What a fine month it has been working with these ladies!!
Working at thrift shops is one of the ‘more favorite’ jobs that SOWER ladies are tasked with. I’m not speaking for all ladies, but most of us enjoy sorting through ‘stuff’ to find those treasures.
Sweet Ann would sit by those massive piles and fill up bins for us to sort through. She’d always pull out the obvious rejects before she’d put them in those big blue bins.
Once she had a bin full, she’d deliver it to us for a more careful review. No pulls, no stains (however small), no missing buttons, no pilling, etc.
Once we were sure everything was in tip-top shape, Lorraine and I would size them, hang them, and put them on a rack (in a nice organized fashion).
As the rack would fill up, Deb would take them out to the floor to distribute them to their appropriate location.
Some items may or may not have made it to a small pile of “OH, how cute is that? And it’s my size??” clothes, but I promise everything was either paid for or returned to hangers by the end of the day!
Between all of the clothing we’ve sorted through (that barely made a dent in the clothing bins) and the mammoth amount of donations in general that need to be sorted through, I have a whole new perspective on thrift shop ‘management’! It’s a HUGE job!
Meanwhile, in the back, the guys continue to build those shelves
and as fast as they are completed, they are being filled up!
We’re in our last week volunteering here – and I think we’ve been a pretty good team!
I truly do love our SOWER life!
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Sabbath Rest – How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
How Deep the Father’s Love for us –
The powerful words of this hymn speak deeply to me today…..
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Written by Stuart Townend
Performed by David Wesley
These Guys
I am often quite apologetic about the lack of pictures I have of our SOWER men working, but this month since we’re all working at the same location (though in different areas) I’ve been able to snap some photos of the guys. Plus – my co-workers are also good about sharing ones that they’ve taken!!
So the men are in the back of the warehouse constructing these giant shelves to help organize the incredible amount of donations this thrift shop received.
As you can see, they’ve gone to new heights and depths to complete these shelves!
After two weeks (and a new shipment of supplies) everyone is getting into the rhythm of team work!
Measure, Cut, Construct. Measure, Cut, Construct.
And when they have a unit complete, they all work together to get ‘er upright!
It truly is amazing what a bunch of four old dudes can get done! (OK, so one of the guys is just 60, but three of them are 70+). My mama used to say, “Many hands make light the work”, and that is so true with SOWERS (even if the work isn’t light at all!).
Thank you, LORD, for these willing hands!
Sabbath Rest – The LORD is my Salvation
These days especially we need to remember the LORD is our salvation!
The grace of God has reached for me
And pulled me from the raging sea
And I am safe on this solid ground
The Lord is my salvation
I will not fear when darkness falls
His strength will help me scale these walls
I’ll see the dawn of the rising sun
The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won
The Lord is my salvation
My hope is hidden in the Lord
He flow’rs each promise of His Word
When winter fades I know spring will come
The Lord is my salvation
In times of waiting, times of need
When I know loss, when I am weak
I know His grace will renew these days
The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won
The Lord is my salvation
And when I reach my final day
He will not leave me in the grave
But I will rise,
He will call me home
The Lord is my salvation
Who is like the Lord our God?
Strong to save, faithful in love
My debt is paid and the vict’ry won
The Lord is my salvation
Glory be to God the Father
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be to God the Spirit
The Lord is our salvation
Glory be to God the Father
Glory be to God the Son
Glory be to God the Spirit
The Lord is our salvation
The Lord is our salvation
The Lord is our salvation
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Getty Keith / Getty Kristyn Elizabeth
The Lord Is My Salvation lyrics © Capitol Cmg Paragon, Son Of The Lion
Week one and some fun!
I think we finished our first week strong. We ladies managed to keep ahead of the customers (in inspecting, sorting and hanging clothes) even through the half-price day on Wednesday! Phew, that was crazy!
I’m happy to report my ‘take home’ pile has remained manageable, and I’ve been doing a pretty good job of following Gary’s rule of “One in, Two out.” Pretty good.
The guys are ramping up their shelf building system, and actually ran out of materials by the end of the week.
These are massive shelves – but then again, there seem to be massive amounts of donations!
It was a good week, but we were ready for the weekend! (I know, I know. We’re quite spoiled with these four day work weeks. But at this point, we’re pretty used to it!)
Saturday One (aka Friday) began bright and sunny, and the perfect day for a sweet golf cart tour of the campground where we are parked – Lake Aurora Christian Camp.
This camp has a rich history (founded in 1947 as a youth camp) of presenting the gospel to youth (and eventually adults) in this central Florida area. Oh, and it’s quite beautiful also!
Lake Aurora is considered alligator free because it is spring fed with no outlet or inlet. And that’s a really good thing!
We can only imagine how amazing this beach area must be when all of their ‘water toys’ are out for the kids!
Our tour also took us by some amazing live oak trees.
Probably the most spectacular one was actually too large for my phone camera to capture (from my spot in the golf cart!), so here’s a shot from my SOWER friend, Deb –
Since the Care Center really has no place for us to park, we are blessed to be able to park here at Lake Aurora! There are many other volunteers here and they’ve been welcoming and helpful as we learn the ropes. God has certainly provide a ‘place beside the still waters’ for us this month!
Saturday Two (aka Saturday)
We had hoped to catch a Farmer’s Market in Lake Wales, but alas had the wrong Saturday. (Thankfully there are lots of great produce stands around, though, so we’re staying stocked up on cucumbers and broccoli!) But we did make it to the Sunshine Flea Market just up the road a piece.
We weren’t looking for anything in particular, but found a couple of treasures nonetheless! And some interesting characters too!
Our ‘out and about’ was complete with a quilt shop stop (for me) and a truck wash (for him!). Of course. We were home in time for a nice afternoon snooze and even got a couple of chores in before one of us headed to bed!
As I’m writing this all out, some of it seems pretty ordinary. And it is. I believe God graciously gives us these “ordinary days” to refresh us and I’m so thankful that He does!
…and now it’s time for the other one of us to head to bed! =)
