It's Christmas card time again! Most people send Christmas cards to greet to their friends, to share family information and to encourage people with a reminder of Christ's birth. But this lady makes and sends cards all year long! Read about Vonnie Draxten, who shares her gift of card making with myriads of people, teaching others to do the same. If Barnabas was a "son of encouragement," Vonnie is a "daughter of encouragement."

I am Yvonne Draxten, and I grew up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. My husband, Ole, and I have two children, five grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. I worked for Wells Fargo Bank as a telephone receptionist for twenty-one years and retired nine years ago.

The day I retired I was sixty-five. It was Friday. It was payday. Everything seemed good. But retirement was difficult! From talking to many people every day, to all of a sudden not having a regular schedule and taking four or five naps a day - I felt lifeless! Eventually I was able to spend time making cards to keep busy.

How did I get started? I attended bridal and baby showers at Bethel, our church, and saw some cute enclosure cards. I found out that Laurie Strom was one person who made them, so I talked to her. She invited me to her home, where one noon hour I learned how to "stamp." Her sister Barb was one of the craft persons at Inspiration Point Bible Camp. Barb taught stamping, so I learned more and bought more "stuff."

How many of you are stampers? Well, if you are, you know - you never have enough stamping stuff!

On Sunday afternoons, if the weather was not good enough for the grandchildren to be outside, they always wanted to stamp. My granddaughter said, "Grandma, when you die, will you put it in your contract that I get your stamps?" Now, I have two granddaughters, and am sure neither really wants all my stamps! We turned a bedroom into a studio for stamping. My husband built cupboards in the room, and now I have all my stamping things together in one place. I spend many hours each week there and have found it's a good place to have a quiet time with the Lord.

At first I made cards only for my family or to sell, but it was not satisfying. I was always feeling "under the gun" to make more. I now believe the Lord was moving me into a greeting card ministry to be an encourager. It is satisfying and the opportunities are endless.

Several times during our monthly WMF meetings, we have had each person in attendance make a card. All the cards are then sent to missionaries. Inspiration Point hosts a yearly Stamp and Scrap seminar. For the past five years I have taught stamping there and furnished all the paper and supplies, because it is a ministry.

For our Life Ministry Group (Sunday adult class), I make cards for people who are ill, lonely, or grieving - and pass the card around the class so each person present can sign their name. Receiving these cards means so much to people who can no longer attend class. They know that we at Bethel have not forgotten them and are assured that we are praying for them. They especially like reading all those signatures - fifty to seventy of them!

When someone dies, we express our sympathy to the family by sending a card or bringing one to the funeral. But grief goes on for the bereaved, with many dark days to follow. After all the activity of planning the funeral, writing thank-you cards, and taking care of legal matters is over - then what? Loneliness sets in and they feel that they are forgotten. So depending on the circumstances, I follow up with cards - once a month. One family death was so tragic I sent cards for five years. Or I may send them through a long illness - depression, for example. People need to know they are not forgotten, that somebody cares!

It happens often when I make a card for someone that the timing just doesn't seem right. So I set it aside and then one day - maybe two weeks later - the timing does seem right. Sometimes that person sends me a card of thanks in return or calls me on the phone to say, "It was just what I needed." The timing was perfect because it was God's timing.
"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:7). God works in wonderful ways. Since I like to send follow-up cards there is never an end to the numbers of cards that need to be made. Many people need prayer so I add them to my prayer list.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor - serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11). I humbly send out cards with a prayer, asking the Lord to bless the recipients, to meet their needs for that day or event, and that the card can be an encouragement.

May the Lord be praised and his name be held above all others.

Yvonne Draxten attends Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Fergus Falls, MN.