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In My Spare Time

used books ready to go
Like I have any! Between homeschooling, ministry stuff, housework and just life somehow over the past month I've found time for a yard sale, a flea market day, and a book fair. All were to raise funds for expenses for my dear oldest son's mission trip later this summer to Mozambique. Needless to say today after this series of Saturday events, I needed some quiet afternoon time to regroup and re-coop!

 
book fair
The logistics of having such sales in Brazil is much different than the States.  Yard sales are practically unheard of.  To have one you almost have to educate your guest and neighbors first.  I sent out personal invitations to spread the word as well as small signs in local stores, signs on the street the day before and of the sale and even made a Facebook Event for the sale inviting all my local fb pals.  Even so, it was not well attended though sales were fair.

The day I went to the "flea market" was pretty much a bust.  Here anyone can spread a drop cloth and sell whatever you want in the town square on Saturdays and Sundays.  I only took used clothes and a few trinkets.  {I'll try to post a photo later.}
happy customer

lots of lookers
Of the three fund-raisers the book fair was the most work but the most enjoyable. I love books and found it pleasurable to sell some of mine and talk with ESL students as they chose their purchases. It was hard work as all the many boxes of books had to be taken to the big city by car. The book fair was inside the building of an ESL school.   The book had to go in the car, and come out, and go back in. It was work. Believe me, books are heavy!  Thankfully I had my middle boy along for the ride to help out.  I loved talking to all the students and just being out and about.

My small efforts in  and off themselves will only help to pay some of William's mission trip expenses, but I felt like I wanted to do these things to show the ladies in our church and others that even the Americans had to work hard to raise the money for their boy to go to Africa.  And if I could do it through such wild and crazy methods, maybe others on the mission team could catch the wave and creatively raise the funds for their own trip.  I wanted these labors of love to be just that - the offerings of my heart.

So there you go - the crazy things I do in my spare time!
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