Rummage and Bake Sale Fundraiser

Yesterday we had our Rummage and Bake sale fundraiser. It went amazing!

But let me back up a little bit. Two weeks ago I was trying to figure out if we could do a rummage sale and had posted about it on facebook. After asking Andy if we could use the youth building for this, he let me know that there were no days available. I then posted on facebook that the rummage sale would not be possible.

However, my friend Dora got to thinking and called a friend who owns a building where they hold auctions and asked if we could use it for our sale. Not only did he agree, but he also said we could use it for free! The sale was on!!!

My friend Dora then suggested we also throw in a bake sale, after all, we only have so much time to raise money! So we went ahead and planned on that too!

So many people contacted us to let us know that they wanted to help. Our cousin even got crafty and sent us some pretty sweet scarves that we could sell. The news spread and many people from our community and others close to us were donating items and even time!

Our local newspaper also went the extra mile, and when I called wanting to place an add for the sale I got to share our story with the editor. Well, not only did he place an add, he ran a short story about our family and what the fundraiser was for.

Thursday we got the place ready to be set up. On Friday we spent all day (literally all day!) setting up for the sale! Amy, Kris, Darla, Dora, Gretchen and Jody helped me set up and let me tell you, we worked hard! Steve helped Andy pick up donations while Jenny watched our girls.

I cannot even name all the people that showed up to bring baked good or all the people that showed up to drop off their donations! Some of these people we did not even know, but they had heard about what we were doing and why, and they just wanted to help. Humbling, very humbling!

Yesterday was the sale day, lots of people came and they brought along their generosity. We feel so blessed. My friend Brigitte came to help us too with her many baked goods. She just adopted a little boy with Down syndrome from the same country as Nina. We have not really known each other very long, but what a dear friend she has become to me. Also, my friend Amy who I also met through our on-line boards for parents of children with Down syndrome showed up and we finally got to meet!

At the end of the day, our friends (their family) showed up to help us clean up. That was a lot easier to do! LOL

We came home exhausted, but feeling so loved, so encouraged. We really are blessed. Our rummage and bake sale was a success! All that hard work was definitely worth it!

Thank you, thank you so much for all of you who helped, all of you who made this happen. there is no way we could have ever pulled this off on our own! Thank you!

And once more, God shows us His overflowing of love through other people. We are humbled, we are grateful, and we are praising God for who He is.

Buy Gifts 2!

A few days ago I posted about the release of Gifts 2 on our home page.

I just received my copy yesterday and I absolutely love it!

AS some of you know, I am one of the contributors of Gifts 2: How People with Down Syndrome Enrich the World.

If you would like to buy the book, let me know, if you buy the book from me, it will help towards our adoption, we are doing this as a fundraiser, but you do have to buy it from me! So click on the Contact Me link if you are interested!

Caribbean Dinner Party-Adoption Fundraiser

Last night, Andy and I attended a fundraiser for Nina's adoption. It was wonderful to see close friends, family, and even meet new people that were there to support us!

One of the greatest enemies of adoption is money. Many people wish they could adopt, but finances hold them back. No matter how you look at it, adoption is expensive! Where in the world will money come from?

When we decided to adopt Nina, we knew that God would have to provide, because we definitely do not have the money! We knew in our hearts that God was calling us to adopt, so we stepped out in obedience and trusting completely. We were and are prepared to get a bank loan so that we can bring Nina home. After all, how much is a life worth?

As soon as we committed to adopt Nina, God smiled and began to work, showing us that He indeed does provide, and that along the way, He would bless us and cover us with love...through other people.

My friend Marian asked if her and her husband could do a fundraiser for us...a Caribbean Dinner Party. She took care of it all, invited people, made a delicious meal, and had wonderful entertainment. All Andy and I had to do was show up.

Andy and I got to share our journey and our hearts, towards adoption and towards children with special needs. This was a very meaningful time for us, as we felt that just sharing our story, is part of our obedience to God. It was sweet to be able to tell people about where God has been taking us in the last few years.

Being a holiday weekend, not very many people were able to attend, however, their hearts of love and support towards our family were big, and we know that God continues to open the doors for us and continues to provide. Marian shared with me this morning that she had set a goal based on 60 people, and only 30 were able to come. Her goal was not only reached, it went above and beyond!

All the praise goes to God! He is walking with us every step of the way. I sometimes question if we will ever be able to make it, yet, He is God, and everything belongs to Him...money too. So He chooses to provide for us through other people...because He knows that along the way, many will be touched, many hearts will be open, maybe to Him, maybe towards adoption, or maybe towards people with special needs. We just trust and obey, and He takes care of the rest.

Thank you Lord!