I’m Never Too Old to Learn a New ‘Thing’ or Two

I’m never to old to learn!

In January of this year one of the new projects was to engage the local community in learning to sew to provide skills for them to obtain jobs to support themselves and their families. In a country of some 5,000 garment factories I really thought everyone knew how to sew. Not so.

I really thought I knew how to sew already too so the idea that I would provide the spiritual aspect for this long project was appealing to me. I would also be engaging the participants in English as well, which proved somewhat successful.

First though, the teachers needed to learn how to teach. What better way to do this than to make clothes for one another or myself. It was about this time that the president’s mom came for a long visit. She was an accomplished and well sought after seamstress. For me with very minimal Khmer language skills that became a concern. I couldn’t ask for special consideration, but how was I to know ‘what was going on.’

In the end it proved to be no problem at all. Girls have a wonderful way of sorting so much out in those kind of moments. You know what the bigger issue was in the end ? I had to continually remember that these women used metric and I had not. Big, huge, bad, errors possible. They kept on me, each, every, time.

Repetition and example go a long way. So does a lot of laughter and smiles and even more patience in the end.

So here and now I have thrown so many of my ‘old’ sewing habits into a basket in lieu of some Asian concepts that make them such impressive seamstresses and why so many of our clothes are made there. So I so wanted to try something on this side of the pond on my own. No it wasn’t a fitted design but I concentrated more on the fact of getting the pattern sized correctly the first time. Wait, their was no pattern actually. Previously, in my old ways, I’d have to cut off the ‘extra.’ Not this time. I measured three times and set out to sew. I’m happy with the results.

As I look back at all of those meetings and teaching, I’m so grateful that God placed me there and then. I so learned how my humble spirit needed more shaping and molding because these women sought me and pulled me in to ‘share back’ something I obviously had more to learn about. So often I think that we think we have all the answers and go into the field with that mindset.

I made a lot of mistakes. They lovingly corrected me. We laughed a lot at those ‘ugh’ moments. Everyone had them. But the point I truly learned even more is that we need one another in God’s work. We aren’t meant to do it alone. Thank you Father.

Oh, here’s the result of my efforts. Just the way she wanted it to be.

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