1. The generous hearts of all those who donated gifts and/or money for the Store. In all, cash received was $5,727. A total estimated $45, 000 was spent to stock the store with gifts and toys.
2. The volunteers. Unbelievably great servant hearts. Warm, friendly, hard working, team players.
3. The Boys n' Girls Club for opening their doors to this idea. The space was great for the store, but even greater were Chuck and Nisha who worked alongside of us so enthusiastically.
4. Great minds and hearts worked together to organize this first-time effort.
5. CCDA (Christian Community Development Association). It is through this association that we got connected with FCS in Atlanta, GA, and Community 412 in Aurora, IL. These ministries spurred the idea and the foundation for the Christmas Store effort.
6. Tianne's opening prayer before the Store opened yesterday. Honestly, in the busy details of the morning, she led me like nothing else into the presence of God and helped me get rightly centered for the day.
7. The weather! The elements held off! I woke up to 37 degree wetness but no ice and snow! It began to snow right toward the end of the Store, but the hazardous temps and winds didn't kick up til much later.
8. The 223 families that shopped the Store. They were lovely. And it was so beautiful to see volunteers and shoppers interacting throughout the morning.
9. The shopping experience. Shoppers loved getting to choose for their children and they LOVED getting such a bargain! Don't you?! I love it when I find something really great and it's 80% off!
10. The Christmas Craft Fair next door with our partner, Harvest Vineyard. I only had a few minutes to go check it out, but it was such a great combination experience. Lots of love being felt as Orchard, Harvest, and community friends all sat down together to make handcrafted gifts for Christmas.
11. The post-Store blessings yet to be distributed. We have toys and gifts left. Of the 365 tickets actually given, 223 families came. We could have served another 100 families..especially families of young kiddos (we had a plethera of younger kids' toys vs. teen gifts). However, we are excited to be able to bless some schools or non-profits with the remaining gifts. And, I guesstimate that we took in about $4,000 yesterday. That too will be distributed in financial gifts to schools and the Boys n' Girls Club. Awesome!
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