Rags To Riches!

March 23, 2010

After several setbacks with this project, I'm basking in a moment of success. We knew we were making a difference with many women in terms of their own personal growth and confidence, we knew they were improving the quality of their product, what we didn't know FOR SURE was: will these sell well??? I took 22 rugs to my Bible study group of about 50 women today, sold 11 of them and the girls made $426.00 of PURE PROFIT!!! Oh, minus a box of paper clips to be exact:) We sold some rugs and some jewelry on the night of the exhibit & graduation (see photos) and now we are at over $600.00 sales. I'm so thankful for this God inspired idea which looks to benefit these women so much. Thankful too for youtube where I learned to make them myself! I'm developing friendships with several tailors, two of the Pakistani, who are so much a part of this too. They save their fabric remnants and are now welcoming me with big smiles when I show up to collect the trash bags full. They work long, hard, hours in tiny shops where the low ceiling supports another floor crammed full of sewing machines & men bowed over them. They seem to be so happy to help someone a few steps below them on the ladder.

Our "graduation" celebration was a sweet time. It was lovely to see the work displayed all over the room and to have guests come and share in their success. There was confusion of who actually got the gold embossed certificates, signed by the labor attache. These documents are highly coveted and proudly embraced by this culture it seems. We wanted them to be meaningful, but then it was hard to draw the line of who could graduate...if they missed one class, two classes? This time we have made a contract for them to sign up front that states requirements for graduation, expected work ethics (don't keep or give away what you have made:) and guidelines for managing their resources. We ALL learned a lot this first go 'round!

The top photo is me with Yoli, the welfare officer with the impossible job. She works unbelievable hours and always seems very stressed and rushed. She came to the event and stayed after the ceremony for picture taking and ended up laughing & goofing off with the "wards" and it was such a fun evening in a place so filled with sad stories. She said she felt no stress at all that night.

The fact that all their fabric had to be thrown out due to an infectious skin condition of one lady, one of the dear ladies had to go to jail in order to get to return home instead of her agency buying her a plane ticket, quarrels over who would get the limited fabric when I began to bring more, "loss" of jeans taken to them to make purses, and missing jewelry making supplies....we have much more to celebrate than be discouraged over! I pray God will give us the ability to "seek first to understand before seeking to be understood" just as we are teaching them.

Rugs & Rich Rewards

I just finished condensing the many pages of feedback our students at the shelter wrote for us. All but 3 wrote in English which was perfectly understandable although it is their second language. I am overwhelmed with joy at what God is doing here in the midst of such dire circumstances. It is what I hoped for, but I'm not sure my faith was great enough to yeild this. After Wednesday, we will be ready to start selling the products. I pray they will be enthusiastically received. The photo is of some of the rugs scattered across my floor where I've been steaming & tagging them today. When we went this week for the last class of this session, they proudly took me to a room which the managers had emptied out just for them to work in! This is a miracle, as space here is SO tight. They were wall to wall women and rugs with the fabric all piled in a corner. The gals making jewelry had their beads all hung up from a hat rack they found and it was beautifully displayed. I'll put up more pictures soon; most were not on my camera. Here is what they had to say:

“On my first few days here, life is very boring, but when I learned to make rugs, I turned those days fruitful and make myself productive to my fellow wards by teaching them the skill, instead of wasting my time gossiping.”

“The 7 Habits very important for all the housemaids here in OWWA because they help us forget some of our problems and they teach us to do the things that no need for money, like how to make the rugs.”

“It makes us more proficient upon solving and tackling the obstacles that may come to our lives. Now, we’re confident enough to face and encounter everything that lies ahead.”

“I’ve realized that God is good for He bring these people in our lives, to have hope all the time despite of all the trials we encounter each day.”

“With this course we enjoy the days here in POLO, hope it will continue to the next generation.”

“I’m so happy that they teach us how to be strong and a fighter to our lives. They also teach us to be more creative and to think more of our future, by teaching how to make bags, using the rules, also making jewelry using papers.”

“In this rug making course we don’t have work this can help me to earn money because my age there is no available work. Through this rug making I make and sell to help my family.”

“It can help me earn my way of living. I can earn money to get extra income, in making rugs, jewelry. What I have learn I teach then other friends, to share my knowledge. I am very happy cause now I return back to my nation, I’m not afraid cause I have ideas how to earn money by using my ability.”

“I am very eager to know something idea from somebody, because I want to learn more as what they learn to add my talent. In this way I can move on to not working as domestic helper. I want to make a small business.”

“We planning to put a business with my friends. We are very lucky to learn this skill because this is a good and easy job. Thank You.”

Desert Campout

February 27, 2010

So, a Hindi, a Buddhist, a Mormon & two Christians all came together for a party in a Muslim country...Sounds like a joke waiting for a punch line? No, it's just Emily's 16th Birthday celebration in the Kuwaiti desert, just shy of the Iraqi border off the I80 where troops pass back & forth. There was even a big sign on the road as we neared the border "God Bless the Troops."

I can't wait to see what God is preparing my kids for when I see the paths he leads them through. Emily's girlfriends were discussing spiritual matters in the wee hours of the night under a sandy, moon dusted night in the Gulf, while a watchful Bangladeshi Guard secured our campsite. Emily has delighted in rather "unusual" birthday parties from the age of 4 when she had a pretend wedding party. This year, she longed to experience the Bedouin-ish lifestyle of desert camping which is a huge part of Kuwait culture from Nov-Mar each year. Thousands of otherwise sane people, abandon beautiful villas for tent cities that resemble refuge camps. This "getting back to nature" makes us laugh--how much "nature" is their when all you see for miles is sand??? However, just outside the city in every direction the desert is dotted with camps; each surrounded by tires "planted" vertically in the sand to mark off individual dwellings.

One of Robert's colleagues heard that we were having a hard time finding a place to rent and offered his family camp over the Prophets Birthday when many people flock south to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This friend is one of 9 brothers who share a camp site off the road to Baghdad. The fully equipped site had many tents; one large one with a squat toilet attached, a kitchen with running water and a generator with lights strung from tent to tent. Emily's girlfriends arrived for the sleepover full of excitement for the unknown. She & Ethan had already found a carcass of a 15 inch poisonous lizard in the sand. While "sledding" down some sand dunes in the area, they discovered a scorpion with a golden, translucent body known to be highly poisonous here...I tried not to think about how easily the girls could have been bitten as they carried a piece of abandoned cardboard they planned to use for a sled, only to discover they had transported the scorpion as well. We have since discovered that the sandy, dusty weather brings them out.

Other "entertainment" included a massive foam & silly string fight, in keeping with the spirit of liberation and National Days: Feb 25-26. These back-to-back holidays celebrate Kuwait's Independence from Britain and it's liberation from Iraq. This occasion has a reputation for rowdiness, to put it mildly. Vandalism and dangerous behavior are more accurate...this year, 11 teens died over the holiday. To our delight, most of the other campers in the area seemed to be black veiled women & children. We ran to investigate when we heard horns blaring and got caught up in a parade of Kuwaitis who were just as intrigued by us, as we were of them. The teens rode on the running board of our host's driver's jeep (something NO decent parent should allow!) while 8-10 other vehicles drove randomly on the sand with tons of kids and teens stacked on and hanging off. We exchanged friendly fire of silly string and foam under pressure which is sold for this occasion in copious amounts...I just happened to bring a bag along! Some people stopped for a close-up photo, others jumped off and ran over to give our kids Kuwait flags to wave. We followed behind with Molly in our vehicle taking photographs. Only one kid tried to spoil the fun by intentionally foaming Molly's camera. Otherwise, this was a sweet exchange of goodwill. They were happy to hear we were American and we were thrilled to get an inside glimpse of this desert-dweller life.

In the afternoon as we were eating in our "dining tent" we felt the wind whip up. The tea boy (this is what they call the men hired to take care of a place) began closing tent flaps to protect us from the blast but we had to experience our first sandstorm. As pins & needles lashed at my exposed skin I imagined hauling this whole crowd back home for the balance of the party, but thankfully, it died down to just a dusty haze.

Robert & Ethan were fantastic to share their Boy Scout skills and knowledge with us, they even made warm dump cake topped with sparklers over hot coals in the sand...yum! I pre-cooked BBQ beef and sides. Fireworks after dinner lit up our night sky and we sat around the fire with the tea boy communicating with us in broken English. The girls retreated to talk, Molly went to sleep in her own tent in preparation for her trip to the states, and Ethan had to pitch his own camping tent in spite of the many large tents at our disposal. The evening cooled off but it was quite cozy in our sleeping bags.

After a breakfast of fresh fruit & S'mores, we packed two car loads of gritty girls & gear and returned to Kuwait City. This was another memorable teenage party; I was very thankful Emily has managed to make such super sweet, smart, caring, quality friends. They clearly adore her, and seemed to tolerate her quirky family quite well:)

Voice of Truth

This morning I got a call that my dear, sweet friend who was wanting to help me with the work I do at Embassy shelters just lost her husband in yet another Kuwaiti car crash...two little boys, so far from home. Her husband worked for Chevron, they too are American. I've sobbed and yelled at God & spewed bitter angst at this country for this needless tragedy that keeps recurring. Finally, the refrain from this song quieted my spirit & reminded me that I have to choose my response.



But the Voice of truth tells me a different story

the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"

and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth (Casting Crowns)



We had our 7 Habits class tonight at the Philippine Embassy shelter and I went with a heavy heart; the wonderful attache who had been so supportive of our work left suddenly and was replaced with a new guy (Mr. Vidal) who cancelled all ministry programs in his first week in office. When I sat down with the Welfare Officer tonight, I learned we were included in the "axe" but we would be allowed to finish our class next week, just no celebration/expo at the end, and no more courses.


I asked if I might meet with Mr. Videl's wife, who I'd met on another occasion. Yolly said she would try and arrange a meeting and suggested I bring him a proposal of what we do. Around 7:30pm, I was ushered upstairs to meet with Mrs. Vidal; I brought Becky with me and we were soon sitting in the Attache's office with BOTH of them, and Yolly was summoned as well. It was soon clear that he assumed we were part of those who were doing"evangelicalism" and did not realize our goals were the same as his goals for his Filipino "wards." He saw no value in the programs the church was offering; he only wanted to equip the ladies for life back in the Philippines. After much discussion, we were given the green light to continue our program, as well as his full support for the special celebration we were planning to recognize the ladies achievements and exhibit their work! Praise God for his favor, I am humbled once again.

When we returned to the women downstairs who were by then, setting up to work on the jewelry & rug making, there was much cheering & joy that we would be allowed to carry on. They are sad at the loss of the church services and we pray he will will have a change of heart. I feel an even greater responsibility now to realize we are the only Christians allowed access in a place so full of need. I feel woefully inadequate to be in this position but it's so clear to me that this is HIS work, I just get to tag along. He keeps bringing me people who are qualified in ways that far exceed my gifts. When I was tempted to panic over what seemed to be the loss of something dear to me, the Voice of Truth whispered "I love them even more, trust me."

Fear is such a powerful, ugly force and it can paralyze. It's tempting to think conditions here (traffic fatalities, low health standards, environmental pollutants, lack of good medical care, government corruption, etc.) are more threatening than other places but I know this is not true. Talking to my friends in the states, the economy is pretty scary too...not to mention life in Haiti, Chile, the list goes on. For my broken hearted friend here, and to my sisters scattered across Europe & the States, we just gotta listen to "The Voice of Truth."