Our team leader for the Malawi trip gave us great news yesterday...Pure Mission gave us an extension to get the last of our money in! Yay! So now we have one more week ( We write our final check to them on Friday July 20th)

My friend Anne's daughter has a consignment shop. Her daughter is having a Flea Market in front of her store to gain business, so yesterday Lauren and I went through all of our jewelry and pocketbooks and tagged them for sale. We had jewelry that we had made one day with my mom, sister and nieces...and we had purchased items.

Last night I went to the drugstore to get some ones and fives for change to use today. When I went in the store there was a huge line in front, so I went back to the pharmacy. Now let me preface this story by telling you that I had just finished praying to God about the Flea Market...asking Him to help us to raise money quickly, thanking him for the abundance that we had that we could just go through drawers and closets and pick out things to sell, and that going to Malawi was much more important to us now than any of these things. I told him that he has been an amazing provider, and thanked him for being such a wonderful Father to me.

So we waited in line at the Pharmacy, and when it was my tun I asked for 40.00 dollars in ones and fives. The woman behind the counter ( her name tag said: "Cookie"...Love that name!) Gladly got the change (a miracle in itself these days at a store) and I went on to explain that we needed it for a sale. "Where is it?" she asked. "It's in Bensalem, kind of far away" I answered. "Oh shoot, I love yard sales." "We are going to Africa" Lauren said. "Africa!" she exclaimed, that's wonderful! What are you selling?". "Handbags and jewelry" I answered. "OHHHH, I love handbags! I have a problem" she quipped. "Well, I said, I live just around the corner from here...would you like to buy one?" I asked kiddingly. "Yes" Cookie said with out missing a beat, I work until 10 p.m. "OK we will be right back", I promised and hurriedly went to my car.

We came back with a plastic tub full of hand bags. Cookie picked three. We left Rite-aid last night with 75.00 cash!

We hadn't even gotten to the sale yet, and our God had made a way for us! This is the way things have been going the past few days. I needed supplies for the orphan packages we are taking over and St. Mary's gave me a container overflowing with pens, pencils, toothbrushes and toothpaste. I needed salt and sugar for the widow packages and while in the dinning room at the retirement home where I work with Polly, the manager just happened to be on the floor so I asked her to come over to our table. I told her I was going on a mission trip and told her the story about the quilts (read yesterday's post) and by the end of the day she gave me a 15 pound box of sugar packets and 12000 salt packets.

God most certainly is good. This is His trip, not ours, and He is making a way!!!

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything..." -1Timothy 6:17

So if anyone still feels that they would like to be a part of donating to this trip, you can still go online to www.puremission.org/give/send-a-servant and give. Click on my picture (Amanda Schaefer) and use your credit card to make a donation...or private message me for an address and you can send a check directly to me.

God can do anything, and I am resting in that truth...won't you help me get to Africa, and be part of this already amazing journey?

I am off to the Flea Market! Thank you :)