One day a message was sent through one of my charity crafting email groups. A woman asked if any of us would be willing to make some wool sweaters, socks, and mittens for an orphanage in Moldova. She and a group of other adoptive parents would hand deliver the items to the children on one of their next trips.
This project interested me, but they only wanted wool clothing because of the extra warmth it provided. I am allergic to wool. Even a tiny bit in a sweater makes me itch like crazy, unless none of it touches my skin.
Although I was not going to participate, I was curious. She had included some links to news articles about this orphanage so I went to read them.
Moldova is a small country next to Romania. It used to be part of the USSR. The poverty is pretty extreme and the winters can be brutal. Families adopting from this particular orphanage were horrified at the conditions the children were living in. They kids would sleep in a pile on the floor, trying to keep each other warm during the cold winter nights. They often woke up with frost bite or chilblains on their hands and feet. That’s why the group especially wanted socks and mittens for the children to wear while they slept.
One article had a picture I will never forget. It was a child in this orphanage. He (or she, I couldn’t tell) was around six or seven maybe. He was skin and bones, and looked like he was so weak he could hardly hold up his head. His eyes were blank, and yet somehow still full of suffering. Then I saw his hands. Those little bony hands were covered with red open sores. The article said the sores were from the cold.
When I saw those poor little hands, something inside me changed forever. I didn’t care anymore what the wool might do to my hands. I HAD to do something for these children. I HAD TO DO IT. I immediately found an online yarn store and bought some wool yarn.
Ever since then, most of my knitting has been with wool or wool blend yarns. Surprisingly, it doesn’t bother my hands as much as I had feared. I think it’s because the most sensitive parts of my hands seldom rest on the yarn while I am knitting. Plus I use lots of lotion and wear long sleeves whenever possible. Over the years I’ve learned some brands of yarn and breeds of sheep that cause me more trouble so I avoid them.
I do love all the sweet preemie items, and God bless the people who help children in difficult situations. But people who are desperately cold are the ones who own my heart. It doesn’t matter where or who they are. Over the last 10+ years I have been blessed by opportunities to help people of all ages all over the world. Kazakhstan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Mongolia, Romania, the mountains of Guatemala, Africa (yes there are cold places in Africa!) the Arctic, North Dakota, New York, Syria, and our local homeless.
Did you ever hear the song “Hollow Eyes” by the Christian music group Petra? The lilies of the field may not toil or spin, (Matthew 6:28) but the lyrics below explain why this Sparrow knits:
The least of these is hungry
The least of these is sick
The least of these needs clothing
The least of these needs drink
The least of these knows sorrow
The least of these knows grief
The least of these has suffered pain
And Jesus is His name.
The Nocturnal Sparrow 