This past weekend was the GIANT Yard Sale! G-I-A-N-T! I have never been a part of such an enormous yard sale.
When Jonathan and I decided to adopt, we were encouraged to do some fundraising and a garage sale was one of the suggested events. Friends and family began spreading the word and I soon had a garage full of baby items and more. I continued to collect items, but as the months went by I kept saying, “when it’s cooler I’ll do it” or “this weekend is so busy.” I soon became discouraged and overwhelmed at the pricing job before me and was about to give up when a sweet friend came along and said, “why don’t you let me organize the yard sale and put it on Facebook.” She offered to collect items in her big van (she has a family of 9) weekly at our homeschool community! This quickly became a large event with many friends and family joining our family and lightening the load.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
~Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12
The Facebook event went up. The Craigslist Ad went out. The Pensacola News Journal ad was posted. People spread the word.
The Friday before the big event came and my sister-in-law, mom, and friend arrived ready to receive items. Then, they came…the donations…the workers! We had so much help! We had so many donated items! It was completely amazing!
The Saturday of the yard sale brought a dreary, warm, rainy forecast, but the weather held out and our hearts were full of warmth and excitement! Thanks to our generous church we were able to have most of the yard sale inside our church fellowship hall. There was also a bake sale held by our Classical Conversations Challenge classes! There’s nothing like warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee! Although there wasn’t ever an overwhelming surge of people, there was a steady flow of shoppers. Around 1:00 we began looking around and realizing that we had a LOT of stuff left. It wasn’t junk either. We began pulling items out for The Voice of the Martyr Action Packs and for My Father’s Arrows ministry.
At 2:00, we shut it down and began packing up items to deliver to Waterfront Rescue Mission. Our friends, once again, arrived to help! One friend who has a huge delivery truck showed up to joyfully pack it up and deliver our items. The workers gathered and packed up the items that were left. Again, we were amazed by the generosity of so many! People came just to help us pack it up and deliver it…to clean bathrooms to prepare for Sunday service…to put our church back in its previously clean state. In two hours, the whole thing was back to normal. Two hours, folks!
My friend decided to do a baby shower type game with all of the workers. She said to guess how much we thought the yard sale had made and at the end we would see who got closest. Think baby shower game of “How much do you think the baby will weigh.” It was the first shower game of the expectancy! Another blessing for me. It was fun! Well, I underestimated by half!!! I think the most money I’ve ever made at a yard sale was $300. I had just hoped we could make $1000 and we did…we made over $2000! That doesn’t even count the money that the bake sale made! I was just speechless, overwhelmed, and overjoyed! My cup runs over!
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
~ Ephesians 3:20-21