Martha Lionberger, a volunteer for MayaWorks, will be at Good Shepherd on Sunday during the Fellowship Hour with hand-crafted textiles and beaded jewelry for sale. MayaWorks is a fair trade nonprofit group that is helping Mayan women in Guatemala support their families through the sale of their weavings and beadwork in this country.

Seven out of ten Mayans in Guatemala live in poverty, with 38% of them living on less than $1 per day. Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of malnutrition in the world and the fifth highest murder rate. MayaWorks is making a difference by empowering Mayan women economically; offering education programs to help them learn to read and improve their technical skills; funding microloans for them; and, providing scholarships to their daughters to keep them in school.

Feeling the icy winds and snowy air now that December has arrived? Decorah native Steven Nelson has responded to this need by initiating a “Scarves in the Park” project. He requests that anyone with winter scarves, caps or gloves to spare hang them on the trees in the Norm Smith Plaza park near the Coop.

          
The Good Shepherd Prayer Shawl ministry responded to this request, contributing 10 scarves which were hung by Jeri Laursen. Each scarf was marked with a tag from the Good Shepherd Prayer Shawl Ministry.  The motto of Scarves in the Park is NEED a scarf. TAKE a scarf.  HAVE a scarf.  LEAVE a scarf.  The project continues until December 22 or until the scarves are gone.  Any items left will be donated to a local organization that can find a much needed home for them.