Monday, April 19, 2010

All's Well That Ends Well





The Well-Raising Yard Sale was a smashing success! It felt miraculous! From the neighborhood kids waking up at 6:30 to help us set up, to the weather that turned around (not a drop of rain,) to the GRAND TOTAL of more than $1,400 brought in, we felt God's hands all over this one.

Now I've had a lot of yard sales in the past, but even when they've been moving sales with tons of big ticket items worth hundreds of dollars, we've never, ever brought in that kind of money. There wasn't even a rush of customers. Just little sales, here and there. How did it all add up?


Perhaps it was this little cutie asking for donations:




Or maybe it was the alluring sight of me in a neon t-shirt and fanny pack:



But I really think it was the prayer circle my small group and I had before the customers started coming.

And there were no Early Birds... Isn't that a miracle in itself?

Speaking of miracles, we loaded up 5 complete van/truckloads to donate to charity afterwards. It felt very loaves and fishes-like to me.


A regret:

When my cleaning lady's sisters showed up early in the day, I charged them full price for stuff. If I had realized we were raking in the dough, I would have given it to them for free. I'm going to feel embarrassed the next time I see them, and not just over the piles of dog hair in my house.

Not a regret:

When a mom complained about the price I was charging for paperback books, I didn't budge. Later in the day, we were giving them away-- I just didn't like the snotty 'tude, lady.

An observation:

I am so glad my kids don't have a real shopping bug in them (unless we're talking Legos). The neighborhood kids bought and bought and bought. This helped with the bottom-line, but it made me glad my kids don't bring home a lot of little junk. I want to be the only junk bringer-inner in this family.

Thank you so much for your encouragement and support throughout the whole process! After an awesome $1,000 donation that came in on Friday night, which is a story in itself, we have reached our $5,000 goal.


Can't wait to let you know which country our well will be built in. I hope you will enjoy following the progress with me.

15 comments:

Nichole@40daysof said...

The whole story is amazing. And I've got to hear about the $1000 donation. Congratulations!


http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/new-art-and-guidelines-for-picture-hanging/

K A B L O O E Y said...

Incredible job. Whatever the reason, it sounds like a near perfect day. Sorry about the one regret, but at least the money went to a worthy cause. Speaking of which, I want to donate and apologize that I haven't yet. Tried clicking on the box in the sidebar but it didn't work (it's probably me). Can I still donate to your well?

Christy said...

Oh my gosh this brought tears to my eyes Anna! I'm so excited that you all made so much money at the sale AND more importantly that you've already reached your goal! YIPPEE!!!! I'm so happy for you all and I can't wait to hear more about it, and I hope you share the story of the massive donation too. YIPPEE again!

slow panic said...

congratulations on the sale and bringing people and doing good

Beatnheart said...

What a lovely gesture for you to do..

Catsngrams said...

Congrats on the success of the sale. Glad everything went well.

Elisa @ What the Vita said...

WOW!!! That's so awesome! Just goes to show you that every one of us can make a difference - not just a small difference, but a big one! When we put our mind to it. Thanks for being so inspiring :)

Rebecca said...

Great job!!

Deidra said...

Yay! Such good news. So many miracles. Aren't miracles grand!?

Cindy said...

It was an honor to be part of this process, Anna. You are an inspiring leader and an amazing friend. Love you!

Stimey said...

That is absolutely amazing. Congratulations!

Brenda Susan said...

That really is a lot of miracles I'd say! No creepy early birds & no huge rushes of frantic-ness! Love that! Sounds like the perfect yard sale experience! Prayer is an amazing thing!
Congrats!

Momastery said...

yaaaaaaaaaaaaay Anna and Fam and Friends!

yaaaay!!!!

EatPlayLove said...

way to go! I have a yard sale in my future and you have inspired me to donate a portion of the proceeds. I would be happy bringing in a couple hundred bucks from all the stuff i've pulled out of the nook and crannies.

Gretchen said...

MANY CONGRATS!!! And, please do fill us in on that $1K donation. We'd love to hear how that came to be!!