Exciting Stuff

So, lately in Bead Amigas we have been thinking of ways to involve more women in the US while getting help with some of the prep work that needs to be done to keep the project rolling (no pun intended). Rosann (project director) had a good idea of involving some female prisoners at a women's prison in Georgia to give them a project to work on and at the same time, help us out. The plan is to have them cut and paint old wallpaper rolls that can then be cut and rolled into beads by the Nicaraguan women. So Rosann went through all the necessary background checks and forms and got clearance to start a program at the prison for any interested women. She made her first trip there last night just to introduce the women to the project and try to gauge interest level. When she got home, she sent me this email. I wanted to share it with everyone because for me it is so exciting and really shows the heart of Bead Amigas. It's not just about the jewelry and the work, it's about the connections that are made between the women that come into contact with the project.

"Yall, I just got back from the women's prison and I am so so so full of something -- I can't describe it...evidence of God's grace or decency of humans or redemption..

18 women not only want to process the rolls of wallpaper but also want to know how else can they help...can they have a walkathon? can they raise money for Amigos for Christ? can they get them some tables so the Nica women will have surface to cut on? And these women themselves don't have anything....

I kept telling them that if they could cut the rolls into 14.5 pieces and paint those pieces that would be wonderful

One woman was from a well to do family Nica. Her parents own a hotel and she testified about the poverty there. She told the others that even though they were in prison they had it better than many people in her country. Another woman said this project would give her a chance to give back "to make up for some of my stupid mistakes." Another said "this is something we can do even though we're inside."

Tears all around.

They wanted to know all about the women and their stories. They wanted to see more pictures. When was Darling's baby due? How old was Ana Rosa? Why isn't Fatima a model? They sat forward in their chairs and listened...I mean really listened...even the ones who were distant or angry looking when they came in.

They all wore this ugly beige shirt and pants and were so hungry for color!

I found out their favorite colors -- just like the nica women -- red, pink, turquoise, sky blue.

I took a color wheel and we had a little lesson on that. When I brought out the strips of different colors, they sighed and touched and carefully selected one. They had to use only coffee stirrers (no coat hangers) they concentrated so hard. 18 women using one little glue pen.

Two of them rolled an instantly perfect bead. I couldn't believe it. another jessica and darling. When I told them, this was a bead that Rachel would buy, their faces LIT up.

They weren't even allowed to take their stirrer back to their dorms but they were allowed to take only one bead and each one left cradling it as if it were the most precious object in the world.

For me this is the heart of the project, that groups of marginalized women who will never meet can help each other and themselves."