Quilts for Kenya
Grace Lutheran Church, Hibbing, MN
Quilters of Grace had a unique opportunity come to them a few years back. Quilt forty quilts for orphans in Kenya.
At the time it seemed like a big order. These quilts were also to have a pocket on the back to hold a Catechism. It took months of steady work to complete the job.
The ladies of Hibbing brushed off the threads on our clothes and said, “Well, that’s done.” We did not expect to hear about quilts for Kenya again. They were packed up and sent to St. Louis where the catechisms were placed in the pockets.
Quilting for missions are missions of faith. Quilts are sent off to various places with faith that they will reach those for whom they were meant, and that they will bring comfort and God’s love.
Imagine our surprise and excitement when we received a letter from a worker for the rescue centers. And pictures. A whole disc filled with pictures of happy children’s faces, and quilts on beds, their colors brightening the room.
It was one of those times when we heard God say, “Well done, my children.”
One of the interesting memories that I have of partnerships and the network of connections happened on 2006. I went with Joanne Drevlow, pictured with the baby, Rachel Sharpe, Bill Sharpes daughter and Roger Weinlaeder to Kenya and we visited the Motango orphanage. Someone suggested quilts for the children. Matt Harrison the director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care thought that quilts with Bible verses and a pocket for a Small Catechism would be a good idea. When we got home I was doing a presentation in Noethern Minnesota and happened to stop by Grace in Hibbing and found quilters busy quilting. I asked them what they thought and away the project went. Concordia Publishing gave catechisms and someone carried the quilts over in their luggage.
There is an interesting end to the story. Countless pictures were taken of the quilts and sent back. No one that I know can find them. If anyone out there from Hibbing has more pictures, let me know.
