A large yard sale to benefit mission work in Senegal will take place for the eighth time on Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19, beginning at 8 a.m. at the home of Jill and Mike Edelman, 2449 Ridge Road (Route 23), Elverson.

Mike and Jill are missionaries with Global Training Network (GTN), an organization that trains pastors and other Christian leaders around the world.

The yard sale is returning this summer after a two-year absence. "I've had people stop and knock on my door and see if we are doing our yard sale," Jill shared.

The yard sale will help fund a child sponsorship program, which is being offered through a partnership with Mission Inter Senegal, which is a church planting NGO (non-governmental organization). "The sponsorship program will provide for the education, evangelism outreach, health care and nutrition for 200 children in the villages of Baback and Ngalagne, Senegal," Jill said.

Shoppers will find a variety of items at the upcoming sale, including antiques, lamps, artwork, furniture, jewelry, toys, baby and toddler items, fishing gear, sports equipment and housewares. "We price everything to sell. We have gotten incredible feedback about our prices," said Jill. "One hundred percent of the items have been donated, and 100% go to the mission work that we are doing, which (benefits a) school and projects for pastors and other people in villages that need help surviving."

Jill and Mike became missionaries as members of Calvary Fellowship Church in Lionville. Mike served as the pastor of prayer and groups at Calvary Fellowship in 2007 until joining GTN. "In 2020, we went full time as missionaries at GTN," Jill explained. "We go and train pastors and church leaders that don't have access to affordable biblical training. Mike goes to Senegal five times a year; I go three to five times a year."

There will also be an opportunity at the yard sale to make a donation for the mission work. "There are a lot of people that see the value in education and in health care," Jill stated. "With GTN, one of things I am doing now is training women on reproductive health and feminine hygiene, and I take hygiene kits whenever I go. We also do food distributions. It's a broad ministry, not just meeting the spiritual needs but physical needs as well."

Donations will be accepted at the Edelman home for the yard sale from Friday, July 11, through Wednesday, July 16. Those who have items to donate should contact Jill at mjclek@aol.com prior to dropoff. All donations must be clean and in good working condition.

Items that will not be accepted include shoes, with the exception of sports footgear; computers; books, with the exception of children's books; clothing; large pieces of furniture, such as sectionals or armoires; old televisions; and VHS tapes.

Volunteers are needed to help set up the sale and on the day of the event, as well as for cleanup chores. Interested individuals may contact Jill at the aforementioned email for more details.

Unsold yard sale items will be donated to local nonprofit organizations, including the Morgantown ReUzit Shoppe, Steeple to People in Honey Brook and Liberty Thrift in Pottstown.

The couple plans to continue its missionary work with regularly scheduled visits. "(Senegal has) the dry season and the rainy season. We don't travel during the summer because this is the rainy season when they are planting their crops, so (the pastors) can't come to us," she said. "Once you get off the main road, the roads are sand. We are going out into the bush. A lot of pastors travel by motorcycle or a four-wheeler, and it can be difficult traveling."

During their visits to Senegal, Mike and Jill may stay in a tent or with in an available house, but with no running water or indoor bathrooms. "We are in hotel sometimes," she noted, explaining that the conditions are rustic.

Despite the conditions, both Mike and Jill enjoy their mission work and the people they meet. "The people are wonderful. They are so appreciative. They would literally give you the clothes off your back if you needed them," Jill said. "It is very gratifying. It makes you feel like you are doing something worthwhile."

Jill added that some shoppers at the yard sale question why the couple does mission work in a foreign country, rather than the United States. "People say, 'Why not work here?' Everyone is called to someplace different. If you are interested in missions, anywhere you are is your mission field," Jill noted. "If someone is called to do something here, that is great. It's all about what you are called to do. If the Lord is laying something on your heart, do it."