Miracles in front of our eyes

"So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith."  Galatians 6:9-10 (MSG)

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"Mom, can we do another lemonade stand?"

(I have no time...I have no time....)

"But mom, WHEN are we going have another lemonade stand?"

(What do you mean WHEN? - Did I say we are having one?)

"Mom, we can have it in the porch this year"

(I was thinking we'd downsize...we are expanding???)

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It was summer and the kids were itching to do another fundraiser to raise funds for the Vocational School in Niger we've been supporting.

The difference this year?  I started going back to work and summer did not look the same anymore.  For one, I felt stretch and was constantly feeling out of time.  How on earth was I (ahem, we) supposed to plan and execute another fundraiser???

I knew in my heart it would pay off...not only economically, but spiritually.  But logic fought me over and over.  No time.  No time la Sandy....Don't be crazy.  PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND.

Wait a minute.

"People will understand?!?"

Ok, time for a chat, Lord.  What do YOU 'understand'?  What should I do?  Should I support my kids' enthusiasm and desire to have fun and help out, or should I teach them a lesson on life's realities and time management?  Was I trying to be super mom or was I trying to go as your Spirit led and live on the edge in Faith, truly depending on daily "miracles" from You?

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All I could feel and see were the faces of the girls in Niger whose lives can drastically change with such a small thing we do.

And I knew I would be 'overextending' myself, but prayed, in Faith, trusting the Lord would do 'miracles'

So..."Let's do it, Kids"

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We (I) learned from last year's experience:  Preparation is Key to make it an enjoyable event

We decided to call our 'shop':  Sweet Tooth Shop, and came up with our menu

Next?  I contacted the missionaries in Niger asking them to pray for us/the community and to give us an idea of where the monies could go to this year.  See this and this for more information on how we decided the funds would be used.

After this...it is all about baking!

The kids were stuck on the lemonade idea so I went to buy lots of lemons and got them working.  In an ironic way, I am glad I didn't have any electric machine to make the process easier.  It was truly hard work!  But it was a lot of fun too.

We decided to do fruit tarts this year too.

And of course...cupcakes

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And then, it was about tapping into the community we have been building in the last few years.  It's been quite interesting to witness how the community has grown and how comfortable we have gotten with each other over the years.  These things could never have happened without a passion God has placed in our hearts.  Something that is beyond me, really.  Many days I just feel like getting home and shutting my doors to people....Instead, God continues to spur us to plug into the community.  Actually, don't even call it community...just call it being willing to rub shoulders with neighbours...intentionally.

This time around everyone seemed to know immediately what we were doing.  Very few questions asked, lots of "sure, we'll be there".

Encouraged...I was so encouraged.

And then we talked about it with the kids and decided that instead of doing this in the porch of our house we'll move our 'store' into our backyard to accommodate to crowds (faith of a kid!)

The kids wanted to make it a comfortable place for people to chill and talk, 'like a coffee shop, ma'.  So we cleaned up all their toys from the IKEA tea tables in the house and brought them all outside.

Voila, Sweet Tooth Shop was open for business

And one more surprise....this time, instead of seeing mostly adults, kids were here, and they wanted to help!

I was so blessed through the entire process.  Community coming together to enjoy a wonderful Friday afternoon in August before everyone is back in school.  Eating sweets and refreshing lemonade.  Touching bases with neighbours after a summer.  Seeing our North American kids pitch in and count money, say THANK YOU, clean up, serve, work together, throw out the garbage and interact with others.

I was witnessing miracle after miracle.

And then...to see all the smiles.  The casualness of it all.  The chit chat.  And at one point, it dawned on me....some people drove IN RUSH HOUR, FROM having worked ALL DAY, to come and support the kids and Niger.

This was INTENTIONAL.

It Has to be Intentional.

In the end, we raised $500 for the Vocational school - THANK YOU!!!!

This is a thank you letter we received for all of you out there who supported us.  I didn't really want to do this this year, but I am so glad the kids didn't stop nagging me.  They not only did most of the hard work, but they renewed in me a sense of focus on purpose.  Community can happen.  Community doesn't always feel 'natural' and can get messy even, but it is also so beautiful when it happens right in front of your eyes.  Young, old, student, professional.  All together.

At one point I realized I didn't even know who was inside my house - and that, ladies and gentlemen - was God's way of pushing me outside my comfort zone so that I gain a glimpse of His dream for my hood.

If I had weigh in all the cons and pros of doing the fundraiser this year, I would not have done it.  It didn't make sense doing it.  I was stretched thin in life.  I had no babysitters.  I was tired.  Doing this, I knew, would require not only 1 day of my time, but easily a week.  And for what?  I can just give $500 bucks directly to the vocational school.  I can tell my kids I'm busy and they would understand.

But the Spirit kept calling me to live boldly in faith

Not perfection, Sandy.  In Faith.

Just do something and see God put the pieces together.

Organized chaos, some people call it.

Divine Intervention, perhaps.


Miracles.

What miracles am I overlooking when all I care about is weighing in pros and cons without my gaze upon the Cross?

What am I missing when I focus on DOING rather than letting the Spirit spur me from the Inside Out?

To be in a position where I knew I COULD NOT DO IT, and Still went ahead and DID it, by FAITH. That was the recipe to have the EYES to WITNESS His Miracles in my house.

When you do see the miracles....it is amazing!