today thomas and i went to the A-21 safe house for traffiked women and hung one of our quilts donated by valerie from oxfordshire, UK on the dining room wall. valerie's quilt was so festive with reds and greens that i asked her permission to hang it on the wall there. the fabrics were flower prints so the quilt will remain year round but is also perfect for the christmas season. the girls were thrilled to get our gift and thomas was eager to put it up for them. the 3 girls there and i had our first lesson on sewing binding and they are eager to help with more projects next year.
so we will gather one last time before christmas to deliver the last of our precious treasures -- tuesday morning, december 21. we will take 25 quilts to the orphanage, άγιος στύλιανος and divide the rest between an orphanage in the village of tagarades that has 3 infants and 4 toddler aged children, 10 for poor families with infants that the salvation army is serving this christmas, and the rest will go to the red cross for poor families with infants that they are serving. altogether we had 60 baby quilt donations from various locations -- cyprus, athens, pireaus, thessaloniki, katerini, england, tennessee, texas, and ohio!! thanks to you all for your generous hearts and hands. may God reward you ten-fold. the last 4 of the 60 are missing in action -- probably casualties of the christmas rush and the greek post office. i'm sure they will surface eventually. we will finish them up as they come in and be sure to find good homes for them.
i'm sure you all feel as i do . . . . that my christmas this year will be richer for having been a small part of this project as we together have spread the love and real meaning of christmas to as many as we could reach. i have attached a picture of thomas hanging the wall hanging at the safe house. for obvious reasons we cannot take pictures of the girls there or any pictures that would render clues about their whereabouts for their own safety.
i will post more photos of our deliveries after tuesday and our slide show on the home page will show all 56 of our quilts so be sure to check them out!!
BABY QUILT MESSAGE:
MY PRAYER FOR YOU
I pray that one day you will know and understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made by God and that He loves and desires you. -- Psalm 139
I pray that you will be sensitive as God leads you daily to knowledge of Himself through the world around you. -- Romans 1:20
I pray that some day when you learn about sin and the evil in the world you will choose to have faith like a little child. -- Romans 3:23, Matthew 18:1-6
I pray that as you grow you will be encouraged because Jesus Christ died and was raised from the cross for your personal sin and the evil in this world. -- Romans 5:8
I pray that you will not be afraid to be broken and humble, and allow your own personal sin to lead you to a heart of godly sorrow resulting in repentance and confession with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
-- Psalm 51:17, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Romans 10:9-10
I pray that as Jesus loves and desires you that you will in return desire to have an eternal relationship with Him through faith and be assured of the salvation in you through His Holy Spirit that lives in your heart. -- John 17:3, 1 John 5:13, Ephesians 1:13-14
I pray that one day you will understand God’s plan for your life -- what He prepared for you before time began. -- Ephesians 2:10
“For I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. -- John14:6
THROW SIZED QUILTS:
MY GIFT TO YOU
Is not this precious quilt that I have made for you, but my gift is a prayer. I pray that every day this quilt will remind you and encourage you to think about God and His love for you. I pray that the Truths written here will shout louder than the lies the world tells you. I pray that you will believe that these Truths are written for you – a letter from God. Read them every day and let them be your guide.
Know that you are wonderfully and fearfully made by God and that nothing in this life – no power, no force, and no sin can separate you from His love and His desire for you. (Psalm 139)
Know that when you are feeling the most unworthy and when the reality of your sin seems to consume you that Jesus Christ is here with you. Even before you were born He saw you from the cross and He died for you so that you could be delivered from evil. (Romans 5:8)
He has an amazing plan for your life but you must choose it for yourself. God said that if we would seek Him with all of our heart, He would find us and we would know Him. (Jeremiah 29:11)
The truth is, we are all sinners in an evil world and our sin separates us from a relationship with God. Because Jesus died for us on the cross while we were still sinners we have hope. If you ask Him, Jesus can give you the courage and humility to admit your sin – you must search your own heart. If you are broken and honest, your sin will bring sorrow to your heart and this sorrow will lead you to repentance – a change in your life direction. A decision to surrender your life to Christ, confess that Jesus is Lord, that He died and rose again from the cross for you will save you and in that moment all of your sin, past, present, and future, will be hidden by Jesus so that you can have an eternal relationship with Him. He will place in you a guarantee of that salvation called the Holy Spirit. Salvation is His gift to you and it can never be taken away. (Romans 3:23, 6:23, Psalm 51:17, 1 Corinthians 7:12, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 1:13-14, John 1:12, 1 John 5:13, John 10:28-29)
Know that the enemy will lie to you even after Jesus has saved you. His battle will be through the thoughts that He will put into your mind. He will accuse you of your sin but you must listen to the Holy Spirit in you. You must take every thought and make it a prisoner to God’s Truth. Read His Word every day. This is my prayer for you – that you will know this life and this Truth will set you free. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)
The Quiltmaker