Another Garage Sale?
"Mission Kenya 2010" Coming Soon
by Marti Fisher
". . . a time to keep and a time to throw away" (Ecclesiastes 3:6b)
Another garage sale? You betcha. I had told Abby that this was one thing I wanted to do to encourage her and support her mission to Kenya this summer. When I put the word out, things began arriving on our doorstep. Most of them were clothes. I prayed for the Lord to send something that would earn a larger amount of money and the next day a friend gave us a lawnmower. The amazing thing was that a friend had asked me two days before earlier if I had a lawnmower. I told her, “I'm sorry I don't.” Then one showed up and she bought it. God was so good to answer both her prayer and mine.
The night before the June 26–27 weekend sale, Abby rounded up some friends, as shown here in my first photo that includes the majority of helpers.I asked them to set everything out the night before the sale — I meant everything! I'll admit that I wondered if someone would come at night and haul it all away but since I had committed it all to the Lord, He would take charge. So I asked Him to post His angels around "the bounty of goods."
The sun comes up early in June. By 5:30 a.m., a crowd arrived. Out here I don't sweat it when things aren't priced. I usually try to put a price on the big items, such as the the bed frames, baby furniture, desks, and bookcases in the following photo (showing sale items displayed across three neighbors' front lawns). The small items can be priced on the spur of the moment.
In the first hour, 5 to 7 people tried to “bargain me down 50 cents or so but I smiled and said, “It is early in the sale and this is a benefit sale.” They said nothing more and bought the item!
I don't have garage sales just for the fun of it. However, I enjoy having a great time smiling at people and welcoming them.
We love "satisfied customers."
I even enjoyed speaking Spanish to my Hispanic customers.I had a delightful time telling this young lady and her mother (standing outside this photo) how much fun could be had on this cute stick unicorn.
After I showed her how to ride her new stick unicorn, she told me (en Español) that she liked it very much.
While I welcomed and had fun "satisfying" customers throughout our two-day, benefit garage sale, Abby took on a different set of responsibilities. After each customer would pick what he or she wanted, they would approach Abby to negotiate prices and/or make payment.In this photo, a mother and her pregnant daughter approached Abby with big smiles and a few choice items. After they bargained over pricing, the three agreed on a grand total. Abby's smile confirmed their purchase.
My other family members weren't quite as enthusiastic as I am about garage sales. Dale groaned that all this stuff bothered him. Andrew declared that he would NEVER do a garage sale. I just chuckled and said, “Well, God makes us all different.”
In the end, I certainly enjoyed sharing this relaxing "team drop" moment atop the pile of leftover clothes after our benefit garage sale ended.It was an enjoyable moment for Abby, her friend Soren, and me. Look at our smiles.
One benefit of garage sales is that every time we have one, our garage gets rearranged for the better. (Sorry. No photo!) Garage sales always require work. By the time we are finished, we are pooped.
When this sale had ended, there were a lot of unsold items. It almost looked as if we were just beginning. So I told everyone who had helped that they could have whatever they wanted. I told them that they could take anything freely but a donation was always welcome. Most gave a donation.
Free things always attract attention and sometimes it is hard to believe that they are really free. I think that we sometimes think we must work for our salvation. Yet Jesus offers it to us freely. It is so amazing to think that He took our sin and in its place He gave us His righteousness. That was hardly a fair trade but an amazing outpouring of love. What an example for us.
In the end, neighbors found “treasures” amid "the junk." One neighbor helped us haul the leftovers to Goodwill. Over all, we collected approximately $800. It was a blessing to have been able to round up God's stuff and then sell it to do His work.
At last, another memorial garage sale is now history. Thanks for all of your prayers.
Mission Statements