The Power of Giving

We have had quite the amazing weekend here. Not only have we sold a good amount of adoption bracelets, but we also had a friend of ours organize a benefit yardsale. We met Melani a little over a year ago when she lost her little boy. She received one of the baskets we make for Granting Hope and was able to contact us through that. This past March she lost another little boy, and again, she received another of our baskets. Since we have known Melani, she has donated to Granting Hope, purchased supplies, baked cookies for last year's yardsale at our house, and now put together a two day yardsale herself in our honor.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you how much work a yardsale is- especially when you have kids. Melani is the most selfless person I know- in fact, (and I hope she won't mind me sharing this) last night she texted me and said that she felt she understood a little bit better a part of the reason why she lost her two boys..."I lost Evan and then met you because of it. If I hadn't lost Kayden I would be two weeks from delivering him now and wouldn't have been able to  hold this yardsale for you guys." I wanted to bawl- and I would have if I hadn't been in the middle of dinner at a restaurant at the time she texted this. All I want to say is how much I wish that she could still have Kayden- I would much rather she didn't have to go through yet another loss. I really think that she puts us all to shame. Especially me. I don't know that I could have stepped up and helped someone to this magnitude so recently after losing another child. God help us all to be more like Melani.

The yardsale brought in $715.  We needed $850 to confidently be able to go into the matchbook. (that is the short version of the story) The bracelets brought in $90 as of last night. I posted up on Facebook that we needed $45 more. Within a few minutes we had two more donations and an email. I opened the email and saw that it was from one of my fellow Trisomy angel mommy friends who I have only known through Facebook for a couple of months. She sells Trisomy awareness tshirts online and only makes about a $2 commission on the sale of each one. Well, she checked her earnings last night and saw that she had made-- you'll never guess the number-- $45!! Long story short, she said that she felt God telling her to give it to us because even though Grant is an angel, "you are still a Trisomy family." I've been bawling on and off for the last 24 hours!! I am completely speechless! 

I guess I had envisioned which people would most likely give to help us with our adoption fees. Some of these people came through for us, however, there are many who have not. As it turns out, God has shown us that He is fully capable of using even complete strangers to work out His plan in our lives. Things don't always work out the way that we think it will; but it will always work out the way He KNOWS it will.

To those of you have donated your time, your babysitting expertise as we attended adoption classes, your personal belongings for our yardsale, your shoulder to cry on,  your money- be it $3.00 or $100- we thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus.  In these tough economic times we know it is a struggle for a lot of people to give; yet that hasn't stopped many of you. Because of this, I know that God will pour out His blessings on you. We pray that we will somehow be able to be a part of that.

And to those of you who may be reading this and have not yet found the joy of giving- may I encourage you to begin. If not with us, then someone else you know who has a need. God will always always ALWAYS give back to you- and usually it's more than what you gave.

With a heart of gratitude,