100 Hats

Working with yarn is fun! This year, I have a goal of knitting 100 or more hats to give away by mid November. If someone asks for one in the meantime, they can have one.

So far, there are 40 finished hats to give away. I'm working with a chenille type yard for the 41st hat and it is difficult to work with. I might use the remaining chenille yarn to crochet scarves instead of for hats. There is plenty more yarn of other types in my stash.

Why am I doing this? 1. I enjoy knitting and making things. 2. I have lots of yarn available and it does no one any good just sitting there. 3. There are low income adults and children that will benefit. (Acts 9:36, Matt 25:36, 1 John 3:17-18 and many more)

It's good to think about how we can use the things we have and the things we enjoy doing to serve the Lord.

On Mission Wherever We Are

A while ago, a lady asked me if we had a newsletter about what we were doing. We did not and she was the first person I remember ever asking. We have been to many countries and taught English at an inland university in China for four years. We love to tell about our experiences.

Given that my husband and I are both ordained ministers who have served in churches, people who know this are curious about what we are doing now. Are we continuing to minister? If so, how and where? Do we intend to go back overseas again? We are not pastors of churches and, while we would love to go back overseas some day, today is not the day. In the meantime, we are living out our call at home. Much of what we do here, we might do on some mission fields. It has to do with the way you think, believe and live your life. Being a Christ follower is our identity. It is more than what we do, it is who we are.

This newsletter is a little bit about primarily my day to day life as a believer and follower of Christ. I love missions and I seek out both the people and the projects related to it. I'm not going to include everything in life so, if you have a question, you are welcome to ask. Many days aren't going to look a whole lot different than any other believer or caring individual.

Recently, I had fun buying several items on sale for something called Christmas in July at church. They are collecting toys, clothing and practical items for women and children at Harmony House, an abused women's shelter. The items collected will be given to them in December. It's not specifically a Christian group but many who help are Christians. So far, I've given them about 15 items. Pretty decent. Others have donated and the table of donations is filling up. Jesus said to remember the widows and the orphans in their distress. These are women and children on their own, poor and abused, needing someone to care. They are the kind of people who followed Jesus and the kind he had compassion on. Life's not fair.

There's another group called Well of Life that gives food and necessities to the poor that the church supports. They collect food and necessities, plus they need doubled plastic bags to give out the food in, especially to the homeless or those without cars who must walk or take the bus. I'm thrilled to be able to give them the plastic bags. It's a far better use than recycling them at Walmart. While I am happy to be a good steward, it isn't going to get me any stars in my crown. It's just a nice thing to do. Giving in all its forms, and helping the poor, is consistent with what Jesus taught.

There are so many good and worthwhile things to do. The question is, which ones do you choose? No one can even come close to doing everything. For the Christian, it is good to reflect on why we do what we do. Which scripture are we obeying when we make our choices?