We are very excited about our Mabopane BBQ and Auction Benefit which is less than a month away on Sunday, April 24th. This special event will be at the Shady Wagon Farm, 259 Shady Wagon Farm Lane in New Hill from 5:00—8:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $20 per person and may be purchased by contacting Becky at becky.young@mabopanekids.org or via cell phone or text at (919) 818-3804 or at the Mission House at (919) 362-8974. We are limited to 150 participants, so order your tickets NOW!

Live and Silent Auction: We have some incredible live and silent auction items ranging from weekend getaways and fishing excursions, to food and drink baskets, and much more. So come prepared to bid passionately for the benefit of the Ya Bana children. The silent auction and dinner begin at 5:00 p.m. and the live auction begins at 6:30 p.m. We are still accepting items, services, or packages for auction, the value of which should be at least $100.

Bid by Proxy: If, for some reason, you are unable to attend the event in person but would still like to participate, we are accepting proxy bids in advance of the event. Please contact sarah@mabopanekids.org to be added to the list of persons requesting a proxy. We will send out information about the proxy bids about two weeks before the event.

Benefit Raffle: Enter our Benefit Raffle to win a brand new 42" Toro TimeCutter® Zero Turn Mower (Model 75746)! 
 
This is a dream mower that is built to last. It comes with a Toro IronForged® deck engineered for years of reliability and top performance. This mower makes mowing an enjoyable experience with features like an under-seat storage cubby, front step-through and cup holders. You will have a gorgeous lawn and more time to enjoy it.

The mower is valued at $3,500. Tickets are $100 each and are limited to a total of 75. But you can enter as many times as you like until all 75 tickets are sold. Hurry and purchase your ticket online before they sell out!

https://mabopanekids.org/benefit-raffle

This month, we honor two individuals and their respective groups who demonstrate love through service: Donna Willis and our group of other cashiers, cashier counters and assistants and Board Member Mike McCarty and his Fuquay-Varina UMC Bible Study Group.

Donna Willis began working at the Mabopane Foundation Mission House more than 6 years ago at the invitation of long-time volunteer, Barbara Martin. “I totally fell in love with Mabopane,” said Donna. “I started as a floater; but when the opening for a cashier became available, I jumped at the opportunity.”

Donna has served faithfully as a cashier at our Pop-Up sales - primarily on Fridays. But she has also been willing to pitch in whenever and wherever she is needed. During the Christmas season she cashiered for three straight days at the open house events. And it is not unusual when someone else is serving as cashier for her to serve in some other capacity at the sales.

“We have come a long way since our days outside using a cashbox and calculator when the weather was often less than ideal and we needed a propane heater and handwarmers because of the cold. We can laugh about it now, but I can remember having to come inside the Mission House to finish cashiering because of an approaching hurricane. Thankfully, we have now “graduated” to an enclosed and weather-controlled carport where we began cashiering with an actual cash register and credit card reader. But very recently, to simplify the cashiering process even more, we acquired a new register which has a built-in card reader. (By its official name, it is known as a Fully Integrated Square Point of Sale System Register) It has been fun over the years to use some of my training skills to help other willing volunteers become familiar with the cashiering process. It certainly isn’t nearly as difficult as it appears—particularly with the new register. It just takes a little focus and a pinch of patience—especially on half-price days. We had some training recently for persons interested in learning to cashier or captain at the Pop-Up Sales.

It is a privilege to serve alongside some of the most wonderful volunteers with whom I have since become dear friends. All of us have the same goal—to serve the Lord and provide for the precious Ya Bana children. Because I have the privilege of cashiering often, I can catch up with those who shop regularly. Many of them have also become sweet friends; and I love it when one or more call out to me by name. Of course, there is always a bit of teasing going back and forth. It has been a blessing to use some of my retirement hours for the glory of God. My favorite scripture verse is Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) which says: “The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.”