A letter from Gizachew Smelley...

I think all (most) of Kolfe boys have not birth family 

so they couldn’t get a family’s love. 

So the boy’s heart is broken by this condition.

The boys want to get family’s love and care.

But me, Sintayehu, Emnatu, Ephrem, Merhawi

and a few boys are different (from) this and

I am so happy (to be) a member of Smelley family

(Gizachew's mom is Amy Smelley from Texas)

because she is brings to us LOVE, HOPE, JOY and others.

love Gizachew

A letter from our son Emnatu...

Before I got you, family (meant) nothing to me,

because I didn’t have any family.

I didn’t know my parents

(they had both died by the time he was 2)

and this condition cannot give me any

sense about family life.

After I get my sweet family I wake up

and I understood about family.

Family or parents means the basic thing for

life, happiness, sharing about anything such as love,

Jesus and bible, beautiful history,

bad and good so I understood any person cannot

survive without family and truth life.

Especially my family is

remarkable because you all are lovely and sweet.

I love you and I miss you so much mom

and I pray for you all days!!!

Love your son,

Emnatu John

Part one of how an orphan feels when they get a family...

Part 2 coming... Gizachew!

Kolfe posts from our family blog...

I love how in just 4 weeks, God has set this trip thing in motion.  I am absolutely amazed by the generousity of God's people.  So many people have partnered with us to make the dream of traveling to Kolfe a reality.  I am overwhelmed by the blessings that flow my way each day.  Tonight, I got an email that reduced me to a puddle of tears, from my friend Juli (see garage sale photo below) saying she had posted information about our boys on her money saving blog, Bargin Believer.  By the way, be sure to check out her site it's fabulous, and her readers are saving money left and right!

Given the fact that some of you might be new to our journey at Kolfe, I wanted to share some of our posts that give a bit of a glimpse into what our relationship with this orphanage is all about.  Click HERE to read some of our stories about what God is doing in and through us because of these sweet young men of Ethiopia. 

Time to mention those un-mentionables...

Want to help us show love to the boys of Kolfe??

Joy and I would love to fill our suitcases

with some practical love for these boys.

130+ boys who need what your kids and

my (American) kids never even think about. 

SOCKS,

White UNDIES,

sizes kids' 8 - men's medium

Colored BOXERS

(for the older teens... men's small and medium)

AND DEODORANT
I know, I know...
African's don't always care about the stink factor...
 but... we are working on hygine with these boys,
and what teenage boy wouldn't benefit
from the gift of deodorant??
Seriously... I have a 12 year old boy in my home...

Here's the deal... 

we are still waiting on word of WHEN

we are going, but we know...

 we ARE going, and if we go this summer,

we will likely be gone within a week of

hearing there is a child to escort back....

SOOOOO...  we need to start collecting NOW,

 to be ready THEN!

   If you don't feel that God is calling

you to GO to Kolfe,

then ask God if He is calling you to SEND us...

 with our arms and suitcases loaded down

with a tangible gifts of caring

for 130 of the 147 MILLION orphans

 that God HAS NOT FORGOTTEN!

Now, that's not to say that we won't be
taking some fun things as well...
how excited would your kids be to open a
gift of underwear on Christmas morning...
Yeah, wha-ho!  Right? 
So the hope is that we will have money left
 to bring some things like CHOCOLATE,
and some sporting equipment too...  Please pray!!!

If you gather things for us to take,

you can drop it off at homes in
Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek,

or we can arrange a time to swing by and pick it up!

Garage Sale, Day 3... (and 4)

Day 3 of our June garage sales...

Unbelievably blessed, that's what we are...

2 weeks ago, we weren't even having a 2nd sale,

today we had all of this from YOU!

Today's total....

$640!!

A HUGE thank you to my Aunt Nancy for

helping me price this past week, and working the sale

for several hours before work today.

Thank you to Nickie, Brooke, Jonathan and Juli, for braving

 the heat with me for several hours, and helping us

clean up afterward!  Thank you!!!!

 - - - - - -

Update:  No photos of day 4... I have hit a wall energy wise.

I agree that I am CRAZY to have a sale 4 times

 in this nasty Arizona heat!

The heat, and lack of sleep :o) just drains you!

(I won't even tell you how late I was up pricing things!)

Big thank yous to my hubby and kids, my Aunt Nancy

 for braving the heat ALL 4 days, and Lana who

spent the day with us as well sweatin' it out!

Grand total for both days... $834

Thank you Jesus!!

So is it a sponsorship thing?

I get that question a lot when people hear about our sons. The short answer is "No, it is a love thing!" We have a sponsored child that receives our money monthly, but not much else, nor can I say years later that I know more about her than I did from her first letter. Our relationship with our sons is so much more, and doesn't require money at all, for that matter... it is about LOVING on an orphan, and giving them HOPE for the future, and sharing with them the BEST GIFT of all... JESUS!

Still not convinced yet? Solomon came home today, and while this isn't likely to happen to the other boys, (it was a long process, and a complete miracle of God) it speaks volumes of the love and committment that Kolfe families have for their sons. No, it's not a sponsorship thing... it's all about L-O-V-E.

Check out the video on the next post...

Welcome Home Solomon, Welcome Home...

Ethiopian orphan's dreams coming true

Who are we?

If you have stopped by this blog,

but aren't familiar with both Joy and I,

you might be wondering exactly who we are...

I guess the quickest answer,

 and one I don't think Joy would mind,

is that we are two crazy women

who love Jesus, orphans and Africa!

We are praying that we can do something about

 all three of those in the next few months! 

 - - - - -

Joy and I met 17 years ago when I was doing

my student teaching in Kindergarten. 

My cooperating teacher was the most amazing woman...

she was also Joy's mom.

Our paths have crossed many times over the years

and in the meantime, she married Javi

and had a couple of children. ;o)

If you are counting... that is 8 little green Kolfe shirts,

1 in the cooker, and 1 at Kolfe.

I am exhausted just looking at this photo,

but Joy has the energy of the Energizer Bunny,

and a heart the size of Texas!

You can't spend time with this woman

without a bit of Jesus rubbing off on you!

Ephrem Jonathan, is Joy's Kolfe son.

John and I have been married 17 years,

and have 4 kiddos, Kyle and Kristelle in our home...

and Emnatu John and Mezgebu John
 in our hearts at Kolfe.

Beginning to plan...

Kyle and I had a VBS meeting at Grace on Thursday.

While I was sitting there listening to an overview of the week,

I was thinking...

some of this could be a good for Joy and I

 to teach the boys while we are there.

I mentioned our trip* to the CM director after-wards,

and she took us into her office to give us some goodies...

Here are a couple of the things that we walked away with...

28 wordless puzzles from Child Evangelism Fellowship

 showing symbols for

Heaven (yellow circle)

sin (dark heart)

Christ's blood (cross)

Cleansing of sin (white heart)
These are really neat... I'm approaching 40 years old,
and I was mesmerized as she was showing me this...
I can't wait to show it to the Kolfe KIDS!
It would be awesome if God will open up some doors
at the other orphanages as well.
Please be praying about that!!

 She also gave us
10 of the How to Have a Very Special Friend! booklets

which she said could be used to make a wordless book

 that shows the same things as the puzzles.
Planning to make a couple of these this week!

Thank you Jo for loving our boys!
 - - -
* Please also pray about the timing of our trip.
Joy (not to be confused with Jo) is pregnant,
so there is a cut off date in mind
where traveling will be too uncomfortable for her,
and her precious cargo.

We are praying that Joy will be able to
travel as an Adoption Escort,
and bring back an adopted child to the U.S.

Traveling this way, will mean that the basics of her trip
will be paid for, and some of the basics of my trip too!
(Things like the guest house, and driver, and some of the meals.)
The down side is that we will have just a matter
of days to pull together our trip, and head out.
Seriously!  It is getting shorter all the time! 
I am now preparing for travel, possibly,
within a week of Joy getting assigned a child!
 - -  - 
God is in control of our travel plans,
but if we could go this summer...
 we would love to be there around the time of my oldest son's
(Emnatu) college graduation on July 31st,
and Joy's son, Ephrem's birthday on July 21st.

Another garage sale...

Here we go again!

We have had a couple of people offer us more items to sell,

so it is looking like we will run the sale one more time.

JUNE 26th. 

If you have items, let me know!

Might be a great excuse to put your

children to work cleaning out those closets!

Cocoa and Coffee...

We are now selling coffee (whole bean and ground) and cocoa from a great Christian company... 963 coffee.  Their goal is to see that coffee farmers get a fair price for their coffee beans.  Did you know that your normal cup of coffee that costs you several dollars, nets the farmer about 3 cents??  963 is on a mission to change that, and at the same time help people like me who are going on mission trips...

AFRICAN MORNING blend - light roast -12 oz   If you've been to Africa, you know the mornings are truly breathtaking. So we blended the best East African beans to create wild and fruity flavors, lightly roasted for the perfect greeting to your morning.

TRIPLE TANGO blend - medium roast -12 oz   Upon the first sip of this 3-country Latin American blend, your tongue will do a TANGO. The explosion of rich flavors in this medium roast are as colorful as the Latin culture itself. A wonderful blend to enjoy all day long.

SOUTH SEAS blend - dark roast -12 oz   This intense dark roast echoes the culture of the exotic Asia Pacific with a smooth, bold flavor but without the bitterness. We blended the very best beans from South East Asia to get an intense deep aroma. Enjoy this blend after a great meal or with your favorite dessert.

CINNAMON CRÈME BRULEE - flavored -12 oz  For those of you who want to be coffee-drinkers but need a little extra help we created this delicious coffee. Our most popular flavored coffee has a sweet taste of cinnamon and a smooth creamy flavor.

DECAF -12 oz  Want the wonderful taste of coffee without the buzz? Then this is a great choice for you. We use a pure water process to decaffeinate the beans, ensuring every cup you enjoy is free of nasty chemicals.

COCOA JAMBO! - pure Ghana cocoa - 16oz bag  Do you love the delicious taste of old fashioned hot cocoa? We use 100% Ghana cocoa to create the perfect coffee alternative. Rich and creamy, there is no better comfort drink.

$10 for local east valley orders (no shipping charges) or use this link for out of state, across town orders (shipping applies to these orders). If ordering on-line, at checkout time, mention that we are affiliate #10404. We will receive about $3-4 of each sale, and your money will support farmers and their families with a FAIR WAGE for the coffee beans!   It's a double blessing!

It takes a whole village...

Amazingly blessed, that's what we are.   SO many people donated items for our sale, and then there were the three people (aside from my hubs and the Ks) who actually sat with me in the heat to run it.  Here's my best attempt to remember the many "villagers" who gave us sale items...

Joy, Jeanette, Lindsey, Lana, Nancy, Gary & Carol, Susan, Tamara B., Jan, Tina, Darlene, Juli, Juli's friend (Michelle?), Karen, Kelly, Sonya, Tiffany, Tiffany's mom, Renae, Sue, Bonnie, Harmony, Molly, Lydia, Amy, Shonna, Kris, Kami...whew!  Did I miss anyone??  If you were counting, that is 28 groups of people.  Wow... I am humbled and honored to be blessed by you.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart...

Well, we roasted ourselves in

 110 degree weather...

all for a great cause!
So many people today threw in a bit extra to their total,
 because their hearts felt a tug.  How cool is that??

Day 2 of the garage sale

brought smaller crowds and smaller cash,

but all in all it was a HUGE SUCCESS! 

My sweet and talented daughter used

her gift of music to earn:

$24.10 in tips

on just Saturday alone!

Kyle made us some money too at his snack bar,

although sometimes the customers had to

rouse him from the book he was enjoying.

His reading efforts, added to the grand total.

(And kept us fed in the process!)

We didn't keep track of the money Kyle raised,

 but it helped, none the less!

My Aunt Nancy helped out both days,

as well as making a shirt purchase

and a donation.

Lana joined in on the fun Saturday and sold

$140 in beads, to help the needy in

Uganda.  More on this to come!

I snapped a few pictures to try and help

her sell more from this site.

100% of the money will go back to Uganda!

Then, there was this man...

The love of my life,

my biggest supporter,

who puts up with all of my crazy,

off-the-wall ideas, (and loves me anyway)

 such as... flying halfway around the world

to give hugs to more than a hundred teenagers...

My hubby...

who spent today,our

17th Wedding Anniversary,

baking in the heat...

for me.

Grand total for 2 very hot days

 of yard sales...

$904.22

Garage Sale Results for Friday...

I can't believe that I forgot to take photos

 once we got set up, but it is true. 

 Soooo sad about that!  The Kolfe Boys are learning the words,

 "garage sale" and "yard sale" this week, and I really wanted

to show them just how much we had been blessed

by SO MANY families.  These photos were taken several

 hours in, when about 1/2 of our items were already gone!

What a HUGE blessing you all were to us!

Today's garage sale added $630 to the fund!

A few quick emails and phone calls later, and 

 7 more of you started showing up with more

 to add to our sale items for tomorrow!

(we actually were getting a little low!)

I can't wait to see tomorrow's results!

One of my favorite parts of today

was meeting a young mom

named, Tana.

I shared this blog with her, so Tana if you see this

and would rather I not share, please let me know...

Or if I butchered your name!

What an honor it was to have a chance to stop and pray

for her.  Tana is on a very tough road right now

as the result of her husband's past service in Afganistan.

Prayer warriors - please lift Tana,

her husband, and their son

up to our Lord.

She needs to know that God sees her right where

she is at, and hasn't forgotten her or her husband.

The things our military go through to ensure our freedoms

take such a toll on them and their families. 

Pray for strength, comfort, emotional healing,

and for a miracle for them.

That's all I will say, but God knows how to

 fill in the gaps of your prayers. :o)

Amazingly blessed...

Sending out a HUGE THANK YOU to the probably 20 or more families who have helped us to gather items for our sale.  We still have another 4 or 5 families who will be donating things for our sale over the next day or two, but beyond that... I don't know that we have any more room!  Isn't our God AMAZING?!? 

If you would like to stop by and shop, or just say "hi", and listen to my daughter entertain you with some beautiful keyboard music, or enjoy a snack from my son's snack bar...  Please stop by our home on Friday or Saturday morning.  If you are in the area of Ray/just east of Lindsey, (Lindsey Ranch) look for our signs...

If you can't help by coming to the sale, here are a few other possibilities...

~ We need a prayer team praying for this trip, and the Kolfe Boys!

~ Shop my friend Rachel's Mary Kay site...25% of the sale goes to us if you tell her about us!

~ Purchase some great flavors of coffee online or order from us (if you are close by)... 963 Coffee.   If you are ordering, bags of coffee are $10 each.  We will get a portion of each sale!

~ Check back often to our blog, to check our progress or get involved!