs. Interesting to discover that a woman was a successful architect in the early years of the twentieth century!I was also interested in this booklet about the Baptist Home Mission Board -- now known as the North American Mission Board. My husband and I serve under this agency, which has a long and fruitful history.Though my dad and Phyllis extended their stay for a few extra days, there is never enough time to do all the talking and sharing I long for. We had a late Father's Day celebration for my father. The whole family went to Vikhyat for delicious Indian food. Then we returned to our house to celebrate with one of Andrei's cakes. I gave my dad a book about the early days of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), where our family lived for three years when I was very young. I'm so grateful God has allowed my father to live such a long and productive life. I pray he will enjoy many more years of good health and happiness. He's my greatest earthly role model, and I love him so dearly.

To market, to market . . .

2009-07-22T10:44:00.011-04:00

Our Wednesday market was a resounding success! We welcomed three different teams to the Clarkston Community Center. Each item purchased returns money to the refugee woman who created it.

We sold gorgeous afghans, throws, and doilies. We have beautiful baby blankets, too!
Our necklaces are always a big hit.People flocked to the rotating necklace display.
Our baby dolls with crocheted clothing and blankets attract young buyers.We still have a lot of winter knits -- sweaters, scarves, and caps. This red and gold beret found a new home!The knitting/crocheting class makes 100% cotton dishcloths -- great for scrubbing. You can bleach them, wash and dry them, or put them in the top rack of your dishwasher. And no bacteria!Sets of placemats and napkins are so cute!
Our aprons with large patchwork pockets can be used for cooking or gardening. Super cool!The market bags always sell well. They are made of recycled or donated fabric, and they replace plastic grocery sacks. We've joined the green scene.Every Wednesday afternoon during the summer, we open our market. It's been amazing to watch the generosity of buyers. I wish they could see the smiles of gratitude when we give our refugee women envelopes filled with money.

One woman took her envelope, opened it, then gazed at me in shock. "Now," she said, "now I can eat!"

Yay, team!

2009-07-21T14:57:00.004-04:00

Last week, we got a huge blessing. Two church teams visited The Refugee Sewing Society and helped us put our storeroom and classroom in order.Tim Cummins sent over a large group from Eastern Shore Baptist Church in Daphne, Alabama, and First Baptist Church of Bonifay, Florida to help us. Asante sana, Tim.

They titled themselves The Refugee Sewing Organization Society. Great name for a great bunch of Christians!Some of the crew tackled our classroom. We're gearing up for some big changes, so they helped us organize fabrics and remove excess supplies.We had a large bin of necklaces that had never been priced. This young lady priced and hung every necklace!In the storage room, the team took every single item out and began to organize in boxes and bins. The fabric and other materials filled three rooms and the hall before it was all sorted.Tim built two large shelving systems -- generously donated to our program in place of two Atlanta Braves baseball tickets. Sorry, Braves, but we're the winners in this deal! Both shelves were quickly loaded with fabrics sorted by color.
The team encountered things none of us expected. Zippers . . . zippers . . . and more zippers. Huge zippers!And small zippers. Thank goodness for this donated shoe cubby.
The team organized loads and loads of sewing supplies like buttons, patterns, lace, and all kinds of other doo-dads.Clarkston Community Center is air conditioned -- except in the storage rooms. This dedicated group worked hard in the heat. The team organized our yarn supply and filled two large shelving systems.Ta-dah! It's a beautiful thing.
With our storage room cleaned and our classroom organized, we're ready to begin our new session. I'm so humbled by the generosity and service of the Bonifay and Daphne teams. I can't wait to see what God has waiting for all of us!

Let's get together . . . yeah, yeah, yeah!

2009-07-14T15:51:00.008-04:00

Remember that old song from Parent Trap? We've been enjoying a lot of get-togethers this month.
We spent the 4th of July with our good friends, the Yarbroughs. As always, the food was delicious and the company was lots of fun. Andrei had to work, so we went out to Stone Mountain to visit him. Bad idea. With all the traffic backed up, we couldn't even get close to the park entrance. We ended up watching the fireworks in a church parking lot. I caught this photo of all 3 Yarbroughs texting during the show! Can you guess how exciting the display was from that parking lot . . .?The following Sunday, we had another of our church-at-the-swimming pool events. We really enjoyed the service. And where can you find a better potluck than in a church with members from all over the world?Our friend from Sierra Leone had been anxious about her upcoming cataract surgery. But on Sunday she was rejoicing at how well it had gone. She can see almost perfectly from one eye, and doctors will work on the other eye soon.
Andrei enjoyed visiting with Kathryn. We are all grieving the end of this year's term for our Mission Year friends. We'll miss them!
We also had a "thank you tea" for some of our friends and supporters. It was fun to put together a big high tea with all the trimmings.I was especially delighted to get to know Carol and Todd, who have been a huge help to us through this first year of mission service. Brian, on the left, works for World Relief. He always brings an interesting perspective.Now that our house is ready for company, I'm eager to invite more people over. Let's get together -- yeah, yeah, yeah!

I did it!

2009-07-14T15:22:00.006-04:00

The Refugee Sewing Society graduated all our students from this past session. Students were enrolled in Beginner Sewing, Advanced Sewing, Bead Class, and Yarn Class. When we handed out certificates, mass celebration erupted!We had a party with tea and cookies. Everyone was so happy! It's not easy to find joy, self-esteem, and satisfaction when you've fled a war-torn country. Some women have suffered more than our minds can grasp. The suffering doesn't go away just because they're in America.
The ministry of The Refugee Sewing Society is to help these precious women heal and find reasons for joy.
After the party and certificate presentations, no one wanted to leave. So they worked on various projects until it was time to say good-bye. My favorite moments occur when I get to watch students help each other. Here Jasoda from Bhutan shows Hinde from Somalia how to turn a hem.
Bahati made a cute set of watermelon print placemats and green checked napkins. I hope someone buys them soon!
If you've ever wondered what good can come of women sewing, beading, and knitting together, I think this photo is the perfect answer.I'm taking the month of July to complete a book and try to rest. The Refugee Sewing Society plans to swing into action in August. Meanwhile, I'm missing my friends!

Our cup overflows . . .

2009-06-22T19:12:00.008-04:00

We were blessed this week to welcome two short-term volunteers. Sarah and Karen provided such wonderful service to our classes . . . which were full and only got fuller as the week went on!
Our sewing machines get a real workout. We have broken nearly all our needles. The next time I hear a ker-crunk, I'll know it's time for a new needle. Hope I have some by then! I must say I think our students are exceptionally beautiful women . . .
. . . both inside and out!
Karen, seamstress extraordinaire, serviced our old machines and got our newly donated metal ones into shape. She sharpened all our scissors, too.
Sarah, an MK from Tunesia, enjoyed speaking Arabic to some of our women. It was really cool to see that interaction.
It seems like every session we get to enjoy watching one or more of our expectant mothers blossom. We're having a girl in September! Can't wait!
Kelly's bead class made our very popular "Bhutanese Wedding Necklaces."
This is a tried and true art form for our Bhutanese women. I love their work.
By the end of Tuesday's class time, I began to think our little room might explode! We were crammed with women, volunteers, and visitors. I get so much joy from times like these when the room is full and everyone is working and chatting.
Have you ever seen such beautiful ladies? Somehow Somali women are able to wear the most amazing color and pattern combinations -- and they always look perfectly gorgeous.
Wednesday's visiting time was spent in various homes. I don't always take photos on those days, because it can interfere with ministry. But I couldn't resist snapping this shot of two brothers from Burundi. Aren't they precious?
Back to the sewing room for Thursday's advanced class. I am always surprised when I realize that many of our students are on the floor!
Yes, the best place in our small room for measuring and cutting is that beautiful hardwood floor. But how do these ladies manage to crouch so comfortably? Wow! I wish I was that flexible.

I got a big surprise the other day. It turns out our quiet and lovely Brittany is a business whiz! She keeps the books for a missions organization. So she was glad to create spreadsheets for us. She'll be entering data, and the women will keep their own records, too.Father's Day on Sunday brought much joy. I got to have a long phone conversation with my beloved father, Harold Cummins. I don't think a girl could have a better father, and I mean that! I love you, Dad!

Andrei created yet another cake masterpiece. In honor of Tim, he made a tennis court cake, complete with a chocolate-on-graham-cracker net.
Now if you'll notice, its kind of hard to get a really genuine smile out of Andrei. Sometimes, even when he's happy, his "photo face" looks positively glum.
When he started telling a story at teatime, I whipped out the camera and got some pix of the REAL Andrei. What a wonderful young man God gave us.
That evening, we went over to our Somali friends' home. They were celebrating the upcoming marriage of a family member. The walls were hung with fabrics, including a big piece with writing from the Koran on it. Sofas circle the living room, and the women gathered around in their finery. Then they began to bring out the food! They set it on the mat in front of us, and we enjoyed every morsel. Andrei said, "I feel like I've gone to heaven!" This picture only reveals about half of the total spread. Amazing!
Tim enjoyed chatting with the newest member of the family. He's gotten so much bigger -- and what bright brown eyes he has. His face reveals a lot of alertness and intelligence already.
Thank you, my beautiful friend, for welcoming my family into yours! I love you so much!

Long time no see . . .

2009-06-22T17:48:00.007-04:00

Yes, I'm still here . . . and I hope you are, too!

These past two weeks have been crazy -- and loads of fun. So much fun that I haven't had time to update the blog. When you read this entry, you'll see why.

LUCIA CAME! She's one of the four founding members of the FABs, a group of friends with whom I've shared many years of joys and sorrows. Lucia, as you will soon see, is amazing, talented, and just slightly nuts!

My Tuesday got off to a great start with a busy"Beginner Sewing" class. In a nearby room, Kelly was teaching her bead class how to create necklaces with pendants. Very beautiful!
Things were going along pretty normally, when who should walk through the door? Lucia! Amid her usual bajillion phone calls, she unloaded a huge bag full of gifts for our classes. Wow -- wonderful beads and "findings," rotary cutters, extra blades, and all manner of great stuff. Lucia modeled a summer cap made by one of our women. It has a built-in ponytail hole, but Lucia felt it was worthy of a different look! On Wednesday, Lucia went visiting with us. She's an excellent potter and tile-maker. I was really excited to take her to meet a Burundian friend who loves to create pots, too.A few months ago, this woman was badly burned when some oil in her kitchen caught fire. Her right hand was the most severely damaged, and she has endured several surgeries to repair it and receive skin grafts. Lucia and I were thrilled to see how flexible her hand has become. Look at that pretty pot! She was proud to show off her work, and Lucia gave her some skin cream and clay to encourage her to continue her recovery.

Thursday arrived in fine style! Lucia made our Advanced Sewing class so much fun. She and Jasoda teamed up to tackle the neverending hat project.I made a big mistake choosing that pattern for our first effort! I thought -- small item, only three pieces, no problem. Wow, was I wrong! By the end of the 3 hours, Lucia and Jasoda finally put the top on the hat. Hallelujah!
Next door, meanwhile, Shirley's yarn group was hard at work. They are making some awesome things! I sure hope we can sell them for our women.Take a look at this summer cap. What gorgeous, lacy handiwork!One of our women brought her daughter to help translate. Due to space restrictions, we can't allow kids in our program, but it was fun to watch these two work together. On Friday, we all took the MARTA downtown to see the Monet waterlilies at the High Museum. Cokes, nachos, and a jazz band pumped us up for the show. It was amazing to see what Monet accomplished at the end of his life when he could barely see. Great inspiration for us! Beautiful Lucia not only helped our classes and loved on our women, she also totally redecorated our home! We had a blast shopping the flea market for basics, but when Lucia was finished, you would have thought everything came from a boutique! Thanks for everything, Lucia. I miss you so much. Sunday was one of those happy-sad days. Happy because our church met at the swimming pool for a baptism, the Lord's Supper, and a wonderful time of praise and worship. Andrei provided one of his fantastic car cakes. I had a hard time holding back tears as our Burundian friends told the congregation that they are moving to South Carolina. These two families form the heart of our Swahili/Kirundi service, but the husbands have found good jobs and more affordable housing for their large families. We'll miss them so much. Mungu akubariki -- May God bless you. Tutaonana -- We shall meet again.

Girls get the giggles!

2009-06-04T19:34:00.002-04:00

What happens when you put a bunch of girls together? Silliness, of course!Today in Advanced Sewing, Jasoda was working hard putting together a cute hat for little girls. We couldn't resist trying it on at various stages. Here, Jasoda adorned the hat with a pink rose crocheted by Hanaa, from the yarn class.
Brittany is ready for the cover of Glamor magazine, don't you think? Saraswati, the "sister friend" of Jasoda, admires the couture cap. When it gets its "lid" and goes on the the head of a 5-year-old, the hat will have found its purpose. Meanwhile, it gave great fun to a gaggle of girls.
Wednesday's visiting brought good stuff, too. Baruwani has a job! This father of 8 from Burundi has been unemployed since arriving in America last fall. I was thrilled to see him packing his dinner for the night shift he now works at an area chicken factory.
Oscar was chilling on the couch after returning home from summer school.
Kelly enjoyed all the kids in this family we have come to love so deeply. Joles helped her little sister, Imani, put on her pants the right way around. Even Imani is off to summer school these days.
Among my greatest joys this week was seeing my "Aunt Peggy" at the door of my classroom. Aunt Peggy and Uncle Al served the Lord alongside my parents for many years in Kenya. My mother and Aunt Peggy were best friends. My mom went dancing up to heaven several years ago, and I know she's so happy there. But I miss her. Aunt Peggy comes closer than anyone to filling the hole in my heart left by my mother.
It was fun to listen to Aunt Peggy speak Swahili to Bahati (from Somalia) and Gorette (from Burundi). They christened her "Mama mdogo" -- "Little mother." When each of my students hurried to give her a warm hug, my heart overflowed.

This was a good week filled to the brim with laughter, learning, and love.

He's got the whole wide world . . .

2009-06-04T18:13:00.006-04:00

. . . in His hands!

God created us in His image. I love to look at people's hands. How remarkable and amazing God made them. The hands of refugee women in The Refugee Sewing Society have had to do things we could never imagine. But America is different from the war-torn countries our friends once endured. Here their hands are cutting . . .
beading . . .
sorting . . .measuring . . .folding . . .
and stitching . . .
Beautiful Kuresho works very hard on her beaded necklaces and bracelets. Kelly is teaching the class how to create daisy chains using beads. When I gaze at this Somali woman, I am filled with gratitude that God allowed me to be a small part of her life.
I am so blessed to be using my hands on mission with Him.

The definition of normal

2009-06-04T17:39:00.004-04:00

Our year in Georgia has required 3 apartments, 5 moves, 1 house remodel, 2 swat teams, 5 gunshots, 1 stabbing, 1 fender bender, countless new friends and lots of laughter. And somehow in the midst of it all, we forgot what "normal" looked like.

Finally we realized that we are never going to "get back to normal." This life we are leading prohibits it. So we needed to find a new normal. This past Monday, we got to work discovering what our new normal looks like. Tim and I have always loved gardening together. We have built many a grand flower bower in our time. In Atlanta, we don't have the time or the money. Tim dug a 3x3 foot square near our driveway. We lined it with pavers while Tessie observed.We purchased a few perennials and some annuals. I chose this pretty golden yellow coreopsis. Tim selected the verbena.We dug our fingers into the mixture of topsoil and "Moo-nure" we used to amend the Georgia clay. Then we planted our small collection of flowers.
Our 9 square foot flower bed could never be called a "garden room." But we like to sit on the front steps and gaze at it. It's our new normal.

The week that was . . .

2009-05-28T22:44:00.008-04:00

I've had trouble getting back into the swing of missions. The events of this past weekend threw everything upside down. Finally today when I was hugging Annie, a young missionary friend, I began to cry. I needed that . . . and more. Please pray for healing for our whole community.

Meanwhile out on the mission field . . .

Kelly and I enjoyed a visit with one of our favorite families last week. This house is always filled with children.We love the kids. Can you see why?At the community center, my advanced sewing class is learning how to pin and cut patterns. Some of these women are just figuring out how to use straight pins, measuring tapes, and scissors. It was a laborious process, but they did very well. I'm really proud of them. We are making sunhats for little girls. They'll be so cute! And thank the Lord for Brittany. She's our wonderful volunteer on Thursdays. She helps both the sewing and the yarn classes -- as well as setting up and managing sales events. The yarn class, under Shirley, was busy picking colors and getting to work.To make dishcloths the correct size, we gave the women measurements in inches. Nope, they told us. THIS is the way we measure in Bhutan and Nepal.One of our students has a unique flair with her crochet! She brought in this glass goblet and the teapot and teacup she had embellished. What do you think?Very creative!
Sunday evening, Tim and I went to a Hindu wedding. Indira had met her fiance only once before the wedding!We were offered the opportunity to put sticky red rice on the wedding couple as a sign of blessing. Tim also bestowed a verbal blessing on the marriage.Several friends of mine from Jefferson City had given me beautiful tea sets to pass on to refugees as part of my ministry. We gave a beautiful set of four cups and saucers, teapot, creamer and sugar bowl for the wedding. Thanks, Libby, for sharing your bounty!I loved meeting up with friends I hadn't seen for a while. Remember Beena? She was our first sewing student. She got a job and could no longer come to class. But she has promised to call me "every Saturday." And I know she will!The food was yummy. Curried vegetables, rice pilau, pickle, and sweet rice with raisins. If you like Indian food, you would love this!One of the amusing things about my life among refugees is realizing that I am indeed the Jolly Green Giantess! All my friends and students are tiny little creatures. I tower over them! Like a mother hen, I can tuck quite a few pretty little chickadees under my wings. Sometimes I find myself walking down the hall with a whole line of chirpy chicks following along behind. And don't dare mess with my women -- or you will face the wrath of the Big Mama!
Tim and I drove over to the apartment complex where our young missionary friend was attacked. She has gone home to Kentucky now to continue her recovery. We were very touched to see this sign posted outside the window of the empty apartment where the mission team lived until this week.
I guess that's the essence of our faith in Jesus Christ, isn't it? As He said on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," we try to echo that grace and mercy with our lives among the refugees. Pray for all of us.

Trials . . .

2009-05-26T17:22:00.002-04:00

When we ask for prayer, we mean it.

I haven't written lately. This has been a hard time.

Just before Mother's Day, someone vandalized Andrei's apartment. They smashed two windows and slashed a screen. Nothing was taken. We are moving Andrei to another unit, but we feel uneasy.

Last Saturday night, a man entered the apartment where seven young missionaries live in Clarkston. One of the girls was alone downstairs. The man stabbed her in the neck with a knife and fled. The police think it was a gang initiation. She had surgery and lost a lot of blood, but ultimately, God protected her arteries, esophagus, and spine. Doctors say she will have a scar, but otherwise she will make a complete physical recovery.

Please pray for the other missionaries in her group as they try to come to terms with what happened. Also pray for the refugee community. They are very fearful now.

All of us are stunned and shocked by the violence in our community. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will protect His laborers in the field.

Graduation and other blessings

2009-05-19T22:02:00.009-04:00

God is good! We were so happy to travel to Missouri this past weekend to celebrate our son's graduation from college. We loved visiting our family and sharing many precious moments with them.Missouri State University is the home of the Bears.It's a huge university. They held three separate graduations ceremonies just to accommodate the crowds.What a fun day! We enjoyed it all from start to finish. Geoffrey earned a degree in digital film with a minor in screenwriting. Way to go, big guy!
After the ceremony, we went to Steak 'n' Shake. Geoffrey wore his robe and cap right into the restaurant.We were thrilled to spend time with friends and family members. The night before graduation, we had dinner with Geoffrey's two housemates, Cameron and Marshall. His girlfriend Kristy was home with strep. We missed seeing her!My dear friend of many years, Lucia, drove down from Jefferson City to have lunch with us. She always fires my creativity and gets me thinking in new directions. I'm praying she'll come to visit us in Atlanta very soon!We had a total blast with the McClure family at their Lake of the Ozarks condo. Not only did they put on a grand dinner and breakfast for us, but Sharon got us all laughing right away. When she sat down in the "spare" chair -- a camp stool -- and sank nearly to her chin, we all collapsed in gales of guffaws! Oh, how I love my friend Sharon!
On Sunday morning, we had the joy of worshiping at our home church, First Baptist Church, Camdenton. Our pastor invited us to share an update on our ministry. We heard a great sermon that relit our fires! And we rejoiced to spend time with many precious friends. Virgil and Norma -- encouragers, friends, supporters, family in Christ -- took us to lunch. What fun!The best part of our trip was visiting family. We got to stay at the home of my father, Harold Cummins, and his sweet wife, Phyllis. They are happy together, and I loved seeing my dad looking so healthy and young. We all miss my mother a lot, but we're very glad God put Phyllis into our family. I was so excited to carve out a few hours with my beautiful sister, Libby. She flew in from a conference on Sunday evening and met us for breakfast on Monday morning. I gave her a necklace made by one of the women in our program. When we're apart, I really miss my sister. We are very different, but we share a past that no one can ever understand -- except the two of us.And speaking of family, Duce the cat has been living with Geoffrey since we moved to Georgia. We're glad he has a good home. He was feeling very fat and sassy. It was fun to snuggle him again.
I took some photos of old pictures I found at my father's house. This one is my parents on their wedding day. Here's my mother not long after we arrived in Kenya. How about those cat's-eyes glasses? Maridadi sana! Very beautiful!Who is this little girl in her pretty sari? Oh, it's me! When I look at this photo, I understand why God gave me such an unusual life. From age 3 when I lived in Bangladesh, through many years in Kenya, the Lord was preparing me for ministry in Clarkston, Georgia.

Tim and I are so grateful for our son and his accomplishments . . . for our beloved family . . . for our loving friends . . . and most of all, for our God.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Oh, what a beautiful morning . . . Oh, what a beautiful day!

2009-05-07T20:09:00.006-04:00

I picked up my precious Somali friend, Hinde (above), this morning at 8:30 for our market event at Intown Community Church. She and our volunteer, Brittany, helped set up the tables and arrange our wares. We are excited about our $10 market bags . . .
and our scarves, aprons, jewelry, and dishcloths.
The women of OASIS Bible Study welcomed us to their end-of-season brunch. I enjoyed worshiping with them and hearing their testimonies. They supported us by donating fabric and yarn and by purchasing well over $200 worth of Refugee Sewing Society products. Thanks, OASIS!
I rushed back to the community center where women were already assembling for "Advanced Sewing" class and "Yarn Group." My heart soars when I see these women helping each other measure, pin, and cut.
Today, Dhaka taught a lesson in making market bags. She is the Queen of Market Bags! Today she sold $40 worth of bags. Yay, Dhaka! She hopes to purchase a sewing machine of her own, and I'm so proud of her.

Indira demonstrated typical Bhutanese style work stance: "the squat." How these ladies fold themselves down and then get back up again so gracefully I will never know!After the women measured and cut the fabric, they set to work sewing. Please pray that we will find a way to pay for repairs to our sewing machines. One is already broken, and others are acting cranky. We try to keep them oiled, but they get a LOT of use!
Over in the yarn room, another of our wonderful volunteers, Shirley Thomas, was working with 13 students. That's a bunch -- especially when they speak at least 6 different languages. But they listen well when Shirley speaks! Our two Iraqi students helped each other with knitting basics.Hanaa (below) can knit and crochet very well!
Other women put their skills to work making baby blankets and dishcloths.I really LOVE those 100% cotton dishcloths. You can wash them, bleach them, put them in the dryer, or launder them on the top level of your dishwasher. No more icky, nasty, bacteria-laden sponges! We sold a bunch of dishcloths at our morning market.

Saraswati was in our bead class during our last session. She has chosen to join the yarn group for this 8-weeks. I love to see the women migrate from one group to another!As the day wound to an end, three lovely young women from Temple University popped in for a visit. To our delight, they went shopping!Each woman purchased a necklace -- and it so happened that the makers of the necklaces were in the sewing room! Radhika (on the right) helped arrange hair and necklaces for her customers.But she wasn't too happy to find her necklace UNDER the woman's collar. Immediately she decided to set things straight. That necklace had to go on the OUTSIDE where it would show!That's better! A satisfied necklace-wearer and a happy beadmaker!
Jasoda is one of our most delightful students. She always has a smile, and she was thrilled to sell her necklace to one of our visitors! The Refugee Sewing Society always has satisfied shoppers. Thank you, ladies, for your kindness and generosity.I have to end with this photo. I always tease Nar because every time I get out my camera, she is ironing. And her hair is always draped over her face. Finally today I got a shot of this beautiful young woman. Hi, Nar!
Many thanks to everyone who purchased items from The Refugee Sewing Society today. We are honored to support these women who have suffered so much in their lives. And thanks also to our blog readers. We take a lot of encouragement from your comments and emails. Bless you!