Meet our Board | thelambsloom

Audrey Bready, Founding member and current Board President

As an early teen, Audrey Folk was taught how to crochet by her grandmother and how to cross-stitch by her mother. While attending Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, following her dream of becoming a dancer, Audrey was taught by a fellow dance student how to knit. Over the past 19 years she has used the yarn manipulating gifts God has given her to knit and crochet scarves and blankets for friends and family across the United States.

After Audrey and her husband, Jason, moved back to McAllen, Texas, she began attending the Helping Hands small group at Palm Valley Church in Mission, Texas. The group met once a week for fun and fellowship while creating hats, blankets, prayer shawls, and scarves to be distributed through out the colonias in Mission.

Currently, Audrey and her amazing husband are dancing through the days with their three precious children.

Ann Gamblin ~ Founding member, past President and current Board Member.

Ann has lived in McAllen, Texas since 1987. She has two grown children. She and her husband James manage a listener-supported 501C3 Christian radio station. She has served there for 22 years and is co-host for the morning drive show. She was the administrative assistant to her pastor at Trinity Baptist Church for several years while her children were small. Before she had her children, she worked for the state of Texas in the medicaid and food stamp programs. She has always been active in mission efforts through both her church and work. She loves using her creativity to point others to Christ and His love which she has actively pursued for the past 12 years through the KnitWits group, the precursor to The Lamb's Loom! Knit Wits is a group of friends who met weekly to produce loom-knitted items (prayer shawls, hats, scarves, etc.) to send away to missionaries in Mexico and China.

Jeanie Rowell ~ Founding Member and Treasurer

Originally from Houston, Texas, Jeanie has lived in McAllen since 1975. She lives in McAllen, with her husband of 42 years, (and high school sweet heart). They have two grown children. Currently Jeanie is the bookkeeper and tech support for her husband’s landscape contracting company. Prior to this she owned her own video production company for 20 years. Her many years in advertising sales and volunteer work have always been centered around people and helping them make beneficial connections.

Fourteen years ago Jeanie and a couple of friends began a prayer shawl ministry group called The KnitWits! a.k.a. ~ Knitting a Witness for Christ. This fun group of friends met once a week to knit, pray and have fun together. That fun has turned into a full time ministry called The Lamb's Loom!

Terri Zavaleta ~ Secretary

Terri is originally from Cleburne, Texas but has lived in the Rio Grande Valley since 1968 and graduated from high school in McAllen. She is a widow and retired as an elementary school teacher/librarian at Wilson Elementary School from McAllen ISD.

She became involved in the Prayer Shawl Ministry at FBC McAllen, and there joined a group of friends (KnitWits) who decided to take the ministry out of a church setting in order to make participation easier for those of other denominations or as an outreach ministry to non-Christians. The KnitWits grew and met in various locations until the shop became a reality and became a gathering place for those who enjoy sewing, quilting, crocheting, knitting, or any combination of those activities.

She is currently the Secretary for The Lamb’s Loom. Terri enjoys frequent trips to visit her nephews and niece in central Texas and often delivers gifts of books and loom knitted presents.

Irma Dobbs ~ Board Member, Shepherd Coordinator

Irma was born and raised in McAllen, Texas and loves living in her home town. Irma has worked primarily in office settings over the year, in several different fields. She has two grown children and will be a grandmother soon. She is married to a wonderful man that makes her laugh and they have six fun loving dogs.

In September of 2017, during a work sabbatical, she decided she wanted to learn how to crochet and discovered The Lamb’s Loom online. She took a class and has been there ever since! LOL! Irma believes that God brought her to The Lamb’s Loom to help her become a better person and to be a better Christian and to pay it forward. “I love the ministry, the fellowship with the other volunteers (who have become my sisters) and meeting new people. You don’t realize that you can make an impact on a person by just listening and smiling at someone.”

Tina Mukete ~ Board Member, Donation Team Co-ordinator

Originally from Cameroon, she and her sweet husband came to the US with their family and moved to the Valley in 2004. Tina has been an avid crocheter for over 30 years! She joined a ministry called Helping Hands to put that to good use. With children in high school and college, Tina entered Nursing School and graduated in 2015 and continues to add to her nursing skills. She loves caring for others and helping them to succeed at life. Part of that is her learning to knit while at The Lamb's Loom. She volunteers regularly and often leads classes in crochet, loom knitting and needle knitting.

Deb Heinrich ~ Board Member, Donation Team Co-ordinator

Deborah and her husband fell in love with the Rio Grande Valley after visiting the Valley in 2003 and decided to make the Valley their home following retirement in 2005. She has a Bachelor of Science degree and worked at community college in western Nebraska for 26 years. The Lamb’s Loom opened their doors in 2014 and she began volunteering shortly following its opening. Deborah will tell you she loves experiencing God’s love and blessings on both ends of this wonderful ministry. “What a great way to serve God and those in need. I found my new purpose at The Lamb’s Loom.”

Lisbet (MacMiller) Hardison ~ Board Member

Lisbet was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. Her parents moved to South Texas in 1963 as missionaries to the Mexican border region. As a child she and her family made weekly trips into Mexico to preach and minister to families living in the farming communities. Lisbet currently lives in McAllen, enjoying life with her amazing high school daughter.

In 2015, Lisbet was invited to join the ladies at the Lamb’s Loom to “sit and knit”. This was a difficult season of loss, and these ladies ministered to her broken heart. The heart of the ministry took root in her heart.

She joined the board in 2020, and brings her experience as a CPA and business consultant to offer advice and guidance as we seek to honor God with our talents in this ministry we call The Lamb’s Loom.

Meet our Board of Directors!