From a Hobby to a Business

We met Noor last year because she runs a non-profit for refugee women, and they were sewing costumes for the "Lion King" performance.  We also love to shop at the store where the ladies sell all of the goods they are making.  I even had a chance to take some of their hand-made make-up bags home last summer to give to people we visited.

Noor had the idea to design 9 bags and give them each a name coordinating with a fruit of the Spirit.  She asked Kylie if she would design the tags for the bags.

Kylie loves typography, and spent a lot of time designing the tags.

This is one of the final meetings where Kylie is showing Noor what the products would look like. You can tell Noor is excited.

November 12, 2019

Here is one of the close-ups after being printed.  

There is a different scripture on each one.

Then Noor told Kylie if she designed some Christmas cards, she would sell them for Kylie in her store, so Kylie went to work.

We took her 10 designs and sold them not only at the refugee center store, but also at the dance studio, to friends, and at one of the local craft fairs.

Doug found some really cool shelves to display the cards on.

We covered the table with some cloth from Kenya, and voila!

First paying customer at the craft fair!

November 30, 2019

Keira is always trying to imitate her sisters and brother, and in this, there was no exception.

Keira started designing "cards" and hanging them on her wall.

I love her cute writing mistakes:

Rejoice! Jesus is Borm.

Nöel!!!!!?             (I don't know why there was cause for a question mark)

Happy Brthday Jesus.

Joy Tow The Wrda. Hay

Sé té Nöel. it is Crassmse.  (Same sentence in French and "English")

People without a Home

 Last fall I visited one of the many refugee camps that are outside the city.  Some of my friends work with an NGO that services the disabled in camps around our city. 

We drove through a small village to get there that had been bombed by forces battling ISIS a few years ago.

Some of the people in the camp told us they can see their home from their tent, but they are not allowed to go there. 

They are not allowed out of the camp without special permission.

We were there on a cold, wet day, and all I could think about was the upcoming winter weather.  Tent walls are thin and the ground is cold.

Portable potties and washing areas are provided for each section of the camp. 

We visited on a day when food distribution was taking place.  Lines formed at the front of the camp and family by family had a wheelbarrow take their goods to their tent. 

We met an old couple who were not allowed to get anything from the distribution.  A tent had to have at least 5 people in it to get anything, so this couple had to borrow and share with other family tents around them.

The tents behind this man are the make-shift school at the camp.  But teaching only happens sometimes, and when it does, the quality is just how you would imagine it would be.

I went in one tent that was nice because the family had been able to bring some things with them.

But most of the ones I entered, weren't so nice.  

One lady was outside in the cold baking bread in an "oven."

She shared with us!

 One lady pointed us in the direction where other disabled people lived.

 This boy enjoyed the only playground he has access to.

 Two months after this, when I was in a freezing house with no power, one working toilet, and no working showers, I knew I STILL had it better than all of these people. 

Every time it rained, I thought of the cold, wet nights they would have in their tents with cracks and holes.  The camp had been around for so long, that funding for it had started to dry up.  Distribution wouldn't be coming as often and tents would not be repaired.  There were more to take care of in other places.

I know of one camp with 30,000 people and one with 60,000.  It is hard to imagine the size of these places and how many people are squeezed into such a small area unless you are seeing it with your own eyes.

As we left the camp, I looked across the road, and I saw another camp in the distance.  I don't know if you can see how big it is, but all I know is there are thousands of people there that they have nothing.

Be Thankful!!!