The following excerpt is from a letter Dorothea
handed out in her store about the poem and how God started Handmaiden
Creations.
"Several years ago, God put in my heart the poem entitled, "A
Letter Home," by waking me around 2 am with the words burning
in my heart. I brought it to church, showed my pastor and told
him I had no idea why God would impress such a poem on my heart.
He read half-way down, turned to me and said, "Marsha's daughter
died this week." Marsha was a good friend of our Pastor's daughter.
I gave him the poem to pass on to her. The following Sunday,
the pastor told me, "Dotty, that poem ministered to her. About
half-way down she started thanking the Lord." I asked which
verse, and he replied, the one that says, "I see feet that once
were crippled now walk firmly on the ground." Oh has that humbled
me! I am a nothing and to think that God used me to write a
poem that helped someone brought tears to my eyes. You see,
her 7-year old daughter had cerebral palsy and had never walked
unaided. My pastor said, "Dotty, you can't keep hiding these
poems. God has blessed you with a gift to write. Now use it
for His glory." I've been doing so ever since."
In a 3-year period of time, over 50 poems were published in
various Christian magazines.
The poem "A Letter Home" was the beginning of
my ministry to others, Handmaiden Creations, where I can reach
out to others that are hurting and give a message from God ...
that He cares about each and every one of us. Since that time,
I started putting these poems on glossy backgrounds and selling
them for a nominal fee, just enough to cover the cost of the
materials and printing (on a laser printer). "A Letter Home'
is printed on Artist, Danny Hahlbohm's beautiful print "Welcome
Home," a background of Jesus hugging someone. It is also printed
on a background of Jesus with a child (for those who lost a
child).
We personalize the poems for you (i.e., Dear (and
wife's name or child's name) and Love (your name or Grandma
or whatever you choose). These make a very special remembrance
and many people have used these in place of sending a sympathy
card.
I pray over all of the poems before they are written.
I take notes on all the Sunday School lessons and preaching
and often God will have my notes come out in rhyme. Many of
the stronger, evangelistic poems (which I'm currently putting
into a book which will be entitled "The Fields are White to
Harvest") come out of the preaching of ministers of a variety
of denominations.
Other poems I specifically pray for God to "lay
on my heart" what He wants the person to hear. These are the
tender poems (like "God's Special Child") which I thought would
be easy to write but couldn't get past the first verse until
I closed my eyes and turned it over to God. About 2 or 3 o'clock
in the morning when I was too tired to give any of my input,
God was able to let HIS WORDS flow and it has blessed many people
of handicapped (or "special needs" as I prefer to call them)
children.
Your servant,
Dorothea Barwick
Contact Dotty at: handmaidencreations@sc.rr.com
