(Steve) Bachelor of Arts, Bible, 1984, Columbia International University
(Steve) Master of Arts, Missions, 1985, Columbia International University
(Arlene) Master of Arts, Teaching, 1984, Columbia International University
(Steve) President, Pioneers
Orlando, FL
“Quilts in the Tropics”
By Arlene Richardson
我丈夫和我在东南亚的一个未得之民群体中工作, 一天，北卡罗来纳州一群祈祷的妇女送来了一个装有三床被子的盒子. 他们把祖母去世后我从她的古董店要来的零碎东西小心翼翼地缝在一起. Never did I imagine how God would use these scraps.
这些被子太漂亮了，引起了我亲爱的朋友蒂德的注意. 迪德来自我们火山岛山上的一个小村庄. Her husband divorced her after only a few months of marriage. Destitute and despondent, 她来城里找工作是为了养活自己和她的小儿子.
黛德惊讶地睁大了眼睛，问我能不能帮她学做被子. Almost without thinking I said, “Yes!” Within days, Dede had produced a simple quilt of her own. 颜色的选择不是最好的，但她的手工作品显示了希望.
不久，黛德的一些亲戚从遥远的村子里赶来，请求加入他们的行列. 很快，我们的客厅和后院的棚屋里就挤满了人, all desperate for work and eager to learn a new skill. 我很快意识到上帝正在做一件独特而意想不到的事情. 他为我打开了一扇通往许多人的心灵和生活的门!
几周之内，扩建工程就有了自己的生命力. 当它长得超出我们简陋的家时，我们在街上租了一所房子. 一位中国基督徒提供了他服装厂的碎布和废弃的衬垫.
Now almost 15 years later, HeartCraft雇佣了大约400名员工，在当地领导下工作了大约15年. They have produced tens of thousands of quilts, most of which have been sold on the equator, in the big cities of this island nation, and at isolated oil camps. In the process, 成百上千的人在拼布桌旁听过福音, and many have found new life in Christ – including Dede, my dear friend, who has become a skilled quilter and a fearless evangelist.
在《澳门新葡京娱乐》的冒险中，我学到了许多领导力的课程:
Hold your plans lightly; God may choose a different way.
我这么想是因为我毕业于圣经学院和神学院, 我应该教神学或带领小组圣经学习. But in this context, 在未得之民中，主要我通过仁慈的行为和与穷人分享实用技能来表达他的爱. 加拉太书5章6节说:“唯一重要的是信心通过爱表达出来。.
Build around a few reliable people.
God starts small, and He uses all kinds of people. He is looking for plodders, visionaries, 有创造力的人——所有愿意相信他能完成不可能的事的人. HeartCraft始于一个人，我的朋友Dede，她只受过三年级的教育.
Keep the “heart” in what you’re doing.
I asked God to keep my heart alert to needs around me. 有一天，我遇到了两个年轻的女性(姐妹)，她们因为接受基督而被逐出教会. They were desperate for income. 缝制棉被的人已经在做很多棉被了，但是上帝给了我做娃娃的想法. The girls worked with a team of people in my garage, 学习如何从残片和填充物从被子做娃娃. During this time, my friends prayed that their unsaved father and mother, who were Hindu leaders in their community, would come to faith in Christ. 神应允了他们的祷告，现在全家在基督里长进了. 这些女人最终继续制作娃娃，通过自己的努力读完了圣经学校，并嫁给了虔诚的男人. 今天，他们把福音带到另一个未得之民的岛屿. 这些娃娃继续为他们的教会植堂和传福音工作提供收入来源.
God wants to strengthen your own character along the way.
上帝知道我需要改变，我需要学习坚持不懈. 有一次我们的绗缝图案被一群穆斯林偷走了. 他们成立了一个伊斯兰绗缝组织，与HeartCraft竞争. Another time my husband and I had to fire a staff worker. 在我们的文化中，解雇是不应该发生的事情，但我们确实这么做了，而且反响非常强烈. Another time a staff worker stole $10,000 of our hard earned money, which we were never able to retrieve.
有一天，我们租住的房子差点着火，因为一个人在被子旁边抽烟. Another time we discovered a poisonous snake in the cloth. 有一天，两个剪工队打了起来，用剪刀互相攻击! 有人散布谣言，说我们租的房子闹鬼，所以好几天都没人来上班.
主不断地向我保证，在这一切中必有结果子. Scripture tells us not to be surprised by opposition. It will come and it will be painful. But God promises that “joy comes in the morning.”
God has a sense of humor. Learn to recognize and appreciate it!
There are so many twists and turns in ministry. HeartCraft didn’t make sense humanly. 我教那些从未学过缝纫的穷人做一门我自己从未掌握过的高技能手艺. 然后我，不是很有条理，试图跨文化管理他们. And quilts in the tropics? Absurd.
整个故事的讽刺之处在于，我从来没有做过被子! 但我看到成千上万的人制作并出售，为传播福音铺平了道路. Ministry is not about what we can or can’t do, 只要我们愿意信靠他，他就能做什么. “My ways are not your ways,” says the Lord.