Maid Service

The wonderful thing about having my neighbor's maids here was that I got to teach them to "knot." Anne made a purse, and Venge completed this beuatiful rug in about 5 days working a few hours a day. She had such an eye for color; from a pile of old sheets, a curtain, a shirt, and few scraps I had, she came up with this lovely piece of work. I am so proud of it! I asked if she wanted to keep it or sell it and she insisted she was making it for me. I had to get creative to find a way to give her the money I wanted her to have.

The best thing was being able to have a sample to show her "sisters" at the Filipino shelter. This inspired them so much to see how lovely rugs could be! This week I actually took Venge along to help me. She was so happy to be of service but so heavy hearted to see what women from her country were experiencing. She got to go up to the sleeping quarters where outsiders are not allowed; she said women were curled up trying to sleep everywhere, even on the stairs.

More beautiful, creative bags were presented to us again this week. Several women shared the mission statements they wrote since the last class and we were so moved by their ability to re-imagine a future so different from their present. Some of them were beginning to grasp that they could take these ideas and build a business for themselves once they return. They were asking very good questions and we want to be able to bring in a qualified speaker to address these topics. We told them about a place in Uganda where the women of the village began making these beads and selling jewelry and it has transformed the lives of the entire village. Hope is a very powerful thing.