October 2007
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Finding God in hell
Immaculée Ilibagiza’s faith during the Rwandan holocaust
By Nancy Schertzing | Photography
by Jim Luning
 Immaculée
Ilibagiza endured unimaginable horrors as a Tutsi in the Rwandan
genocide of 1994. The ethnic hatred and butchery claimed
most of her beloved family and profoundly changed the direction
of her young life.
For 91 days, she hid from the slaughter with seven other Tutsi women
in the local pastor’s bathroom – a space so small they
survived only by sitting in complete silence on each others’
laps. Outside their window, Hutu neighbors laughed as they followed
their government’s direction to hunt Tutsis with machetes
and other government-issued weapons.
In her book, Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan
Holocaust, Immaculée describes the extraordinary brutality
and the voices that assailed her ears and mind during her ordeal.
She tells of voices that imparted a truth so profound it empowered
her to forgive the butchers and dedicate her life to sharing that
message with the world.
“I could hear the killers on the other side of the wall, at
least 300 or 400 of them shouting and jeering. They sounded drunk
and their chanting was more vicious than usual, ‘Kill the
Tutsis big and small … kill them one and kill them all. Kill
them!’
“I entreated, ‘God, make them go away … save us
from …’
‘Don’t call on God, Immaculée,’ [a] voice
broke in, ‘He knows you’re a liar every time you pray
to him and tell him you love him. How can you love God, but hate
so many of his creations?’ Beneath the raucous singing, the
dark voice taunted me, ‘It’s no use. Don’t call
on God. God doesn’t save liars.’
 “I
began to pray for the killers, but then stopped. I desperately
wanted God’s protection, but I believed in my heart they deserved
to die. I couldn’t pretend they hadn’t slaughtered and
raped thousands of people – I couldn’t ignore the awful,
evil things they had done to so many innocent souls. I asked God,
‘Let me pray for their victims instead. Let me pray for justice.
God, I will ask you to punish those wicked men, but I cannot forgive
them – I just can’t.’
“Finally I heard the killers leaving, walking away down the
road, their singing fading in the distance.
“One night I heard screaming not far from the house,
and then a baby crying. The killers must have slain the
mother and left the baby to die in the road. The child wailed all
night; by morning its cries were feeble and sporadic, and by nightfall
it was silent. I heard dogs snarling nearby and shivered as I thought
about how the baby’s life had ended. I prayed for God to receive
the child’s innocent soul, and then asked him, ‘How
can I forgive people who would do such a thing to an infant?’
“I heard his answer as clearly as if we’d been sitting
in the same room chatting: ‘You are all my children, and the
baby is with me now.’
“It was such a simple sentence, but it was the answer
to the prayers I’d been lost in for days. I held
my father’s rosary and asked God to help me [as I meditated
on Jesus’ words on the cross.] Again I heard his voice: ‘Forgive
them; they know not what they do.’
“I took a crucial step toward forgiving my killers that day.
My anger was draining from me. I’d opened my heart to God
and he’d touched it with his infinite love. For the first
time, I pitied the killers. I asked God to forgive their sins and
turn their souls toward his beautiful light.
“That night I prayed with a clear conscience and a clean heart.
For the first time since I entered the bathroom, I slept in peace.”
Growing up in a devout Catholic family, Immaculée followed
all the Catholic traditions – from attending Sunday Mass to
fasting and praying before the crucifix. But she did these largely
because her parents made her. As the genocide raged, Immaculée
fully embraced her faith, retreating inward to pray and meditate
as she and her fellow refugees hid in the bathroom, living on scraps
from the pastor’s table and waiting for the insanity to end.
While her body was shriveling from lack of food and exercise,
Immaculée’s faith sustained her and nourished her soul.
Through meditation, praying the rosary and contemplative prayer,
she writes, “I gave myself completely over to God. When I
wasn’t praying I felt I was no longer living in his light
and the world of the bathroom was too bleak to endure.”
The prayers and meditation also kept the dark voice Immaculée
calls the devil at bay. Over a decade later, a thriving Immaculée
considers the voice that menaced her during her ordeal. She explains,
“I don’t remember hearing the devil before the genocide.
If I did, I didn’t pay attention, or thought it was just my
mind until I heard his intense suggestions. Now I am aware so much
of his voice always calling for the wrong thing, contrary to God’s
will. Unfortunately, sometimes we listen to him.
“I think the killers heard the same voices – even the
voice of God, but they chose to listen to the government and the
devil. I was only lucky to listen to God’s voice
because I was in a situation where I needed him so badly. Most often,
we tell ourselves we need him only when we are in trouble. But the
Hutus were the free tribe, out of trouble at that time. They didn’t
need God much and fell for the false promising and lying of the
devil’s voice. I have heard killers who say that they think
they were possessed, who regret bitterly what they did. I think
they know they listened to the wrong voices.
“God’s voice was always loving, soft and tolerant like
a father or mother. God’s voice was calling me to make good
decisions in the present moment, leading me into the future and
helping me to know the past is forgiven.”
In 2006, Hay House published Left To Tell: Discovering God
Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, Immaculée’s memoir of
her ordeal. She ends her account of the genocide and aftermath
by describing the dramatic moment when she lived God’s message
most poignantly by seeking out her family’s killer at the
prison near her hometown.
“I watched as a disheveled, limping old man crossed the prison
yard. I jumped as they approached, recognizing the man instantly
as Felicien, a successful Hutu businessman whose children I’d
played with in primary school. He’d been tall, handsome and
had impeccable manners. I shivered, remembering it had been his
voice I’d heard calling out my name when the killers searched
for me at the pastor’s house. Felicien had hunted me.
“Pushed into the office, Felicien stumbled onto his knees.
When he looked up from the floor and saw that I was the one waiting
for him, the color drained from his face. His dirty clothes hung
from his emaciated frame in tatters. His skin was sallow, bruised
and broken, and his eyes were filmed and crusted. His bare feet
were covered in open, running sores.
“I wept at the sight of his suffering.
“[The jailer] yelled at Felicien, ‘He looted your parents’
home and robbed your family’s plantation, Immaculée.
After he killed your mother and brother, he kept looking for you
– he wanted you dead so he could take over your property.
Didn’t you, pig? What do you have to say to her? What do you
have to say to Immaculée?’
“Felicien was sobbing. I could feel his shame. He looked up
at me for only a moment, but our eyes met. I reached out, touched
his hand lightly and said what I had come to say. ‘I forgive
you.’
“My heart eased immediately, and I saw the tension release
in Felicien’s shoulders before his jailer pushed him out the
door and into the courtyard. Two soldiers yanked Felicien up by
his armpits and dragged him back toward his cell.”
Looking back on that moment, Immaculée explains. “When
I met Felicien, I wanted him to know what was in my heart at that
moment. I felt the forgiveness and wanted to give it to him, though
I was embarrassed that by forgiving this killer his jailer may have
thought I was crazy or that I didn’t really love my family.
Still, I wanted to free his heart from the excuse that I hated him,
so he could think of how to grow from there. I wanted him to be
better, to regret what he had done and to realize God’s love
for everyone.
“I hope that my experience can help others to forgive and
to experience the peace that comes from that. I want them to always
have hope and to know God is close to each heart.
“No matter what happens in our lives we can be happy and trusting
if we practice true, holy love in each second. Forgiveness, not
only in our hearts but in the world, is our only chance. And it
is possible if we listen to God’s voice in our lives.”
---
Brother against brother
the Rwandan genocide
 There
is a long history between the Hutu and Tutsi people of Rwanda. Although
they have spent long periods living in relative peace, they have
also had intense conflicts. Political power in Rwanda has shifted
between the two groups, sometimes aided by colonial occupiers. In
1994, an airplane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana
and Burundi’s president, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down
as it prepared to land in Kigali. Both presidents, who were Hutu,
were killed in the crash. Although responsibility for the crash
is disputed, Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsi and moderate Hutus.
They began a 100-day genocide in which they killed more than 800,000
of their fellow Rwandans.
 The
Michigan Catholic Conference, the bishops’ voice on public
policy matters, is launching a statewide education program on the
issue of stem-cell research. Some important points the bishops want
to convey include:
• The church supports adult stem -cell research and encourages
the faithful to do likewise.
• There are two different types of stem-cell research, adult
and embryonic.
• Adult stem-cell research is ethical and proven – as
it is providing treatments and even cures for more than 70 different
medical conditions – and that embryonic research is unproven
and immoral as it kills the living human embryo.
I will walk again
How adult stem-cell treatment
is healing Jeni’s spinal injury
By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Philip Shippert
 Most
people probably would pray the Serenity Prayer and accept that a
complete spinal cord injury means only one thing: paralysis for
life.
But Jeni Rummelt is different. Rather than pray
for the serenity to accept a lifetime in a wheelchair, she prays
for the courage to find the miracle she is certain God is offering
her.
Jeni is changing what she can’t accept, just like the prayer
says.
Six years ago, Jeni Rummelt was a newlywed who, along with her husband
Trent, owned and operated Solid Impact Fitness Center in Caledonia.
A lifelong athlete and fitness devotee, Jeni’s career as a
physical trainer suited her active lifestyle.
Jeni and Trent enjoyed only seven months of their new life as husband
and wife, and only two months as entrepreneurs, when, on a trip
with Trent’s family, they were involved in a tragic auto accident.
Trent’s brother was killed; Trent and his parents were critically
injured and faced months of recovery; and Jeni suffered a catastrophic
spinal cord injury.
At only 26, the once-active, athletic young wife learned she was
paralyzed from the waist down and would have to rely on a wheelchair
– permanently. “The doctor told me there was nothing
they could do and I would never walk again,” she recalls.
“But even then I knew that wasn’t the final answer for
me.”
Though she is still using a wheelchair, the years since the accident
have been nothing short of miraculous for Jeni and Trent. In 2003
she gave birth to a son, Alex, and two years later had a second
baby, a daughter aptly named Hope.
For most people, giving birth to two healthy children and avoiding
any adverse health affects in the process might suffice in the “miracle”
department. But Jeni’s tenacious spirit has not let her give
up the fight to restore her mobility.
It’s this spirit that has led her to Russia, where Jeni participates
in adult stem-cell therapy designed to regenerate the damaged T-12
vertebrate that disables her.
“People are unaware of the success researchers are having
with adult stem cells. My therapy is completely safe for me because
I’m being injected with my own stem cells that come from my
own blood. There’s no chance of rejection and I don’t
have to take any drugs to keep the tissues growing healthily in
my body.”
The therapy entails two injections of mature stem cells –
cells that have been allowed to divide and multiply – into
Jeni’s spinal cord every two months. In time, these cells
have the potential to become new nerve tissue in her spinal column,
replacing the tissue that was damaged in the accident.
 Since
the use of adult stem cells to regenerate spinal tissue is not yet
approved for use in the United States, Jeni must travel to Russia
to receive treatment. “I’d love to do this therapy here
in the U.S. and it will definitely be available in the future when
the Food and Drug Administration approves it,” Jeni says.
“But I got so many signs that God was pointing me in this
direction, it seems he didn’t want me to wait.”
At the time she heard about the Russian adult stem-cell treatment
program, Jeni was evaluating other therapy options but kept meeting
roadblocks along the way. “The weird thing was when I decided
to do the stem-cell treatments, everything just fell into place.
I had no passport, no money and no way to get to Russia, yet I had
to be there within three weeks of deciding I would go. Only God
could have made it possible for me to be in Russia three weeks later
– and I was.”
Jeni’s fifth trip to Russia for treatment took place as FAITH
went to press. Is it working? “I knew going in that my type
of injury would need at least a year before I saw some results.
I’m now beginning to feel sensations I hadn’t felt before
and I’m able to contract and release the muscles in my legs.
So yes, it’s starting to work, and I’m certain I will
get up and walk one of these days.”
In the meantime, Jeni believes God is using her to inspire others
to believe in and look for miracles. For example, the parish community
of St. Mary’s in Lowell sponsored a fundraiser to support
her medical travel expenses, and others routinely offer prayers
and encouragement. She believes God is answering those prayers by
giving her the optimism and positive attitude she needs to face
each new day.
“I’m playing the hand I was dealt,” Jeni says,
“but part of that will be to prove to people that you shouldn’t
give up, no matter what.”
---
The politics and science of adult
stem cell research
Dr. Jean Peduzzi-Nelson is clinical professor of medicine and researcher
at Wayne State University Medical School. Her area of focus is adult
stem cells for the regeneration of spinal cord and brain tissue.
FAITH asked her to share her insight into the political and scientific
issues of this volatile subject:
FAITH: What is the truth about the potential for adult stem
cells to cure injuries and disease as opposed to embryonic stem
cells?
In the U.S., because of the media, people are under the impression
that embryonic stem cells have the most potential to provide cures.
But in the scientific community, we know that adult stem cells inherently
have advantages that make them safer and more effective. In fact,
when I read the science I can’t understand how the idea of
embryonic stem cells has gotten so big. For example, since adult
stem cells come from the body of the person who receives them, there’s
no risk of rejection and the chances of complications are minimized.
There’s also no limit to the number of cells available to
a person who is treated with stem cells that come from his own body.
Also, we know that embryonic stem cells can over-mature –
they grow too much and can cause tumors. And finally, with embryonic
cells, you don’t know about any potential disease the cells
might carry. So the truth is that adult stem cells present a safe,
plentiful and promising source of regenerative tissue.
As far as how these cells work in the body, there is no difference
between the process used for embryonic or adult stem cells. You
take stem cells from the body, “grow them up” to be
mature so that they multiply, and then you inject the growing bundle
of cells into the body so that they can become whatever type of
tissue is needed for healing or to battle disease.
FAITH: Are adult stem cells
being used yet in the U.S.?
Yes, the FDA has approved adult stem cells as treatment for certain
kinds of cancer and other specific diseases. There are now some
70 uses for adult stem cells in the U.S. Unlike some countries,
our government is very careful not to approve a form of treatment
until there is solid science to prove that the treatment is safe
and effective. So even if adult stem cell treatments are being used
in other parts of the world, the U.S. may not introduce them until
later.
FAITH: Given the relative safety and promise of adult stem
cells, why is there so much focus on embryonic stem cells?
There is a great deal of competition in the scientific community
for funding, so in many respects this has to do with what sort of
money can be found for certain kinds of research. Right now, again
because of the media attention, there is a large amount of funding
for embryonic stem cell research and not as much for adult stem
cells. This also has to do with the potential for profit down the
road. There’s not as much potential for profit with adult
stem cells because they are plentiful in the patient’s own
body. (But of course, in my mind, this is another reason why it’s
a preferable source of stem cells). These are the two main reasons
why stem cell research is such a political issue.
FAITH: What are the moral implications of embryonic stem
cell research?
The moral implications are huge. Consider a few issues: some people
have suggested that frozen, unused embryos from fertility clinics
could be used for research and to treat people if cures were discovered,
but this notion is a myth. Embryonic stem cells would need to be
in their earliest stages to be useful. Frozen embryos would not
offer useful stem cells. Also, from a legal perspective, this is
a moral dilemma because some states already accord the status of
personhood to frozen embryos – requiring them to be adopted
or fought over in custody battles. So that wouldn’t offer
a solution.
In order to have enough cells, you would need to mass produce embryos
and then destroy them for the sole purpose of harvesting stem cells.
The means we would have to accept the notion of creating life for
the purpose of destroying it. Most people believe this is an immoral
idea.
FAITH: Is there scientific promise in cord blood from umbilical
cords?
Quite a bit. I encourage anyone having a child to donate the cord
blood to be kept for future use. This blood would be similar to
adult stem cells in that it would pose no risk of rejection to the
recipient who saved it for himself.
---
Statistics
65 percent of Michigan residents would vote no
on a proposal to eliminate Michigan’s ban on the cloning of
human embryos.
59 percent of Michigan residents oppose stem
cell research that clones human embryos so the stem cells can be
removed
70 percent of Michigan residents oppose stem-cell
research that kills the human embryo so the stem cells can be removed
73 percent of Michigan residents agree with the
statement, “While I think we need to find cures for horrible
diseases, I worry about the future if the cloning of human embryos
is allowed”
60 percent of Michigan residents do not trust
our elected officials, politicians and government leaders to make
sure the cloning of embryos for stem-cell research is not abused
and is properly controlled.”
85 percent of Michigan residents support stem-cell
research that uses adult stem cells or stem cells from umbilical
cords?”
Here are some diseases being
successfully treated by adult stem cells:
1. Brain Cancer
2. Retinoblastoma
3. Ovarian Cancer
4. Skin Cancer: Merkel Cell Carcinoma
5. Testicular Cancer
6. Tumors abdominal organs Lymphoma
7. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
8. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
9. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
10. Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
11. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
12. Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
13. Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia
14. Cancer of the lymph nodes: Angioimmunoblastic Lymphadenopathy
15. Multiple Myeloma
16. Myelodysplasia
17. Breast Cancer
18. Neuroblastoma
19. Renal Cell Carcinoma
20. Various Solid Tumors
21. Soft Tissue Sarcoma
22. Ewing’s Sarcoma
23. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia
24. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
25. POEMS syndrome
26. Myelofibrosis
27. Diabetes Type I (Juvenile)
28. Systemic Lupus
29. Sjogren’s Syndrome
30. Myasthenia
31. Autoimmune Cytopenia
32. Scleromyxedema
33. Scleroderma
34. Crohn’s Disease
|
35. Behcet’s Disease
36. Rheumatoid Arthritis
37. Juvenile Arthritis
38. Multiple Sclerosis
39. Polychondritis
40. Systemic Vasculitis
41. Alopecia Universalis
42. Buerger’s Disease
43. Acute Heart Damage
44. Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
45. Corneal regeneration
46. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome
47. X-linked Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
48. X-linked Hyper immunoglobulin M Syndrome
49. Parkinson’s Disease
50. Spinal Cord Injury
51. Stroke Damage
52. Sickle Cell Anemia
53. Sideroblastic Anemia
54. Aplastic Anemia
55. Red Cell Aplasia
56. Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia
57. Thalassemia
58. Primary Amyloidosis
59. Diamond Blackfan Anemia
60. Fanconi’s Anemia
61. Chronic Epstein-Barr Infection
62. Limb Gangrene
63. Surface Wound Healing
64. Jawbone Replacement
65. Skull Bone Repair
66. Hurler’s Syndrome
67. Osteogenesis Imperfecta
68. Krabbe Leukodystrophy
69. Osteopetrosis
70. Cerebral X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy
71. Chronic Liver Failure
72. Liver Cirrhosis
73. End-Stage Bladder Disease
There are currently NO diseases being successfully
treated by embryonic stem cells. |
The Secret Cardinal
An interview with author Tom Grace
 Tom
Grace has written a suspenseful novel about the Catholic Church
in China. Loosely based on some of the events
in the life of Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong, widely believed
to have been Pope John Paul II’s last “secret cardinal,”
Grace’s book reflects some of the harsh realities facing Chinese
Catholics. Tom Grace is a parishioner at St. Joseph Parish, Dexter
and has written several other novels, including the best-seller,
Spyder Web. His “day job” is as an architect.
FAITH: Can you give us a brief plot synopsis, without giving
too much away?
In a nutshell, this book is a thriller about a jail break. It’s
wrapped up in the real, ongoing conflict between the Vatican and
China.
What prompted you to write this book?
I was writing my Kilkenny thrillers and in March of 2000, Sen. Joe
Lieberman gave a stirring tribute to Cardinal Kung of China. It
just amazed me and opened me up to this whole story. In reading
what this incredible man went through, I knew there was a story
to tell, but it took me years to figure out and write. I wrote other
books during this time, which are almost formulaic technology thrillers.
How much of this book is based on the life of Cardinal Kung
Pin-Mei?
Little key pieces of Kung’s story were important and I gave
them to my bishop character.
Chinese authorities wanted Cardinal Kung to be the prelate of the
government-authorized church in China, much like Henry VIII was
in England at the time of the Reformation. The Chinese gave Kung
the message, “You are with us or in prison forever.”
Kung was dragged out in front of a crowd to support the government’s
position, but instead cried, “Long live Jesus Christ, long
live the pope!” Kung was sentenced to solitary. They didn’t
want him talking to anyone, so no hard labor. Eventually, Kung was
exiled because he was dying. He had family here, so Sen. Lieberman
got involved and Kung came to the United States. Then, he recovered
and got the call from Rome, “Come see me.” At that point,
Kung learned he was a cardinal. In the fall, he got the red hat.
The Chinese were furious.
 What
would you like people to know about the oppression of Catholics
in China?
I had never thought much about the practice of religion in China
before. I had heard a lot about missionaries, but that was it. Western
religion was tolerated, embraced or persecuted depending on who
was on the throne. Sometimes an emperor converted and Christianity
was tolerated. Eventually, the Communist government of China tried
to wipe out religion and failed. Then they decided to take control
of it and religion became part of the Chinese bureaucracy. They
legalized five religions – Catholicism, Protestantism, Daoism,
Buddhism and Islam. Prelates in these faiths are trained by the
state, because loyalty to the state is more important than faith.
The government can then control the message coming out of the pulpit.
For example, the church in China supports abortion because that’s
supported by the state. They are allowed one child per family.
Two of the “state” bishops of China recently passed
away. Now, with the Olympics looming, the question for the Chinese
government is whether they are going to replace these guys. Will
they consult the Vatican or not? Last year, they placed bishops
in place without consulting the Vatican and set up an ugly exchange
between China and the Vatican.
During the Cultural Revolution, many people refused to give up their
faith and practiced at great risk, as they still do today. They
practice in fields, in hiding, as the early Christians did under
Roman persecution. The current conflict began with Communism –
atheism is the official religion. The Communists kicked out all
foreigners, including the papal nuncio. They threw others in jail.
 You’ve
written several books – what number is this? How has your
own faith played a role in your writing career?
This is my fifth. I like stories in which good triumphs over evil.
The Bible is a great example. Evil may give it a run for the money
– everybody loves that kind of story.
This was interesting to me because Cardinal Kung’s story is
so fascinating. It is a story of faith and loyalty.
What’s next for you?
Another book with a faith theme, but not as religious as this one
specifically. Bioethics and embryonic life will be a theme. I’m
very interested in biomedical research, partly because I’ve
designed research facilities. There are new and scary things coming
up in that area, like the creation of life outside the womb.
A tisket, a tasket
a spiritual lift in a gift basket
Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Phillip
Shippert
  Not
long ago, a friend of mine was sharing how down she was feeling.
She was pondering a litany of new-age remedies for her slump. At
the end of the talk, she suggested that we go and get a pedicure
together to help get her mind off of her problems. I was up for
the pampering, so I agreed to go. About $50 later, our feet were
looking better than they had in months, and she seemed happier.
For about an hour. I could tell the quick fix of the pedicure was
wearing off and that those feelings of despair were returning to
plague her soul. The reality is that no pedicure, aroma therapy,
or any other holistic wellness plan was going to help her. I think
she truly needed something much deeper, and although I knew darn
well what it was, I didn’t bring him up. My friend was not
a very religious person and I was a little hesitant about “going
there.”
In the coming days, my lack of courage started to bother me.
Why is it so acceptable in our culture to turn to yoga, meditation
CDs, or a self-proclaimed TV “expert” for healing and
wellness, but yet sometimes awkward for us to suggest turning to
God who is, after all, the source of all happiness? While pondering,
I realized I needed to be a bit strategic and somehow ‘ease’
God into her situation. I needed to introduce the idea to her nonverbally.
I had an idea.
Gift baskets have always been a great way to show kindness to someone,
and I absolutely love creating them for family and friends for different
occasions. I knew my friend would love one – especially
if it was stuffed with “wellness” items. But among the
herbal tea, scented candles and hand lotion, this basket was going
to make room for a little bit of God. It offered a mix of things
to make a person feel better – topically and spiritually.
I included items that are as faith-building as they are meditative
and interesting.
Do you know of anyone who could use a spiritual lift? Consider
making them one of these baskets. And if it’s well received,
it just may casually open the door to deeper discussions about real
prayer and how it can help – far beyond Tai Chi, nature-sound
CDs, and yes, even a $50 pedicure.
---
 For
the project shown, you will need:
•
1 medium size basket
• basket filler
• prayer card
• Catholic book of prayers
• Gregorian Chant CD (or any relaxing Christian music)
• hand cream or any spa products of choice
• can of soup or chocolates (or any other comfort food items)
• box of herbal tea
• ceramic mug
Directions:
Line basket with filler
and then arrange items in any fashion. For an added touch, wrap
with clear cellophane and tie with a ribbon and gift card.
More ideas
For the chocolate lover,
create a basket with different chocolate candies and cookies,
hot cocoa mix, and a mug among the spiritual items.
For a spa theme, find a cotton-lined basket and fill with lotions,
body wash, bath oils and a body sponge among the spiritual items.
|
