Stepping Into Something New: My First Trip with Sewing Seeds
Albania, Curiosity, and the Beginning of a Journey By Jody Rowland
There’s something about a first step that feels both exciting and a little unknown. As I prepare for my first trip with Sewing Seeds Canada, I find myself sitting in that space, a mix of anticipation, curiosity, and a deep sense that something meaningful is about to unfold. This time, that step is taking me to Albania.
Albania is a place I’m still learning about. My husband lived and worked there for seven years before I met him. So I have heard his stories and seen his photos. But Albania is a country that is so rich in history, resilience, and culture. A place where community matters deeply. A place where, like so many others around the world, opportunity is not always evenly accessible, especially for women.
David Pennoyer (our partner with Global Christian Centre Ministires) wrote on his facebook “We are preparing to train 14 ladies in Albania who have been mistreated, abused and widowed. We will train them in sewing also train them to start a business so they can look after themselves and their children.”
Our team will be working with this group of women who are stepping into something new themselves, learning practical sewing skills that can create income, confidence, and a different kind of future for their families.
I keep thinking about that moment. the first time they sit at a sewing machine, the first stitch, the first piece they create.
There’s something powerful about beginnings.
What I’m Carrying Into This Experience
I’m not arriving as an expert…especially not in sewing. I’m arriving with open eyes, an open heart, and a willingness to learn. My role on this trip will be to capture the stories, the experience, the impact.
I’m curious about the women we will meet, their stories, their hopes, their daily lives. I’m curious about the culture, the rhythms of the community, the spaces we’ll be invited into. And I’m curious about how this experience will shape me, too. Because I know it will.
These trips are never one-sided. They are shared moments of connection, learning, and growth, on both sides.
I am grateful to my mentors, Rick Castilionge (and the late Darrel Janz) who have shared their wisdom in story-telling with me. They both have encouraged me over the years to just dive in, with whole heart. When I spoke to Rick on the phone recently he said “Jody, you know how to share stories, you’ve been doing it all along, so just do what you do best.” Thank you Rick, I hope I capture them with the same vibrance you do.
More Than a Program.
What Sewing Seeds does is simple in structure, but powerful in impact. Although when I’ve shown up at Sylvia’s home and the Sewing Centre in Calgary to see the prep going into this trip…it sure didn’t seem simple at all. There are about one million pieces. LOL! All the fabrics, notions, patterns, plans etc.
We can feel and even share (very poetically I add) that this isn’t just about sewing. It’s about creating space.
Space for women to gather.
To learn something new.
To build confidence.
To begin imagining what could be possible.
And often, those small beginnings lead to something much bigger, income, independence, and the ability to support a family in new ways.
But the amazing thing about Sylvia’s curriculum and teaching is that it’s top shelf. It’s a true skill. At then end of our time there, She along with Tammy, Candice, and Adriana will have taught this group to sew, and sew well. Our team will return at a later date to take these sewing angels to level 2 like we have in all the other countries we serve.
Come Along With Us.
One of the things I’m most excited about is being able to share this journey with you in real time.
We’ll be documenting the trip, the moments, the stories, the behind-the-scenes experiences, on our social media channels.
You’ll get to see:
the women we meet
the space where the training happens
the small, meaningful moments that make up the experience
and the impact as it begins to unfold
Because this work doesn’t happen in isolation.
It happens because of a community, people who care, who support, who give, and who walk alongside these stories from wherever they are. This trip feels like the start of something. Not just for the women in Albania. Not just for Sewing Seeds. But for me, too.
A chance to step into the work in a deeper way.
To witness it firsthand.
To be changed by it.
And I have a feeling that what we will see, and what we will be part of, will stay with me long after we return home.
If you’d like to follow along, I’d love to have you there with us.
This is just the beginning. 🌱💛 xoxo Jody
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