Friday, July 10, 2015
St James the Less Garden South-West is flourishing...
Thursday, July 9, 2015
First Day of Class
Yesterday was the first day of class for the women. Instead of the 12 women I was expecting to
come, 22 were invited and 19 arrived – so I didn’t have enough folders for
everyone! I gave each of them a
propelling pencil to write with, and our translator, Zafy, had to explain to
some of them how to get the lead down to write with it!
I was humbled to discover that three of them had travelled
from Fort Dauphin by taxi brousse (one of those buses laden with people
squashed in and bags sky high) for FOUR days to get here. They are staying for both weeks.
Everyone listened very attentively to the critique of the
work that had been sent to the States to sell, and seemed to understand the
principles I was explaining to them:
- that their embroidery is wonderful and their products beautiful, but that they could be made more appealing to American eyes
- we’d like bigger sized bags
- they needed to use fabric that was not going to get dirty as quickly as the white they had been using
- that tablecloths (unless commissioned) are not a good idea because everyone has a different sized - table (I didn’t mention that not many of us like to launder them nowadays)
… and so on.
Then we started sewing – about 1/3 embroider already, but I
suspect some had never held a needle and thread before. Zafy (despite declaring it women’s work – and
laughing when I called him sexist) got the hang of everything very quickly, and
supervised parts of the work. I was
amazed that after he had seen me explain ladder herringbone stitch to one
woman, and demonstrate 2 stitches, he was then able to tell her exactly what she
was doing wrong and how to work the stitch correctly!
I can’t get one of the women out of my mind. She can’t read or write, and spent about an
hour threading the needle, tying a knot, putting the needle through the felt,
cutting the knot off, tying a knot, putting the needle through the felt,
cutting the knot off, tying a knot, putting the needle through the felt,
cutting the knot off… After about an hour she managed to make a stitch, and
finally a row of running stitch. I tried
to look at her work to help her, but she bowed over it and cowered away from
me. I stroked her back gently each time I stood by her, and that seemed to
help. Later Patsy told me she can’t read
or write, and may have been beaten by a teacher. She left early – not feeling well, I guess
she was too stressed. I hope and pray
she comes back today.
Both the morning Bible Study and the Afternoon silent prayer
session seemed to be well received.
Here's hoping today goes equally well.
The Cathedral is growing!
It is amazing in this day and age to see a Cathedral being built - and especially when the scaffolding being used looks as if it would have been in place in the Middle Ages!
Market Research
In the first session, Sue needed to present the results of her market
research in relation to the crafts that Glen Tracy and Eric Robison had
transported to the US a few months ago. In some cases, this represented
criticism. None of us enjoy receiving criticism. In this case, the risks of
causing offense or despondency were increased by the fact that the criticism had
to be conveyed from one language and culture to another, and – while from a
woman to women – was mediated by a male interpreter, Zafy. That’s probably
about as tough as it could get! Sue had understandably been concerned about how
this presentation would go. Patsy (who of course speaks Malagasy) was also
present, and says that the words were good.
Phew! Now the sessions can move on to making things.
Speaking of Zafy, one has to admire a guy who can make an intelligible job
of translating explanations about an unfamiliar craft! Last year he
interpreted for the banner-making, as well as sessions for children and
Matthew’s voice workshop. We are so glad to have him again.
Simon
Handcraft workshops have begun
Sue wrote yesterday that Toliara “
looked remarkably prosperous after the villages we
travelled through”. She is absolutely correct – but what a reflection of the
extreme poverty in those villages.
Sue’s handcraft workshops began an hour ago. One, two or three ladies have come from each of the outlying multi-church parishes that make up
the Diocese of Toliara, with several from the Cathedral and Toliara.
Go Sue!
Simon
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Technology Old and New
Having arrived in Toliara an hour or two before Todd and Patsy, we went
into town with their housekeeper, Jeanette, to do some grocery shopping.
Jeanette also took us to various other stores so Sue could gain an idea of what
kinds of handcrafts materials are available in Toliara. One store sold a great
variety of used goods. I was especially struck to see a small metal plough
standing in front of some satellite dishes!
Simon
Arrived in Toliara
We, our bags of supplies, and Todd & Patsy, have all arrived safely in
Toliara. So the initial stage of our adventure is complete.
Todd and Patsy drove in about 33 hours the distance we covered in a week.
Our week included some sightseeing, but how they do the trip at the best of
times, let alone when they are both recovering from typhoid beats me. We’ve
packed them off to bed straight after our meal.
The various alarums so far would have had us totally freaked out if we had
not been to Madagascar before. As things stood, however, it’s been a wonderful
trip down from Tana.
Simon
Arrival in Toliara
As we at last neared Toliara, I cried tears of joy when we saw
the other side of the table mountain that can be seen from The Gathering
Place. I knew we were nearly there. “Are we nearly there yet” being the familiar
cry of all children on long road trips!
I cried again when I saw The Gathering Place and when
Jeannette and I exchanged a long hug and happy dance! It is wonderful to be back, and it looks so
familiar, but so different. The garden,
which Glen and Eric came to create with the local people is looking good. Most of the plants and trees have survived,
and some are really thriving. A few were
eaten by bugs, and the wind yesterday was so strong it blew all the leaves off
one plant! It is winter here now, so we
are not seeing it at its best, but as it matures it will be even more beautiful,
and it is certainly a huge improvement on the scrubby grass which was here last
year. The grass has grown back on the
leveled ground.
And then the other huge change is the Cathedral. As I write, I am sitting at Todd and Patsy’s
kitchen table, looking through the dining room and beyond to the Cathedral, with
the sunrise behind it. The roof is in
the process of being added and a tower too.
The wooden structure for the tower is partly in place. Seeing the wooden scaffolding in place is
like being transported back in time to the time when many of the English
cathedrals were constructed.
I was the only one awake in time for morning prayers today. Todd
is still very weak from the typhoid and was told by Patsy to sleep as long as
he could. (Patsy got drugs sooner and so
is recovering faster.) I have not been sleeping much this trip – time
zone confusion, and just waking feeling refreshed after only a few hours. Last night I slept for over 8 hours – the longest
I’ve slept here, as it felt like being home arriving here! I woke, wide-awake
at 4:26 a.m., so decided to get washed and dressed ready for 6 a.m. prayers. I found the key to get out of the apartment,
but not the one to the gate at the bottom of the stairs. The night guard also didn’t know how to find the
key, and I managed to communicate with him not to wake up Pierre to get his
key. So my morning devotions were held
on the stairs at the gate!!
It is wonderful to be back, and for all of us to have made
it here – with all our luggage! Simon,
Jacky and I went to the supermarket with Jeannette yesterday for food and also
explored the local crafts and haberdashery shops, to see what is available
locally. This was encouraging as when
the women have used up the 200 pounds of supplies you all gave us to bring,
they can readily get more embroidery floss, ribbons, braids and buttons. Thus was the first time Simon and I had been
into the interior of the market area. It
was very cool and shaded which was a surprise, but the open drains down the
sides of the alleyways were less welcome.
I am glad it is not a hotter time of year, as the smells were quite bad
enough!
Having done our trip into Toliara (which looked remarkably
prosperous after the villages we travelled through yesterday) I am free today
to sort out the supplies, and get ready for the workshops with the women which
start tomorrow.
I felt a huge sense of peace settle on me as we sat in
silence before saying Grace at last night’s meal. It is good to be here.
Sue
Monday, July 6, 2015
Ilakaka sapphire mines
Drove through the town in this BBC
article yesterday - and will do so again tomorrow!
Also saw them panning for gold in the river there (and doing their washing!)
Simon
Isalo National Park
We had a wonderful morning walking through the Canyon Namaza and visiting the Blue Pool and the Black Pool, seeing more lemurs, lizards, chameleons and medicinal plants.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Air Mada (and sometimes madder)
In a restaurant in San Francisco – or so I am told – there’s a sign stating
that the furthest inhabited spot on the planet from that city is Fort Dauphin in
Madagascar. Our flight from Paris to Madagascar lasted 11.5 hours. The
island of Madagascar is separated from continental Africa by the Mozambique
Channel, an arm of the Indian Ocean that is 260 miles wide at its narrowest
point. So Madagascar is remote.
Madagascar is also large – it is about as long as the distance from the
Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border in Minnesota.
In evolutionary terms, Madagascar’s remoteness underlies its unique and
wonderful flora and fauna. In economic terms, Madagascar’s remoteness and size
make international and internal air travel vital to the tourist and business sectors of its economy. International passenger
traffic is dominated by Air France. Air Madagascar, 90% government-owned, has
some international routes and is the sole internal carrier. Roughly 250,000
tourists visit Madagascar each year, and my guess is that most take also at
least one internal flight rather than make long journeys on the country’s
inadequate roads (see post about “N7”). For instance, it takes about an hour to
fly from Toliara to Fort Dauphin, but about three days by road (in seasons of
the year when the road is passable at all).
Air Mada’s current strike is therefore very disruptive – and moreover comes
just as the main tourist season is building up. At Manga Guesthouse we met a
French family struggling to figure out how to reorganize their vacation. We
feel it was providential that we had chosen to be driven from Tana to Toliara.
Our driver was arranged through Transmalala, a small travel business run by
Alain, the husband of the Treasurer of the diocese of Toliara. Alain is most
concerned about the potential impact of the strike on his business.
Alain is very justifiably concerned. Press reports suggest that a
prolonged strike could overwhelm the precarious finances of Air Mada. It is
sad to think that whatever good may come of our efforts to assist the
development of handcrafts in Toliara could be dwarfed by the impact of an
adverse outcome of the Air Mada strike.
Simon
Wonderful Service at Trinite Masina (Holy Trinity) Sakaraha
Revd Hery and his wife, Olivia and the congregation at Sakaraha gave us a spectacular welcome today - with special "Tonga Soa" (welcome) banners, singing and dancing by the youth and Mothers' Union, and a delicious lunch. We were able to go with Jacky Lowe and Bruce and Avery Mason.
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| Rev Hery & his wife, Olivia |
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| Bruce Mason |
Sue was thrilled to see that the Church had a set of the banners that were made last year, hanging at the front.
Spectacular fauna!
During our visit to Antja Reserve (see earlier post) two varieties of larger fauna were to be seen.
One, the well-known Ring-tailed Lemur is endemic (original and unique) to Madagascar.
The other, the Greater Useless Wombat, is an invasive species that arrived recently in Madagascar via Europe, and is relatively obscure. The Wombat's red ruff and crest enable it to hide among the bracts (often but mistakenly regarded as flowers) of the poinsettia trees (otherwise known as Madagascar plants, by the Malagasy).
One, the well-known Ring-tailed Lemur is endemic (original and unique) to Madagascar.
The other, the Greater Useless Wombat, is an invasive species that arrived recently in Madagascar via Europe, and is relatively obscure. The Wombat's red ruff and crest enable it to hide among the bracts (often but mistakenly regarded as flowers) of the poinsettia trees (otherwise known as Madagascar plants, by the Malagasy).
(Composed by Simon not Sue!)
The road goes ever on and on...
......but at last we got to see some lemurs!
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| Ring Tail Lemurs at Antja Park |
Saturday, July 4, 2015
RN7 photos - rice fields
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| Light green fields are rice nurseries |
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| Ploughing the muddy soil, by spade |
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Carrying the young plants from the nursery to the field
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| Rice fields on RN7 from Fianarantsoa to Betsileo |
Saturday - Jardin du Roy
After a delightful morning in the sunny Antja Park, watching ring-tailed lemurs in the trees and on the rocks a few feet from us, we had a hot drive to tonight's hotel. We have left the highlands and are entering the heat off the south. It was somewhat disconcerting to arrive travel-weary, feeling dusty and grubby in clothes stained with the red soil on which we sat to eat our picnic lunch and (in my case) the carrot juice from my sandwich, at a luxurious hotel. Entering reception we were presented with scented, chilled facecloths to clean our hot hands and faces! There were even bougainvillea flowers entwined in them. Having regained some composure from that surprise we were then given sugar-rimmed glasses of hibiscus juice. We have entered a different world - all for about $120US a night for our room. Dinner tonight (3 courses, including duck and foie gras) cost us around $15 a person - with complimentary lychee rum.
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| Breakfast fruit at Jardin du Roy - papaya, pineapple, cactus, mandarin & banana |
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| Bruce & Shay Mason & Simon - at last we're in the same place! With Esmerelda too! |
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| View from our room at Jardin du Roy |
The best thing since sliced bread
Much as I may consider myself the best thing since sliced bread, I suffer
occasional bouts of realism. [Realism is like malaria in respect of recurring
in bouts, though I am glad to say I have no personal experience of the latter -
nor, if Sue is to be believed, much experience of the former.] While suffering
from such bouts, I realize that I am the sidekick on this trip.
I will, I hope, make a useful contribution to the quality of diocesan
bookkeeping. But a far larger contribution may be made by the sessions Sue is
scheduled to hold to train local women in various handcrafts that Sue’s research
suggests can readily be sold in the US. If those sessions are successful, it
will be possible to offer various handmade items at attractive prices while
still providing the women income that would be significantly ahead of Malagasy
levels. [Of course, there’s more to it than that – international shipping,
import/export permits, taxes, etc – but let’s check first that there’s a show
worthy of being put on the road.]
It’s exciting to think that we might play a part
in economic development for some of the world’s poorest. Sue and I are very
grateful all those who, sharing this excitement, contributed all kinds of
thread, beads, and so on to bring with us. More on all this in future
posts.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus trees were introduced to Madagascar from Australia when the
counties narrow gauge railways were built. Sadly, very little of the rail
network is still used, save from a freight line to the capital from an east
coast port, and a delightful passenger service, mainly used by tourists, pulled
by a railcar which (if memory serves) was acquired from Germany by France as
part of the reparations for World War I. The eucalyptus trees remain, and other
than various endemic pine trees, seem to be the main trees in most of the
terrain we’ve passed through. Eucalyptus grows quickly and responds fairly well
to crude coppicing (i.e., a tree may well regrow after most of it has been cut
down). That’s important in a country where the main fuels are wood and
charcoal. Nevertheless, over several hundred miles, I have yet to see a growing
tree as broad as many of the hewn stumps I have seen. Madagascar’s forests are
on a downward spiral that has been several decades in the making. And with a
rapidly growing population (around 50% young people), it’s hard to see that
turning around. Eco-tourism makes a significant contribution to the incentives
to conserve what remains.
We passed today through a region with greater tree cover. It was very
striking what a difference it made, not just visually, but to the wellbeing of
the people. Where more wood is available, there’s enough timber to support
tiled roofs, to construct attractive and useful balconies, and to make local
furniture. In all other respects, the terrain, the agriculture, everything,
very closely resembled all the other areas we had passed through. The better
state of the forests was the only apparent cause of significant differences in
wellbeing.
Simon
N7
We have internet connection again today, so I'm able to add some of the posts Simon was busy writing last night (Friday night)
Thank you for those of you who kept our concerns for today’s drive in your
thoughts and prayers. Our driver’s warning that we were in for a 6hr drive on a
twistier and worse portion of the road than the last two days had made
travel-sickness a possibility. It all turned out fine. Interestingly, we are
less road-weary than we might have been from a 6hr drive even in the US.
I’d been curious to experience N7. In France, roads are labeled “A” for
Autoroute (the equivalent of US interstate/expressway;, or of UK motorway), or
else “N” for Nationale, “D” for Departmentale, or “C” for Communale(?),
depending on the level of government responsible for them, and are almost
invariably beautifully maintained. Nowadays, an “N” road will have a bypass
around any large town. In Madagascar the major roads are labeled “N” for
Nationale. N7 runs for over 500 miles from the capital, Antananarivo, to
Toliara.
N7 is the paved road in most of the regions through which it
passes. Don’t let “the” conjure thoughts such as “premier” or “par
excellence”; instead think “one and only”. It passes through settlements
large and small. Vehicles share it with chickens, oxcarts, man-pulled carts,
whatever. We have seen a few maintenance crews, but today there were sections
that had more potholes than tarmac. But at least you see Madagascar, rather
than acres of barren roadway.
Simon
Friday, July 3, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Bishop Todd has typhoid
Todd, Patsy and the Mason family are still in Tana, and we have just received an email telling us that Todd won't be able to travel as he has tested positive for typhoid. No more news yet - anyone who wants to pray, please do so.
We are about to set off for a 6 hour drive
We are about to set off for a 6 hour drive
Wrapped in a blanket!
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| Merina tomb, near Antsirabe |
It’s winter in Madagascar – and therefore cool at night –
and even cooler in the highlands where we currently are (I think around 45
degrees F usually). We are staying at
the Hotel Artisan at Ambositra and have two wonderful Malagasy style bungalows (one
for Simon and I, and one for Jacky), each with lofts and balconies, but no
heating. So I’m currently wrapped in a
blanket, writing this blog, and it’s only 6pm.
I don’t want to think about how cool it will be by the time we get up at
6am! Last night was not warm in the
room, but at least we had a small electric heater. Both the last two places have had hot water
for the showers, thankfully.
It is however a beautiful hotel, which we arrived at in time
for a late lunch, and ate on the terrace watching Malagasy dancers and
musicians. The drummer is blind but
played well. They put on a wonderful
performance.
Yesterday’s hotel (Chambres du Voyageur at Antsirabe) had
beautiful gardens and pools, two cute dogs, a dovecote, and several radiated
tortoises.
We have visited a mineral and rock polishing workshop, Jean
et Freres wood-carving shop (from which Bishop Todd has bought the tall figured
crèche and Stations of the Cross for the Cathedral), the Church of a
Benedictine Convent and the shop of a silk-spinning & weaving collective. We have also seen some of the lovely paper
which is made near here, with flowers pressed into it as it is made. Needless to say, we now have quite a
collection of beautiful souvenirs, which will be staying here in Ambositra, at
the home of our driver Jocelyn’s parents-in-law, until he makes his return
journey next week. There just isn’t space in the car for all of them. He will then take them to his home in
Antananarivo, and give them to us on our last 2 days in Madagascar.
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| Rice fields |
Tomorrow is a long drive on windier roads than we’ve already
travelled. This is quite daunting as the
combination of not enough sleep, time zone confusion and lots of
bends, swerves and potholing avoidance, means that those of us on the back seat
are both suffering from motion sickness. The oldest male of the party is
by Malagasy custom always given the front seat. We may have to break with
this tradition tomorrow!
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Quilts in Addis Ababa and Manga Guesthouse!
Hi All
I’m writing this while on the plane flying over Addis Ababa, thinking of
all the quilts that have been made at St James the Less, now on the beds of the
orphans getting ready to go sleep there.
I expect that by the time we get to Manga, I will be too tired to write,
but might manage to hit send! So, if you get this we have arrived safely, and
are going to have a few hours sleep before driving on to Antsirabe. We met Jacky
Lowe from Florida at Paris airport. She had missed her flight from Fort
Lauderdale to Atlanta, and begged people on the standby flight until she found
one lady willing to give up her seat to Jacky! How gracious!
We met a family from Cleveland boarding the plane – how could three English
people resist talking to a young man wearing a Manchester United shirt? The
family were bringing a tall young Malagasy man back to Madagascar, to his roots
for the first time in 15 years since he was adopted. They are also part of a
medical and water providing mission. They will be staying at a Jesuit house in
Antananarivo and visiting the orphanage he came from.
Food on Air France is still very good – even here in economy class. We got
our two seats together and didn’t have to sit in a row of three – and there were
only 16 of the 400 or so seats in that configuration!
Later that night:
The younger son of the family from Cleveland was stellar! He got to the front of the baggage collecting line at the conveyor belt and offered to pass out our 50lb bags, as well as theirs (and they had 5 apiece! This helped us enormously, and speeded up our leaving the airport a lot, as he passed the bags to me, Simon then took them through the crowd to Jacky who was waiting with the carts
3 am Wednesday July 1 – we arrived safely – with all our bags and nearly a
million ariary each! Unfortunately there was no internet connection available
at Manga (not the first time we’ve experienced that there) but it was good to
see them all again (this is now our 4th stay there). So we couldn’t send this
message immediately.
We are now at our second night’s hotel, and one guest at a time can connect
to the internet after 5pm only! It is beautiful – with lovely gardens, and 2 cute dogs. Our
driver arrived in good time this morning, and we managed to fit 4 suitcases into
the vehicle he is driving us in. Alain from the Diocese is going to return to
Toliara on Saturday by taxi brousse taking the other 4 bags. Please pray that
they get there safely, as almost all our supplies are in them.
Or he may drive Todd, Patsy and the Mason family down instead! We’ll find
out more on Saturday, if they all get to the same hotel, prior to the service at
Sakaraha on Sunday. Please pray for Rev Hery – the priest at Sakaraha who is in
hospital after a motor-bike accident. He may be released today. Bruce tells us
Todd is planning to do a confirmation service at Sakaraha on Sunday as we were
going to be there. We’ll see what happens. Todd and Patsy are due at Manga
guesthouse tonight. Bruce and family seem to be having a great time with the
street children’s ministry.
Thank you all for your prayer support
Sue
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Thanks be to God
- and thank you for all your prayers. We clearly need them!!
I have just checked the Air France website and it now says that the strike
action which was going to affect us has been suspended!! It looks as if we might get through France ok, which is a big relief.
Industrial action called by French air controllers
from July 02 to July 03, 2015
Update on June 28, 12:30 (Paris local time)
The first call for strike action issued by four French air controllers' unions from June 30 to July 01 has been suspended.
For the moment, the two others trade unions maintain their call for strike from July 02 to July 03.
Currently, negotiations are still going on between the involved parties. If this industrial action is confirmed, French Civil Aviation Authorities will give instructions to all airlines.
Accordingly to these instructions, we will adjust our flight schedule.
We will inform you soon and make our utmost to assist you to minimize the impact of this industrial action on your travel plans.
Sue
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Will this Mad-venture happen?
We’ve just tried to check our seats on Air France flights and found:
Industrial action called by French air controllers
from June 30 to July 03, 2015
Update on June 26, 21:00 (Paris local time)
A first call for strike action has been issued by four French air controllers' unions from June 30 to July 01 and a second call by two others trade unions from July 02 to 03.
Currently, negotiations are still going on between the involved parties. If this industrial action is confirmed, French Civil Aviation Authorities will give instructions to all airlines on Monday, June 29, early in the afternoon, for the flights planned on June 30.
Accordingly to these instructions, we will adjust our flight schedule.
We will inform you soon and make our utmost to assist you to minimize the impact of this industrial action on your travel plans.
We are due to arrive in Paris on an
Air France flight on June 30, and leave a few hours later for
Madagascar. It will be very disappointing not to get to Mada after all the work we have done preparing. Please join us in praying that we do (and preferably without hitches)!
Mad-venture 2015!
Earlier this week, we were told that the driver taking us from Antananarivo (Tana) to Toliara could not fit all the baggage (i.e. all those wonderful, donated supplies) into his latest vehicle.
So after a few days of concern, we were mighty relieved this morning to hear that it is big enough - a Landrover Freelander 4x4 that can take all three people + 8
suitcases + 3 pieces of hand luggage. That brings a lot of peace to our minds about the week’s drive from
Tana to Toliara.
The next need is for Air Madagascar to allow Air France flights
into Tana!
Simon searched the internet this morning and discovered that the strikers at Air Madagascar have
blocked an Air France flight from entering Tana:
We are flying Air France from Chicago O'Hare to Paris to Tana. So here’s hoping and praying that we (with all our baggage) reach Toliara in a smooth and uncomplicated fashion!!
Sue
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Plarn Sundays!
The folks of St James the Less, Northfield,
seemed remarkably unfazed that I had arrived at church lugging a large black
trash bag, and was recruiting them to spend the post-service coffee time cutting
the tops and bottoms off a seemingly endless supply of plastic carrier bags.
Maybe they know I’m crazy and consider it safer to humor me! Anyhow, a bunch of
recruits duly processed several hundred carrier bags, so that Sue can have a
supply of plarn for the crochet portion of her intended craft lessons in
Toliara.
Plarn? It’s short for plastic yarn, and all
kinds of things can be made with it – just Google “plarn” to see for yourself.
So far, Sue has designed several items, including holders for the iPhone 6.
Whether Malagasy women take to plarn, and what they will think to make with it,
only time will tell. But there must be something to be said for a free raw
material, especially in poor countries. If plarn becomes a sought-after
resource, the world will look more picturesque without discarded plastic bags
festooning thorn bushes.
Why are we taking bags with us, when there are
plenty adorning the roadsides? At present, Todd and Patsy are in the USA, and
thus not present to galvanize the people into collecting, washing and drying the
plastic grocery bags. Sue wanted to be sure she had some raw material to work
with in class.
Cutting up the bags wasn’t exactly hard work, and
it gave an opportunity to chat ... and the task would have taken Sue and I on
our lonesome a positive age. Moreover, it gave others an opportunity to learn
more and get involved in the whole project of seeking to be of service to the
people of Madagascar. It also meant we could recycle the unusable parts of the bags (handles and ends) while we are here in the States, rather than discard them in Madagascar. The trimmed bags were then rolled up tight into bundles that will fit more readily into our baggage.
To those of you who participated today: thank
you. Sorry you missed it? Come to St James the Less, next Sunday (June
20th) at 9 a.m. to cut the remainder of the hoard! If you can bring your own
sharp scissors as well, that would be good, as some of the church’s are not that
great.
Simon
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Supplies abound!
We are thrilled with the response to our request for supplies - both from members of St James the Less and from members of the North Suburban NeedleArts Guild. We weighed the boxes on Sunday to see if we could take all of it with us. There are 4 suitcases worth of supplies - 187 pounds weight! The people of the Diocese of Toliara will be so excited when they see it all - and will be very busy making things from it for a long time!
Thank you all!
Sue & Simon
Thank you all!
Sue & Simon
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Babbs Amongst the Baobabs Again!
Simon & Sue Babbs are returning to the Diocese of Toliara, Madagascar in July.
Simon will be
working with the bookkeeping staff & auditor, while Sue will be stitching
with the women, making crafts which can be sold in the local town and
(hopefully) through Fair Trade agencies.
Supplies Wanted:
We are taking out many supplies with us
to help kick-start this ministry. If you have any of the following around the
home, and no longer want them, we would be most pleased to take them with
us:
- Seed beads
- Beading needles and thread
- Embroidery & darning needles
- Reading glasses +1.50 magnification & stronger
- Cotton stranded embroidery floss
- Cotton perle thread
- Denim fabric (old clean jeans would be perfect)
- Crochet hooks (sizes D to K)
- Ultrasuede
- Plastic carrier bags - the women will be using these to crochet bags and baskets, and are collecting them already, but we want to be sure we have enough.
Clean, please. Holes are fine.
Mariano’s look wonderfully elegant - see base! Jewel-Osco's form the sides and handles
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