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A couple of
years ago the ladies of our Friendship Group agreed to form a link with
the Mothers’ Union in Tavistock, Devon.
We have exchanged news about our Churches and meetings over the two
years and we make palm crosses for distribution on Palm Sunday. This has
been a great success and gives us a feeling of unity.
I thought last year that it would be a good idea to do something
together and hit on the idea of making knitted dolls for the children in
Iraq. I had read a very moving story about a little girl who had been
pulled out of the rubble of a house. Ibtihal Jassem was a deaf mute who
lost not only her right leg in the explosion but also her family. She
now lives with her grandparents and has nothing to do but play with her
doll.
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Liz Taylor and Bishop Clive with dolls
for Iraq |
I really felt
that we must do something, even a small thing like making a
doll. After talking it over with some of the ladies in the Group
I wrote to Hilary Johnson in Tavistock who was all for the idea
and so it was all set. “What sort of doll?” we thought. One of
the ladies wrote to her mother in Australia who sent over a
pattern for a doll that was easy to follow. Not just any doll,
but a doll we hoped would not cause offence. The next problem
was getting the dolls into Iraq. The Bishop made some enquiries
and it was agreed that the British Embassy in Kuwait would take
them to Basra for us. The British soldiers would then distribute
them among the children in Basra.
The knitting needles came out here and in Tavistock – the
clicking of the needles could be heard for miles! Bundles of
dolls were prepared and sent to the Diocesan office in Nicosia
for onward transmission to Kuwait.
One particular
lady in Tavistock made over fifty dolls during the weeks she was
having treatment for cancer. |
We
received an e-mail from the Ambassador in Kuwait thanking the ladies for
their efforts and the news that the dolls were on their way to Iraq. It
was a joint effort and it was so nice to do something worthwhile with
our Christian partners in Tavistock. We’ve got our thinking caps on now
for the next venture …………Any ideas?
Liz Taylor
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