.: Mission Crafts

Handmade Crafts for Sale

Available in the Mission Connection Center and in the bookstore on most Sunday mornings.

When you purchase one of these handpainted boxes, stuffed animals, scarves or clothing items, you're helping a family in Africa, Mexico or Bolivia become more finacially independent.

These are wonderful gifts for family, friends and teachers.

Please Help Our Neighbors Help Themselves

Our neighbors in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and Santa Cruz, Bolivia have learned skills that help these destitute women find meaning through creating something beautiful and supporting their families. However, if there is no market for their projects, their families will continue to suffer. Please support these missions that feed the bodies and souls of hard-working women of these areas by purchasing the handpainted wood crafts and scarves in the St Andrew Bookstore today.

If you would consider supporting these ministries by selling handpainted scarves or wood crafts in another location, please contact frost_laura@comcast.net for Bolivian scarves, or jcollinsworth@jcollinsworthpc.com for Mexican wooden crafts.

Hope † Bolivia

Kathy and Terry Waller are missionaries in the rural village of San Julian, Bolivia. An agricultural missionary with a creative and ingenious spirit, Terry has developed low cost water well drilling technology, as well as a "club format" for neighbor helping neighbor, that uses low cost materials to manufacture well drilling equipment that can literally bring fresh water to entire villages who have previously had access only to contaminated run-off water and infected streams. He shares his technology freely in many underdeveloped countries and is constantly improving it and demonstrating it via web sites that are easily searched by those looking for "water wells."

As Kathy describes it: "The families around us live in houses made of boards with dirt floors and thatch or sometimes tin roofs. Most of these families are refugees from a flood which took place several years ago but since they no longer own any land they live hand to mouth just working for other poor people on their lands, selling fruit juices in town, washing clothes for other people, etc. In other words they are poor, poor, poor." Therefore, Kathy has worked to develop a process of finding a way to allow the women of the area to provide income for their families by hand painting beautiful scarves for sale in the United States. Kathy and these ladies have organized a women's group they call HOPE † Bolivia which stands for Hermanas Obreras Pintando con Esperanza, or "Christian Women Workers Painting with Hope". This name is on each scarf, and below the name is a scripture reference that inspired the design on each individual scarf.

These women are truly eager to work and earn an income with dignity. "There are two women who really need the money who wanted to join the club but I had to tell them a definite no on Wednesday night. One of the ladies cried. I suggested that she learn how to make paper and then she can make it at her house to use for the tags for the cards…The other lady has some painting experience so I suggested she learn how to do the finish work on the scarves which actually works out better for her since she lives in the country and has to come a long way to work. The touching up she can do at home except she doesn't have a table (the things we take for granted!!!!) so I gave her Marilu's wooden puzzle back to use temporarily."

"ALL THINGS NEW" MINISTRY - REV. 21:5

This small group of ladies, most of whom St. Andrew had built houses for on mission trips to Nuevo Laredo, meet at their pastor's church several days a week to make small crafts to be sold in the US. Elizabeth Morales is one woman who is now a part of this group. Her family, after receiving a home from St. Andrew, was soon forced to sell the land to raise money for a kidney operation for their oldest son. They borrowed money to pay for a less expensive piece of land and moved their St. Andrew home. They worked hard to earn enough to make the land payments of $50 a month, but it was hard to pay for medicine and take care of the boys when they only earned $50 a week. Jobs became scarce and the father went several weeks without work. They had to choose - food and medicine or land payments. Once they got behind, it was impossible to catch up and before long they were in danger of losing their land and the St. Andrew home.

The ladies work, laugh and pray together. Not only is this mission saving homes and families, but it is building self esteem and empowering a group of women who had no idea that God had a plan for them….to share their faith through designs of hope. Each craft is full of a mother's hope that they will not lose their home, that she can buy medicine, clothes and food for her children and fill the water barrel outside their home so they can wash and cook that week. Each brilliant color reflects her Faith that when the Lord comes again, He will wipe every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away. And He will make All Things New. Each brush stroke is a whispered prayer of Love...for you...for giving them Hope. Gracias.

The women of Nuevo Laredo and San Julian are, despite their deep poverty, a joyful people. The French poet Leon Bloy said, "Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God." Surely the Lord is in this place. Please support their efforts by purchasing their crafts for gifts or as a way to bring joy to your own home … and to the homes of these women.