Garage Sale Ministry?

I've never had a sale with a purpose before . . . well, other than getting space back in my storage room and making a little extra money. This year was different . . . in so many ways. First, it turned out to be a yard sale! Ministry is messy? No kidding! Second, I was no longer the friendly lady with the Hawkeye kids stuff, but a representative of a team, a church, and Christ.

Laura T. created some awesome posters with enlargements of photos of Peru. And Laura L. made a tent sign with "All proceeds go to support Blackhawk Church Peru Mission." That opened a lot of conversations about the church and the mission.

Maybe it is just my imagination, but there were several non-verbal conversations about Christ. In a helping hand, gentle eyes, compassion for the poor. One man from the neighborhood came and picked up the "leftovers" for a container shipment to Haiti. But the saddest story was of a woman who lost a granddaughter during the birthing process. The granddaughter was a twin. Her brother surrived and is twelve months old now. For some reason, the woman shared the intimate details of the joy of having her grandson and her grief in losing her granddaughter. She walked away in tears leaving me speechless at the end of my driveway.

It was a good reminder that I may be going to Peru to work with our Food For the Hungry friends, but there is a much greater "work" being done in my heart.