Yard Saling Your Way To A Mission Trip

What a unique experience, this unfolding story of earning money to go on a mission trip.  Yard Sale donations from friends and family are getting my daughter and me to Haiti one dollar and one quarter at a time.

These are 3 ways we yard saled our way to Haiti:

1–Ask for donations to sell.

This is a great way to make money because it is using things that people do not want anymore. Ask everyone who know on facebook and twitter.    I was amazed at how old friends and new ones offered to help.  If you have room to store stuff, start a month out.  If not, give everyone a heads up of when you are planning the sale.  Take everything, don’t be picky.  God has an amazing way of using things and people and you don’t know what those are yet.

I have sold bunches of stuff on Craig’s List; things from my house and from furniture donations from friends.  Much of this came from our own home in my attempt to de-clutter and sell everything that is not nailed down.  I have been a little leery when people come from Craig’s List to our home.  But of the dozens of people I have sold to over the years, only twice have I felt nervous.  One was a sketchy and nervous looking man and another man had a mental impairment and was very nice but talked way too much.  I always sell everything on the porch or outside garage, and I am very careful.  But over the last couple of months, I have met the nicest folks…  Three pastors, single mothers, dads, and homeschool moms.

I recently wrote about the impact of sharing Jesus but I hadn’t expected so many people to share Jesus with me.  Seeing Him move through all this has been one blessing after another.

Now, it hasn’t been all roses.  It has been hard work.  We have picked up furniture, been bruised, scraped, and scratched.  My back hurt from lifting.  My feet hurt.  We sorted yard sale stuff for over 8 hours and never really finished.  We put out 8-9 signs in traffic.  We have delivered furniture, picked up donations, and stayed busy for weeks.

But I am blessed that my van can haul stuff and we were also able to bless others.  And for someone who doesn’t have much family left in this world, friends, my husband’s family, and church family all impacted me by sharing Jesus thorough the giving of their stuff, their time, their money shopping for treasures, and their love.  And there were treasures to be found!  My girls and I also shopped the yard sale.

2–Organize a ‘Stuff Swap’.

Our Adventure Group organized a Stuff Swap. (Thank you Beth for hosting!)

A stuff swap is basically where you bring everything you no longer want or use and moms and kids rummage through and take whatever you want or need.  Everything is defined as anything from kids stuff to household to, well, you name it.  It is a blessing to shop for free.  And to be honest, a fun way to find treasures.  It is a also a great way to get kids involved in cleaning out their rooms. The leftovers were donated to our Haiti yard sale and we loaded it up, took it home, and sorted.  I have the best friends!!  They all shared Jesus with me!

3– Try to Have a Yard Sale, but remember who is in control.

The day of, all ready for the yard sale with only a 30 % chance of rain forecasted, we got up at 5:15 am ready to drag the stuff out on to the driveway ……….and it was raining.  Sigh. A lot.  And it didn’t look like it would stop any time soon.  I went onto the hourly forecast on Weather Channel and it said rain every hour till noon.  So we cancelled.  Defeated and discouraged, I took a half of a sleeping pill (this was a big mistake and just so you know, I rarely take sleeping pills) while my husband and daughter went around town taking down signs. I hid under the covers to sleep.  Or so I thought. You know, It is hard being a control freak and not be in control. Funny thing is, people came anyway, even without the signs.  God showed who is really in charge.  He showed up in the people who came anyway.  We only sold for a couple hours between rain showers, with me incredibly sleepy, but still made money for the trip.  Some of my friends who came to shop even gave donations.  Bless their thumpin’ gizzards!  I was in puddles.  Just wow. We rescheduled the yard sale for the following weekend.  This time I didn’t have any expectations. Lord willing and if the creek didn’t rise, we were going to have a yard sale.  🙂 And we He did.

It never occurred to me that this process would be such a blessing.  And that God has got this, even when I don’t.  God really did the yard sale.  My daughter and I just helped.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20

Less than 100 days until we head to Haiti.  It is finally starting to be a reality now. We are blessed, ridiculously blessed.  Thank you, friends.  You know who you are!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows  James 1:17