This is the beginning stages of a prayer shawl that I started knitting last night. If you don't know what a prayer shawl is I hope you will visit the Prayer Shawl Ministry site. There you will find tons of information about prayer shawl ministries, the purpose, patterns and prayers. We started a prayer shawl ministry at our church in 2004. It came about as the result of lots of prayers and God working in my heart.
A friend introduce me to prayer shawls and I started reading about different ministries and did some research to figure out what is was all about. The first prayer shawl I ever made was while my mother was in the hospital after a car accident. She was in pretty bad shape and we (her children) lived at the hospital waiting for her to recover. It was a great way to pass time and gave me an opportunity to have some quite prayer time. I still have this shawl and treasure it. After that experience I started making shawls for friends and family that I felt were in need. In need of what you may ask - prayer, love, comfort, God's warmth. I felt this little ministry blessed me more than the recipients at times. It was amazing. Then one night I woke up with this church wide ministry thought rushing through my head. I tried to make it go away but it wouldn't, it weighed on me for weeks. I thought about it all the time and things I would read would always lead back the the shawl ministry. After a few weeks of this and several God winks, I decided to talk to my pastor about it. When I talked to the pastor about everything that had happened he listened patiently and then said, "Woman, connect the dots, this is what God wants!" So began the Woven Prayers ministry at our church. We have a small group of dedicated knitters and crocheters who make prayer shawls for those in need. We also make shawls for baptisms, confirmation, and graduation. The shawl I am working on now is for a high school graduate. It is such a blessing to work on something like this.
If any of this has peaked your interest I would encourage you to check out the shawl ministry site and maybe even read Knitting into the Mystery: A Guide to the Shawl-Knitting Ministry by Susan Izard and Susan Jorgensen. The shawl ministry is truly is a blessing and well worth the time.
I know all of this may sound crazy to some, but it is what it is. I truly believe God was at work in all of this and continues to be today.
Have a Super Sunday!
P.S. I gave you the short version of the story. I didn't want to go into everything that happened because it would take too much of your time. I know I left out some important details and information so please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
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