Three weeks went by and there was no work for the women. Finally, there was a glimmer of hope! Paul wanted 500 more masks, which means the ladies would sew 500 for him and 500 for Rwanda.
On Thursday (16th), I got to go with Luc gitenge (fabric) shopping!! What a JOY! If you’ve ever been to Africa, and to a market, than you might be rolling your eyes at that previous statement. Most people do not like being bombarded. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad. We went in the late afternoon. We were looking for material that had some pinks, blues, and purples. Luc and I would find material, send a picture to Glenda, and then she would pass it on to Paul who would give us a yego (yes) or oya (no) for if he liked the design. This was different than most shopping trips where team members would just go and pick kitenge. Two and half hours later, we left with about 11 pieces of fabric in a variety of colors and patterns.
On Friday, Edison (one of HOPE’s teachers) and Jacky (one of HOPE’s top graduates from a previous class), came to trace and cut gitenge so that on Monday the ladies could begin sewing! While they did that, I laid out the gitenge and tried to figure out which color lining should be used with which fabrics, and also the thread colors. I had help from Pamela, one of the volunteer team members who has played a crucial role in this whole project.
Monday came and the ladies were so excited to be back-even if for a short amount of time (who wouldn’t be excited about earning a little bit of money?!). They worked hard for the next 4 days. I again resumed my post of helping out by greeting the ladies in the morning, taking temperatures, telling them how many to cut of each fabric, and counting masks at the end of the day.
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There is no project for this upcoming week, but there is a possibility of another short stint in progress. Some samples are being sent to Canada for an organization (Not in my City) to decided if they would like our ladies to make masks for them. Please keep praying for opportunities to keep showing up!
On Friday, I was able to visit one of our women who had to stop sewing with us because of her impending due date. She was so excited to have some of the team come visit her. Baby, mom and dad are all doing just fine 🙂
The Lord continues to provide these women with HOPE even in the darkest of times of not always having food, an income, or knowing what the future holds. These women continue to radiate joy. And it’s only because we can trust that the Lord will work things out and worrying doesn’t add anything to life.
