Praise the Lord! Hope Quilters felt almost normal for our October meeting since we only did a Zoom meeting in September. The room was full of quilters making Joppa blankets, sorting fabric, and making kits. The pile of quilts we turned into our mission partners was just like old times. The only real difference was that everyone was wearing masks. Ok, no hugging either but being together in person felt just about as good as a big old bear hug any day.
Our goal was to finish up the JOPPA blankets and we did it! We made 74 of them!!! If there are a few still to be finished, feel free to drop them at the missions office when you get them done. Just label them for JOPPA.
Twenty-three children's quilts were delivered to Bidwell Riverside Child Development Center. This is a Hope mission partner but we have not shared quilts with them before. Contact was made to them to see if small quilts would do. They were thrilled to receive our quilts. This group focuses on younger children in daycare and preschool.
We had two masculine twin-sized flannel quilts that are doing to Door of Faith mission and thirteen more that will go to LSI. What a great feeling to see the work that you've done for others. And thanks to those who helped to deliver quilts. Any of you can get involved if you'd like. Just pipe up at the meeting.
There was so much joy at being together again this month. Despite the troubling times we are facing, we know that we are to look to the Lord for our strength and guidance. We are blessed to have each other and our prayer is we can all put on the armor of God and be a blessing to the world. Leaving you with an excerpt that was read at our meeting:
Dear God, please make us dangerous
women.
May we be women who acknowledge
our power to change, and grow, and be radically alive for God.
May we be healers of wounds and
righters of wrongs.
May we weep with those who weep
and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.
May we cherish children, embrace
the elderly, and empower the poor.
May we pray deeply and teach
wisely.
May we be strong and gentle
leaders.
May we sing songs of joy and talk
down fear.
May we never hesitate to let
passion push us, conviction compel us, and righteous anger energize us.
May we strike fear into all that
is unjust and evil in the world.
May we dismantle abusive systems
and silence lies with truth.
May we shine like stars in a
darkened generation.
May we overflow with goodness in
the name of God and by the power of Jesus.
And in that name and by that
power, may we change the world.
Dear God, please make us dangerous
women. AMEN
~Excerpt from Lynne Hybels' book Nice Girls Don't Change the World
