The Story Continues

A few months ago, I searched Facebook for a college friend who lived across the hall from me freshman year. I'm sure Kristi and I haven't corresponded with each other since we graduated in 1991.

With her permission, I'm sharing part of what she wrote to me:

Hi Mary Beth,

I've been meaning to write you a message since you found me on Facebook. But yesterday clinched it for me that now is the time to get to it. I've been reading your blog these past few weeks...

...you came to my mind yesterday when I was sitting in church. You see we have this gigantic quilt hanging in our sanctuary and they were talking about how it was stitched by these HIV+ women in Nigeria. Knowing your love of quilting/sewing and your work in Nigeria, I wanted to tell you about it. But before I started to write you this email, I started looking at some of your older blogs and what did I find......you made this quilt!!!! I was in shock. Obviously you know what I'm talking about.....the He Qi painting. When it first arrived at our church a couple weeks ago, I looked at it up close to admire the stitching but then because of its size, had to step back quite a ways to admire the scene. Amazing work! I am so impressed.

And then I got this message from her on Monday:

I have another story about your quilt I thought you might like to hear.....God works in mysterious ways! Yesterday was to be the last Sunday it was hanging in our church, but it wasn't there. Earlier in the week, my choir director had told us about Kathy (a woman on staff at Calvary Lutheran in Golden Valley) who had just lost her niece -- a 20 year old college student who suffered an unexpected seizure. As they were preparing for her funeral (in Montevideo, MN), they had to move it to the school as the church was too small for the anticipated attendees. That pastor was looking for a way to make the venue not seem so much like a school, so began asking for a large banner....just anything that could be a big presence in the room. He was told about your quilt and was directed to Calvary in order to get it....little did he know, Kathy was on staff and could easily facilitate getting the quilt to her funeral.

But the story doesn't end there. Apparently, when the kids graduate from this school, they are presented with a quilt as a blessing to wrap around them and take with them to college. But for some reason, this girl never got her quilt.....until her funeral.....she got to have your quilt as a blessing for her going home.


For a previous blog post about the quilt, click here: