HOMEBOUND HANDIWORK COMFORTS CHILDREN HALFWAY ROUND WORLD
GRANDMOTHER'S SIMPLE handmade dolls are bringing comfort and reassurance to hundreds of children halfway round the world.
Although she is semi invalided and able to venture out only occasionally, Diana Johnson makes a valuable contribution to the work of the Mercy Ships fleet, which combines practical care with evangelism in the developing world.
Youngsters receiving medical treatment through the organization's hospital ships in South America and Africa are also given one of the toys she turns out by the dozen in her Muskegon, Michigan home.
Nurses present the dolls to children in the recovery ward of the 11,700-ton Anastasis - currently on outreach to Guinea, West Africa - and to young patients seen on board the 2,650-ton Caribbean Mercy, presently in El Salvador.
"The dolls have been a really nice way of getting to know children who may be fearful or needing love," said Mercy Ships' spokesman Von Driggs. The ministry has received shipments of several hundred dolls at its Lindale, Texas headquarters over the past couple of years. Dolls have been distributed at a Malaysian orphanage that workers visited, as well as on board the ships.
Unable to work any longer because of back problems, Johnson began making the dolls for local foster children. But she wanted "to go bigger". Then she learned about Mercy Ships through her doctor, and found out about the hundreds of children who come into contact with the ministry each year.
Known to family and friends as "Grandma Dee", Johnson produces her hand-painted bead dolls, sock dolls and felt hand puppets from a bedroom-turned-workroom. She buys most supplies herself, with occasional donations from friends.
"I used to be a foster child, so I know that transition times can be rough. Being given a little gift and having something to hold can take some of the fear away and make it a little bit easier," she said.
"It is so exciting for me to get letters to hear how the dolls have been used and appreciated. It is wonderful to be able to help someone in some small way. I am not a doctor and can't do anything like that, but I can make these dolls they can give to a little child.
"I didn't know what I was going to do with my life after I had to stop working. I was really upset because I didn't feel that I could contribute any more, and then this opportunity came along. I have always believed that God opens doors. Every time I get a letter telling me they have received my latest box it gets me so excited I want to do more."
Founded in 1978, Mercy Ships is the maritime division of Youth With A Mission. The three-strong fleet annually delivers medical and relief aid worth around US $5 million. Workers have completed projects in more than 50 port districts around the world.
(Photo available on request)
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