Last Saturday we had a garage sale, but it wasn't really the original plan. My friends and I gathered our things in January to have a garage sale to raise money for Los Angelitos Orphanage. We picked a date, but a week before, the forecast spelled out impending rain. BUMMER! Well, we picked a new date in February, and knew we would be just fine because well, San Diego had been so dry, we were almost on water restriction. Well, when we got rained out again--we started to get a little suspicious of someone who didn't want us to have a charity garage sale, as well as feeling powerful that if San Diego ever has a drought, we have the secret to ensure rain--we'd just plan a garage sale.
So we decided on March 7, heck it is almost Spring! We would be safe by FAR! The Sunday before, our pastor was teaching about prayer and how we should pray for what we want--He already knows what we want, we can't have some formula or pattern to butter Him up, but just to approach Him as his child, and, well ask him for what you want--novel, I know, but it really did impact me. Monday,the next day, we decided to check the week's forecast.
Sunny skies all week!!!
That is--until Saturday. Well, there was to be rain just that one day out of the week, well, out of the whole MONTH of March. The day of our garage sale, the 3rd date we picked in 3 months. Oh, and did I mention that the last time we held a garage sale for the orphanage, it rained so hard that we really didn't sell that much stuff?
As Saturday approached, we decided to pray--for what we want, specifically. I am sure you can imagine our prayer, it was really only about three words, each time we prayed it.
Please, no rain.
The Friday before, it was supposed to start raining in the afternoon and continue through Saturday. All us teachers grumbled at the thought of our kids eating lunch inside the classroom--and my friends show astonishment at the thought that we would be rained out again. "How weird!" one commented. Not really, I thought.
But I asked my Father the same three word request, because that's what He said to do. He wants His children to talk to him, and ask Him for what they want, and often.
Strangely--fortunatly, all us teacher's got a little break because our kids got to play outside Friday afternoon because there was no rain. I prayed the prayer again.
That night, we set our alarms for a dark 5am. We lifted boxes and old belongings on dry cement. We drove to Kathleen's house without our windsheild wipers. We set up our sale without the tent, without soaking hair, without having to wait until 8am to make our first sale! My prayer changed to two words.
People came early, and they came in hoards. It was bittersweet. The failing economy brought them, but they were able to buy things they needed. We sold almost every last item. Almost every piece of clothing, median cost being 25 cent each. We rarely sold anything for over a dollar. Parents brought their kids, kids brought their pennies, and slowly, we were raising money for the parentless.
The forecast never changed. It still said it was going to rain, but that day it just didn't, and people's lives were truly impacted. We raised more than $250 and sent it down the following week.
www.losangelitos.org
Psalm 121:2
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
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