Just the other day I was reading in Exodus 22:23-24: “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused and I will kill you with the sword,; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.” That’s pretty intense. And horrifying. And God is showing He means business about orphans and widows. Its easy to say “Oh, well I’ve never taken advantage of them.” But then it struck me, here in suburbia, I take advantage of them simply by not having to listen to them, or see them, or know their stories and their heartaches. I see so little deep suffering around me. I live on the side of town where I don’t have to come face to face with constant need, and want, and brokenness, and desperation. I don’t have to hear the orphan’s cry, so I can occupy myself with lesser things…things easier to stomach…more enjoyable to engage in…on the surface this seems desirable, but deep down the desire to know God and the things close to His heart, pushes me to scream “NO!! I WILL hear their cry… I will MAKE myself hear it…and I will DO something about it, by God’s grace, I will be HANDS and FEET of compassion!”

Danny and I would LOVE to be in an adoption process right now, but the door has firmly been shut (or not so firmly, because my Father is the Mover of mountains, we’ll see Him move them in His timing, I am sure of it), and we cannot be actively seeking to be a family that an orphan comes home to. BUT, joy upon JOY, my best friend (who also happens to be my sister-in-law) (and who also happens to be living 10 houses down from me during seminary) IS in the process of adopting two precious little baby boys from Ethiopia. So I am seeking to do everything in my power to help bring these babies home.

This is how we arrive at yard sales. Being a stay-at-home mother of four young kids doesn’t exactly put you in the 6 figure salary bracket (or, as a matter of fact, ANY salary bracket) to fund an international adoption, but, shoot, I can ask friends for junk they don’t want and I can try to sell it at yard sales (and THAT is actually ONE good thing about suburbia, or my side of town-yard sales are quite popular) SO, I will sort through boxes and boxes of “junk” and put little price tags on each item, I will incessantly bombard Craigslist with advertisements of our adoption yard sales, I will lend my garage as storage space, even to the point where I can’t even find my recycling bin or trash can, I will rise early (and I mean early!), to set things up before the early birds begin pouring into the driveway, ALL because I want these baby boys to come home to this family who will love them, care for them, and teach them about life…and most importantly, the GIVER of Life. I WILL hear their cry. And I will not take advantage.

Our most recent Yard Sale endeavors.

Would anyone reading this like to HEAR and respond to the orphan? To not take advantage of the orphan’s distance from your own life, your own living room, your own yard? We’re looking for 25 people to hold yard sales where ever they are, and then send the proceeds to Sara’s adoption agency under “Eric and Sara-Beth Noll” to go towards their account. We’re looking for 25 sales to go on between now and July 16. Contact me if you’re interested!

To read up on their adoption process, visit their blog.

*Stay posted for pictures of our upcoming sale this Sat., April 16…and if you are in the area, come SHOP!