Helen Godden is staying with me this week while she is teaching at the shop. I've known Helen for a number of years now, and we are enjoying catching up in the evenings after she has finished teaching.
She is travelling to Lancaster this year with two other mutual friends, Michelle and Narelle, and I have enjoyed telling her about my trips to the are.
The first time I visited that area was a few years ago with a small group of customers. We were blessed to have two wonderful bus drivers who lived in the area and knew so many out of the way places. This meant we saw things that most tourists never have the opportunity to see.
One day we visited the Mennonite Center in Lancaster City. Here volunteers sorted through donated goods and shipped them all over the world. We saw how they send out canning machines to farms and harvest and can produce on the same day, ready to be shipped to disaster regions (how fresh is that food). We also heard about the amazing Quilt Auction program they run. Where quilts are either donated whole, or in part and then Auctioned all over the US to raise funds for their mission work. On the day we were there a small group of women were gathered around the quilt frame, had quilting a top. They were delightful, and we were invited to sit and stitch with them, which I did.
Two years ago I visited Lancaster again, this time with a friend Bev Gorry, one of her staff, and my own lovely daughter Cara. On my previous visit I hadn't purchased a quilt (after all I do make my own), and lived to regret it. So this time I was determined to buy one, and knew just what I wanted.
The lovely quilt hangs inside my front door forever reminding me of my trip, and the experience of meeting with so many lovely people.
I'm sure Helen, Narelle and Michelle will have a delightful time discovering the Amish and Mennonite communities around Lancaster.
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