Change is never easy. As someone who thrives on change and loves the thrill of a new place, I simultaneously dread it and find I tend to react with migraines, insomnia, or other physical problems that indicate that I'm not adapting as well as I think. I'll admit the past 7 months of preparing for starting a business in Bangladesh have had many of those moments, and yet have given me multiple opportunities to see God's gentle reminders that he is going before me and working everything out. From linking with Hand and Cloth, to having SCORE volunteers helping me with business plans, to meeting up with people looking for products, to participating in Marketplace Theology courses at Regent, I am awed at how obvious it is that Hand and Cloth is God's business and I am along for the ride!
The first Monday after returning to Bangladesh, I made my first visit to the Children's Uplift Program (CUP) in Dhaka. CUP’s vision is to see children and mothers who have been in street situations living in society, helping each other, understanding God’s love and developing holistically. They provide emergency shelter, health services, social support, literacy and skill training, subsidized training, and social support, working in partnership with women and children to empower them and offer them opportunities to improve their own lives.
These opportunities include employment with Hand and Cloth. I am renting a space in the same building, so as they transition from CUP's training program to full time employment with Hand and Cloth they actually just have to move upstairs! Not too much change, you would think, but when your life has so drastically changed as the women have experienced during their time at CUP, it obviously is a big move into the unknown.
After lunch, we all sat down together to discuss some of these fears and thoughts. Thirteen women have been selected to transition to Hand and Cloth starting part time in mid April and full time in May. The faces looking back at me at the meeting were a mix of curiosity, fear, excitement, concern... Many of the women had young children clinging to them. All of them were attentive and eager to hear from this person who they had previously just seen in passing. One woman avoided my eyes and was dressed quite shabby; actually, a bit dirty. When asked why she dressed so, she admitted, she was hoping she could discourage me from selecting her to work with Hand and Cloth. This was in contrast to a woman with bright eyes wearing a bejeweled sari, more typical for a bride! She obviously wanted to make a great impression!
So pray for these 13 women as they prepare to leave the safety of the known, to step into employment. Pray for me to find a good mix of compassion and professionalism so that together we develop Hand and Cloth into a business that is effective, profitable and fun!
