shoes, wonderful shoes!!

We received an amazing shoe donation today from Crocs and Ocean Minded.  Our friends David and Karen Yoder were able to work with these great companies to get this amazing donation.  We filled 3 suitcases with shoes of all sizes.  I made up some thank you signs so the kids at the orphanage can put on the shoes and hold up the signs for a group photo.  We will blow it up and send it with a thank you to everyone involved!!  It's so incredible what we can do when we all work together! Yeah team!! Well Done!!

36 hrs to blastoff!!

We are in the final countdown!!  It's Monday night and we leave Wednesday morning...suitcases are packed (all 6 of them!!), fridge is packed for the boys (they're staying with Jeff's mom we're only bringing Christine), we have chargers and cameras and power bars and Pepto Bismol and assorted other things that we may or may not need. 

 We will spend the first 2 nights in Rome.  We're hoping that will give us a chance to get on a closer time zone and get our feet on solid ground before another long overnight flight.  Our case worker told us when we arrive sunday morning we need to be ready to "hit the ground running".  We're told we drop off our bags and go straight to the orphanage to get Tess.  We are completely buzzing with excitement, anticipation, adrenaline and every God given emotion possible...now imagine what sweet Tess must be feeling!!  

We travel a lot but nothing could have prepared us for this.  It is the unknown and our greatest Leap of Faith ever. 

"Let us not love with words or tongues, but with actions and truth" 1John 3:18

Summer fun

Do something...

As we meet new friends that are on our same journey and learn their stories, it is really hard to remain unchanged.  I thought it was just me, but Jeff and I had a great conversation recently which really moved me and made me feel that I am not changing alone...

We have been planning to build a pool.  We had plans drawn up last year.  The pool subject recently came up and Jeff said " you know, with the money it will cost us to put in a pool, we could build an orphanage". Read that again!!

  It made me feel so happy to hear him say that.  I have been quietly dealing with all these emotions stirred up by these children we are learning about. It was great to hear him open his heart and reveal that he too has been moved! ...and we haven't even been to Tess's orphanage yet. I'm telling you, it is impossible to remain the same once you know...  

So to all our friends and family, be prepared...you just may be invited on a mission trip to Africa to build an orphanage.  Don't say I didn't warn you because we're bringing all of you on this journey with us!!!

almost ready...

10 days to go!! We get 6 suitcases -50 lbs each.  We have 3 filled with donations for the orphanage already and we just found out our friends, the Yoders, have secured a donation from Ocean minded and Crocs for shoes...that will fill suitcase #4. Way to go Yoders!!  I guess Jeff and I can share a suitcase and Christine and Tess can share the other.  Any more donations and We'll all be in one suitcase! Thank you to all our sweet friends for all the requested items they dropped off for us to take.  ameu.seu.ge.nal.lo  (thank you in Amharic)

"Choose me"

We received Tess's birth certificate via email today!  Another milestone on our journey!  It was so exciting to see our names as her parents.  She was assigned a birthday...January 9, 2001.  Her new given name is Tesfanesh John Jonas.  I thought it was a mistake but my case worker told me they always assign the father's names to the children.  When we re-adopt in the US we will change her middle name.  

As I prepare for our amazing trip to get our daughter I am already thinking of all the kids that will be left behind.  Then I read a heartbreaking blog of a couple who just got back with their new baby.  While at the orphanage picking up the baby, a little 8 year old boy held this mom's hand the whole time. When it was time to leave he pulled her ear down to him and whispered "choose me".

This is not an easy emotional journey nor is it light. It seems that for every emotional high God balances it with a low. I reassure myself that "It's all Yours God, every child in Africa is Yours" and that God has his hand on each one of these little souls.

Ethiopian Food...YUM!

We had such a great day!  Cameron and I went up to L.A. to meet a group of families that has adopted from Ethiopia. (Jeff and Christine are still in CHina)  We met in "Little Ethiopia" at an ethiopian restaurant.  First of all the food was delicious-our first time trying it!!  Cameron got a kick out of eating without utensils!!  But the greatest part were all these beautiful Ethiopian children who were running around playing...so happy!! It will be a nice support system for Tess. There was a lovely Ethiopian man who had adopted 2 girls. He was so helpful. His name is Tseiga and he taught me my first amharic words!! He also told me  that her full  name TESFANESH means "you are hope".  How profoundly beautiful is that!  Tseiga also gave me his contact numbers and told me to call anytime if I needed him to translate anything for Tess! Thank you God because I know these things are not happening by accident!