HANDS & HEARTS: part 1

(these are the happy hands

of betty & roberta)

many hands & hearts came together

(from california, texas & germany)

for our june gifts

for the women

working in the brothels

and on the streets of hamburg

our theme for this gift was

YOU ARE GOLD

last february when we were in los angeles visiting our old church, my friend karen came up to me and said something like,

"hey, let me know when you plan to do your next gift for the women because i have an idea."

 i said, "i already know what our next gift is going to be. we'll hand them out in june and it's going to be a YOU ARE GOLD theme, telling the women that God says that they are GOLD." 

 "perfect! i thought the women in our church could make beaded bracelets for the women...so we could make them in different shades of gold." 

"that would be amazing...

but

we'd need like 250 of them..."

"no problem! we'd love to do it!"

250???

the final product.

they are even more beautiful in person.

 

each was handmade

no two alike

strung with

joy & laughter
prayers of hope

& lots of lots of

LOVE

and each woman that did so

attached a bit of her

 handwritten heart & signature

(on the other side it read

YOU ARE GOLD!)

i asked karen to take some pics

of the women making the bracelets

so i could brag on them

and show you the faces

behind these gorgeous gifts

i know these women,

and they are so dear to me.

it means so much to me that they

would come together on behalf

of the women here in hamburg

women to women

women that have never met one another

one group of women giving

with their

hands & hearts

the other group of women

 receiving such gifts of beauty

with their hands

and us praying that the love of God

(through these tangible gifts)

would enter into their hearts

 

here is karen...and let me not forget that it wasn't only women that made the bracelets...her 2 sweet  children put their hands to work as well

250 bracelets

made by dozens of

hands & hearts

incredible

but the bracelets were only

 one part of the

YOU ARE GOLD gift...

check back tomorrow

to learn what some

hands & hearts

from texas put together...