At age 10, Mallory Fernald may be small but her heart dreams big.
Mallory listened intently as her pastor was reminding church members that thousands of Haitians are still homeless from the January 2010 earthquake. Many are forced to live in tents or cardboard boxes.
Mallory Fernald raised nearly $3,000 for Rebuild Haiti – enough to build an entire cement block home for a Haitian family.“I felt sad and wanted to do something to help,” Mallory said after the sermon in early February.
That evening in a business meeting, her church, First Baptist in Live Oak, Fla., voted to participate in Rebuild Haiti, an effort to construct cement block homes for Haitian families. The cost of each home is $2,500.
Mallory’s dream began to take shape. She approached her mother, Leigh, and told her she wanted to have a bake sale with a goal of $1,500 toward building a home in Haiti. Not wanting to discourage her young missions-minded daughter, her mother gave her the go-ahead.
“We had always told Mallory that living a life as a Christian is not about you,” Leigh said. “It’s about serving others and considering others better than yourself.” While Leigh was thinking of a lemonade stand with limited proceeds, Mallory began putting a bigger dream into action.
Her pastor, Phillip Herrington, was amazed by her passion. “Mallory has a very sensitive heart,” Herrington said, “especially to those in need. She knew in her heart what God wanted her to do. With a child-like faith, she went after it and watched God do the rest.”
Mallory wrote a letter to Jeff Scott, a deacon at her church and owner of Cheek and Scott, a local drugstore. She asked if she could hold the bake sale on the sidewalk outside his store. Scott agreed.
Scott, who has personally been on numerous mission trips, said he saw the bake sale as “an opportunity to witness to our community.” He not only gave her permission to set up her bake sale outside his store but also offered to match any funds she raised up to $750. He then helped her produce a video promoting the bake sale. The video found its way to YouTube. Facebook postings, a newspaper ad and numerous handmade posters also helped spread the word.
Response was almost immediate. Mallory began receiving donated baked goods for her sale. On the day before the sale, Mallory and her mother spent hours in the kitchen baking their own goodies to sell.
On March 25, Mallory and her mother set up four tables at the drugstore loaded with a variety of baked goods. Customers began streaming in, and the steady stream continued throughout the day.
Many customers told Mallory to “keep the change.” One even paid $100 for a pound cake, which amazed the 10-year-old. At day’s end, Mallory and her mother were weary but eager to see the results. Mallory wrote what happened next on her blog:
“When we got home, my mom and I said a prayer thanking God for all the money given, for all the people who gave, and for the people of Haiti who need a home.
“We started counting and I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was $2,214.63. Amazing! Then I thought about the matching of $750 that Mr. Jeff promised from Cheek and Scott. So that made the total $2,994.63. That is going to build a home for a family in Haiti and start on a second home. This makes me so happy.”
Mallory’s mother is happy also – and still a little amazed. “In my feeble mind, I failed to realize that God could do this,” Leigh said. “He took her idea and blessed it.”
“If God can use even little old me,” Mallory said, “he can use anyone. With God, anything is possible.” – BP