Toy Sale...

Emma's Toy Sale

Earlier this summer, as Madhuri was getting ready to start another term in school, we asked Pastor Chandra and Manjula if we could send her a new backpack for the year.  Manjula, who oversees the girls' schoolwork, responded with the suggestion that we send a little extra the next month so that she could purchase one there.  (We had already experienced the high cost and long delay of shipment when we sent them the laptop.  Western Union is extremely efficient and very inexpensive!)  After talking about it more, we decided that if we sent $120, we could buy six backpacks for the girls.

There are a few other families who have been partnering with us for the past couple of years to pay tuition and fees for some of the girls to attend an English school.  One of those families heard about the backpacks and wanted to join in - we decided to split it at $60 each.

One day, as we were cleaning house, we saw Emma gathering some of her old toys together for a sale.  She wanted to sell them from the front steps of our house and send the proceeds to Madhuri and the girls for the backpacks!  We agreed, and she set about making signs, organizing the toys, and arranging them on a table. It was the middle of the week, and traffic on our street is sparse, but she was determined to have the sale.  We feared that she would be disappointed at not selling much, but she stayed with it for hours.  Word spread about what she was doing - we had visits from neighbors, ALL of my co-workers (I work with wonderful people), my parents, my sister and her daughters - and by the end of the sale, Emma had raised more than $50!  She was thrilled, and we were overwhelmed by the excitement of everyone who came by.



At the same time, Rachel, the daughter of one of the sponsor couples, offered to donate proceeds from her dog-walking business toward the cause.  We sent the extra $120 the next month, and the girls went out and bought their backpacks.  I received pictures of them today:

Showing off!

Saying thanks

Madhuri

What seems like such a small thing has significantly strengthened the connection between the girls - Rachel, Emma, and their Indian friends.  We remember them daily in prayer, and they pray for us daily.  As the friendship deepens, our desire to see them face to face deepens as well.  We know that in God's timing, that will happen too.

Grace,

Todd