Miscarriage/Infant Loss Ministry & Ministry in General

This past Sunday, I finally made it back to church. Due to various reasons, I hadn't been in a few weeks. I'm so glad I went, because the message was seriously just for me. Our pastor told us a story about how God was pushing him to not say 'I wish I could do soandso but I just don't have time'. He told us a story about how he had ministered to a family for hours, even though he just wanted to go home. He went over and over about how we always say we don't have time, and that that's not fair to God.

And it got me thinking. Which is never a good thing! I decided to open my heart up and see where God lead me.

Immediately I thought of my in-laws. When we stayed overnight at their house this weekend, their laundry was piled up something fierce. I wanted to do something about it that day, but my toddler was up until close to two am, and we wanted to get back to the hospital the next day.

But that laundry just stayed in my mind. So today, my mom, Keevia and I made the almost 2 hour trek (one way!) over to my inlaws house. I did 7 loads of laundry today. I knew that when they got home, the last thing my mother-in-law would want to do was laundry. She keeps my three nephews most days while my sister-in-law works and goes to school, so she has a LOT of laundry. Plus, they've been at the hospital for five days, so they'd have five days of dirty laundry.

I'm exhausted. But I am so happy I went. I left a bed full of folded clean clothes, and an empty laundry room and empty bathroom. All she'll have to worry about is the laundry they had from the hospital.

While I was in the shower the other day, I decided that I need to just take a leap. Since my miscarriage in November of 2008, I have had it on my heart to start a miscarriage/infant loss ministry.

When I found out I was pregnant, a family member began crocheting me a blanket. When I lost the baby, she stopped. But she bound it off and gave it to me. That unfinished blanket, that symbolizes the unfinished life... it just means so much to me. I want to pass that along to other families.

So, Rows For Remembrance is born.

The goal of this ministry is simple. If you have had a miscarriage, or suddenly lost a baby to stillbirth, or some disorder or something like that... then we will provide you a hand crocheted or hand knitted blanket, made specifically for your child.

Each blanket will be customized for you. If you knew the sex of the child you lost, you can specify for either girl or boy. If you didn't know the sex, but celebrated your child as a girl or a boy, you can specify that. However old your baby was weeks wise will be remembered in the blanket.

Each blanket will have 20 rows standard, then an additional row will be added for each week you knew and loved your baby. If you were 8 weeks (like I was) when you miscarried, then your blanket will be 28 rows. If you were 35 weeks when your baby was born sleeping, then your blanket will be 55 rows.

I'm starting a blog specifically for this purpose, so keep an eye out for that. But, if you would like to help produce these blankets, or if you would like to donate yarn (I'm not going to ask for money!), please feel free to contact me. If you would like to be a recipient of a blanket, you can contact me now, but the organizational period may take a little bit.

If you can't help by knitting, crocheting, or providing yarn... could you please pray for this ministry? I'm a miscarriage survivor. I know how hard it is to go through it. I want to minister to these families, to give them something to remember their sweet ones with. Eventually I'd love to branch out to SIDS or other baby/child losses.... but for now, we're sticking with Miscarriage and Infant loss.

Thank you!

EDIT:

Check out the Rows For Remembrance Blog! I just got it up today.