"Funraising" for Missions

After a busy week of preparation, an early Saturday morning kickoff, and a busy day of sales, we closed the doors at 2:00 p.m. with more than $3,000 raised for missions work in Honduras.

It was yard sale day. The Lord blessed the effort, not only allowing us to raise money, but also to make connections in the local community and raise awareness of the work that God is doing internationally.

Our church, Peace Presbyterian Church in Cary, N.C., helps to support over 25 missionaries. We wish we could do more, but it is a common problem that sometimes the budget just can’t stretch anymore. The idea for a yard sale was born from that desire to do more.

My granddaughter, Shannon, serves with MTW in La Ceiba, Honduras, and I have a deep desire to raise awareness and support for the ministry there. I’ve been able to be a part of two short-term mission trips to Honduras with our church, serving alongside Shannon’s team. I’ve seen God at work there and see the need for supporting that ministry. A yard sale seemed like a great way to raise money and come together as a church and community.

Involving the Latino community
To help promote the yard sale, I decided to involve our local Latino community. I went visiting with flyers and information—to restaurants, grocery stores, laundromats, all owned by Latin Americans. Spanish-speaking churches expressed gratitude to be able to come alongside us to see the gospel go forth in Latin America. There were announcements in the paper and donations started coming in from people in our church and community.Everyone pitched in to help with pricing, sorting, transportation, and everything else that needed to be done. From the youth group to the young kids, we had help putting together toys, moving couches, organizing bed linens, clothes, dishes, baby items—everything! Our youth even expressed feeling more involved in their church because they were able to help. Amazing!

What fun we had!
Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. we arrived to find people waiting to shop, many of them our new Latino friends from the community. What fun we had visiting with them and sharing what God is doing in Honduras. In the end we reached our seemingly impossible goal of $3,000!

If your church budget won’t allow you to support an additional missions group at this time, try a yard sale. It can open wonderful doors of service for you and your church, both within your community and on the missions field.

Bette McGee is the 82-year-old grandmother of Shannon Ordoñez who serves with MTW in Honduras. Bette took her first missions trip two years ago at age 80, and her second last summer. She serves on the missions committee at Peace Presbyterian Church in Cary, N.C.