#lookingforbeauty

I started doing something a couple years ago after we moved to the mission field in Mexico.  At the time I was feeling so overwhelmed.  I knew I had to stop and fix my eyes on Jesus and one way I found to do that was to look for things that were beautiful in my day-to-day life. I also found that if I took a picture of it I would probably remember it.  God prompted me to intentionally stop to recognize something beautiful so that I would remember His Goodness, His Greatness and His attention to detail.  And so I started #lookingforbeauty.  There have been times when I’m out for a walk that I’ve been so captivated by something beautiful, it literally takes my breath away.  In the beginning, the things that captured my attention were flowers and things in nature. (The lizards that run on their back legs get me every time.) But recently the moments that take my breath away are filled with women and children who I’ve grown to love. These also are the moments that I want to remember, the moments that give me hope… hope that keeps me doing the work God has called us to here in Mexico.

Sewing on paper

Recently we had a Master seamstress (Heidi Duncan) come and teach sewing classes to eight women in Tres Reyes.  From the first day I could sense their excitement and yet they were timid, and afraid to make mistakes!  As the class progressed, it was so great to see them shed their timidity and to see them laugh and encourage each other as they learned this new skill.  One hope we had for them as they learned this new skill was that mistakes do not have to hinder you or stop progress.  In fact, we learn from our mistakes – and we can learn how to fix them. 

We had no idea how the women would respond to the class.  We told them if they attended 5 sessions they would receive a small bag of sewing supplies.  We wondered, will they just show up for the 5 sessions and then be done?  Oh no. We were so surprised when they didn’t want to stop.  Every day (for 15 days) we had to be the ones to tell them it’s time to quit and go home.  They were like dry sponges….soaking up Heidi’s wisdom!  They did a crash course on basic sewing skills. Now they know how to repair their clothes and they are considering items they can make to sell to mission team guests. 

serger machine

For you to understand the impact of this class you need to know a little background information.  Last year we met with 30 women from Tres Reyes who shared openly about their lack of opportunity in Tres Reyes and their lack of education. Many of them struggle with low self-confidence and self-worth.  Fast forward to now when I see the beauty of these women and their smiling faces. I hear the sound of all of the machines working and the women busy sewing their bolsas (bags) with their names embroidered on the front.  And I see little Valentina running up to me to show me the Barbie dress her mother made her.  I find beauty in these moments.

As part of the classes we took the women on a field trip to the local fabric store. Since there isn’t one in Tres Reyes we had to drive.  (This in itself was a new experience for this group of women – to travel together in pursuit of fabric.) We showed them how to look for fabric, and other things they would need to sew for themselves.  Fabric stores can be intimidating and so we wanted to help them learn how to navigate purchasing items.  A wonderful thing happened along the way….the women laughed together, encouraged each other and community was built.

In Timothy Keller’s book: Generous Justice, he describes justice as a beautiful tapestry woven together.  “It becomes a tapestry when it’s woven over and under and around.  To do justice means to live in a way that generates a strong community where human beings can flourish – it means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members are falling through the fabric and repair it.  The only way to reweave & strengthen the fabric is by weaving yourself into it.  Reweaving shalom means to sacrificially thread, lace, and press your time, goods, power, and resources into the lives and needs of others.”

At the last class we wanted the women to know the reason Heidi came to teach them. We explained that it’s because she loves Jesus, that she donated her time and money - traveling to Mexico and bringing many supplies - all to teach them a new skill, so that they would feel empowered, and so they would know they have a God-given creative capacity.  One by one with tears in their eyes the women expressed their deep gratitude to Heidi for coming, for believing in them that they could learn and for teaching them a new skill that will help their family. 

fixing her husbands pants    -     women helping women -    learning to use an embroidery machine