Last Monday morning Jeff Duncan, our Director of Agriculture, spoke at our staff devotions about the relationship between David and Jonathan and challenged us to be actively building strong relationships with the people we come alongside here every day.
Since beginning the bead classes a couple of months ago I have been able to begin to develop real frienships with the women who attend. Many of them have finished the course but still come to the classes for the fellowship aspect of not only doing work together, but doing life together.
One of the people who has been on my heart in particular is a wonderful woman named Solange. She came to work for us at the house several weeks ago and has taken our dining experience to a new level!
Through something as simple as sitting with her for short periods of time, teaching her how to roll short strips of card into beads, through broken creole and english (sometimes spanish, facial expressions, and Minnesota-isms, don’tchaknow!) we have developed a friendship that I hope brings as much joy to her heart as it does mine.
We found out recently that Solange, like so many Haitian women and men, never had the opportunity to go to school to learn to read and write. Pastor Debbie, always the teacher, drew dots on a sheet of paper for Solange to be able to join up to spell her name. It never fails to amaze me how something so simple can produce such emotions, mostly in me!!!
My hope is that through the work of the Women’s Training Center, and through one on one relationships such as this we will, one by one, be able to see countless women experience the revolution in their lives that an education can bring.
- Val Yobbie
That’s so awesome! I’ve heard great things about the bead making class! I can’t wait to buy some of the jewelry myself!!