Garage sale!

This morning, we had a garage sale to raise money for our adoption. Our neighborhood will only allow two garage sales within a year....one in the spring and one in the fall. Well, we have missed the last two, so we had been collecting garage sale items for over a year and our garage was overstuffed and looking like a major fire hazard to say the least! Brad loathes garage sales but had been so helpful in getting ready for this one. He did make me promise that what I didn't sell would have to been given to our mission or burned, since I usually save what doesn't sell and wait for the next garage sale!

My mom and sister had collected items to our pile of "treasured junk" and came over early this morning to help set everything up. While it was still dark and we had just begun setting up, we had several people come by and the steady stream did not stop until after 1 pm! In the hustle and bustle of setting up and the swarm of people, I never stopped to take a picture until some of our friends came by!

I quickly took this picture after my friend's little girl got into the wagon with Elijah. They are friends from our church and while her mom and grandmother perused our "treasures", Brad took her, Elijah and Isabella on a walk as they all three rode in the wagon!

Of course, we were telling everyone why we were having the garage sale and so many were encouraging to us! We even met an older lady (who came with her granddaughter) that began sharing with us how she took a mission trip to Africa every summer. She was 75 years old and had been making the trip to Africa for years! She showed us her necklace that was a gold pendant in the shape of Africa that she was very proud of as she had received it while over in Africa. As she spoke of her trips and the people she had met while in Africa, she had such a contagious joy! It was truly encouraging to meet a complete stranger who shared a love for a country and its people that is not our own and who understood our desire to go there and bring home our children!

At the end of the day, we made close to $800 which was more than we had ever made in any of our past garage sales!!!! We are so thankful, once again, for the Lord's provision in our lives! He continues to demonstrate His love and provision for us in so many ways, but it seems like this adoption has definitely heightened our awareness of His provision in our lives!

"The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. " Psalm 116:5&7