Chile Mission Trip Team Perspectives February 3, 2009

Buenas Dias from San Fernando.
For pretty much a week now you have been getting the news from our trip from just one perspective, mine. So today we asked some of the team members to write their thoughts and I would publish them. The first is from Julie Bailey who was part of the Curico Sewing Project.

The sewing project with the ladies in Curico turned out to be more than we had originally envisoned. Our plan was to teach some sewing skills and the use of electric sewing machines to a group of the church women, who although had sewing machines which had come as part of a mission trip three years earlier, were not in use now.
The project evoled into a plan for a cottage industry in which three women who were skilled seamstresses, agreed to teach the other church women to sew, using the church sewing machines and supplies. All would participate the fabricating some craft items for sale with the profits realized being used to purchase materials for use in personal sewing projects for their families.
The women were excited about the vision; they chose officers and set up a schedule for meeting beginning with three times per week during the summer months. We saw it as a great time for fellowship and a natural opportunity for evangelism as the women invited non church friends to share in their sewing skills.

From Susan Patterson: The ladies from the local church came to learn basic sewing skills. There were a lot of experience levels with the most skilled assuming the roles of "maestra" or teacher. This certainly helped with the language barrier. The project was making basic hand towels with a lace trim. Some of the ladies decorated them with bows and scraps to further embellish their towels. We suggested the ladies to make the towels and other decorative items to sell to help finance the classes. From Pastor Nydia I learned people from this area feel no one cares about them because they are so poor. We were able to show them that God cares about them by sending us to Curico to work with them. We are truly "Sisters in Christ!"