You remember last week when I told you about this http://campbellclanblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/earthquake-idea.html idea for the Earthquake victims in Turkey. It was thrilling to watch it unfold so quickly, as we only had 2 days to get it done. The kids at school were overjoyed at the prospect of a dress down day and a no homework night. But to be honest, they attacked this plan with such gusto, it was obvious they were more interested in helping these people than in getting a reward. We had told them if 90% of each class brought in either a blanket, money, a food item, or a warm coat, that class would be rewarded. As a school, we hit nearly 200%! When I explained it to my girls, they ran upstairs to get some of their own money to buy blankets.
We headed over to our local store and they each picked out a blanket they wanted to send. Sweet Cheeks wanted to be sure a little girl or baby got her blanket. I told her to stick with the pinks and purples, and it was sure to happen.
The next day something amazing happened. I took the cash that was sent in from all the students and went over to the grocery store. I told them, as best I could, what we were doing and that I wanted to buy many of his warmest blankets. He said he could sell me 25. I bought them all with the agreement that he would deliver them to the school for me that afternoon. I still had several hundred lira to use, so my friend Kim and I filled our shopping cart with beans and lentils for soup. We tried to estimate, but it was a lot of beans! We finally decided to get the gal to total it, then adjust accordingly. It was within 1 lira of the exact amount we had! (It wasn't my math ability, it was God!) The clerk also wanted to be sure we sent Turkish tea to the people so we added that to our cart. The manager was so impressed that he sent four big boxes of extra blankets and warm clothing to go in our truck. It was deeply rewarding to do. We had a report on Sunday that the first day, 45 people came to the church in Van for soup. The second day, it was 450. The third day it was 790. May He use our small offering for His glory! We are so thankful to be His hands!
We headed over to our local store and they each picked out a blanket they wanted to send. Sweet Cheeks wanted to be sure a little girl or baby got her blanket. I told her to stick with the pinks and purples, and it was sure to happen.
The next day something amazing happened. I took the cash that was sent in from all the students and went over to the grocery store. I told them, as best I could, what we were doing and that I wanted to buy many of his warmest blankets. He said he could sell me 25. I bought them all with the agreement that he would deliver them to the school for me that afternoon. I still had several hundred lira to use, so my friend Kim and I filled our shopping cart with beans and lentils for soup. We tried to estimate, but it was a lot of beans! We finally decided to get the gal to total it, then adjust accordingly. It was within 1 lira of the exact amount we had! (It wasn't my math ability, it was God!) The clerk also wanted to be sure we sent Turkish tea to the people so we added that to our cart. The manager was so impressed that he sent four big boxes of extra blankets and warm clothing to go in our truck. It was deeply rewarding to do. We had a report on Sunday that the first day, 45 people came to the church in Van for soup. The second day, it was 450. The third day it was 790. May He use our small offering for His glory! We are so thankful to be His hands!
1 comment:
YES! Now that is kind of thing that makes life. That is what we should do and I understand totally what you are talking about. It is such a joy that it makes you feel as if you, as the giver, are the truly blessed one, not the people on the receiving end. You almost want to thank them for the privilege of helping them!
It is a privilege to serve God, don't you think? I do!
Melanie
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