Old and New Year's Joy

In December I received a surprise letter from a young mother of 5 children:

I need to thank you!

Thank you for teaching me to sew!! It has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. I've never stopped using the gift you gave - whether it's been for family, friends or for the church. I'm very excited because I just finished my first quilt (a king size at that!) and it turned out beautifully. I'll be posting pics in a week or so but . . . I never could have attempted anything like that if you had not invested your time teaching me this invaluable skill. I truly appreciate the time you gave to my teenage years. You've impacted my life more than you'll ever know (in more ways than just sewing too!) I sure wish older ladies realized the importance of mentoring!!

Thank you, Bettie.

To God be the glory!!

Christi

The next surprise was a letter from Christi's younger sister:

January

Hi! I was just thinking about you and thought I'd drop you a note. I wanted to let you know how all the time you took to teach me things in my younger days have stayed with me through life. I never buy bread, always make my own. I remember you teaching me how to knead on your kitchen table! And this Christmas I sewed all of our gifts we gave away. I even made a saddle bag for my grandmother's wheel chair that turned out great... and I made the pattern myself! Yesterday I sewed our dog a cute fleece coat which she loves so far (she doesn't like being cold!). I've made several dresses lately and I have 18 yards of fabric in the drier right now ready to be made into some new pants and skirts.

I'm not telling you all of this to brag or be boastful, I'm telling you to let you know how appreciated you are! Anyway, thank you for taking time to teach me so many things way back when. They will never be forgotten. Take care.

Love,

Lindi

Bettie Need January

How good to hear from you! I am so proud of you for going beyond what I taught you-- now pass it on to someone else! May I add this to my Titus 2 Blog when I post Christi's letter? I'd like to make it a "sister post".

Lindi Jenkins January

Christi's letter? I didn't know! How wonderful that God put you in both of our lives. Yes, the letter is yours, please use it as you wish. :)

I love hearing about what's going on in your life these days! Keep well and may God bless you for all you have taught and continue to teach all of those future wives in this world.

Christi and Lindi are daughters of good friends of ours when Jeff and I were in church with them. When Jeff died in June 1997, Lindi came and spent many days with me until my son could finish his job in Kentucky and move to Virginia to help me after his dad died. These are precious letters for me-- I love hearing that young ladies I have mentored are using the skills they learned.

Dear women, you will never know how much your life will impact the next generation unless you make yourself available to share in even the smallest way, in teaching young women godly ways to bless their future husbands and families! Are there young ladies who would benefit from you sharing one of your talents? Go for it!!

3John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.