BRAZIL You Are In God's Story (3rd story rope class)

Rio De Janeiro 3rd class 
After making their cordão de vida they were invited to share - but ONLY if they wanted to.

Following the story-telling we tooked at the two quilts. 

The quilt on the left is Pathway to Healing, the first of the Rwanda quilts (click to see all 4 Rwanda quilts). 

In my own story, It was hard for me to sense God's precence when I was in the deep depression. This verse offered me comfort that He was there:  

Behold I go forward but he is not there, and backward, but I can not percieve him. When He acts of the left, I can not behold him, He turns on the right, I can not see Him. BUT HE KNOWS THE WAY I TAKE and when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:8-10. 

This is my story! 

The quilt on the right is God's Story Rope. 

Many of their stories contained a lot of darkness.  So many women  I've taught, most recently in this southern hemisphere, have been hurt and abused in evil, ugly ways, at the hand of others. 

This is verse I've used alot in these groups:  Genesis 50:19 What was meant for evil, God will use for good.  Don't stay hunkered down in the black -  in the past. Take risks!  God is there. Always available. 

At the end, everyone hung their story on God's story rope. For some, the healing process began last night. 

BRAZIL A Circle of 30 (3rd class in Brazil)

Rio de Janeiro  3rd class-part 1

There were 30 in the story rope class last night.  30 women in the circle. 30 individual life stories to think about and work out on their cordão de vida (life cord or story rope). The evening began with worship. (photo 1)

Using my cordão de vida I told my story, how God had used everything, even the very, very long difficult dark time. God wastes nothing!!!!! 
(photo 2 - telling my story with Raquel translating)

On to teaching how to make their own cordão de vida - standing by the materials, explaining they need to choose a long strip to begin the process. 

(photo 3 - holding my story rope)

click on photos to enlarge

continued in next post 

BRAZIL Showing Me Their Cordão De Vida (2nd class Brazil)

Rio de Janeiro (2nd story-rope class) 

In Brazil, we are calling the story rope, cordão de vida.  

At the end of class something was lost in the translation.  

It happens.

Although I thought they were told we would be sharing their stories to one another at their tables, they started coming up to me with happy faces, to show their ropes and tell their stories in Portuguese which I don't understand!

Then they all got ready to leave! 
What is happening?!!  
Where are they going?!! 
Class was over evidently!  We quickly got their attention!

I grabbed the gold cord to explain about God's Story Rope that we are all a part of it.Not all of their ropes were put on God's story rope. Some were already in their bags.  Then we took this group picture.

OK. Time to regroup, debrief and not make that mistake in the next group. Sharing their stories with one another is the most important part of the story rope making process. It is when the healing begins.

BRAZIL The Great-Grandmother (2nd class in Brazil)

Rio de Janerio 

I figured something out. My new iPad Mini takes much better photos than my digital camera!  Here in Rio, I switched to using the camera - after using the iPad exclusively in Peru a couple weeks ago. 

All to say-these pictures, taken with my camera, were out of focus!  Photoshop filters rescued these first 3 photos! 

Yesterday we presented at the Handcraft group at a local church.  I think over 45 women were there. This group meets two times a week, creating handcrafts to sell at their craft fairs 2 times a year.  

It could be my presentation was different for them - using our creative handwork for God. It is always hard to figure out what the perception is when one does not speak the language -  but I think I connected. 

One of the women, making a story rope was a great grandmother of 82. As I went through my pictures, I found her (in dark plaid dress) pictured at the story rope table sorting through the materials to create her rope. Later I took this picture of her. 

Sometimes things aren't communicated correctly. Not knowing the language, I wondered why everyone was leaving !?! 


We had not shared our stories yet!!! 

Oh well. You have got to be flexible on these trips. 

But before great-grandmother left, I sat down with her, asking her to tell me her story. 

Having been through much hardship - the death of 2 husbands and un-natural death of two sons - she was convicted by God, not to give up.  At 82 she is resiliant, a testimony to God's faithfulness, letting go and letting God take care of unresolved justice. HE alone is the judge. Thank you for sharing with me, Great-grandmther. 

Click on Photos to enlarge.

BRAZIL Sharing Their Long Stories (con't 1st class in Brazil)

Story-ropes were long 

stories even longer 

black was very black 

stories hard to share

but they did. 

Tears

trembling hands

smiles of God's presence

arms of support. 



Afternoon slid into night 

down two flights of stairs

caught a taxi

home in the darkness.

You intended to harm me, 

but God intended it all for good.
Genesis 50:20

BRAZIL no.2 Storyropes™ In The Community

 Rio de Janeiro

Our first storyrope™ class in Brazil. 

Yesterday we made storyropes™ with women of one of the communities. 

The artist in me was inspired by the architecture I saw out the windows of our meeting place. 

We began t in a circle. I told my story of family, art and depression. It was depression that resonated in the group - deeply, very deeply. Emotions overflowed. 

I moved on teaching how-to make a storyrope™. At the materials table, the women chose their long strips, ribbons and buttons that would tell their stories.  

After they sat down at tables to begin, I glanced over at the material table. 

All the black was gone. I quickly put more black ribbons out. 

They would need more. I was sure. 

next post: Sharing their Long Stories

BRAZIL no. 2 In the Studio and Off to a Meeting

Rio de Janeiro

I have a studio here - a granite table top in the corner of our room. 

This morning I began cutting ribbons in my studio. Each color going into a bag - trying for some organization here. 14 bags of different colors. 

Making progress.  I have more strips and ribbons to cut tomorrow. 

Part way through the morning, Jeff (our host & partner in ministry) came by to say that we had an appointment at 1 pm to meet the pastor and women at Caju, go out to lunch and then back to the church to show the storyrope™ idea. Perhaps they might like to have me come share with their women at the church.

On the road we passed several communities. This one pictured will be torn down with the Olympics coming in 2016. 

But we continued on to Caju, where we met, had lunch and shared the storyrope™ process.  

Tuesday we will be going back to teach the storyrope™ to their leaders.

BRAZIL no. 1 Storyrope™ Shopping in Rio De Janeiro

Writing today from Rio de Janeiro

Beginning to post some Brazil storyrope™ related stories.  

I'll continue to share about the storyrope™ in Peru. Post titles will note which country. 

So here we go Brazil!

Today we shopped for fabric, buttons and ribbons for the storyrope™ workshops we have scheduled for here in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. 


Tomorrow I cut all the ribbons and storyropes™.

First workshop this weekend.

In the pictures: Diane and Jeff, who Nelson and I are staying with and partnering on their team. Storyrope™ materials purchased today.