Yard Sale Results

Our yard sale was this past Saturday and it was incredible.  We are so thankful.  God's hand was evident in so many different ways throughout the week leading up to the yard sale and again on Saturday.

• In the many family and friends who donated, sorted, priced and organized a ridiculous amount of stuff!  For hours and hours and hours all week long.  We were up at 3am on Saturday putting out signs and dragging a Sanctuary full of furniture and donated items out onto the lawn.  It was truly miraculous how it all came together.
• In the answered prayers for good weather, a large crowd, and lots of stuff sold (check, check, and check!)
• In the way I forgot to ask the youth to hand out fliers around the church- and a special volunteer showed up last minute and was able to take them to the Hispanic neighborhoods nearby, talking with families and getting them excited about our yard sale....and boy did the Hispanic community show up!
• In the numerous people who told us they came to our yard sale because they or their (daughter, brother, sister, grandchildren) were adopted and they wanted to support adoption.
• In the sweet girls who chose to spend a Saturday selling lemonade instead of playing or something more exciting, because they wanted to help bring Zachary home.
• In the couple who gave us more money than they bought in things, because they had been to China, had smuggled Bibles and worked in the orphanage dying rooms.  They wanted to encourage us in our adoption because they know exactly what the other side looks like.  They said we will forever be changed by this...and offered their friendship.
• In the many church family and friends who chose to come by just to show their support and offer their encouragement...what a joy you were to us!
• In the Chinese international student who goes to school at NCSU, saw our ad online and came by just to talk to Josh about China.  He was happy to let Josh speak Mandarin with him, and then told us he felt like the Holy Spirit wanted him to come and tell us to spread the Gospel while we are in China because so many don't know Jesus.
• In the beautiful people who came early to set up, who worked the yard sale, and stayed late to clean up.  The ones who dropped loads off at Dorcas and helped vacuum carpets and break down boxes.
• In the hundreds of people in the community we were able to meet and talk to about adoption, our church, and Jesus.

It was truly amazing.  I have never been more exhausted, it was more work than we could have ever imagined.  Our house was a storage unit for over a month.  We worked 10-12 hour days for more than a week to get everything ready.  There were moments when I worried that it would never get finished, that no one would come.  But again, God wove everything together in the way only He can.  His people and his church rallied around us and the result was astounding.

In total (with the yard sale and some furniture we sold online beforehand) we raised $4500.

We are completely in awe.  Josh said that God was just showing off!  He truly provided more than we could have ever hoped or imagined through this yard sale.  Not in just the large amount of money, but in the love of people and the confirmation of his will that we saw over and over again.  It feels extravagant.  And we are so thankful.

Thank you to everyone who prayed, donated, organized, lifted furniture, made food runs, watched our kids, and/or came out to support us.  We are so very grateful, and hope that you were also blessed in watching how God was at work.  One day we will tell Zachary the story of how he came to us- and this will surely be such a special chapter!

(This was last Saturday- one week made all the difference!)