My lettering journey began shortly after we moved to the Dominican Republic. I was looking for a new way to share Bible verses in our newsletters that we send out to our supporters. This new hobby soon was an appreciated escape from the burdens and woes of culture shock, homesickness, and all the other hurdles I faced as I learned how to live in another country. But my lettering journey really began that first Mother’s Day after we lost our third baby, Gabriella Faith.
Four days after we had to say bitter goodbyes, my sweet husband handed me a new iPad pro and Apple pencil on that very painful Sunday. It was then that I dove headfirst into the world of lettering. Deep in the folds of grief, while the world continued to swirl around me, I found peace and comfort in creating. I didn’t understand the why behind it, and at the time it didn’t matter, I just knew that lettering was a balm to my aching soul.
Later that fall I opened my Etsy shop and sold my first piece. Since then I have improved my lettering skills, made almost 300 sales, and have taught lettering classes. But even four and a half years into this lettering journey, I am still caught off guard when someone refers to me as an artist. It makes me laugh because I have never identified myself as an artist.
For me, lettering has never been about the finished piece of art. I am truly humbled that there are people out there who find my art, relate to it, and want to hang it on their walls. I am grateful that my lettering pieces bring joy and smiles to those who receive them. But for me it was never about the final product. It has always been about the process.
When song lyrics, a Bible verse, or a prayer hold onto my heart in a way that words cannot describe, that is when I create. I narrow down the exact words I want in my piece, I play with different layouts and style options. I sketch out a rough draft, and then, slowly, piece by piece, I put it all together. It is in the creating that brings peace to my troubled heart. It is in watching a design come to life on a page that brings joy to my spirit.
After I joined this unofficial small business community, I learned of so many mothers just like myself who began creating and opened a shop after experiencing deep loss and heartache. And I began to ponder why. Why does creating bring comfort? Are we trying to fill our empty time with purpose? Are we trying to give the hands that were preparing to hold a baby something to do? Are we finding a calm in the creating? Whatever the reason behind it, I firmly believe that the art of creating brings healing to weary souls.
Yes, I am a creator. I am an artist. I am a maker.
But, I would argue, so are you. We were all created in the image of our Heavenly Father, in the image of the Ultimate Creator. We are makers because He is a maker. Not only did He intricately create each one of us, He created the stars, the mountains, drops of dew on the petals of the daisy, and each grain of sand the ocean touches. He continues to create new life, sunsets, rainbows, and blooming flowers daily. Our Heavenly Father is a maker and created us makers in His image.
When I see someone who has perfectly folded clothes in a drawer, a color-coded schedule, delicious cookies fresh from the oven, an intricate excel spreadsheet, a thought-out strategic plan, or someone who has designed a well-running machine, I see an artist. I see a maker, and I see a child of God made in the image of the Almighty Maker. Our God created the world in seven days, He created the central nervous system, time, lifecycles, thunderstorms, and the rainforest. He created order; He created schedule; He created working parts that fit beautifully together. We are all creators just like Him.
I suppose that is why it is so healing to take time to create when our hearts are heavy laden. We were created to create. We are makers, however that might look according to the talents He has given each of us. Creating heals gaping wounds. That is true whether we use a paint brush, an oven, a piano, or a computer.
I found solace in lettering. I found comfort in watercolors. I found peace in the paintbrush. After I lost my baby and I felt as if my world was falling apart, art was my stillness. My lettering was part of the beauty from ashes that God gifted in a time of grief.
This past November I traveled to Puerto Rico to work with one of our fellow missionaries serving in the city of Ponce. Christel and I have been friends since I first visited the Dominican Republic the year before we moved. She has also been supportive of my lettering journey and Etsy shop every step of the way. She asked if I would be able to visit Puerto Rico and teach lettering classes to different members of the community.
Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria in September of 2017. The damage was devastating and extensive. Even after two years, people and communities are still trying to rebuild and heal. Christel works alongside fellow missionaries in Ponce and a nearby city of Mayaguez to bring comfort and God’s Word to a hurting community. Bringing me to the island was part of Christel’s ongoing plan to help those who are suffering process their pain through art and God’s Word.
While there I led four different workshops. I met new friends and shared my love of lettering. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We may not have spoken the same language. We may have been raised in different cultures, and our scars may have come from different types of trauma, but what binds us together far exceeds all of our differences. We are makers. We were created in the image of our Father in heaven. Together we created. That room held wounded and weary souls, but in that room there was art, there was the Word of the Lord, and there was joy.
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I had every intention of sharing this beautiful story of my lettering journey and trip to Puerto Rico with you, my friend, and ending it in that room where we created pieces of art, but then January seventh happened, and Puerto Rico experienced an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4. In fact, Puerto Rico continues to experience earthquakes, and no one can say when the earthquakes will cease. A community still trying to rebuild and heal from the hurricane has been shaken. Buildings have been destroyed, and hope seems lost.
My heart is broken for this incredible country and these beautiful souls. My days are constantly filled with prayers for the people who have been without a safe shelter since the earthquakes first began, for those filled with anxiety when the ground begins to shake again, and for our missionaries, like Christel, who are tirelessly sharing the love of Jesus and the hope given through Him when the world around is falling apart. All I can do is pray. So I pray, and I create. I create when I don’t know what else to do with the heaviness I feel.
I have been in contact with Christel these past weeks and sent a few pieces to her that she requested to use with those who have been displaced from their homes and are currently living in tent cities. Coffee, art, and Bible study are what people in shelters are asking for from our missionaries. Coffee and art are bringing them to the table. While they sit and create together, they also get to hear they are loved by God Almighty and of the eternal hope in Jesus Christ.
Other church groups have reached out, and I helped Christel come up with art projects. Groups are purchasing supplies and prepping materials to create bags that will be ready for Christel to lead projects with those who need to create with their hands to heal their heart. Our missionaries from across our region have gone to Puerto Rico in the weeks following the first large earthquake. They have assessed damage, created plans, comforted hurting hearts, and shared the love of Jesus to those whose burden is heavy. (Matthew 11:30)
If I have learned anything about the road of grief and healing, it is that it is long and winding. The future in Puerto Rico feels overwhelming and uncertain. The recovery efforts have just begun to unfold, and no one can say quite where the future is headed right now.
William and Gustavo checking on a neighborhood after the earthquakes. 
Blake surveying the damage at our church in Ponce. 
Christel and fellow missionary Stephanie leading art for those living in tents on the side of the road.
The truth is, we already knew that in this world we will have trouble. Our souls will always be weary while on this earth because we are sojourners. Our home, our hope, our firm foundation is secured in heaven. We can hold onto this truth because we know we are loved and forgiven by a Savior, because we were created by a merciful God who delights in us. And until we find rest in His eternal presence, we will continue to hurt, we will continue to be shaken, we will continue to face storm after storm, and we will continue to create. Because we are the makers, just like our Father in heaven.
