I’ve been asked several times what my favorite part of our trip to Spain was. Hands down, it was the pride and joy in the women’s eyes as they displayed their completed products. I’m sure it’s a sight that will stay with me for years to come. We were all going out on a limb with the idea of starting a woman’s co-op in a refugee center in southern Spain-- the Elevat team, the staff at the center, and the women who had signed up to learn sewing and jewelry-making. The artisans came from North Africa, Columbia and Cameroon. We were performing an experiment, taking a risk. All of us had entered into these classes with some trepidation-- would this really work? Can you teach sewing in a few days in another language? The answer, I’m proud to say was, YES!

Our feet landed on US soil after 10 days in Spain a little more than a week ago now. It was such a beautiful week of cultural exchange, meeting new people who didn’t look, speak or act like me, trying new foods as well as completing the projects set before us. But it was such a deeply soul-satisfying trip that I’ve found it challenging to put into words. I’ve been on a LOT of trips in my life and this one is for sure one of my very favorites.  

Mark Twain said, “Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is”. 

 For everyone on our Elevat team, this was the first time helping set up a woman’s co-op.  Each person had a specific job they were responsible for-a unique and new task they had never done before that stretched them and made them a little uncomfortable.  It was a privilege to watch each one work hard preparing for and planning their portion of the classes. And then a joy to watch each one lead the classes, not just with excellence but with love and care for the women they taught.  

As we wrapped up our second sewing class and laid out the completed scarves with tassels, I couldn’t help but get choked up. I realized how much HOPE was represented in these small pieces of fabric-Hope that new skills and new streams of income were possible!

On our 5th day, our team took a day trip to Morocco. Arising early in the morning, commuting two hours to the ferry port, one hour ferrying to Tangier, we arrive on the shores of Morocco. Such a short journey but such a big cultural leap! Tangier was exhilarating, inspiring and exhausting all at the same time.

We saw the northern tip of Africa, entered caves, rode camels and had lunch in the Medina.  We took some time to do a photo shoot of the new scarves with Shasta as photographer and Kirsten, Tia and Carmen as models.  It was such fun! We spent the afternoon shopping in the markets sourcing new textiles for new scarves, and seeing just how much work goes into creating material by hand!  

Our daily schedule found us gathering for morning devotions before arriving at the center around 9:30am.  We would teach from 10-2 and then say goodbye to the ladies as they headed out to pick up their kids from school.  After cleaning up the classroom we’d head out to find lunch ourselves. After a short time of siesta at our flat (why oh why don’t Americans embrace this tradition!?!), we would head back each evening to teach English classes and provide childcare for those in the class. The English class was made up of students from Morocco, Senegal, Paraguay, Venezuela and Ukraine and was a wonderful mix of languages and cultures.

The final days of class were the most complicated yet the most enriching.  Our team was now comfortable greeting and saying goodbye Spanish style with a kiss on each cheek as each artisan entered and left class each day.  We were getting comfortable with each other even though we came from such different worlds and spoke different languages. The classes were taking on a rhythm of their own as the Elevat team worked together, supporting whomever was teaching and the ladies in the class teamed up to help each other complete each task. It had a beautiful sense of camaraderie.

Our final day of class was bittersweet.  There was such pride in how much was accomplished but also sadness to say goodbye to those we had gotten so close to.  The Malaga Dusters were finished and modeled by each seamstress, with each signing their name and tagging their garment.  The fabric wrapped beaded bracelets were completed and gathered to bring back with us to the US to sell in upcoming Elevat Christmas shows and added to our website for purchase.  Then the students surprised us with a wonderful and delicious tea time with each one bringing a homemade treat to share. And we had such a feast! It was marvelous to just sit and visit.  We took pictures together and promised not to forget one another. And finally had to make our final farewells. There was much kissing &hugging with sweet words whispered.  

We are now home and back to our regular routines but our lives are richer for having been a part of building something so meaningful. Our spirits are soaring as we remember the ladies we met and the experiences we shared.  The ladies co-op will continue to gather and sew and make jewelry every Tuesday, selling their handmade items to Elevat and on site.  And they will continue to have HOPE.

Hopefully their items sell well and a new income stream will be opened up to women who otherwise didn’t have a way to support their families.  And hopefully this is just the beginning of Elevat trips in the future. Three other artisan groups have since invited us to come and work with them, helping them create items that are marketable in the US.  

Every once in awhile, you get to do things that solidify your gifts and callings on this earth, and this trip was such an experience for me.  And so, I will keep on traveling.