Double Blessings

People come to see me all the time. Sometimes it is about a crisis in their life, sometimes it is to complement at sermon, sometimes it is to complain. But from time to time, folks come to tell me some amazing story of the little things in their life with God.

This past weekend, St. David's hosted our 161st Country Fair and Auction. The Fair is a huge undertaking that benefits our outreach missions, allowing us as a resource church, to give to other worthwhile organizations. This past monday a parishioner and volunteer sent me the below note that allowed me to think about the Fair in a new way. 

I stopped by today after working on the post fair packing and clean up because, while the purpose of the fair is to raise money for the Church's outreach programs, there is another aspect of outreach which also deserves recognition.

For the past five years I have worked on linens for the Flea Market, and have been teamed with the electronics group. While the 'big bucks" from the Flea Market come from the "Front Table", many people come to linens and electronics to get things which they, or members of their communities could not otherwise afford. We have had people buying bedding to send to relatives overseas - as well as the suitcases to get it all there. We have people who most probably can not afford to buy coffee makers and other appliances at retail stores who are thrilled to get nice items in working order (which we let them check out, on the spot). 

And, the same applies to "Second Hand Rose" - people buy bags of shoes for those who do not have any, and many people are able to find nice clothes that they could not otherwise afford. 

All of this is a testament to the people of St. Davids who make all feel welcome - not just those from our parish or our neighborhoods, but everyone, many of whom come year after year. 

So this year,  as well tally up the totals in the tils, we can also think about the 200 pairs of shoes that will go to our mission in Guatemala as part of the Soul 2 Soul program. Just one more way the Fair provides double blessings for all.