"Journey to Congo and Back"

A wall hanging “Journey to Congo and Back”, donated by Jenelle Buschur will be sold at the 2012 Black Swamp Benefit Auction, June 15-16. Thanks to Carolyn Snyder for piecing, CaraLou Grieser for marking, and the MCC Tatter Club at Care & Share in Archbold for quilting this piece.

I keep returning to this quilt and its intricate interplay of design, coming and going, intensity of color, care in hand work, women joining women. It is an excellent metaphor for the deep turning and re-turning of my soul after our Congo Cloth Delegation to Kinshasa in May of this year.

Since internet access was limited during our stay in Kinshasa, we posted most of our photos and reflections on Facebook at the Congo Cloth Connection page.

However, my sister pilgrims in The Fellowship of the Cloth continue to write beautiful reflections in their blogs.

Please read June Mears Driedger's day to day account blog of our journey here:

Nancy Myers will be returning to Congo in July for the Centennial celebration. It has been one hundred years since the first Mennonite missionaries from the US traveled to Congo. You can read her reflections on returning and go back to read Nancy's blogging while in Congo here:

Cover photo for The Jesus Tribe: Grace Stories from Congo’s Mennonites, 1912–2012, to be published later this summer and translated from French to English by Nancy Myers.

The Beauty of Women Theologians -- and connections

“The body of Christ is a unique organization in all the world. We do not have the power of weapons of destruction, but we have the power of healing and hope. And I feel and know that power when I am with you all here today.

In the light of the first day in Kinshasa, Suzanne Lind took Nancy Myers and I to a gathering of women theologians at the Christian University of Kinshasa. (Our fellow pilgrim, June, stayed and rested in the Lind apartment, not feeling well.)

I have heard that it is common to be called upon the “give a word” in such gatherings. The quote above was what the Spirit brought to me. Reviewing my visits with some of these women at Mennonite World Conference gatherings, and bearing witness to the strength of their testimony to us there, felt like a way of completing a circle –
circulation in the body of Christ.

They provided a wonderful Congolese feast for us, presented us with flowers, and shared some of their hopes and questions. It was powerful to be in the classroom where theology is taught and imagine these women making the many sacrifices they do to serve the church.

I promised to bear the gift of their power – song, ululating, honoring of one another and us, sharing their successes and struggles – in my heart to you.

Cloth Delegation to Kinshasa April 30-May 16

Nancy Myers, June Mears Driedger and Nina Lanctot are so grateful to have been invited for a church to church visit by the Bondeko Mennonite Congregation in Kinshasa, DR Congo. As part of Congo Cloth Connection we will stay in homes, spend time with friends who visited with us here in the US, and visit the BOMEN Sewing Group. We are grateful for Christine Nofsinger and Suzanne Lind who have helped us prepare. My granddaughter's friend, Curious, will be a travel companion! You can follow our adventures on Facebook at Congo Cloth Connection as well as here at congocloth.blogspot.com. Thanks to all of you who have helped us make this trip -- April 30 through May 16 -- a reality.

It all began here, with Christine Nofsinger going to Congo for Rose Lind's graduation. I will refresh this story of this project in the coming days.

CONTINUING CONNECTIONS

We promised to keep sharing how the connections and ideas and relationships and prayers keep unfolding from Congo Cloth Connections. I am ready to "get back into the blogger seat!" Keep sending us photos and stories at florence.brethren.mennonite@gmail.com Nina

FROM PATSY SHERER

I brought 4 yards of this summery watermelon-looking cloth home from the Mennonite convention in Pittsburgh and turned it into a tablecloth. I added a strip of the same material to each side to make it wide enough for my table.

FROM LOUISE MATTHEWS

I have attached a photo taken at The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio to include in your blog for the Congo Cloth Connection.

I recently presented a program called "Global Connections" with interactive activities for local children in grades 1-6. Five international students who attend Bluffton University from Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria shared about their country and culture. As a finale, participants dressed in international fashions for a group photo.

The fabric was purchased through CCC at the Mennonite Convention in Pittsburgh, PA and five of the skirts with matching head scarves shown in the photo were custom designed and sewn by Marie-Jeanne Mujinga while at convention.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Shelly for her generous donation to The Lion and Lamb for me to purchase CCC fabric and to Marie-Jeanne for her willingness to design and sew outfits for my programming with children. This provided a wonderful opportunity for "building bridges" at the Pittsburgh convention and beyond. I look forward to sharing these outfits with children at future global connection events at The Lion and Lamb.

Blessings~Louise Matthews

The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center
Bluffton University
419.358.3207
www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb/<http://www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb/>

Quilt Auction! $4210!!!

CCC on Day Three at MCUSA

Congo Cloth Connection pictures worth millions of words...

CCC @ MCUSA CONBENTION 2011 PITTSBURGH, PA

CONVENTION DAY ONE

Monday 4 July

After a long days of driving on either Sunday or Monday, all the CCC crew arrived. Tim Lind remained at home due an illness in the family, so Nina's first task was scrambling for translators for Marie-Jeanne and Gaston. Just before the evening worship they met Steve Wiebe-Johnson who served as their worship host. When they finally found their way back to the CCC booth after worship, Nina had encountered Jeanette Krabill, the angel of francais, who has been a beautiful and helpful presence in our booth ever since.

The Sunday travel group had been working all day, without air conditioning, setting up the Congo Cloth Connection booth and folding fabric for display. It is gorgeous!





When Nina and Nancy and Marie-Jeanne arrived they added a sewing table and sewing machine and poster of dress design from Congo so that the “dress shop corner” was ready to go!





When the Exhibit Hall opened at 8:45 pm, the booth was flooded with people, full of delight, interest.



Ervin Stutsman, executive director of MCUSA, was one of the first to come and stitch on the “Every Stitch a Prayer” quilt.

Youth really enjoyed dropping in to make bookmarks out of Congo cloth.

Over $800 of donations were given in exchange for many yards of cloth. And Marie-Jeanne began to take orders for custom made items.


CONVENTION DAY TWO

Tuesday 5 July

The booth was open from 11 am to 11 pm with volunteers taking shifts. Steady interest generated over $2000 in donations!

Louise Matthew of the Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center of Bluffton College ordered five skirts and head scarves from Marie-Jeanne. They use these cross cultural clothes to teach about diversity and peacemaking. What fun it was to see the variety of fabrics and skirt designs Marie-Jeanne created! Several girls came through and were willing to model them for us. And some lovely ladies, as well…

Sylvia Shirk was Marie-Jeanne’s interpreter for the Mennonite Women Dinner. This gave her a chance to hear some excellent preaching by Meghan Good and Eli Soto Albrecht, in translation. They she was ready to keep sewing until 11 pm. She is a wonder!



I had some time to work on the prayer cards that are part of “Every Stitch a Prayer.” I had made some cards by sewing and praying on Congo cloth. Suzanne Lind took them to Congo. Cisca Ibanda shared them with a group of women from all three Mennonite groups in Kinshasa, and they sent their prayer requests back.





On Tuesday evening I was able to sew and pray again, this time with particular women in mind. I prayed for a son who had rebelled against his family, for a daughter who had been ill for 37 years, for a son that could not find work and a son who cut off all communication with family. I will send back my own requests: for my son who is looking for work, for my daughter who is looking for the right relationships, for health and blessing from my only granddaughter who just learned to walk. Ah! We are the same. We are sisters, even from afar. This kind of connection, and all the connections in our booth, were the dreams of this church to church relationships project. Thanks be to God!

We have had lots of help quilting the "Every Stitch a Prayer" quilt for the auction on Thursday.