Rag Doll Ministry Sends Love to Children Oceans Away   

Heavenly Father – Through your Amazing Grace, we have taken scraps of cloth, and with loving hands of little children, teenagers, moms, dads, and even grandparents, made these beautiful rag dolls 2 be loved by the children in the Irente Children’s Home in the far off land of Tanzania in Africa.  We ask you to bless each one as it leaves the beauty of our sanctuary today and waits to be placed in the arms of a little child waiting to squeeze, hug, and love it.   We also ask that you bless Dorothy and her friend Nancy as they make the long journey from Beaver Dam to Africa to deliver these gifts of love...to the little children.   In your holy name we pray.  Amen

We have all seen video or photos journaling the hardships of children living in developing countries.  They have little choice in growing up without the fun & stimulating play that we remember as children. It can pull at your heart strings.  Have you ever wished you could figure out a way to send them a toy that could remind them they are still a child?  One that they could hug and cherish and one that would delight? A toy that would make them feel loved and connected to people that care about them? We invite you to talk to the members of First Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam as they have figured out a wonderful way to do this through their Rag Dolls 2 Love ministry.

Linda Tator is the Expanding Ministry Coordinator for First Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam and was looking for a way to send an abundance of dolls to our companion Synod in India.  She contacted the synod office and it was then that we learned of their wonderful ministry and their desire to expand it to reach children in India.  Linda shared, “Over the past year, members of our congregation have been involved in a project making Rag Dolls 2 Love.  Our goal was to ship 100 dolls to an orphanage in Tanzania , 100 dolls to the Christian school in Bethlehem, and 100 dolls to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Monrovia, Liberia.  After shipping all 300 dolls, we find that we still have approximately 100 dolls left and would like to ship them to the children in India.”

The Synod staff connected Linda with Judy Murken, the chair of the Global Missions committee who contacted Ismail Murmu of the NELC to research whether there was a need in our companion synod for such a gift and she quickly learned that there was.  She was able to report the good news back to Linda that they would be able to use the dolls for four needs: Children at their child development centers, the Kindergarten of Don Bosco School, Sunday school camps, and Sunday school prizes. Judy provided Linda with the shipping information she would need to ship the dolls and expand her ministry to Northern India!

Upon further conversation with Linda, we learned that this ministry is cross-generational and ecumenical.  Children of all ages participate in the construction of the dolls:  young children cut out pieces and stuff them, high school children do some sewing.  As well, when Linda and her team travel for personal reasons, they will sometimes take one of the dolls, “Faith” and have been able to generate awareness and enthusiasm for helping with the project from churches of all denominations. 

We think this is a wonderful example of God’s work, our hands!

  If you would like to start a doll ministry in your own congregation, go to:  ragdolls2love.org for the pattern and more information.