Leaving a Legacy

i attended a fundraising auction event yesterday to raise money for SAMBICA. I've never been to such an event before so when hmma invited me to join him I thought it would be a fun and different way to spend a Sunday evening. SAMBICA is a camp \ conference center located on Lake Sammamish in Bellevue, WA. They have various buildings and facilites on the land to hold a range of summer camp programs for kids but also can be used as a retreat or conference center for churches in the area. They have been around for 90 years and to help keep them running year after year, they hold an annual auction event.

The event was refreshing to attend because I got to witness people entering into bidding wars for high valued items (like a 1 week vacation in a newly built condo at Sun Peaks resort) but also becuase it was encouraging to see people so generous with their money to support a worthy cause. essentially they are investing in the future of the next generation - the leaders of tomorrow - to help them build character and integrity. all of the items that were auctioned were donations from local sponsors or from people donating personal items. this type of generousity really gets me excited. Hmma and I were probably the youngest people in the room. Something hit me while we were eating dinner - most of the people in the room were there because they have kids who attend the camp and know that the camp makes a difference in their children's lives. one couple at our table was surprised to hear that even though hmma and I didn't have kids (geez, we're not even married), we still came out to support SAMBICA. It made me wonder - do i have to have kids in order to be interested in this cause? was it surprising to the couple because there is no direct return in our investment or in our support towards SAMBICA?

I've often contemplated this but again, it made me think about myself as a single working professional. Am i only thinking of myself and how i can use my money to benefit my own life? Or can I use the resources I have been given from God to support charities that I believe in even if I will not see any of that support directly impacting my life? Can i give unselfishly to others who need it more than I do without expecting anything in return? And then ultimately, do i remember that everything I have been given is from God and that when I give I am merely being God's financial stewart? All these questions challenge me and sometimes i feel (with pride) that I can answer them confidently. But i know this is only becuase i don't face financial hardship right now. Perhaps when faced with financial hardship in the future, these questions won't be answered the same way. Something about that really grieves my heart.

Anyhow, the fundraising auction opened up my eyes to the generousity of people and also enabled me to see how much parents are willing to pay to send their kids to camp ($700 for one week!! holy cow...) - HA!! And if you're wondering if we won anything - we did!!!

Hmma knows i love cooking so he encouraged me to put a bid for one of the silent auction items. We hoovered around this item until the countdown for last bids started, and then with only 5 seconds left we put our number down for the next bid price. YEAY! We won a cooking class for 8 of our friends with a professional chef - a graduate from NY Culinary Arts Institute. The evening will include hands on training, recipes and a fabulous meal to enjoy together at the end. We have a handful of friends who love cooking too so we're hoping this will be a once in a lifetime event we can share together.