May 21, 2013- First Day of the Store
Today we had our first day of the used clothing store. Thanks to Trinity UMC in Gainesville, Florida for the three boxes of clothing. The women of the church sorted the clothes out and spent the afternoon selling the clothing. Many of the women that came to work, ended up being our customers as well. In the end, it was overly successful. Money wise, we made over 5,600 pesos which is about $136 (not much for US standards but ALOT for here-more than one of our teacher’s monthly salary). Community wise, we had people who had probably never even noticed the church, which is located on a major road in the city, stop and talk with us, enter into it’s gates, and spend time talking with us. Church wise, it was a great afternoon of fellowship with one another, dreaming about the future with one another, and planning on ways they can grow their new store!! The idea behind the store is the church can use donations from church members, missionaries, and even churches in the states to sell clothing at cheap prices to help the community with the cost of clothing as well as raise money for the various mission projects they want to start. They have dreams of so many things and will now be able to financially support some of those dreams.
Tomorrow we will use some of the money we made today to take the children from the school to the zoo! For many it will be a first to the zoo or even to see animals like lions, monkeys, ostriches, and rabbits. I am sure there will be a blog tomorrow about this experience.
As we move forward with the store, we had requests for more men’s clothing (especially jeans), men’s shoes, children’s clothing, and women’s shoes and hand bags. Any new or used clothing in good condition would be greatly appreciated. Hold a clothing drive in your church and then ship it down. I have a contact in Orlando of a shipping company I would be glad to pass on or find one in your area. Any teams this summer we welcome your clothing donations as well. Any clothing that may not be in a condition to sell (has paint, holes, etc) the church passes out to people they know need it throughout the city. Please contact me if you would like more information on how your church can get involved in this great new project.