Sewing :)

No one came to our team with as an especially accomplished sewer, and as far as I'm aware none of us have high hopes of becoming a seamstress. Never the less, we have found ourselves sewing and sorting clothes all week long. 

The week began with us making rounds to the various homes in Sarah's Covenant Homes and sizing all of the children for clothing. We then sorted through the piles of donated clothing that SCH has received and organized them according to size and gender. Then came the real fun.

Every article of clothing; every pair of jeans, every Punjabi, and every onesie had to have a tag sewn into it. The tags were color coded according to their age and gender category. 

I can't tell you how many times we broke needles, poked our fingers, knotted thread, or even accidentally sewed onesies to our pants. As I said, none of us brought a talent of sewing to this team. But we did bring our own talents, talents that passed the time and kept up spirits despite the difficulty or monotony of our work. 

Tory brought a servant's heart, an unbelievable want to help people in any way she can, that inspires us all to work as hard as we can. Hannah brought an unrelenting and often contagious joy. Joy that keeps our spirits up as we sew tirelessly. Cheyenne brought laughter, so much laughter, to the room as we worked. None of us brought the gift of needlework, but the gifts we do have are so evident, and so present as we work side by side. 

Sitting in the room with my teammates sewing all week has been a blessing. Initially I wasn't that excited to tackle this project. Sit inside and sew all week? No thanks, I'll go play with orphans instead. But God has shown me so many ways that this is working for him. 

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them." - Matthew 18:20

Being in that room with these girls; Laughing with them, sharing testimonies, playing silly games, crying with them, and just learning about each other has been beautiful. I can see the different ways that God has blessed us each, the different talents and strengths he's given us. I can also see the reasons he's brought us together. 

"I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me... as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me." - Matthew 25:35 & 40

If I'm honest, yeah, I'd probably rather continue to hang out at the homes and play with the kids. Selfishly, that is a more satisfying way to spend my time, and it has a more immediate and tangible impact. But the truth of it is, the home needs these clothes organized, and they just don't have the man power to get it done. All of the children will receive new outfits, and the workers at the home will have a much more efficient way of distributing and keeping track of clothes. We've been able to labor over, laugh over, cry over, and even pray over the clothes that the children in the home will receive. 

The week has been long, and I look forward to next week when we can distribute these newly organize clothes to the children at the home, but I am grateful for this week. This week has been one of growth in our team, allowing us to spend time learning about each other. This week has been one of reflection, praying for the children that will receive these clothes. And ultimately, this week will have been worth is when we see the joy on the children's faces next week when they are given their new set of clothes.