Blessed Again!!!

God never fails to surprise and amaze me.  I hope that many of you also enjoy this benefit of a relationship with Him!  Our sewing group has been featured in the online publication of The City Wire!  What an honor and humbling moment.  I am so glad that others will see how to make a difference no matter what happens.  That good will triumph if they allow it to in their lives.  And, I hope that those of you a part of this ministry realize how very, very important you are to the lives you touch, to me, and to God.  Thank you.  This article is to bless you!  Check out www.thecitywire.com/node/26058 when you get a chance and I hope you smile!

January 2013 Work Meeting

A new year has started and we had a wonderful group of ladies that joined together that first Saturday.  It is such a time of joy and fellowship getting together to work on things for the babies of ACH.  We were able to prepare a large assortment of blankets and hats ready for sewing.  The preparation is the part that takes the most time.  When we have a group join together, we really knock out a lot of work!  And, it is great to visit as we get the work done.  For those of you unable to join us, we appreciate all the support you give and the prayers you lift on our behalf.  All together, we make a difference.  Over these next few weeks, a lot of sewing will be done and our February meeting will be able to be an extremely fruitful time.  The result will be a bounty of love delivered to ACH at the beginning of February!  Seems fitting as it is the month of love as Valentine's Day approaches.  Until we meet again, I hope that you have many times to show God's love to those around you and that your heart is full of blessings.  See you February 2!  We can watch for the groundhog together! :)

Blessings

I want to take a moment and share blessings with you.  God has a way of surprising us when we say "YES" to the ideas and plans He has for us.  The last few weeks, God has been busy, and as a result, we will be too!  

First, we have received donations of boxes of fabrics to use for shirts.  These are not just a few pieces.  These are beautiful and precious fabrics that will bring such joy to the families receiving the shirts made from them!  We will be able to make hundreds of shirts from these fabrics!  They will be so wonderful to give!!!

Next, God provided money to purchase flannel!  This means beautiful beds for the babies to lay on in the CVICU.  I want to share what this means.  It is important.  Imagine you were having a little one on the way.  You decorate the nursery.  You buy the cute sheets and bedding for the crib.  You have to because there are so many cute items out there and you want the sweetest and most precious for your little one!  Then, you find out that your little one will be spending the first part of their life in the CVICU.  Although it is an amazing facility with an amazing staff, it is not home.  It is not your planned and beautiful nursery and crib.  The items you have purchased will not fit or work in this hospital room.  You are now in a white and sterile room.  And with the stress of the situation it is a very hard time mentally and physically.  Then, one day you are given a flannel receiving blanket made by someone because they want you to know you are not alone and you are loved.  You get to use it as the sheet for the bed instead of the white that the hospital uses!  It changes everything.  Your little one is now laying on a pretty and cute bed.  Somehow, a piece of "normal" has come.  For a moment, your little one is just a sweet baby and not a patient.  You couldn't afford to buy these larger receiving blankets to fit the bed, but now God has provided one for you.  Your heart is blessed and you get a special moment of joy.

This ladies, is what our ministry is about.  Making a difference for those that are hurting, lonely, and worn out.  Letting them know that they are loved.  Letting the staff know that we are there to help them give the best to the little ones.  It changes things ladies.  Although I pray you never have the first hand experience of receiving the items we make, I hope you get to experience the joy that you make a difference!  Every little item we make, every few moments we spend, it all makes a difference.  Together we make a big difference.  And with God's blessings we get the joy of making an AMAZING difference!  I hope to see you Saturday!

A Wonderful Christmas

I never cease to be amazed at what is accomplished when God brings women together to bless His children. In just a Saturday morning, we were able to make and wrap up SO MANY items!  We were able to deliver to the CVICU at ACH the following:  16 1st Christmas blankets, 24 blankets, 32 flannel blankets (used for sheets to have pretty beds), 24 crocheted/knitted hats, and 6 more shirts!

Please take some time and really check out the photos.  One of them will simply make you smile.  It is a picture of Miss Emma.  Her mother gave us permission to post her photo here to share with all of you.  Emma's first outfit is one of the shirts we made and delivered in October.  Emma is just one of the many families you bless when you become part of this ministry.  And, we look forward to blessing many, many more families!!!

The other photos are there for you to see the finished products and all that we had the honor of delivering.  The sweet shirts, the fuzzy hats, and some red hats topped with white pom-poms!  The blankets of all types were an overwhelming blessing.

Christmas is a special time.  It is the celebration of the greatest gift of all, Jesus.  Because God was willing to give us such a special and tender gift, we get to go to Heaven!  We get to be with those that arrived there before us and with as many of you that are willing to accept this gift.  Although our gift to ACH cannot compare with the gift that God gave, I believe it makes Him smile deeply to know we are loving on His little ones here.  And, it is the hope that those at ACH dealing with such hard times and uncertainty know that the gift they received is because they are loved.

May your Christmas be special this year.  Thank you for your love and willingness to be a part of us.  You make such a difference for these families.  Thank you.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming and we want to make sure the babies (and their families) in the CVICU of ACH have joy on that day even in the midst of hardship.  This Saturday, Dec 1, is our work meeting at my home.  For directions, please email me!  We will be working from 9-12 and you can come for all or part!  We pray for many hands and workers as we have several projects to complete for delivery on Dec 10.  There are simply not words for what a blessing you receive when you are able to bless others.  That is the point of loving Christ and celebrating Christmas and His birth.  I hope to see you there!

October 2012 Work Meeting

Our work meeting was once again a blessing!  We had some new faces to enjoy and lend their talents.  God continues to be amazing with the people he brings together and what they can accomplish.  With the few hours of time we were together, we wrapped up so much!  And, the delivery was amazing.  

Over this past month we had some flannel donated which allowed us to have some additional blankets for the babies!!!  As you may know from previous posts, the flannel blankets are used to cover the bed as the sheet.  This gives a pretty bed for the baby to lay on.  Words cannot describe what this means to the families as well as the staff caring for these precious little ones.  As you would expect, when a baby is on the way, you decorate a nursery and prepare with beautiful blankets and bedding.  In a hospital setting, this "decorating" becomes quite limited and the joy of doing such a step is stolen.  By providing blankets to use on the beds, the babies again have a beautiful bed to lay on and a sense of "normal" resumes.  This is needed and appreciated so very, very much.  Please note that although we could buy finished flannel receiving blankets to donate, they are not large enough to cover the bed.  It is for this reason, we take the few minutes required and make the blankets.  As you consider ways to be involved, please consider donating some flannel.  We won't waste a bit of it!  It takes a yard to make a blanket to fit the bed.

During our delivery this month, we were blessed to get a tour of the new unit of the CVICU by the awesome and special nurse Diana.  The wing had opened the end of July, but we just hadn't had a chance to see it yet!  The new rooms have a place for the parents to sleep in the room with their babies.  What a difference this will make.  These parents won't know the pain of having to leave their baby to go rest.  What a blessing!!!!

We were able to deliver 50 hats, 54 shirts, 40 flannel blankets, and a fleece blanket!!!  Wow!  And, when you look at the pictures you are going to love the prints!  All sorts of animal print shirts were delivered giving a "fun" moment for families.  Make sure to check them out as they will be uploaded today as well.

Next month we will be meeting in my home.  Please message me for directions.  By meeting at the house, we do not have to spend time setting up and taking down that could be used to complete items.  And, the money we will save for not renting a space can be used for more flannel!  I hope you will be able to join us even if just for a little while or to simply fellowship with us.  It is my prayer that the message of this post blesses you and inspires you to know that everyone is a Difference Maker and it only takes a little bit to make that difference!  See you November 3!!!

September 2012 Work Meeting

Every month I am amazed by how much can be done in just a few hours.  And, because of the efforts of you, many babies and their families will be blessed.  Over the course of this month, we have received some fabric donations we are using.  We are also still working on sewing the shirts the awesome kids from Lifesource cut out for us!  We will be working on those for a bit longer.  They were very productive over the summer.

With all of us working together and each doing a part, we get to make a wonderful impact.  We have over 20 shirts, 35 hats, and 15 blankets ready to go to ACH.  They will be delivered this month.

Next month, we get to work on more together!  I hope many of you can join us.  We will be at the Jones Center.  Just look for the group called The Extra Yard the first Saturday of the month from 9-12.

I leave you with this thought from Mother Teresa: "You can do what I cannot do.  I can do what you cannot do.  Together we can do great things."  Each of us have talents to offer.  Come and share or discover yours!