Ethiopia, here I come!

Well, it's here! I am packed and ready to go. The only trouble now is that I have an early flight, but I'm so excited I can't go to sleep. So, here I am.

My sister and the team are already on their way. I can't wait to be there. Soon, very soon!

Please pray for us. Here are some specific requests:

• safe travel for the entire team (many legs of travel)
• that we would stay healthy during the trip
• than many children would feel loved and cared for
• that Jesus is glorified in all that we say and do
• that we can serve the Ethiopian people and orphans and love them like Jesus loves us all

Thank you for already praying for this trip, donating items, giving and praying some more!
Can't wait to show you pictures!!!

Countdown to Ethiopia

I can't believe the mission trip is almost here. There is a lot to accomplish before heading for the airport in 9 days, but I'm up for it. My goal is to wrap up loose ends through this weekend, pack my bags, and then rest in the Lord and get geared up to go.

We just had a conference call with the group. What a great group this is. The only person in the group I have ever laid eyes on is my sister, but these women do not feel like strangers at all. We have the same heart, mind and focus. To say that I'm excited about this opportunity would be a HUGE understatement!

On the adoption front, we are still waiting for that piece of paper. We'll be ready when it gets here.

Time for bed.....love you all!

Sorry about the pictures

Sorry about the pictures boxes with no pictures. Most of the time Blogger makes me use Picasa for pictures, but then they don't always load.

I'll try something else in a bit....

Just one more piece of paper....

and our dossier will be complete!!!!

We just got an email from our adoption agency that our home study, notarized and certified, and the other form needed have arrived at the agency and are just waiting on the rest of the papers to join them.

What a great day this has been!

Now, the ONLY thing we have left to receive before we can proceed is our I171-H from Immigration (USCIS).

Please pray that it will come quickly and we can move on. I'm ready to sit back and wait.

Nesting

Yep, I'm nesting. My mom ordered us the bedding we picked our for Noah and it came this week. (thanks Mom & Dad!) It is really the cutest bedding I've ever seen....seriously.

So now we are still on the search for a crib. It's harder than it sounds. Not many, if any, stores will ship cribs overseas. And German cribs are a different size. And let's just say the selection at the PX leaves a lot to be desired. Anybody have a cherry wood crib that their babes are finished with? Let us know. :)

Today we got Noah a pac n play that we'll use as a bassinet. We looked at it several times and decided today was the day it needed to come home with us.

And we got a "home study in the mail" update. The certified home study and certified agency agreement have been mailed to our adoption agency. They were supposed to come back to us so we could mail our entire dossier together, but hopefully that will be ok. Also, a copy has been sent to us and most importantly a copy has been sent to USCIS (immigration...homeland security) at the Frankfurt Consulate for that last piece of paper we need to be complete.

Visiting Orphans

We are about one month out from the mission trip to Ethiopia. I am so excited that I can hardly sleep. The group had a conference call last night. I’m always even more excited and encouraged after a conference call. What a great group of people the Lord has brought together for this.

Let me tell you a little about the trip and why I’m going. Well, there are 4.6 MILLION reasons to go to Ethiopia. That’s right. There are an estimated 4.6 million ORPHANS in Ethiopia. And that is just in Ethiopia, which is about twice the size of Texas.

What an awesome opportunity…..I will get to love on children, draw pictures with them, sing songs, kick a soccer ball, giggle and love on them some more and show them the love of Jesus, just by being there. Jesus said in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” That’s what I want to do for every orphan that is put in my path. We certainly can’t adopt them all, but we can love them. This is also a way for me to connect with and give back to the country that our Noah will come from.

People have asked how they can help. Well, there are many ways. Most importantly please pray for me as I prepare physically, mentally, and spiritually. Because my heart, Noah, is in Ethiopia, I’m afraid I’m not going to want to come home when the trip is over. :)

We are also still gathering the funds needed for the trip, as well as donations for the orphanages we’ll be visiting. Because I am only allowed 44 pounds of luggage total, I have thought a lot about what kind of donations I should take with me. One orphanage we will visit has babies that just don’t get a lot of stimulation. I’d like to collect good developmental toys like these below. They are light for packing purposes and will do a lot of good to keep those little minds stimulated. I found these pictures at http://www.target.com/gp/browse.html/ref=sc_fe_l_3_1041628_3/602-2998572-5682229?ie=UTF8&node=13706901

I am also collecting monetary donations to take and support the local economy there. I will be able to see what is needed and buy it there….double support.

So, if you would like to help in any way, please let me know.

Check out www.visitingorphans.org for more information on the trip. Donations can be given directly on the site; please put my name in the Memo box.

Above all, please pray for me, the entire team and the precious little people we get to visit.

The Pyramid

Is this not the cutest thing you have EVER seen? We call it the "Waterskiing Pyramid" hairstyle. Available only in selected living rooms.

I think she likes it....she seemed to be showing off when she met a new cocker spaniel on our walk.

I know. I'm out of control. But it's fun!