MEGAN'S MINISTRY--"HEARTS OF GIVING"

Megan's "Alabaster Box" contains her precious ointment of caring for the less fortunate and she is pouring it onto their heads even though she will probably never see any of them. 

Her mother, Diane, makes sure that the home schooling agenda is filled with  lots of diverse learning activities that includes volunteer work, learning about other countries from first hand experience of missionaries and working with the hands in creating arts and crafts. A couple of years ago, knitting and crocheting were on the list and have become a passion for Diane and Megan along with Megan's fellow students and best friends, Avery and Ashley, and their mother, Diedre. They all simply love to crochet but a household can only use so many crocheted items and Diane's husband has been in fear of coming home to find crocheted curtains at all the windows.

So from this love of crochet "Hearts of Giving" was started by Megan with mom, Diane, as Megan says because she wanted to make a difference in the life of a child. They were all greatly touched by missionaries stories and pictures of the plight of children. They began making blankets and Megan recruited Avery and Ashley to help. 

Hearts of Giving sent blankets of love with a missionary to Gressier, Haiti for 32 children who are sleeping on a dirt floor in a 2 bedroom house. Rain gets into the house through the roof and walls and with these blankets, Megan says that at least they will have some padding from the ground. 

The local Red Cross has also received blankets and crocheted wash cloths to be given to children who have lost everything in a fire, flood or other disaster. 

When asked to help with Hearts of Giving, the ladies of Switzerland County Homemakers surprised the girls with 663 squares-enough to make 26 blankets. This has been a great boost and encouragement because other organizations have expressed needs to Hearts of Giving and Megan and her group don't say no. 

While volunteering at the Mathew 25 Ministries putting together hygiene kits for disaster relief in 30 countries, these families found that there were no washcloths and this is where the crocheted washcloth idea started. As Diane was telling me, they are 100% cotton and very sturdy.  At this writing, they have almost 100 washcloths packaged in plastic bags to be put into the kits.  

As I talked with the girls and their mothers, fingers were busy crocheting  getting more blankets done because of another great need they have been asked to help fill in Malawi. The Grove Church in Arizona is planning a mission trip to deliver shoes to the impoverished children there and have asked Hearts of Giving for blankets for children of widows there. 

These young people touched my heart and lifted my spirit to see the diligence they have in helping to fill the need for warmth when they could be watching tv, listening to an ipod, playing a game or other activity to keep from being bored. I don't think they are ever bored and they all were having a great time together in this common goal of helping others.

Having seen the desparation of children around the world through missionaries' eyes has left a deep impression on these beautiful young ladies. Even though they are only 15, 14 and 12,  live in wonderful homes and have never been without any necessity, Megan lets not a scrap of yarn go to waste. If a piece of yarn is not long enough to complete a block or row it is crocheted into a scrap blanket that is kept handy so the ends can be crocheted into it even if it is only a few stitches. It should be the most interesting thing that is turned out.  

You can help Hearts of Giving with: 
yarn,
7"x9" crocheted blocks in patterns of your choice or
crocheted blankets in patterns of your choice

 Send them to:
Diane & Megan McCarty
P.O. Box 63
East Enterprise, Indiana  47019 

For more information see:www.loveteachingx2.com/HOGM.html