Wonderful Surpises, Wonderful Relationships

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

In 2006, I had the privilege of being one of the 12 Disciples women on the Woman to Woman Worldwide (WWW) Hispaniola journey. Having never been on or wanted to be on a mission trip, I knew the Holy Spirit was involved when I said “Yes” to this opportunity of a lifetime.
When I commit to the Holy Spirit’s lead, wonderful surprises always follow. The journey before, during and after the time in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was no exception. The way was prepared for me in 2005 by inviting a Haitian young woman to live in our home while she attended our local Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches

When I commit to the Holy Spirit’s lead, wonderful surprises always follow. The journey before, during and after the time in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was no exception. The way was prepared for me in 2005 by inviting a Haitian young woman to live in our home while she attended our local Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX. My husband George and I learned from Sophie Norcilus about her country’s culture, politics, history, and their struggles with poverty as a developing nation.

Taking part in our church’s Disciples Women’s Ministry, I learned about the opportunity to be part of the WWW Hispaniola. The local group had saved for a Quadrennial but no one able to go, so money was available to underwrite my travels. A friend gave me her travel miles for the flight, so the journey was on!

While touring and speaking with Haitian and Dominican women, I was struck by the contrast in the two very different countries on that same small Caribbean island. I knew that I would be invited to travel to different groups to tell the stories of the women we met. This struck fear in my heart because I am a reluctant public speaker. The Holy Spirit took care of that too. I acknowledged that the whole experience was not about me; it was about sharing through whatever medium, the message from the Hispaniola women.

With much prayer about how to interpret what I had seen and my feelings about the mission, I was inspired to do what I do best, quilt! Thus the birth of the quilt, “Impressions of Hispaniola”. Everything I needed to make that quilt was provided. I became aware of a technique that would work for the background of the quilt. A timely quilt show offered the right selection of fabric. George took care of the house while I was on a creative streak to get the quilt “out” in less than 30 days. At each stage of the process, prayer was answered by people who made suggestions or I was led to exactly the “right” thing to add next.

In 2007, the first Disciples women to see the completed quilt were at a quilting convention in Dallas, TX. They were from Grand Rapids, Michigan. When they saw the quilt, they said I must come to their DWM meeting and talk to them about the journey to Hispaniola. Yeah, right! It’s a long way from Texas to MI! But, through a series of “coincidences”, in 2008 a daughter moved to Michigan, and we planned to visit her after attending the General Assembly in Indianapolis. Less than 2 hours away, we drove to Grand Rapids, MI for a program with Central Christian Church’s DWM!

After traveling with the quilt over 5,000 miles to more than 40 churches to tell the stories of WWW Hispaniola, I wanted to put the quilt where it could continue to inspire involvement with the countries. At the Greenville, N.C. Quadrennial, I met with Felix Ortiz-Cotto (who accompanied us on the WWW Hispaniola) and asked if there would be a place for the quilt in the Indianapolis office of Global Ministries. He said he would take it on one condition; that I would “Pinkie Promise” to come see it some day in Indianapolis. Yeah, right! It’s a very long way from TX to IN, too. Never doubt the Holy Spirit to make things happen! This spring, 2014, the same daughter was now working on her doctorate at Purdue Univ. in W. Lafayette, IN (an hour from Indianapolis).

We arranged for a wonderful visit at Global Ministries. We took a tour around the Indianapolis offices and were introduced us to everyone working that day. We got hugs from our friends Sheila Spencer and Beverly Ledwon who we knew from the DWM offices. George, a retired Disciples minister, was able to see the pulpit and communion table he had read about in Table Talk. He has given communion meditations about the use of the 2,500 different kinds of wood from Disciples ministries all over the world, in making this beautiful furniture for the chapel there.

We are proud to continue to support prayerfully and financially the work that Global Ministries is doing. Visiting the Indianapolis office of Global Ministries validated our belief in the work being carried on in the spirit of the “Great Commission”.