Manna from Heaven!

There were so many awesome things that happened during Gavin's yard sale. It was just miracle after miracle! I have no doubt that people were inspired by Heavenly Father that day, and that there was a purpose to everything that happened. Its amazing to me to think that it all came about because of my little man.

The day before the sale people were dropping stuff off at our home ALL day. One young couple with a baby boy around Gavin's age showed up with boxes of stuff. They didn't look familiar to me so I asked if they lived in the neighborhood. They replied, no, they actually lived pretty far away...in Scottsdale! I asked how they heard about the sale, and they said they had seen the ad on Craigslist and wanted to help somehow since they had a little boy the same age and they couldn't imagine having to go through this with him. I was just floored...these people who didn't even know us, cared enough to drive all that way.

Some of our friends collected items from their coworkers for the sale. One of their coworkers 6 year old son wanted to donate his savings:


Later on a cousin stopped by, her whole SUV was filled...her neighborhood had all donated items for her to drive over. Again, people we didn't even know! One of the items was a huge duffel bag, which she said had scuba gear in it. Immediately I thought of my cousin, who was getting ready to certify for his scuba license with all the boys in our ward for scouts. I asked my aunt about it and she said he didn't have ANY of his gear yet since they couldn't afford to buy it, and that he had been borrowing stuff from other people. I thought that was just TOO strange to be a coincidence, and we told him to go try the stuff on. Every single item in the bag fit him perfectly. (He is not a common size either!) I just wonder who stood in their garage trying to find something to donate to Gavin's yard sale, and what went through their mind as they were prompted to grab a bag of scuba gear?!


The day of the sale the miracles kept coming! We never had one table go empty, because as soon as some stuff was purchased, more boxes were donated! When one person would buy a couch, they would come back 15 minutes later to donate their old one! More than once sugar cookies were paid for with a $50 bill...keep the change. A paper bag was also sold for $50! We heard story after story...people with tears in their eyes who had been through similar ordeals with their own children. People who wished us well and promised they would pray for Gavin. The outpouring of love was amazing.

One of our neighbors who we had never really talked to before, didn't even know their names...saw us setting up the night before, and put up outdoor lights and shined them in our yard so we could see. The day of the sale they brought lunch for everyone, pizzas with snack cakes for dessert and a cooler full of cold soda pop! She even took the time to make it look all "cute" with the paper plates, napkins and mints (which if you know me, I'm all about the presentation! hehe). It was SO sweet I about started crying right then and there! Before I had no idea who these people were, now I feel like I could walk over and chit chat in their living room whenever I wanted!

Another set of neighbors walked over to see what the fuss was all about, and when they saw it was for Gavin, they spoke to my uncle about doing a charity dinner for him! Turns out this guy is a chef and they've done one for a friend who had cancer a few years back. My uncle told him they already had one in the works, and the guy was really excited to help out! He said, well, now we just have to find a place to have it! My uncle replied, well, we were just going to have it down at our church building. And the guy says "Oh ya? We've been looking for a church to go to..." Just like that...who knows if they'll end up going or not, but either way we've made some more friends!

Later in the afternoon a man came to sale and mentioned he was a nurse and asked about the walkers that had been donated. He said that there were so many elderly people at his work who needed walkers, and some of them didn't have insurance, so they paid $30 a month to rent one when they only cost $30 to begin with! They just didn't know where to go to buy them. So we let him take them all!

A woman stopped by and donated 15 cases of special formula for feeding tubes. She told us her grandaughter (who had been using it) had recently passed away so they didn't need them anymore. I was pretty stumped on what to do with them at the time, but I have since found out that these cases run $350 EACH when insurance won't cover them. I posted about them on the liver disease message board I frequent and found 2 families whose insurance doesn't cover it for their child, so it will be split up 2 ways and save each of them over $2,000.00!!!

As the sale winded down we started selling clothes "fill a grocery bag for $1" (we still had THAT many!!!) A couple stopped by and it turned out the man was a retired seminary teacher. His brother-in-law was a doctor who lived in El Salvador. Every year they went to visit him and brought items for the children in the burn unit there. They were so excited to buy so many clothes for such a great price! We told them to come back after the sale was over and they could take everything that was left for free! They did come back later, and we sent them away with 15 huge garbage bags full of clothes!!!

After the sale there was still SO MUCH STUFF, there was no way we could've taken it all to Goodwill by ourselves. So my friend went to Craigslist and found some numbers of people who would come take all the leftover stuff for free. She called one number...then as an afterthought decided there was simply too much stuff for one, and called another one as well. Two couples showed up with trucks & trailers...I started talking with one of them as we helped clean up, and asked what they did with everything. They said they knew a few families that were very poor and they gave the items to them. I had figured they turned around and resold it for profit, so I was so touched that once again, every single item that had been donated to Gavin's cause would be used for charity and personally better someone's life.

The other couple ended up talking with my uncle after they were finished packing everything up. They both had been in construction, and the man said he once owned his own business, 12 trucks, had a bunch of workers, etc...but then lost it all in the housing slump. Then he said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I feel like I should. Our house was going to be repossesed if we didn't make our payment this month. We came here thinking it was going to be like a regular yard sale...we NEVER expected to see so much stuff! We'll have enough money from this to pay our house payment and have extra. I had an ad on Craigslist for 6 months, and this was the first time someone called. Last night was the first time I had prayed in awhile." Even as I type this, I am getting all choked up.

Later that night this man called my friend back (the one who found his ad) and said "I hope this isnt offensive, but I just can't stop thinking about it...is that family LDS?" she replied yes, we were. He said "I was active growing up, but fell away for a long time. I've just been starting to get active again, and my girlfriend and her son are going to get baptized, then we're going to get sealed." He told her how thankful he was that we called him, and that he wanted to donate the extra money they had made to Gavin! She assured them that what they had done was enough (and I hope they believe her!) And I hope if they ever read this, they don't mind me sharing...it is such a powerful story, I just can't keep it in.

The rest of the left-over furniture went to my cousin, Joy, who I found out after the sale was having a charity yard sale of her own in a few weeks. They are trying to raise funds so they can adopt the two older sisters of the little boy they adopted from Russia last year. (Good Luck, Joy & Family!)

I really am in awe of it. When I heard about it on Sunday I just kept crying and crying. THESE are the stories I want remembered. THESE are the stories I want retold and passed around. All of this happened because of my little guy...somehow in the midst of our adversity, miracles were brought forth. I know Heavenly Father is watching over us. He is good and He loves us. I know He is using this time in our life to teach us and show us His love. Before I felt so hopeless and confused...I wasn't sure if God really reached His hand down and made things happen. Maybe He just started the ball rolling and everything else was just pure happenstance. But now I know...He IS directing the show. He IS trying to comfort and bless us. I truly believe that He is reaching out to our little family during this time. He is taking this awful, awful tragedy...liver disease...and turning it into something wonderful, something beautiful. I have seen the pure goodness of people's heart, through them I have felt Christ's love for me.

I am so proud to be Gavin's mom. He is dealing with these trials, and through him others are learning and receiving blessings. I feel SO blessed to have been a part of this...it feels bigger than just me, than just Gavin, than just our family. Countless others will be blessed because of their faith, their compassion, their charity, their LOVE. That day the heavens opened and it rained manna. I can't deny it. I hope that no matter where people find themselves in this life, no matter what they are feeling, that they can read Gavin's story and at least know through others' testimony that God does exist and He loves us.