The Bag Ladies

Paper or plastic?
That is the question that is always asked of me whenever I go to the grocery store.
I always request both paper and plastic because it is sturdier.
Through the years cashiers have voiced their opinion about what is better for the environment.

Paper bags waste trees, was one argument I have heard.
Plastic bags do not degrade in the landfill, was another argument that was voiced.
The cashier does not know that I use the paper bags to empty wastebaskets.
The cashier does not know that the paper bags are used to cover books.

The cashier has no idea that clothing donations are placed in paper bags.
The cashier is unaware of the fact that I donate both paper and plastic bags to a thrift shop.
How I wish the paper bags at the grocery store had handles.
Paper bags with handles are easily used again.

Some people bring their own reusable bags to the grocery store.
That was never an option when all my children were home.
Sometimes we had 14 bags of groceries.
Paper and plastic was the best way to get all of my groceries home each week.

I do not like plastic bags.
I use one as a scrap bag when I make a salad.
It is a great place to put the ends of bell peppers and the center of a head of cauliflower.
It is a mini trash bag that is right next to me as I cook.

However, I do not need the many plastic bags I tend to accumulate.
You could easily be inundated with plastic bags if you do not recycle them.
Most stores have receptacles to place your plastic bags for recycling.
Most thrift stores would welcome any paper or plastic bags you could give them.

A few days ago I learned about a group of women with ingenuity.
They found a way to use plastic bags to help others.
They gather every Thursday at the 2nd Baptist Church in Union City, Tennessee.
They have been meeting together since January 2015.

This group of women are known as the Bag Ladies.
They have found a way to recycle plastic bags and make mats for the homeless.
To date, they have made 88 mats.
They are now sending mats to the people of Louisiana who lost their homes in the flood.

In order to make the 88 mats, 52,000 plastic bags were used.
It takes 600-700 plastic bags to make one mat.
The mats are 3 feet wide by 6 feet long.
The mats are helping the homeless sleep a bit better each night.

The Bag Ladies call the material, Plarn, which simply means plastic yarn.
The women meet every Thursday from 9:00am to 12:00pm.
They are always looking for donations of plastic bags.
They always welcome other people to join them and crochet more mats.

To make the mats, the women first cut the plastic bags into strips.
Then they tie the strips together.
The strips are then rolled into a ball.
The women crochet the plastic yarn into a mat.

There is such joy in these women because they know they are helping someone else.
Mother Theresa of Calcutta once said, Do something small for God.
Who would have thought that plastic bags could be used to make something so practical?
Who would have thought that something tucked in the corner of our pantry could be so useful?

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is the Sea of Tiberius) and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish  Passover feast was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten. (John 6:1-13)

God is able to use our little bit when we entrust Him with the outcome.
A little boy’s lunch should not have been enough to feed 5,000 men plus women and children.
However, in Jesus’ hands it was more than enough, with some left over.
That’s the way it is with God.

We don’t think about people laying on plastic bags.
However, when we give God our little bit and our willingness to serve, He increases it.
God fills the lack with what we supply.
Even plastic bags.

Especially plastic bags.
Our little bit gives glory to God alone.
God is able to do much with our little bit when we offer it in faith.
In His name and in His hands, many are blessed and He is glorified.

To view the news story about the Bag Ladies click here.