As we discussed in previous newsletters, we hope to use the expertise of volunteers in U.S. churches to serve our supported projects throughout the globe. One recent example came from a volunteer who significantly helped our Carpet Project by drafting a professional design for the company's online newsletter.

The original newsletter design left a lot to be desired and it needed an overhaul. As a vital component for the Carpet Project's growth, the newsletter allows the company to stay in contact with its customers and promote new products.  However, since the Carpet Project team did not have design expertise and could not come up with an appropriate design, the newsletter was delayed.

In His grace, God provided Luz, a graphic designer, who heard about us at a recent New Attitude conference. We shared with her about the Carpet Project and their work in that part of the world.

"She caught the vision for what we're doing and, once we connected her up to the project, she created an incredible newsletter design." says Richard Liu. "We showed it to the Carpet Project team and they loved it!"

Luz's work gave the Carpet Project an elegant design, weaving in photos from Central Asia with new carpet patterns.  Once this design was finalized, Access Partner's Daniel Tanaka created an online tool that allows the Carpet Project staff to automatically generate newsletters with headlines, articles and photos, using Luz's design as the newsletter template. The newsletter can then be mailed out to the Carpet Project's customers, informing them about new products, local artisans making the products, their life and culture, and how the company interacts with the culture and helps the local economy. We are aiming for a late November launch for the redesigned newsletter.

"This is a great example of how we've woven the skills and gifts of a lay Christian into our expertise and technology not only to help this business succeed, but more importantly so they can remain in the country and spread the Gospel," says Liu. "It's part of a larger vision to incorporate more Christians here in America into effective overseas missions."

As always, your prayers are most welcome! Please pray for the Carpet Project: for their business, relationships with the locals, and most of all, for the work of the Gospel in that place.

To learn about volunteer opportunities, contact our volunteer coordinator at icanhelp@creativemission.org.

God bless!