When you
think about a yard sale do you think of:
A)
A way to grow personally (in being responsible, in leadership and team work)?
B)
A way to reach out, know and be known more by your neighbors?
C)
A way to raise funds for a worthy, growing ministry?
D)
All of the above?
Well, our
church recently held a yard sale and it was definitely “D) All of the
above.” One couple, Juan and Maria, who
recently gave their lives to Jesus, really took charge and lead the endeavor. They organized a team, set the date and time,
put out signs, invited friends and neighbors and worked hard. Later they shared with
our small group what the yard sale meant to them:
‘We have never done
anything that was not for ourselves. If we sell things, it is to make money for
us.
If we help out it is for our own benefit. We were exhausted (after 14 hours from set-up
to tear-down), our muscles ached, but there was this amazing satisfaction in
having given so much of ourselves to something bigger – to God and His
people. We really could have used some
of the money to help pay for some extra medical bills, but guess what?! (They
both were smiling ear-to-ear.) Though I have been working as manager at my job
for five months I was never given a raise. But when I went to work the day
after the yard sale my boss called me in and said he was going to give me a big
bonus for taking on the extra responsibility of being manager. It felt like God
was showing us that He will take care of us…that we should keep serving Him
without expecting anything in return.’
We were also
able to meet new families from the neighborhood. One family came out to church the next day and
is interested in getting more involved.
They have no church background, but after speaking with somebody from
our church recognize that raising their family in the church would be healthy
for all of them. They know they have a
lot to learn, but are eager to understand who God is and how He can be a part
of their life. Please pray for this family and many others that we reached out to
during this yard sale and our other community events last month. Pray that people may see that Jesus is the
answer to the better life that they seek.
We are
excited that by the end of this month we will be holding our baby boy (and
missing some sleep?) – in just a few more weeks! Please
keep all of us in your prayers. Pray for
a healthy baby, healthy delivery and smooth transition into living as a family
of five in the city.
Lastly,
if you use Facebook, you may enjoy the periodic pictures and videos that we
post of our growing church on our church’s Facebook page (Fuente para las
Naciones).
May God get all the glory
and more people come to Jesus! Thank you for your prayers!
Chad,
Fabiola, Rebecca, Justice and baby
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