Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, Matthew 28:19
The following was written by a team participant who went on our recent trip to South Asia.
On August second I set out with a group of women to teach sewing on the other side of the world. I spent a lot of the year leading up to this trip learning how to sew in order to go and teach. I don’t think I’ll ever forget stepping into the room on Monday morning where all the students were waiting, smiling at us as we entered, with eager eyes to learn. Nerves that I didn’t have before started to build, but that was mixed with so much excitement to get to know these women. Returning students got to hug their teacher they had in January again, then we all had a devotional and got to work.
Our teaching manual starts with “Using a ruler” as the first lesson. We began by making sure the students knew how to find all the important sewing measurements on a ruler. After a couple other lessons, we ended our day at the sewing machines for the first time and the excitement was high! There was laughing and big smiles as they started to learn how to use a treadle machine and actually do their first stitches.
We started every morning after that first day with a devotional and checking in to see what people were learning. The overwhelming response after the first day was that they were so excited to have learned how to use a ruler. They were thrilled to have gained knowledge of such a useful skill. Throughout the remainder of the week, they held that same excitement over all the different skills that they learned. This covered hems, casings, making a skirt, making a pair of boys pants, learning how to use and trace a pattern, and making a women’s blouse.
The feedback we kept getting throughout the week was “we didn’t know we were capable of learning a new skill so quickly”, “Our teachers told us we were stupid and unable to learn.” Many of the women had some education and could read and write. Others had quit school either to help their family or because the education available to them was a very strict and was an unkind learning environment. We spent the time discussing what worked with their learning environment this time that was different and more successful than times past and how they can use those things as they turn around and teach their neighbor or people in their community the skills they had learned.
It was a beautiful experience watching these women recognize their potential. I learned so much about resilience and following this calling God had placed on them to learn and then teach people in their community even after the difficult experiences in their previous learning environments.
As a homeschool mom, I have tried to teach my children in a way that suits the unique way in which God made them. In Asia I realized that my calling to teach needs to expand past my children. I saw how necessary it can be to share the joy of learning something new with others. I was able to witness God redeeming these women’s stories as they learned the skill of sewing. I’m grateful that my story got to overlap with these amazing women. I’m hopeful to be with them again one day and hear about the work God is doing in their lives and in the lives of the people they work with in their various communities.
Trip Schedule 2024
- OCTOBER 4 – 13: LIBERIA – extraction
- OCTOBER 12-20: THAILAND – extraction, dental hygiene, vision
- NOVEMBER 14 – 26: NEPAL – extraction, vision
Trip Schedule 2025
- JANUARY 10 – 19: GHANA – extraction, vision
- JANUARY 17 – 27: sewing I
- MARCH 1 – 9: MUMBAI – extraction, dental hygiene, vision
- MAY 22- June 2: PAPUA NEW GUINEA – partial dentures II
- JULY 25 – AUGUST 3: UGANDA – extraction, dental hygiene, pastor training