It takes faith, to believe in something bigger than yourself. To give unconditionally, simply because you know that someone else needs it. To love a child you’ve never met, in a country you’ve never visited. To give hope, to an orphaned child.

Eren is back from her trip to Nicaragua and here are the pictures you have been waiting for. Breathtaking.

For all of you who participated in project 2. Having just heard of Craft Hope, but feeling a calling to participate. Trusting your instincts. Taking time out of your busy day. To make a doll, or a few, for these children. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you to Eren. Who graciously contacted me about the dolls and the orphanage. Who trusted me to help spread the word to all of you. Who counted dolls, read notes, traveled hundreds of miles to be with the children. To be a witness.

Thank you to all of you who blogged about Craft Hope, put a button on your sidebar, told a friend, rallied your troops. Thank you.

I, my friends, am just a servant. You answered the call. You spread hope to these beautiful children. You continue to believe in Craft Hope. And for that I am forever grateful. This is just the beginning. We are making a difference.

Now hurry over to Eren’s blog and read about her travels with the dolls. Her testimony is life changing.

]]> http://crafthope.com/2009/07/faith-hope-love/feed/ 36 http://crafthope.com/2009/06/405-dollies/ http://crafthope.com/2009/06/405-dollies/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:45:51 +0000 jade http://crafthope.com/?p=220 As Eren witnessed all of the dolls arriving on her doorstep, I thought she’d be the perfect person to summarize the impact you all made.  A huge thank you to Eren for guest writing this beautiful post…

The Craft Hope deadline has passed.  The dolls are in.  And boy are they IN!  405 sweet dollies have arrived from all over the U.S. and 12 countries including Australia, Canada, Brazil, Morocco, Japan and Scotland.  They are now getting to know each other and readying themselves for the next leg of their journey to Nicaragua.

And the notes…  the notes that came along with the dolls have been just as amazing as the dolls themselves.  Notes from three year old little girls and notes form 76 year old women.  Some of you rallied your sewing or craft groups to participate.  Many of you made dolls with your children and used this project as a way to talk about poverty and those with less and how we as God’s people are in some way the answer to that calling.  And some learned to sew for the first time through this project, using the creativity that God gives each of us to bless someone else.  One woman made two dolls in honor or the two sons she is picking up at an orphanage in Africa this week.  And one woman who thought she was not going to be able to have children found out she was expecting the day she finished her doll.  She considers her doll to be a witness to her miracle and hopes that the doll’s new owner gets whatever miracle they are praying for answered as well.  How wonderful in that?

We had hoped for maybe 30-40 dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage.  But you all blew me away with what arrived on our doorstep.  We will not only have enough dolls for all of the Casa Bernabe Orphanage (leaving some with the staff for the children yet to arrive), but we also have enough to take with us when we visit a daycare and feeding center in the Managua city dump (La Chureca).  So please know that the doll you made WILL find a home with a child who will love it.

In preparation for our trip, our group meets regulary to study and prepare our hearts for whoat God is about to do during our time in Nicaragua.  Throughout the Bible, Jesus compares faith in him to that of a child.  In Matthew it says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…”  Most of these children do not smell like sweet baby lotion.  Many of them have come from very dark pasts full of abuse, extreme poverty and filth.  They come from nothing.  And are extremely appreciative of anything we bring to give them.

Now think about it… “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives ME…”  These children are Christ in the flesh.  They have been persecuted as he has.  They have been beaten up by the world as he has.  They are Christ.  So think about it for a minute.  If you were preparing for a trip where you were going to meet the creator of the universe itself, what would you do?  Other than go shopping for a new outfit and get your hair cut, you would probably prepare a gift.  And you would probably agonize over if it was the right gift, the perfect gift, the best gift you could give.  You would not offer Him the holey t-shirts we no longer wear, or a mismatched set of sheets that your grandmother gave you eons ago and are now about threadbare.  Or old tired, worn out sneakers your children do not wear any longer.  We tend to think that it really doesn’t matter what we give to orphans, that they will be appreciative of whatever they can get.  And they are.  Believe me.  But as the givers, we are called to them our very best.  I give my children the very best I can.  They deserve my best!  These children are no different.  They deserve the best!  Don’t they deserve the best food?  The cleanest water?  The softest bed?  The prettiest doll?  They deserve the best.  Christ deserves our best!

Looking at these dolls spread out over my living room, I really want to cry.  I want to cry because I know that these children will be receiving the best.  These dolls are amazing.  Each one of them.  Every box we opened, we oohed and aaahed over the little flowers that this one had in it’s hair, or look how this one has a blanket with it.  Or this one has the prettiest fabric I’ve ever seen.  It is so clear that those of you who made dolls for these children, took extra special care in planning out each detail of how you would paint or stitch the eyes or accessories to go to it.  They truly are a reflection of your hearts and your regard for these children.  And HIM.

Thank you for your work.  Thank you for your time.  Thank you for showing Rina (one of the childcare workers) that her efforts matter.  Thank you for showing my own children how powerful God’s people can be when focused on a common goal.  Thank you for being Christ in one small way to these children.  Thank you for everything friends.  From the very depths of my being, thank you.

I don’t leave for Nicaragua for two more weeks, but that will give me plenty of time to pack them up and then work on my own packing.  And of course, I’ll be posting while I am down there.  So stay tuned, this is only the beginning of the story God is writing.

Thank you again for being the hands and feet of all that is good in this world.

Oh!  Very exciting things have been happening here at Craft Hope.  We have big news.  Big, big, big news… but I can’t tell you just yet.  What I can tell you is that word of Craft Hope is spreading and the result of that is simply beautiful.

I have begun hearing stories of people whose lives have been touched through this process.  And they are on the giving end.  The mailman who is delivering all of the dolls to Eren.  He happens to be a Nicaraguan gentleman that sang praises when he found out what the dolls were for.  He also vowed right there to find a way to give back to his home country and is currently searching for mission opportunities.

These beautiful girls who have a craft club, and together with their mothers made eight dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage.

It is pictures like these that bring tears to my eyes.  It’s the giving of oneself.  The unselfish act of taking time to help those less fortunate.  THAT, my friends, is why we are here.

Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time.

I would love to hear your story, see your pictures.  Please email them to me at jade@crafthope.com.

Many of you are emailing and asking if there is still need.  We currently have sixty two dolls in our possession, with over three hundred women signed up to make dolls.  Boxes of dolls are coming in daily.  The need at that specific orphanage has been met, but we will find homes for all of the dolls in Nicaragua.  If you think you can make and mail the dolls by June 13th, by all means do it.  If you are feeling led to participate in this project, by all means do it.  If you’d like to hold off and wait for Project 3, we will announce that on June 14th.

Look at all of the beautiful dolls and doll quilts.  Thanks to all of you for spreading hope to these children.  You are incredible women.

The dolls are arriving and one by one they are joining their doll friends for the adventure of a lifetime.  Handcrafted by the beautiful women and children of Craft Hope for the children in Nicaragua.  Thank you so much for believing that you CAN make a difference.

What a blessing.  I hope you all know the difference you are making not only in children around the world, but children whose lives you touch daily.  I have received numerous comments from mamas that have included their own children in the process of making dolls for other children.  What a gift you are giving them.  Passing on your values, your compassion, your love.

If you are anything like me, you need to look at several patterns before you find just the right one.  And just in case two doll patterns weren’t enough to help get you started on your doll making, One Crafty Place has come up with a plethora of patterns just for you.  I hope this helps as there are some super cute dolls for every skill type.

Please let me know if you blog about this project.  I’d love to read it and share it with others.  By your words and actions you are helping to make a difference in this world.  One doll at a time.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Blessings friends.

Speaking of dolls, these sweet angels were the recipients of Craft Hope’s first project.  We made pillowcase dresses to send to the Pan de Vida Shelter in Mexico.  Look closely, all of the girls are wearing their dresses!

Some of the dresses were made into shirts, depending on the need.  Such sweet, sweet children.

A huge thank you to those of you who joined Craft Hope on it’s maiden voyage and made dresses for these children.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also, it’s still not too late to join our second project, making dolls and sending them to Nicaragua.  You have until June 13th!  If you are interested in participating, simply leave a comment and I’ll send you a follow-up email with specific information as well as the shipping address.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Now onto Project 2.  I’ve got a few projects in the works and as summer approaches, so do travels to the orphanages around the world.  Fasten your seat belts, this is going to be one awesome ride!

{project 2}

Many of you know Eren from Vintage Chica.  If you don’t, pop on over and say hello.  She’s one heck of a gal, a native Texan I might add, and writes a pretty rockin’ blog as well.  Eren is our resident (in the blogosphere) missionary and has traveled to Nicaragua for the past several years to work at an orphanage.  She is going again this summer and has called upon the wonderful peeps that have joined the Craft Hope cause to craft up a little love to go with her.

Before I tell you what we are doing, let me give you a little background on the children we will be helping.  Eren travels with the ORPHANetwork and will be heading to a little community on the outskirts on Managua, Nicaragua.  The orphanage is called Casa Bernabe and they house children from the ages of 4 to 18, boys and girls.  They are currently working to not only feed and clothe the kids, they are starting to really focus on their psychological and emotional health as well.  When the children arrive at the orphanage, they literally have nothing and we would love to give them something that is “theirs.”

Craft Hope is working with Eren and the ORPHANetwork to provide handmade, soft-bodied dolls for the children.  Many of the children come from abusive situations and the dolls will allow the children to develop the mothering and nurturing instincts that most little girls have.

Here is what we are needing…   Of course, the dolls must be handmade.  We will need girl, as well as boy dolls.  We ask that the dolls have brown hair and brown eyes, since we would like them to resemble the children they are going to.  You may use any pattern you like.  We have found a couple of patterns if you don’t already have one, the Black Apple doll pattern and also this one.  There is a short-cut button to the pattern in the sidebar.

If you have never tried sewing a doll, it’s okay!  Just give it a shot.  We aren’t looking for perfection, we are looking for the love that goes into making the item.  This is also a good project to get your children involved.  You can even put a little heart inside the doll.  Be creative, it’s your creation that will be loved no matter what.

The deadline to get the dolls to Craft Hope is June 13th.  

Please let me know if you are interested in participating by simply leaving a comment.

Eren has spoken with a woman at the orphanage and let her know that we are making dolls for them.  She was in tears and raised her hands in praise.

Thank you all so much for all you do.  You are making a difference in this world.  One child at a time.

Give hope.