Crafts with the girls!

Okay ladies, this one is for you! Remember the red metal frames that you had when you were a young girl, and the colorful loops that came in a bag by the hundreds? They were used to make pot holders! Remember? Well, now that I’ve taken you down memory lane, I do have one more question to ask you. Remember how easy it was to weave the loops up and down, over and under alternate loops on the frame going in the opposite direction? Well, now here’s the biggie? Remember how difficult it was to tie them off? It seems as if the last side was the most difficult. The loops came off the frame, they began to unweave, there was a mess to fix, and we called either Mom or Grandma to come help? Well, let me tell you from first-hand experience (today!) that things haven’t changed a bit! They are still rather challenging to tie off.

A year ago someone sent a bag of loops to the girls at Pat’s Place. They didn’t know what they were for. I recognized them immediately and told them I would get what was necessary to use them as soon as an American came to visit us. Well, I wrote to two different friends from two different teams that were planning on visiting. Sure enough they found the kits and bought them along with extra loops. So, today was the day to teach the girls how to make pot holders. It was a perfect day. No school. Teacher’s work shop day. Cold, grey, and cloudy outside.

I invited the four oldest girls, Sayra, Milligras, Angela, and Cinthia to come over to our apart-ment this morning and they began to choose their favorite colors. The weaving was a little confusing for one, but soon everyone caught on and the looms were ready to be tied off. I told them the craft got harder near the end. But throughout the weaving they said it was not difficult – it was easy! I used the time with the girls to try to explain that our lives are like the project they were working on. It starts out simple. It gets more complicated, even frustrating, and at times falls apart. But just as we call for help when making a pot holder, we can call for help in our daily life -- Jesus Christ is that help. They agreed with me. I know they have all heard it before, but I take every moment I can to sow seeds into their lives. Today was one of those days.

The girls chose to make a second pot holder each. The first was made with random colored loops in a repetitive pattern placed on the loom. The end result was a colorful square, without a pattern, but lots of color. When they began the second one I encouraged them to make a more distinctive pattern. And, they did! They had nine blocks of colors, some solid and others two-toned. These really turned out pretty. It was another opportunity to share how our lives can be more enjoyable when we plan ahead and that Jesus Christ has a plan for each of us.

Before they left the house, the girls posed for pictures and were all smiles. They were glad they had the opportunity to spend time at Papa Don’s and Momma Joy’s house. They were happy to finish their craft project. They enjoyed digging into the candy jar more than once. I just hope they learned not only how to weave and make pot holders, but that when they see their finished item, they will remember Jesus has a plan for them and their life and it can be a colorful and beautiful!