Winks



Yesterday I popped into Winks before heading to meet some of the girls from Mennonite Girls Can Cook for  an interview for the local paper.

I'm often asked ...
where is that store.
Well ..
It's in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Exit the Freeway at the Veddar Road Exit. .head south down Veddar Road. .
and when you come to the intersection where the Bank of Montreal is. .
turn right.
It's right on the North West corner.
You'll see the signs.

If that doesn't help you. .
Check their Website here.




More often than not. .
Winks will be busy chatting it up with a customer when I walk in.
If you don't know her and her helpful staff when you arrive. .
you'll feel like friends by the time you leave.



Winks has just celebrated their second anniversary.
This beautiful  basket was delivered to the store ..
by Mr. Winks.
To say he is supportive. .
would be highly understated.



Winks. .(and Mr. Winks) are freshly back in town  from their visit to Romania.
I wonder. .
what kind of people open a brand new  business ..
and then two years in. .
go to Romania on a mission.

I'll tell you.

When Winks heard that Mennonite Girls Can Cook was publishing a book and donating the royalties to feed hungry kids. ..
she wanted to know if she could sell the book at her store.
Surely enough she could.



We are ever so grateful for every store that has stocked our book on their shelf. .
but for the purpose of today's story ..
we'll talk about Winks.



Winks decided that she would use all the proceeds from her sales of the book to help the people she has grown to love over the last 25 years in Romania.

Winks and Mr. Winks. .
decided that they would go to a village and hand out $20 food hampers to every family in that village.
Since the book was stocked on her shelf she raised $3200.
She asked then.  .
how many families are in that village?
Word came back ...
One hundred and sixty families.
God is in the details ..
always.



And so they went.
With Internet connections ..
photos came to my email box while they were there . .
handing out food hampers in the village.

The village bakery was busy baking the 320 loaves of bread for the hampers . .
and the local grocery store was blessed by it's biggest sale in years.
The van was loaded to the rafters and off they went ..
blessing as they walked through the village.



She's back now.. .
and the dust has not yet settled and yet she is already focusing on the next task at hand.

She had called before going. .
wondering if we (the Mennonite girls can cook). .
would come sit in her booth at the upcoming West Coast Women Show.
She will decorate her booth and make it beautiful with lovely things. .
and will have a table for our books.


Being the thinker that she is ..
she thought we might like to see if we couldn't get a spot on the kitchen theatre stage.
So . .
we applied ..
and wouldn't you know it. .
we were accepted.

We are excited for this amazing opportunity that God is giving us.
We are happily grateful. .
and .  .

that is what I'm thankful for  ..
today!



Comments

  1. I got chills when I read the part about the right number of families for the money she had...God is SO in the details!

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  2. An amazing story...of the food hampers for Romania!

    Love that store...and the wonderful owner.

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  3. May God continue to bless Winks! What a blessing to be partnering with them for Romania and for the upcoming show. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend Lovella!

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  4. Yes...when you meet Winks and Mr Winks....and hear them share their hearts for those in need....you know that God has called them and in turn blessed them.
    Love their store....and yes....you will leave the store feeling like you just had a chat with some good friends.

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  5. You shared this story in such a beautivul way, Lovella. It is a wonderful story to tell. I love it! I love the detail of how the money bought just the right amount of hampers for the village. I love the descriptioon of the way you feel when in the store and the beautiful things I've seen come out of there. I need to go there. I've been girfted a beautifully scented sachet from there (given by Winks via on of the MGCC - when I missed the sigining there) When I pull out a sweater from my drawer and catch the scent I remember.
    I look forward to meeting Winks soon.

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  6. That was supposed to say "gifted" of course.

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  7. I love local people supporting normal people trying to make a difference and I too love to shop there. Why would we not support our local business that support local charities or those overseas.
    Ms. Winks is highly inspirational and you will catch that in her chat immediately and you will not be able to walk out of that store with a beautiful wrapped gift.
    Congratulations on your second anniversary and I hope to stop by shortly.

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  8. You said it so very well..."God is in the details." Enjoy each blessing, there are many more coming. Loved the story of Winks and her Mr. and the Romanian village who were blessed by food baskets that have their roots in MGCC sales. Wow.

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  9. Such an uplifting post!
    I'll have to visit that shop when I'm in the area later this month.

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  10. How wonderful to hear another story of how God is at work around the world!!!! I love it!!!

    Dreamed last night that I met you at a book signing!!! Ha Ha Ha! I have actually dreamed I travelled up to Western Canada to your home. One never knows.....I had a penpal in my teens from Australia and it ended up that she and her husband travelled to SCotland and stayed with us for a few nights while we were living there! Quite an unexpected happening! I did think of you while walking New York, knowing you had just walked some of the same footsteps a few weeks earlier.

    I hope you have a good weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving! We are having the longest stint of beautiful weather with amazing color! Can't get enough of it and we are going on hike after hike. Praise God for strength to hike!

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  11. You've done a lovely job of describing Winks - the shop and the people. They are enthusiastic in everything they do and we are blessed to be a small part of their efforts to help others. Make sure you go visit their store. You'll come away inspired!

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  12. What a wonderful story about Winks and the ever reaching power of the MGCC cookbook towards feeding needy people. May God bless Winks and her and her husband's wonderful store and their mission work!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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