*3** Cords

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.

“Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up…Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

there are amazing things happening in Haiti! and today i get to tell you about one of the many things that God is using to make all things new again.

the mission organization that we work with when we go to Haiti is called Mission of Hope. you can check out their website here to see what all they are doing.

one of the on-site ministries that they have going is a prosthetics lab. you can read more about stories from the lab f rom our trip last summer. its amazing to see the life transformation that happens in that lab. but that life transformation hasn’t just stopped once a new limb is given.

and that’s how a new ministry called 3Cords was birthed.

a heartbreaking reality in Haiti is how, historically, amputees have been viewed. the tide is turning, and 3Cords is playing a role in giving amputees a new lease on life. read what Natacha, an amputee patient at MOH, has to say about it:

“I want handicapped people to do everything non-handicapped people can do because it’s really hard to find work. Before the earthquake, handicapped people were hated and seen as useless, but now because there are so many, they do not look at each other like that anymore.”

after the earthquake, many amputees began coming to MOH to be treated in the prosthetics lab, and as they waited for treatment, a group of women, including Natacha, began braiding scraps of fabric into headbands. they began selling them to missionaries who would come to work at MOH, but would come to discover that they were creating a product that would soon be in high demand.

so a missionary friend of our’s named Diana, who lives in Haiti at MOH full time with her husband, Jay, (who’s dream and idea was Lespwa, which i’ve talked about before on the blog), came up with the idea of 3 Cords. and its blossomed into a booming business, that presently employs 10 women!

basically, the vision of 3Cords is to employ amputee women and mothers of amputee children, giving them hope that they are still whole, valuable, and precious. Their vision is to love and serve these women, teach them valuable skills, and provide them with dignity that they can still work and provide for their families.

because of that vision, each woman hand signs her name on each product she makes.

these precious women use their own creativity and skill to design and implement each product. they choose the fabric, the embellishments, the colors, etc. its beautiful to watch God’s creativity shine through these women who were created in the very image of the Ultimate Creator.

the women have expanded from headbands to a whole assortment of goodies:

they have been selling these purses like crazy, but i was able to snag a pretty killer one:

i had the absolute honor…seriously…it was such a joy…to spend time with these women last week, while i got to help teach them some new patterns for some new products to sell.

in order to get to know them first, we were able to go to a local restaurant for lunch, which was a treat that these women rarely, if ever, get to have:

this was lunch. i’m not sure really what it was. but i ate it. and if you know me at all, that probably surprises you. but then again, Haiti changes me in ways that i would’ve never imagined!

the next day we got right to work:

and started on a new purse design:

this is Genise.

she was in school in Port Au Prince during the earthquake when her school building collapsed in on her. a classmate fell on top of her during the collapse, which spared her life. she lay there, waiting to be rescued, as her classmate on top of her died. she lost a leg in that collapse.

i’m pretty sure she’s seriously one of the most beautiful women i’ve ever seen. she chose all her fabrics and embellishments for her purse. i worked on teaching her the pattern and directions and then she sewed it together like a master. here she is showing off her final product. i was amazed at how perfect it was:

i love this woman. i miss her. i wish we could be friends in daily life. maybe someday…

the next day, i got to work with sweet Mary Maude. she’s the ringleader of the crew, and you can tell that she has alot of the respect from the other ladies. her leadership is evident. she is the supervisor of 3Cords:

here is her story in her own words:

“Hello! My name is Mary Maude and I live in Croix de Brouquets, Haiti. I became a Christian because my mom taught me the Truth as a child and I love Jesus! Right before the earthquake, I had finished nursing school, and really wanted to be a nurse to help people. In the earthquake, I lost one leg. I didn’t know if I would ever find a leg, but I learned about Mission of Hope because my pastor brought me there one day because he knew there was a prosthetics lab there. At first, it was very difficult, but now, every day, I put on my leg and come to work at 3 Cords. Diana taught me to make these headbands and white people like them a lot. I’m very happy because our headbands will be sold on the internet one day, which will help all hurt people live. I’m praying God blesses this business so one day it will into a BIG business and help even more people.”

we worked on creating some ipod/iphone cases that i showed you here:

Mary Maude picked it up quickly, and we were able to knock out a few in just a matter of hours:

these women are far better seamstresses than i could ever hope to be. they just need the resources to create, and once provided, there’s no stopping what they could do!

i’ve been on countless trips to this country, but the joy i felt in working with these women tops any other work i’ve done there. i LOVED that God allowed me to combine two of my most favorite things, two of my passions, two things that make me feel alive (Haiti and sewing/crafting)…to have those two things come together blew me away. i had a hard time leaving.

and as if that wasn’t cool enough, we just so happened to be there at the same time as the groundbreaking for the new 3Cords building!

The new 3Cords lab will one day be four buildings with a courtyard in the middle. it will enable them to employ 50-100 women. a dream, and something that they are working towards, is to have a website where people can place orders. as soon as that happens, i will post it right away, because i know ya’ll would just fall in love with their products!! i’m hoping that a website will expand the business so much that they outgrow their new building!!

what God is doing through 3Cords is simply amazing…the redemption that is taking place before our very eyes, God making all things new, what Satan meant for evil, God means for good. i got to witness God restoring broken things. Bringing beauty from ashes.

its absolutely beautiful.

more coming,