my friend, Grace.

{I hate when I write posts and then forget about it!  but only appropriate, as so much has happened with this story since I originally wrote about it!}

only appropriate that in my learning about grace.....

While I was in Rwanda with Jessica & Joe, I got the opportunity to go with Jessica to meet with a group of women who are about to start sewing school!

Jennifer, Jessica's friend & advocate for their adoption of Jack, has formed relationships with women in her neighborhood and has put together this whole endeavor. God is good & in the details and so when Jennifer & Jessica started working on Jack's (too many J's, huh?) adoption - they talked about the opportunities for these women.

As with anything, it costs money to go to school. Jennifer did all of the leg work and found somewhere for the ladies to go to sewing school. Each woman has a sponsor (or two!) to help pay for their schooling (transportation to & from, sewing machines, tables, chairs, teaching).

Jessica & I got to join these ladies for tea at Jennifer's house one Sunday afternoon in Kigali. It was beautiful. We had a translator so we got the opportunity to hear a bit of each one's story. There were supposed to be 10 women go to school but that day, one of them brought a friend named Grace.

As Jennifer was explaining that there are only 10 sewing machines, I felt a little nudge from the spirit. I told Jennifer that day that I would be honored to sponsor Grace.

Well since getting home, my good friend Jenn and I have sponsored Grace!

We got an email from Jennifer a few weeks ago saying that she "introduced" us to Grace. I love that my family photo is one that Jenn took :) My other friend, Beth, did a spot on the women on her blog - Give 1 Save 1 - and they have sponsored a woman too!

While Jenn was in Rwanda, she got the chance to meet Grace too!  Check out pics on her blog here! 

They are in sewing school now, learning away -- will you pray for them?

By sending them to school, they will learn to sew and then eventually make beautiful items for Noonday Collection! We got to meet with Grace (another Grace!) at Amani, where they will be doing school, and Jessica got to show her samples of what we would like.  Now they are getting the amazing opportunity to work with Matilda Jane!  You can read more about this amazing story on the Noonday blog here.

Jessica said it best on the blog, "Jennifer had a dream for the women in her neighborhood to work, the women in her neighborhood had a dream for a better life, I had a dream to partner with the women where Jack was born, Denise had a dream to get her team to Africa, and the MJC girls’ dream of getting to Africa is around the corner! Want to dream with us?"  

There will be a team going to Rwanda in May :)  Sure wish I could go...

The Noonday Collection facebook page had a contest that also sent a woman to school! If you haven't go become a fan!