• Home
  • Our Story
  • Our Mission
  • Programs
  • Achiever Academy
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • About Us
  • Letters From India Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Matters of the Heart
  • Video Gallery
  • John's Blog
One Book One Life

Garage Sale-ing for India

5/7/2016

8 Comments

 
Picture
​Garage Sale-ing for India! I REALLY dislike garage sales but look what 2 hrs of time produced just this morning!  Each year, Jim & I volunteer for a month with Acts of Mercy in Mahabalipuram, India. This will be our 8th summer and we’re counting down the weeks until we leave on June 3rd – actually my last day of school.  I know… my mother’s been telling me for years…. I’m officially crazy. But when I found an airfare that would save us $1600 if we left on June 3rd, I couldn’t pass it up. But that now means just under 4 short weeks as we prepare for teacher training, shop for school needs, and finalize the set-up of 10 new tablets, donated to Achiever Academy by the Faith Builders class of Whites Chapel Methodist Church in Southlake, TX.  Thank you!  And thank you to John Boelens, who tirelessly assists us with purchases, donations, refurbishing, trouble-shooting and downloading of apps for computers and tablets. You are our valued ministry-partner, John, and we truly couldn’t do it without you! 
 
So, facing the last weeks of school, a week in Seattle for Jim’s Vietnam reunion, and leaving for India, I have what seems to be a zillion more things to do before we go. So I was not looking forward to taking time to go garage sale shopping this morning.  But, like most detours God leads us on, within just a few minutes, we knew it was time well invested for His holy purpose. We know 



that three and four year olds need educational toys for learning problem-solving, construction, creative play, etc. but our youngest of kiddos in India have next to none. Jim and I are excited to see the joy on the kids' faces when we they see Legos for the first time. Can't even imagine what they’ll do with those puppets. This morning, we found some real treasures to take to them, all within our small town of Justin and all with a very small investment. Imagine what pearls lay in wait all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond.

 
Can you help?  Maybe your children/grands have educational toys they're ready to donate to needy children. Maybe you're a garage-saler or a flea-market junkie and you're willing to keep an eye out for us on your next trip. Maybe your church, school, or daycare has toys they're willing to share. Legos, construction sets, alphabet puzzles & games, wooden puzzles - anything that stimulates creative, problem-solving, & critical thinking. This morning, I even found a full set of puppets with cloth theater (luggage-friendly) for $5!  
 
If you would like to help, please comment or send me an email using the Contact Us link above. If you’re in the Dallas area, we can pick up.  If you’re outside of our area, we will use our creativity (Jim’s, mostly) to figure out a way to get them from you. We believe that something like a few thousand miles never stands in God’s way. 
 
Whether you live far or near – we could use your prayers. For toys, for our return to India, and mostly for our children in India.
 
I REALLY do dislike garage sales - REALLY!  But this morning was valuable time well-invested. The price of wandering over 2 neighborhoods and meeting some new neighbors? 2 hrs.  Changing the future of indigent children on the other side of the world? Priceless. 

From our garage to yours,
Susan Garvin

8 Comments
Karen larsen
5/8/2016 08:04:04 am

I know you will do well. I will be praying for you both.

Reply
Susan
5/9/2016 09:16:04 am

Thank you, Karen! You understand better than most and we appreciate your prayers. We're counting on you! :-)

Reply
Hal Bryan
5/9/2016 09:47:28 am

would like to send a small Lionel train set for the children to enjoy but transporting it and maintianing it would present some challenges. Let me know what you think about doing somethinglike this.

Reply
Susan
5/9/2016 10:32:01 am

Hal- how thoughtful of you! I'll ask Jim to email you privately about this. He's the train expert and can offer the best advice. 😃 Thank you!!

Reply
Hal Bryan
5/9/2016 11:51:09 am

Hi Again Susan,

Myk daughter gave a what looks like new abbacu board for children that here 7 year old is no too intresting in. I do not knowhow to use an abbacus board for doing mathematical calculuations but it would be interesting to know how it works. What do you thing about this to bring to achiever acadamy? It made of a lighjt wood fram. different colord wood ball sting a metal rods. It looks cool anyway.

Reply
Susan
5/9/2016 01:22:03 pm

Yes! An abacus would be a great math manipulative and we can use all them math/counting items we can use. We'll be in touch via private email. Thanks, Hal!

Reply
Darlene Holloway
5/28/2016 10:09:59 am

I'm thinking and praying for you both.;)

Reply
Susan
5/28/2016 01:12:23 pm

Thanks, Darlene! Your prayers mean so much to us. We'll be thinking about you while we're there. Your wisdom as a teacher was invaluable and I loved planning and leading with you. :-) Hope you are well. Love you!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Find all your favorites with our great new features:
    • Search Box (above):  Now you can easily find your favorite blog posts. Search for any name or key term. 
    • Video Gallery Page (above):  All of our previous videos in one place.
    • Categories (below):  Most blog posts are now categorized to help you find your favorite stories.
    • Archives (below):  Find all posts chronological, from our first to most recent posts. 
     
    We love your comments & others do too!  Click the Comments link to the left to follow the conversation or share your own thoughts.

    As with most blogs, most recent posts appear at the top of the page. Scroll down for previous stories or check the Archives section below to read from the beginning of our story in 2011.
     


    Picture
    Jim & Susan Garvin

    Authors

    Jim & Susan Garvin are volunteering with Acts of Mercy in India, June 11-July 6, 2016.
    .

    Categories

    All
    Achiever Academy
    Adventures
    Church
    Family
    Farming
    Fresh Winds
    India
    Moorgan
    Prayer
    Readers Favorites
    Technology
    Travel
    Video
    Village Life
    Water
    Widows


    Archives

    June 2016
    May 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    July 2014
    July 2013
    July 2012
    June 2012
    December 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    To receive email notices when new posts are published, enter your email address below. Your address will not be shared with anyone else. Thank you. Susan & Jim

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed