When you have a chronic or invisible illness like chronic fatigue or the like, a lot of the typical ministry options are off the table.  It’s hard to commit to anything that happens on a schedule, because you never know when it’s going to be a good day or a bad day.  You may not have the physical energy to carry out a lot of ministry projects; in fact, you may be just scraping by to get the essentials done.  And you might not want to leave the house, because going out requires a shower, and showers use up energy.

That can leave many of us feeling rather useless, so I’ve been giving some thought lately to ways that folks can minister during chronic illness (not to be confused with ministering to those with chronic illness), and one simple way is to send cards or letters to people, to encourage them and/or brighten up their days.

Of course, sending inexpensive storebought cards is totally sufficient, but if you combine this with cardmaking, you get to exercise your creativity (which can be a great way to relax — good for your health!), make something extra-special, and bless others — all with a minimum of physical energy invested and without any specific time commitments.

Cards for People You Know

Obviously, you can send cards to people you already know.  People that you know could use a boost — those who have suffered recent losses, are sick, etc. — are  clear choices.  But try to think beyond that, too.

Think about the folks you know you have experienced a major life change a few months ago.  Many times, when someone dies, people gather around the family in the very early days…and then they drift back to their own lives and those grieving are left to carry their grief alone.

Or new moms are celebrated right away…and then three or four or six months later the sleepless nights have caught up with them, they’re exhausted, they’re feeling like failures, wondering if they’re really cut out for this and could really use a boost.  So think about being the “second wave” of encouragement for those in tough circumstances or experiencing upheaval.

You can also think way beyond the typical categories of “needing encouragement.”  In this age of social media, who wouldn’t enjoy getting a little bit of fun or encouragement in the mail?  Isn’t it always nice to get something in the mail that isn’t bills?  Those you think “don’t need” anything could be struggling with any manner of things you don’t know about and might need your words of encouragement more than you know.  Even if they don’t “need” them, it’s still always nice to get a tangible reminder that you’re loved.

I’m hoping to start making some slightly more “involved” cards that are meant to display and have Bible verses on them.  (Or possibly, in some cases, inspirational quotes.  But mostly Scripture verses.)  I just like the idea of being able to make a little piece of art that someone can display to keep the Word in front of them.

Cards for People Your People Know

Maybe you don’t know many people.  Or you just want to expand your cardmaking/card-sending.  Keep your eyes open for opportunities to send cards to people you don’t know, but that people you know, know.  (That’s a lot of “peoples” and “knows.”)

I fairly regularly see people post on social media that someone they know is in the hospital and could use cheering up, a child was sidelined with an injury and is bummed about everything he’s missing out on, etc. and that they’d love to have them sent cards.  Or someone’s celebrating a milestone birthday and they want to inundate someone with birthday cards.  If you’re looking, there are plenty of opportunities here.

Cards for Cubs

Sponsored by Bearly Art (makers of the glue I use), Cards for Cubs is an annual drive to collect handmade (blank) cards for kids in foster care.  You can read all the details here, but the long and short of it is that they’re looking for handmade birthday and encouragement cards (with matching envelopes) for local agencies to personalize to the kids.

They’re collecting through March 31st (although this is the third year they’ve done this, so I imagine they’ll collect again next year).  If you decide to participate, please READ THE INSTRUCTIONS on the website and follow them carefully so you’ll be sure to send something they can use.  (It’s nothing super-complicated; it just makes their job harder if they have to weed through things because people didn’t follow directions.)  You’ll need to sign up on their website before sending the actual cards in.

If you choose to share your cards on social media before sending them in, that can help to spread the word about the project:
#CardsForCubs   @thecardsforcubs   @bearlyarts

Cards for Kindness

Sponsored by Scrapbook.com, Cards for Kindness is a similar program, but with different recipients.  You can read all about it here.  Like Cards for Cubs, these are blank cards (i.e. you don’t write a note in them because the receiving organizations will), but they’re sent to a variety of organizations for a variety of purposes: military care packages, care packages for the homeless, medical organizations, etc.  (You’ll find the list on the site.)

They’re looking for thinking of you/general hello cards right now and do not need cards for most other occasions.  (Keep an eye on the website over time, because I suspect this may change based on what they’re receiving.)  Once again, please READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and follow them, so as to be sure to send something usable and not create excess work for volunteers.

If you choose to share your cards on social media:
#CardsForKindness   #CreativeKindness   #scrapbookcom  @cardsforkindness_official   @scrapbookcom

Tips for Making Cards

Some days or weeks, even making cards can be too much.  During rough periods, if you just want to do something, you can batch-process parts of cards.

• Stamp a bunch of sentiments.
• Make a bunch of backgrounds (with a single technique).
• Die-cut a bunch of shapes.
• Stamp & cut a bunch of images.
• Color a bunch of stamped images.
• Trim paper to size.
• Cut/fold card bases.

You get the idea.  This is not only less involved overall, but there’s less setup and cleanup because you don’t need your full spectrum of supplies.

You can also batch-make actual cards.  A couple easy ways to do this are to either choose a simple card design, and replicate it (either exactly, or with the same layout and different colors/sentiments).  Or to use a one-sheet-wonder template to make a set.

Cardmaking with Kids

This is also a ministry you can take part in alongside your kids, because kids can make cards, too!  Cards don’t have to be “grown up” or fancy to be special.