How great is our God? Let me tell you!

I received one of my most exciting (it is definitely in the top 10) phone calls at about 2:45 today. Who would have ever thought the subject would be rubber mulch.

Let's start at the beginning.

Our family was introduced to the Good Shepherd Children's Home a year ago this past October. During our time of friendship we have collected items (with the help of our small group) to donate such as paper goods, personal hygiene products, food of all sorts, cleaners, detergents and so on. We also have been blessed to be a part of some remodeling work in their gymnasium. Our oldest child Aubrey Anna (8 years old) decided that she... all by herself wanted to do something to help improve the GSCH. Her first thought was to buy new playground equipment and after learning it simply needed to be painted she decided it needed a new fence. Before we could contact the director to ask about it someone built and installed a new fence. Aubrey's focus was on the playground and the only thing remaining was the purchase of rubber mulch. When we heard we needed nearly $3000 Rusty and I looked at each other with very uncertain and doubtful eyes but we agreed to let Aubrey raise money for the mulch. Two summers ago Aubrey wanted to sell vegetables from our garden to earn money for herself, we did not allow it to happen then but when she suggested it again as a source of money for the Children's Home we could not say no. Sometime in July we put the word out about Aubrey's mission and sold vegetables to friends, some were sold at market value and others were bought with generous donations. As the garden season was ending Aubrey and I canned some salsa and bread-n-butter pickles and sold them. To this point Aubrey had raised about $800. In my mind this was taking forever and seemed like quite the impossible task for an 8 year old and resigned to the fact (what I thought was fact) that Rusty and I were about to become the primary donors of this project. We failed to realize that God was the pilot of this project NOT us! In November my Dad suggested that we build bluebird houses. A great idea but who can sell nearly $2000 worth of bird houses... not us... read on. We completed and sold about 30 houses with wood that Rusty's Dad had cut 20+ years earlier. We priced the houses at $20 with the entire purchase price going to the children's home. Most people gave the $20 we priced them at and a few others gave more. A friend called one Saturday afternoon and told us about some mulch she and her husband found at a liquidation store and we were able to purchase 180 bags of mulch for $5 a bag and it is currently selling for $18 a bag at a local supplier. We now needed at least 200 more bags. My Dad took a bird house to work and a man by the name of Dave Walters (who happens to be from Murfreesboro) hung a bluebird box in his office and told everyone Aubrey's story and people began ordering houses and donating money... they just poked it right in that little bird hole on the front of the bird box! This increased our bird house orders to over fifty! Dave then decided to contact a friend of his at the Daily News Journal, our local paper. Doug Davis then called Rusty and I and interviewed us as well as Aubrey and before we knew it they had run an article in the DNJ, The Tennessean and the Rutherford AM..... yes folks, that is 3 separate newspapers! We were in MS when the first article ran and when we got home we had messages from people wanting to place an order for 1 or more bird houses. The remaining houses we had were committed the next day. We actually didn't have enough to fulfill the interest. Christmas Eve we had a lady pick up 2 houses and she left a check for $200... what a blessing! We have continued to have calls for more bird houses, for people wanting to donate wood and people just simply wanting to give money. Now back to that phone call I got today. Rusty called me at 2:45 and told me he had spoken with Mike, the GSCH director. A gentleman who had read the article wants to supply and install the mulch (12-18 tons) for $1000. It is at a minimum a $2000 savings. We have about $1200 in hand and at least 20 more houses to build. God is so good. During this time of year when we remember our Lord he shows us His glory again! I have left out many little details that have happened along the way but I can tell you that I have been blessed by the experience. I have spoken with a man who used to live near the home and moved away many years ago. He and his sister used to eat their on the weekends and to hear the gratitude he had in his voice for the home is indescribable. He and his sister both went and visited the home and made a donation. So many hearts have been stirred and the Holy Spirit is alive and well and we are so thankful. As the Word tells us... He is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine!

I don't know where we go from here. We will follow the Lord's leading and support the home and those children as best as we can. We are getting signed up to be able to keep some of the kids overnight. We can't wait for the opportunity to serve these children. We have thought about adoption and always thought that if we did adopt the child/children would not be infants. The Lord may be opening our hearts so we can open our homes to these children who need love from someone. I don't want to miss an opportunity to serve the Lord. It's funny how a child with a dream and a compassionate heart can lead you closer to the Lord.

The Lord works everything out according to his will.

Here are the links to the articles:

Daily News Journal
The Tennessean/Rutherford AM

It is a humbling experience to have your child teach you how to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

Thanks to all of you that contributed through prayer and support!

Elizabeth