Strollers and Backpacks and Dishes, oh my!

For the past week my parents have been working tirelessly to aid Claire and I in collecting, sorting and pricing items for the Thailand Fundraising Yard Sale which culminated this morning on the Lisco's driveway. After having made multiple trips the day before, the next round of packing started promptly at 4:00 am this morning. (Shout-out to my mom and dad... who are awesome: The whole basement was covered in "to-sell" items that all found their way to the yard sale by 6:00 am. All those military moves paid off in yard sale set-up efficiency!)

Arriving at the sale-site at 6:00am, my mom, the Pezzutos, Mavrick, Krystle, Samantha and fellow Thailand sojourners, Zac and Abby proceeded to assist in sorting and staging load after load of "to sell" items. There were a ton of families and individuals who donated to the sale... and the final result was incredible!

The Lisco's driveway... transformed into a shopping alley!

Families, strollers, and yard sale sharks came ready to bargain, wheel and deal! It felt like Thailand all over again... "Five dollars?? How about I give you three." "Deal!" It was also great to have the opportunity to explain why we are going, and how their purchases were supporting us. "I can eat 6 more meals in Thailand because you bought those $7 speakers! Thank you!" A lot of people even made donations to support our team. It was such a great (albeit exhausting) morning. We left with our skin a little sun-burnt, our backs a little sore, but with $606 raised! Praise God! This money will go to support Claire and my trip to Thailand and also help support a couple members of the Short-Term August team from Spotswood!

A huge thank you to everyone who gave us their stuff to sell, their time to set-up/tear-down, their donations and their driveway! This yard sale was a bigger undertaking than I ever anticipated... and there is no way it could have been pulled off by my effort alone. Thank you for partnering with the Claire and I... and the Thailand Team.

Abby, my sister, and future sojourner to Thailand, manning the  front tables!

Favorite Quote of the Day:
There was a flock (yes, a flock) of kids who were browsing our wares for over 30 minutes. They found the "free stuff" box*, and also made a few purchases. As soon as they would discover or acquire another toy (or piece of a toy...) they would start shouting, "Just because it's broken, doesn't mean you can't use it!" Over and over and over again. They were cracking us up, especially when they came back to re-shop three more times! We gave them some "loyalty buyer" incentives for all their support :)

Favorite "oops!" of the Day:
...When my mom sold my sister's pair of sunglasses by mistake. Yard sales should come with a warning: Unattended belongings will be sold.

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* The "free stuff" box was perhaps the most entertaining box at the yard sale... a magnetic dartboard with no darts, half of a model of the USS Enterprise, some Highlights and American Girl magazines, a headband with unusual ribbons coming out of it, etc. The kids loved it. And couldn't get over that everything in the box was theirs for the taking... and take it they did! It was empty before the end of the day.

Thailand Benefit Dinner

Wow. I don't know where to begin... Tonight was incredible. So many people poured so much time and energy into making this evening happen. It was beautiful, and I was completely humbled and blown away! Weeks ago, when Pastor Doug mentioned we were going to have an "Italian Benefit Dinner" my first thought was that it would be mass-produced boxed spaghetti and Ragu sauce. Maybe some re-heated meatballs if we were feeling crazy.

What I did not imagine was hand-made pasta, rolled and punched into over 1,200 raviolis, from-scratch sauce, hand-assembled salads and authentic dipping sauce (and dozens of different home-made cakes). Here is the man behind the event... meet Ralph Mattera. He and his wife, Gradye were my Sunday School teachers my senior year of high school. They have such a huge heart for the Lord... you only have to meet them once to know that. He and his team invested hours and hours... and hours and hours preparing and prepping for this evening. What a testimony to his love of the Lord and his love of missions.

Ralph Mattera adding some parmesan to the ravioli. 

My mom (& dessert)! She helped prepare and serve at the dinner.

There were about 360 people who walked through the Fellowship Hall of Spotswood this evening and enjoyed a truly authentic Italian meal, complete with scenery from Italy projected on the wall and an Italian soundtrack. Tonight alone, God raised over $2,200 for our trip to Thailand! That is two months of living in Thailand (each!) or our plane ticket home! So many people gave generously to help support us... I feel truly honored and humbled that God has allowed us to do this, and has placed us in a church with such a heart for missions.

A snapshot from the evening.

This evening could not have happened without the awesome volunteers who came to help-- our college group, friends, relatives and small group showed up in style to help bus tables, wash dishes, engage guests and serve joyfully. God has blessed Claire and I with some incredible friendships. Friends who love the Lord and desire to serve Him and His people. (They've been so faithful to help with so many of our fundraisers, and not just this one, but others such as the Natalie Grant concert this past March!) But here are a few of the folks who stepped up to help this evening:

Tonight was also a neat opportunity for Claire and I to connect with people and have the chance to talk with them about what God is doing in our lives through our church! I am so excited we had this time to show some of our "eternal family" the impact that our God and His church has had on us... and also hear the God-stories of our brothers and sisters.

And, last but not least! We had a special guest this evening... Supot! Supot is our Thai tutor. He came over from Thailand a month or so ago, and has been meeting with us weekly to help us practice our Thai before we leave. Claire blogged about our most recent "Thai tutoring" lesson on her blog (click here to read it!).

Supot and I... posing for a pre-dinner picture!

For everyone who came, supported us, and gave: Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I am excited for the day you are able to see the impact your life made in Thailand because of the investment you've made in our lives. You have truly loved us not just with "words or speech, but with actions and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
For everyone who served: From Jenn doing all the "paper"-preparation, Jared and publicity, Lauren coordinating volunteers, Candice taking all these awesome pictures, the Matteras overseeing and preparing the food, Bob coordinating the dinner, Doug picking up all the loose ends, planning, and making tonight seamless, to the servers, the hosts and hostesses, and the cheese-sprinklers... (the list goes on and on!) Thank you. 

Elevate

The Middle School Ministry (MSM) at our church is having a D-Now weekend (Elevate) with 88 MS students-- and Pastor Kyle is highlighting Claire and my mission-"stay" in Thailand over the course of the weekend. We'll be sharing this afternoon with the MS parents a little bit about how God led us to Thailand and what we'll be doing while we are there. I am so excited to be able to share what God is doing in our lives, so that other people can join in and be a part of it!

Especially MS students. It's easy to believe the lies that culture spreads about them, that they are too young, too poor, too [fill-in-the-blank] to make a difference. But that isn't the case. Middle school is a time of training and preparation, but it is also a time of action. I'm excited to see how God uses this weekend in their lives to impact their hearts for the nations. So many of these students genuinely love the Lord and are seeking ways to follow Him in obedience-- and that is ripe ground for growth.

In addition to sharing today, we also set up a table with lots of pictures, some information about our trip, support magnets, and promo material for an upcoming fundraiser. On April 18th, the church will be having an Italian Dinner Night (that the college folks will be hosting) and all the profit from that night will go towards our year in Thailand.

[click picture to enlarge]

I am so humbled and blessed to be a part of my church. Raising support for an entire year seems daunting at times-- but His church has overwhelmed us with their love for us and for His mission. God is so faithful. Jehovah Jireh. The LORD will provide. I'm excited to what He does!