RLC's Prayer Shawl Ministry

Recently, I have received many phone calls about needs for prayer shawls at my church, Resurrection Lutheran Church (RLC). One of these requests was for a little boy (age 4) who was in a bad accident. I told the requester that a prayer shawl would not be good for him....wrong age and wrong sex. I said I would make something for him and in my free (feel free to laugh here) time I would make something for him. 81 squares of a prayer afghan. It will be small, but he is small. It will be small, but he can carry with him and it won't trip him up (very important given the type of injury). Then I went to church and found a prayer shawl for his mother. I saw her the Monday after the accident and she was looking very stressed and I felt would benefit from this gift. But we didn't have anything for the dad of the little guy. We didn't have anything for him or for his brothers. I spoke with the secretary and got put down to give a temple talk. (A speech about the needs for this ministry).

I then called people that I knew had received a prayer shawl. They gave me some great quotes. I will share part of my speech here:

I remembered something that I read: In every stitch there is a prayer. This prayer shawl started with just 3 little stitches and increased by one every row. When it is finished, it will have about 12000 stitches or 12000 prayers.
Then I began to remember all the people who received a prayer shawl, afghan, toy or gift. Then I began to talk with them.
My first ever shawl was given to Clara after the death of Jack. It took me a long time to compete. But I worked on it a little bit every day. But I finished it and gave it to Clara. Clara told me that prayer shawls make you feel good because it helps to know that people are praying for you. It is wonderful!
After the crash Alex and the girls were in, we gave the family a prayer shawl or afghan. Kristin just recently told me that her girls cherish their shawls.
Diane told me, after her mother lost her leg and she received her prayer shawl, it helped her to know that people who didn’t know her were praying for her and cared for her and wished her well.
Annie told me that she wears her prayer shawl all the time. She feels the extra prayers and love that are meant for her.
Marty told me that the prayer shawl given to Carson brought him a lot of comfort, especially at the hospital and he wore his all the time.
In speaking with Judy, she reminded me that making a prayer shawl provides benefits for the knitter or crocheter. The person receiving gets the benefits of knowing someone cared for them. I remembered reading many different books where someone said that there are health benefits in knitting or crocheting. It lowers blood pressure and relieves stress. Basically, a hook or needles and yarn are cheaper than a therapist.
Glee told me she also cherishes her prayer shawl, given to her before she had surgery. She wore it all the way to the OR and would only give it up when there was a chance that it wouldn’t make it back to her. She shared her prayer shawl with her husband Paul and Betty Robertson before their surgeries. This shawl means the world to her.
Sharon said, “Crocheting is a gift that God has given to me. To be able to create a prayer shawl for a special person I care about with the wonderfully soft, silky yarns that are available is actually relaxing and comforting to myself as I stitch and pray for my friend or loved one, I’m concerned about. I pray, asking God’s blessings for them as I stitch along, “Oh, Lord, bless my loved ones with your healing touch!” So my gift becomes a gift of hope, of comfort, of peace, of love. And when the recipient wraps up in one of these beautiful shawls, it will remind them of the love with which it was created.”
As one person told me, “It is like comfort food. You wrap up in your afghan and you have a feeling of comfort.”

When I got to church on Sunday, we had some new prayer shawls in our bin and someone that I didn't know could crochet or knit, brought me a blanket she was working on and said I made mistake, help me fix it and then teach me how to cast off. She had made a baby blanket for anyone who might need it for a baby! How wonderful!!

I really do go to church with some great people!!

Just a Few Updates

I will start with the biggie: My mother-in-law is out of the hospital and in a rehab. She is relearning how to use her left side and how to walk. She has a long road ahead. She has some moments where she is so on, she knows where she is, how many children and grandchildren she has. Other times, she doesn't know and she has forgotten her granddaughters. It will be a long road, but one that she is making.

Next up: I have started a project...I will be making at least one prayer shawl a month (I hope) to give to my friend's practice. She is a nurse midwife and she and I were talking about new mom's who have lost their baby during childbirth (or having to deliver a deceased baby). I helped her acquire her first prayer shawl for a mom who just went through such a sad time. My friend's little granddaughters wanted to touch the prayer shawl and were shocked that I was making something different. Good thing the prayer shawl is easy. Thank you Debbie Macomber for this pattern (you can find it on her webpage).

Then: My husband and I became ill....not just a little ill, but a lot ill. High fevers with coughing. Both of us sick at the same time...not good. I went and saw a nurse practicioner at the Kroger on Sunday and found out it is not flu....thank God. But I need to rest....like that is going to happen. After the days I have had, more than likely I will be heading down to my doctor to get some antibiotics, so that I can finally get over whatever virus I had that decided to morph into something else. Typical days while sick: I had to take the children out of the house so they could use some of their energy...Then I had to do laundry. Today, Monday, I took all the computers (4 of them) that my husband had acquired for donation to a school out of the house - delivering them. Then I went to kindergarten and picked up my daughter to take her on a play date. From there I went to Walmart to buy my daughters some new underwear. From there I went to be a mom for a classroom party. Then I went to Kroger's and picked up a prescription for my husband, picked up some items to use for cooking a supper that my husband asked for. Brought all this home and put it away. Then went back to the school to pick up my daughters from Lego Club...something they are really enjoying. Home again to start homework with the kids, start cooking supper and getting them into baths and bed. From there I will have to feed the kids, and do the dishes and more laundry! Bedtime...I sleep on the couch and wake up when the buzzer goes off on the dryer.

Where is my husband? Good question....he played on the computer all day. Then he went to bed when I brought the girls home. He is not allowed to do laundry because he doesn't follow directions and has ruined enough clothing. He needed to rest because he is sick...When my fever hit 103.3 I still had to take care of the kids! I am sore and I am tired and I am a wee bit irritated with him. Good thing the new couch is so comfy!

Edited to add: He is sick, also. He has been running fevers and he did take care of the kids as he started to get sick, but today just wore me out and I am cranky. He is a good man and he does try to help. Now to start the dishes and put away the food.