I think if we are being honest, many of us tend to shrink back from even the slightest attempt to change the world. Making a difference seems daunting, doesn’t it? We think, “how could anything I possibly do or say make any impact on the world at large? I’d rather not even attempt trying. It will go unnoticed anyway.” Luckily, this gloom-ridden mindset is not the collective mindset of a group of women who meet each week at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tullahoma. Optimistically and faithfully, they meet each week to sew Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilts. For them, in their tiny corner of the world, every stitch makes a lasting impression.
Susan Gross and Sharon Martini, two of the leading members of the quilting ministry at the church, shared that the group began locally over 30 years ago. Gross said, “This particular group of women we have now has been meeting for several years… probably about 12 years. We are very active. We come every Tuesday at nine o’clock and do our quilting for a few hours. This year we made 182 quilts after all of those Tuesdays of meeting together. It was our biggest number yet, and we were thrilled!”
After Gross and the group of ladies finish piecing together all of the fabric layers and sew them together, they have in their hands beautiful, hand-crafted quilts.
Then about once a year, the group will send their quilts, made with love and covered in prayer, to those with the greatest needs, locally or globally.
Gross shared, “We take directions from the Lutheran World Relief, which is a part of the Lutheran Church Organization. They keep us informed about what’s going on and where the greatest needs are. When we finish our quilts, we take them to a place near Franklin, Tennessee, where another church combines their quilts with ours. Then a large truck from the Lutheran World Relief comes and picks up the quilts before shipping them across the globe and dispersing them throughout many different countries.”
The Lutheran World Relief has contacts with many different countries. Last year alone, the group served 24 countries. Gross shared, “We can’t send to every country in the world, but they [Lutheran World Relief ] ensure the quilts get to the places where the greatest need exists.” Some of the countries [that] quilts were sent [to] in years past include Angola, Armenia, Bosnia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Romania, Rwanda, Syria, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Gross shared, “Over 500,000 people benefited from the millions of quilts that were donated from our collective group.” What is fascinating to consider is how many different groups have gathered together in small pockets of the world to contribute to this massive effort. The smallest of contributions, consistently given over a period of time, can yield results beyond what is imaginable. Fifteen women in Tullahoma have not only seen this come to fruition but also have felt the joy and satisfaction of knowing their actions have made a massive difference in the lives of others.
Gross confirmed this, saying, “We are up to about 15 members now, and they are all so enthusiastic about it. They just love coming and doing it! Most of the women are people from our church, but other people are surely invited to come and help out. And the type of quilting that we do is not very complicated, so there have been some people who come that have never quilted before. The whole thing has been really rewarding.”
“For me personally, it’s very rewarding to hear about where the quilts go and who they help. But believe it or not, the people who come are also very blessed by our efforts. Many of our quilters are widows or simply live alone, so they love getting together and doing something useful with their time, yet still be connecting with people. While quilting, you have lots of time to talk because you’re using your hands to do the work. So most of them don’t like to miss a Tuesday because they just love being together.” It sounds like a double-sided blessing!
Whether the quilts are sent to those experiencing homelessness or given to those who are freeing their homelands in war-torn areas, the quilts are bright and vivid reminders of hope beyond their current circumstances. They can be used as warm bedding, simple tents, or floor coverings. Creating mission quilts is a tangible way to express love and compassion to our neighbors in need. That sounds like Good News to us! GN
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