I guess when you have $1800.00 x 4 (yep that's right) to raise to get someplace you really wanna go... ya get busy!
Sure we could take out a loan, finance it for the rest of our lives and go without shoes, eating out and even entertainment for fun but would that really be sacrifice? Shawn said no, it would make going to Romania ... easy. So what do we do? Raise the money... ALL OF IT! In order to consider this a Mission trip you must realize you are to be sent. We feel called to go and we trust that everything we "need" will be provided for right down to gas money and passports.
OK so how do you raise this much money? Well... we did the work but we didn't do it. Anyone who has ever been on a mission trip or financially supported someone for a trip can totally relate to the "Mission Support Letter". We got busy with the first, second and third rough drafts until finally a letter was written adn ready to be sent to just about any and every person we knew. (ok Shawn did the letter, I edited) The support was, and still is, overwhelming and totally humbling in my respect! thank you to those reading this who supported this Mission so far financially and prayerfully. The Romanian people should know how loved they are by you!
I have no idea how or why or what but fundraiser ideas flooded our minds and we ran with ideas. A good friend started making wool mittens for her kids teachers for Christmas gifts and this was it! Shawn and I scrambled to get wool sweaters and start cutting out patterns for mittens! We tend to apologize to one another at teh start of any big project we do together because.. well we are married and we argue but that wasnt the case with this project. we spent hours making mittens together and it was like a date night every night! (Ask him why we call him.. Mr Kenneth Cole!) It was a work shop in our spare bedroom for 2 months straight. We (the Romania Team) made over 75 pairs of mittens and sold them to everyone and anyone that could use a pair. I think Gulfstream, Shawn's coworkers, had a goal to finance this trip simply buying mittens! We made enough money in mittens to pay for one airline ticket! Again... who does that? We had a mitten making Saturday for the Romania team and had scraps of wool all over the house! Ive never had so much fun sewing in all my life! Great memories and fantastic teamwork!
We thought about snowblowing and shoveling... Valentines cookies and bake sales.... Then a friend wanted a fancy birthday party for one of those "never forget" sort of memories.. and she asked Shawn to cater the sushi... she requested that her friends invited to her party defer her gift and instead give toward our mission trip! we were honored and never worked so hard making sushi in our lives! the food was amazing.. Shawn is absolutely talented and makes the BEST sushi. And were we ever blessed! We finished MUCH later than we anticipated (3 homemade japanese soups and 45-50 rolls later)and thanks Amy and Chris for letting our kids crash on their couches, poor babies. Everything that we needed has been provided... right down to a good ole Sunday afternoon nap! Fundraising adn sponsorship... in full swing! (we are almost 100%, just $300.00 to go as of this posting and we dont want to stop. Anything extra goes to buying fresh fruit for the children in the villages)How cool is THAT! Do you believe in MIRACLES yet?
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