Twenty five cents here, two dollars there...by the end of the day we were tired, exhausted and just barely dry after our day of fundraising via yard sale. Living in Washington, you know that there is always a chance it will rain but when the forecast predicts it, you better know it's coming!
We planned accordingly and had some awesome family and neighbors that donated tables, HUGE awnings and chairs for our use during the sale! At least 15 families came together and donated their used items for us to sell to help us build up the funds! The sale was on Friday and Saturday and corresponded with the yearly community garage sale event that our neighborhood holds! SUCCESS. There was a steady stream of people ALL day long on BOTH days! As rainy as it was on Friday, that was our greatest turnout! And Saturday, blessing upon blessing poured in as we basked in the sunshine selling our wares and baked goods!
Not only did God open up the hearts of those that were led to give, but he brought the most amazing people to our sale! We had signs everywhere, letting people know that every single dollar was going towards our trip...and I loved the conversations those silly green signs started! We met countless others who had been on mission trips to Guatemala prior and were happy to share their experiences with us! Others came, just to shop but left with big ol smiles as they contemplated coming to our church the following Sunday. Some of our close friends stopped by to give us hugs, donate more stuff or even just give us a handful of cash to add to the pot! *sigh* It was unbelievable!
Now, I really wrestled with whether or not it was appropriate to share the total dollar amount raised on this site. I prayed about it, asked trusted friends and ran it by my lovely family. I still don't know the answer but, I want you to know that...with the money raised from this single two day event, we were able to pay for HALF our trip!!! Can you believe that?! I was in tears when the final total came through. Only God can take those handfuls of change, those wadded up dollar bills and those nickel & dime sales and turn it in to one...BIG...fat...amazing amount of money!
God never fails to amaze me! How we could start the day out with a bunch of old stuff, some baked goods and prayer and end up with such a huge, life changing blessing! How marvelous...
