Silent Auction Fundraiser

Last week was my silent auction fundraiser and I'm still amazed at what a success it was. Planning and organizing it was no small feat, but turned out to be well worth all the effort. Again, God provided even beyond our financial needs. Thanks to the generous donations of over 60 local businesses and individuals, we had 83 wonderful items up for bid. And thanks to the support of friends, family and strangers we had a good crowd on hand to do the bidding. It was an evening full of fun, food, fellowship and the inspiring music of Suzi Rawalt (see my earlier blog post for more about her.)

My friend Jessica Nolin, Miss Alaska United States 2009 served as hostess and did an excellent job highlighting the items up for bid, commenting on the bidding action and interviewing me about my experience, plans and platform as Mrs. Alaska this year. Now, Jessica and I go way back, and our roots are not in the pageanting world, either. I first met Jess when she was in 8th grade and was participating in an FFA speaking contest I was judging. From there she went on to serve two terms as Alaska State FFA President. My husband and I had the pleasure of working with her throughout her service in the Alaska FFA Association and spent almost a year mentoring and coaching her as she prepared to run for a National FFA Office. We spent many hours going through practice interviews, essays, tests and other scenarios she'd encounter during the week long National Officer selection process. My husband and I (along with our oldest daughter, Sycely who was 15 months old at the time-and my mom who met us there from California) traveled to Indianapolis in October 2006 to see Jess through the candidate experience. Turns out God has other plans in mind for Jess and she was selected as a National Officer that year. She went on to do a year long internship on a sheep farm in New Zealand and return home to shortly thereafter become Miss Alaska! There's not a smidgen of doubt in mind that all those hours of interview practice and mock speeches and all those years serving in leadership and speaking to crowds of students helped to shape and prepare Jessica for her role as Miss Alaska-not quite sure how the sheep farming fits into that, but I do know she spent that year really focusing on figuring out her personal goals and she came home ready for the next big thing which turned out to be Miss Alaska.
God has a way of putting people in our lives, making divine appointments, and using those people in impacting ways in the future, that we aren't able to anticipate when we first meet. For me, Jessica has been one of those people in my life. I could never even have imagined when she stood before me 10 years ago as a middle schooler at the speaking contest that we'd someday, be traveling to Indianapolis together for National Convention or that, as adult women, we'd be running in the same pageant circles. Life has a funny way of turning the tables on you, and sometimes that's a positive thing. Jess and I have swapped roles from the days of me mentoring her to her helping me with pageant preparations. It's been a crazy, winding road to get here, but I'm so thankful that Jessica's here along the journey with me.


I'd be remiss to give the impression that Jessica is the only one I'm grateful to have along for the ride we call life, especially during my preparations for Nationals. I'm so very blessed by the support of all my friends and family, sponsors, donors and fans. Most importantly I'm thankful for God, for His faithfulness, for His unending and abundant blessings in my life. Putting together this auction was no easy job and I know it was on His strength alone that I got through just one more phone call asking for a donation. And I know that it was through his grace that businesses were receptive and willing to offer their support through donating items. I know that it is through His divine appointments of people in my life that my fundraising continues to be successful because of connections to local business and individuals who believe in me and are standing behind me this year. I know that all good and perfect gifts come from God and the success of this auction is no exception. I don't believe in coincidence; I believe in God and that all things are ordained by His good and perfect will for our lives. The day of the auction I was $2200-$2400 short of my fundraising goal for Nationals. That night after tallying up all the bid sheets and counting up the money, our grand total was $2410.50! You can call that coincidence if you want, but I'll call it God's faithfulness. I truly believe God put it on my heart to have the desire to be Mrs. Alaska this year and that He brought that plan to fruition when I won the title nearly two months ago. He knew the obstacles that would lie before more and the challenge fundraising would be for me. He also knew that donors and bidders would come forward to provide for my needs. I'm so blessed to have yet another undeniable testimony of God's abundant blessing and provision for my life.