Cross Cultural

My husband and I had an opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic in February of 2007 with a group from our church.  Our goal was to assist in teaching skills to the local people that would enable them to support their families. We were part of “Village Partnerships” from the humanitarian non-profit called “Children of the Nations.” COTN’s vision is “raising children who transform nations.” Their mission “is to provide holistic, Christ-centered care for orphaned and destitute children, enabling them to create positive and lasting change in their nations.”  (see COTN Website) 

One of the criterions for going on this trip was to bring a skill that we could teach to the people that would give them greater ability to provide for their families. We had people in our group who were able to teach technology skills, sewing skills, arts and crafts skills, ethics skills, and law enforcement skills. Also, some of our people could fix the electrical problems, plumbing problems, and construction/engineering problems that we encountered in the facilities operated by COTN in the local communities.

I came prepared to teach hand quilting which included bringing all the supplies in individual kits that a person would need to complete a small hand quilted hot pad. With the language assistance of the high school students who were in our group (Spanish immersion students in their schools), I was able to teach several of the adults how to hand quilt. My hope was that they would be able to teach what they had learned to others using the little kits of supplies and directions that I had left with them.

During this part of our trip, we were in the mountains very close to the Haitian border. One evening we decided to visit one of the Haitian villages located inside the DR to connect with friends.  I had prepared to tell a little bit of my family story of how God cared for us through tragedy to this group of Creole Haitians using an interpreter.  I had also prepared to sing a song that I thought might be meaningful to them and pertinent to my story. It was the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi set to music.

PRAYER OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI 

O LORD, MAKE ME A INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE
WHERE THERE IS HATRED, LET ME SOW LOVE
WHERE THERE IS INJURY, PARDON
WHERE THERE IS DOUBT, FAITH
WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR, HOPE
WHERE THERE IS DARKNESS, LIGHT
AND WHERE THERE IS SADNESS, JOY 

O DIVINE MASTER, GRANT THAT I MAY NOT SO MUCH SEEK
TO BE CONSOLED AS TO CONSOLE
TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS TO UNDERSTAND
TO BE LOVED AS TO LOVE
FOR IT IS IN GIVING THAT WE RECEIVE.
IT IS IN PARDONING THAT WE ARE PARDONED
AND IT IS IN DYING THAT WE ARE BORN TO ETERNAL LIFE

While preparing what I would say I realized I was very nervous to speak and sing in this situation. But the moment I stood before them I was overwhelmed with compassion for them; nerves subsided, and I knew that this was where God wanted me to be at that moment sharing about God‘s love for me and them. With the Interpreter, I sang a line of the song, and he spoke the interpretation; we developed a rhythm (dance) to the music and message of Saint Francis’s prayer. It was truly a thing of beauty to experience.

On that trip there were many opportunities for us to experience the cross-cultural nature of making your art.  Music is truly a universal language; sharing my quilting art also spans the cultures. Through making our art we can connect across languages and cultures.