Anyone else walking around a tad bit pink?? Just me? Ouch...
Anyway, welcome back friends! I really don't know how to describe this weekend, but I'll do my best.
Thursday morning we started getting everything out for the weekend. I knew we had a lot of items donated over the course of the year, but it wasn't until Thursday morning that I went, "oh wow, this is A LOT of stuff!" About 11 hours later we were still pulling things out of storage and out of boxes to see what we had! So basically what I am saying here is that, YOU GUYS ROCK! There is no way this weekend would have been so "successful" if it were not for you and your generous donations. Thank You doesn't seem to be good enough, but for now that is all I've got.
We were blessed with a very steady stream of folks all day Friday & Saturday. Sunday was a bit slower, but we didn't mind because by that time we were running on fumes! We got to meet a lot of new friends and had some awesome conversations. We had a garage sale last year, but this one was different. People wanted to stop and talk this year. Folks asked me about missions, they asked about adoption, and God, and the orphan crisis in Africa and around the world. It was beautiful to watch hearts soften to the things that break (and heal) ours. A lot of people started sharing about their lives. Family concerns, fears, cancer, parenting, waiting for test results..... I was honored by their openness and bravery to really answer when I asked, "how are ya?" So, Thank You to my new friends & new blog readers. You kept us focused and reminded us of our purpose.
We were also blessed by familiar faces who came out to the sale. I couldn't adequately share how uplifting it was to be running all around, slightly overwhelmed by the weekend and then see a smiling familiar face. I know you likely didn't NEED that used Barbie doll or bag of Christmas decor, but God knew I needed you to come share a smile or an encouraging word. It sustained us, energized us. Thank you.
An extra special shout out to a few of my Bethel students who came! (Even after I posted grades and there were no brownie points to be earned!) My students are the best on earth!
So, that was our weekend. Garage Sale with God. It may sound quirky or cliche, but there was something Divine about the encounters and conversations we were blessed to have and if you look to the right, at the thermometer update, we were clearly blessed financially this year. I could have NEVER imagined the outcome of this weekend. THANK YOU. We are almost there!
A heart full of gratitude,
Amber
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| Just a couple pictures of all the great donations that wouldn't fit in the garage for the "garage sale" The garage itself was still full! |
