Yesterday my boys and a neighbor girl spent the day doing a lemonade and cookie stand. They had helped bake cookies the day before and were excited! They decided at the beginning of the day to donate all the money they made to Do:Living Water, an organization that builds fresh water wells in Africa for villages that are without.
For about the first twenty minutes cars just kept going by and the kids started getting disappointed and discouraged. They were complaining that they weren't going to make anything at all. I told them to just wait a little longer and I started praying the Lord would come through for them and show them what their efforts could produce. Boy, did he ever come through!
During the stand when customers would come up, the kids would tell them, "50 cents for a cookie, 50 cents for lemonade or a dollar for both." Then they would politely get out a cookie or fill a cup of lemonade and take the money. At that point they would say, "Thanks. All the money goes to build wells in Africa." Often the customers would tell them to keep the change and offer more money. It was so fun to watch and very fulfilling for the kids.
At the end of the day they had made $40. It was a great accomplishment for the kids since their goal was $30. They were counting it up and started talking about what they could buy with $40. Then they started talking about each keeping just one dollar. They were tempted by all that money there.
I just listened quietly, wondering if I should step in and say something about their original plan, but I felt the Lord telling me to stay quiet. As they talked on about it, it came around to one of them saying, "No, I'm not taking any of the money. I'm giving it all to wells just like we planned." Quickly they all came to that consensus and I was thrilled to see the Holy Spirit work through three 9 year olds to make a good decision.
I can't begin to describe how proud I am of my boys and our neighbor. They did an awesome job and made a God honoring decision! But even more than that, they learned that they can accomplish God's work with a little ambition, some team work, and a lot of fun.
What a faith builder for me, to see how the Lord worked in them, and brought about a victory for His kingdom work.
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Awesome stuff, Sarah. I'm so thankful that God is awakening not only teens, but even nine year-olds to what they can do to make a difference in the world. Here's the link to the post on the Do: Living Water blog!
ReplyDeletehttp://doliv.blogspot.com/2010/08/faith-like-child.html
Camden
Matthew 10:42
"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."