Musings from Graceland

A MAN, er, AUCTION ON A MISSION

In four months, our daughter Betsie flies out of the States on her way to Thailand where she'll be ministering to homeless kids, orphans, English students, and folks with HIV/AIDS as well as countless shopkeepers, neighbors, & street vendors. We need to buy her airline ticket as soon as possible and we're just a few hundred dollars away from reaching her needed goal.

Three years ago, Betsie traveled with me to Swaziland and it was the start of something big in her life and in the life of our family. This past September, her dad, sister, and I went back to Swaziland to minister at the Bheveni Carepoint. Our team leader, Danielle Brower, has given us a zipper pouch made by women in Swaziland to auction off for Betsie's trip. The women who make the Timbali purses are all women whose lives have been radically impacted by extreme poverty and, in many cases, HIV/AIDs. These are women who are giving their lives to minister to very needy children at various Children's HopeChest carepoint. They volunteer long hours without receiving paychecks for their cooking, teaching, and other ways they care for the children. In an effort to help provide for them financially, Adventures in Missions has started the Timbali Craft ministry. This gives women who live in areas with very little employment opportunity the chance make money that will go towards feeding, clothing, and educating their children.

This particular purse was made by 39 year old Busisiwe Magagula. She is married with four children who all live at home. She also cares for a niece who is HIV positive and is a single mother as a result of being raped by her father. Busisiwe's husband works as a mechanic, but is often sick. Busisiwe has volunteered at her neighborhood care point since 2002, and started doing so because she was a leader in her church and wanted to be involved in this ministry her Pastor was starting.

Busiswe's mini-zipper pouch is approximately 5 by 7 inches can be used as a makeup bag, coupon holder, small sewing kit holder, change purse, whatever!




We will start the bidding at $4. The auction will start tonight and run thru 5:00 Eastern time on Thursday, December 16. Whoever has bid the highest price for this purse by then, will be the winner and the pouch will be shipped out immediately on Friday arriving in plenty of time for Christmas.

If you would like to participate in this auction, post your bid here at MUSINGS FROM GRACELAND or at my facebook where I will have this auction posted as well. In case of a tie bid, I will give the bidders a chance to up their bid. If no one wins the re-bid match, then a drawing will occur.


Thanks for participating and feel free to promote this auction-with-a-mission at your blog or on fb.