$348

Every year we buy school supplies for our kids as they begin the new year. What is it about school supplies that sticks with us? Why can we remember the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, scotch tape and elmer's glue? How much do we love cracking open a new stack of college lined paper just to flip through it and hear the sounds those sheets make before they are placed securely in our three ring binders. What is it about school supplies?

As I roamed the aisles at Target with $500 cash in my grubby little paws, I flashed back to moments from my childhood when we used to shop for new goodies to take to school. I remember overlooking the generic brands because only Crayola would do. Forget that glue with the blue applicator tip, Elmer's is the brand for me. Had to have the brand names. Couldn't have any ol' lame binder...had to be a Trapper Keeper with Kittens on the front.

I felt like I needed a shower. I felt really guilty for my childhood greed. Who cared what the brand was? I was just going to peel the labels off the crayons, glue my hands together for fun and use my ruler as an ax on the edge of my desk...who cared what the brand name was? For some reason, I did.

Not sure if it is parenting, or just plain maturity or if it was this really cool thing God did to remind me of where I came from [choose the latter] but I was suddenly renewed as my kids and I grabbed armful's of stuff and threw it in the cart. It wasn't about the brand names this whole time? I could have had TWICE the fun with my school supply consumer product testing had I known better?! I was just trying so hard to fit in and be normal...I didn't even think about the cost or be thankful that I even GOT supplies. New. Every year. These people on the receiving end, they don't care about the brand. They are just thankful for the goods! Oh Man! I wish I could bottle up that feeling I had right there in that Target aisle and share it with everyone.

Poor Target. Poor Tuesday shoppers of Target. Poor checker that was about to spend 30 minutes ringing us up with no order or quantity option because of how we were throwing and mixing everything together in our excitement. But yeah for filled suitcases. Yeah for big smiles on little faces. Yeah for stocking Guatemala school rooms and maybe having no one see who did it. Yeah.

We got to the register with a TOTALLY full cart, items strewn about behind us with little kids in tow to pick it all up. We grouped as best we could to help sweet Red Shirted Lady get through the mess and we watched as the numbers climbed higher and higher. I was afraid we might have gone over our $500 cash on hand limit. I hadn't been counting. Eek. Sweating.

$348. Seriously? That's all? No. There is too much in this cart for it to be only that?! Seriously? Did you know what $348 can do...school supply wise?! I had no idea! That a lot of generous, donated bills...that made out to be a whole ton of school supplies.

Every aspect of this mission trip has surprised me. I should not be surprised. But I was. Who knew...what $348 could be turned in to.

PS> The remainder of the money was taken back to Target a few days later to fill up another cart. On top of JUST THIS donation, our amazing church family filled FOUR suitcases with school supplies as of last Sunday AND gave $1000 more to purchase whatever else we could. What a blessing you people are. What a change you will make in Guatemala. Please know that. And thank you.