The Quilt

There's a great story behind this quilt...as I'm sure there are behind most quilts. That's why I love quilts. I love things that tell a story. Here's the story behind this treasure.

About 7 years ago, I was preparing to return back to the states from an almost 4 year term in Khon Kaen, Thailand. I was the teacher of missionary kids there. It was a time of learning, growing, ministry, and adventure. I am certain that God wanted me there not just to use me in the ministry, but to bless me with amazing friendships and to use those friends to help me grow in my faith. I look on those years as a time of preparation. They prepared me for the years of being a wife, mother, and a part of God's ministry. So as I was getting ready to come home, and my good friend, who I went to school with from elementary up to high school, who I spent many hours laughing, talking, and hanging out with, wrote me and said that she wanted to make me a quilt. She was starting to quilt, and told me to pick out some fabric from Thailand and bring back with me. She would make me a quilt as a remembrance of my time there. I was excited and amazed. What a wonderful gift!

My sweet friends and I met up at the local goods store in our town we lived in (Khon Kaen) and took the time to pick out fabrics that would go into my Thailand quilt. What a sweet memory of being with my friends. The fabrics also make me think of Thailand. The people. The clothing that was worn. The fabrics I would see in different things around me...purses, bags, decor. This quilt brings together past, present, and future. The past friendships and memories of childhood through my years and Thailand; the present of being able to display this quilt in my home to represent those friendships, memories, and God's goodness; the future of passing all of this down to my children and future generations. I pray it will be a legacy of faith.

This quilt is also special to me because this isn't just a quilt from a friend, it's a quilt from my sister in Christ. When I was in high school, I became burdened in my heart for this friend. I prayed for her, that she would know Christ and have a relationship with Him. I was led to talk with her several times. Then, our senior year in high school, I was blessed to be able to pray with her to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior. That's the greatest gift of all. To call her my sister, as well as my friend.

(pics: the full quilt; a close-up of the back; the personalized patch on the back)