What do you plan to do?

Saturday afternoon (our time)

I will be getting two of these.

My driver will fulfill the wishes of our oldest two

who want to be at the airport when we arrive.

This time, I know what to expect.

I'm not worrying about traveling

across the globe to a country

I've never been to before.

I know what to expect...

and I KNOW it will be WONDERFUL!

What do I plan to do?

Well, this time, I also know that plans in ET are

hopes and wishes.  Time travels a little slower,

things can take a little longer, or may not happen at all.

Things I hope to do, may not end up

happening...  but hope is still good!

I hope to buy fruit, for the boys again.

This time, though, at the suggestion

(and financial donation)

of a Mom who has 2 Kolfe boys in her home...

I am hoping to find strawberries.

Oranges and bananas are common

to Ethiopians who can afford to buy fruit..

(Remember, Kolfe boys don't get fruit regularly.)

Strawberries are not.  Why? They are expensive,

because the are not purchased individually.

So, just for fun and memories,

she thinks the Kolfe boys need the luxury of tasting

a strawberry...  I couldn't agree more!

Pray I find them!!

I hope to be able to let the younger boys play with the

beach balls and punch balls that were donated!

I will do my best to get photos and videos...

Expect lots of noise and laughter!

Ayal has been "20" for as long as we have known him,

due to the fact that 20 is just a guess, and he has no

idea when he was born.  He is the only one of our

sons without an assigned "birthday".  YET!!!

Wednesday night when he gets off of work,

and heads to Kolfe for a visit...

I hope to change that.  There is a bakery

not too far away. I have packed party plates,

balloons, & birthday cards from John and the kids.

I hope Ayal will be walking into his first ever

Birthday and Party.

(Notice how I put an "and" in there...

what would that be like to have your

first ever birthday??  Thrown by the Mom

you never thought you would have?)

11 months ago, (1 year, the week after I get home)

Emnatu became a part of our family.

How, after being an orphan his whole life,

he is so well adjusted, and free from the mental

baggage so many of them carry... 

I will never understand!

I am coming packed with letters of love

from John & the kids...

to celebrate his "Anniversary of Family".

I hope to be able to sneak him away for a special meal

to rejoice in the fact that he is loved.  He belongs.

Beyond all of that...

there is all of this to distribute at Kolfe and Korah.

There are 3 U.S. families living there that need

some encouragement, and I am excited to visit them.

I will also need to spend some time working

on the schooling of a college student that I

helped register last time.

He has an awesome Mom in the states,

who is worried about him and his education.

I plan (this one's not a hope) to get

some answers for her, and help this kid out.

That's where I will be, for the next 10 days!
Blogspot is blocked from ET, so there
won't be updates until the 2nd week of March.
If you haven't already, friend me on facebook...
that's where I will be updating while I am there.

If you would like specifics on praying for us,
please let me know. 
I sent out daily prayer ideas, to my sending team,
and would love to get one in your hands too!

Some are called to go, some are called to SEND....

/// Just finished a day by day prayer guide for those who are called to SEND, and want to cover us with prayer each day of the Ethiopia trip.  Want one?  Let me know! ///

4 days...

until the journey begins.

or maybe, just maybe, the journey is now.

John and I had the chance to say a bit about our journey

at a small home-church, called Agape, last night.

The pastor of this church has been telling people

 about us, and these boys for a month or so,

Last night I got to do what I love the most...

Share our God Story.

I'm not known for my public speaking...

but those have heard say that it's easy to hear my heart

for Kolfe through all of my tangents and stumbles.

Honestly, that's because this isn't my journey,

 it isn't my husband's either...

This is God's Journey, and we're

just hangin' on for the ride!

A year ago,

I would have thought you were making some a joke,

if you had told me we would have sons

in Ethiopia that feel every bit like our own,

AND that I would be preparing to fly to ET

to visit them for the SECOND TIME!!

(not to mention flying either by myself,

or with people I have never met before)

"NO way!" would have been my answer...

and yet, when God has a plan and a purpose,

and you are willing...

He can change EVERYTHING in an instant.

He will take you on a journey unlike anything

 you could have dared to dream.

Something so beautiful, that stretches and challenges you,

 and makes you take a look outside of your little world.

4 days from now,

I will kiss my U.S. kids and my hubby goodbye again,

and head into the world of layovers, 8 plane flights,

 4+ days of travel, new friendships with

5 people I have never met,

(2 that I have never had any contact with)

and Kolfe boys.

Our Kolfe boys, friends' Kolfe boys,

and sweet Kolfe boys who have yet to

find someone to love them, even from afar.

 The prayers of God's people are SO powerful.

Last night as we stood up front and listened to

the church lifting up prayers on our behalf,

I was in awe of how good it feels to

be right where He wants us.

 - - -

So, two things I ask of you...

1) Please pray for my family here,

 and my team and I over there.

Pray that we would be up for whatever

God asks of us in the next two weeks.

2) Think about praying for yourself...

What is it God might be calling YOU to do?

Pray that you would be willing to take His journey.

Packed with love...

A BIG check mark on my To-Do list last night!!!

Hooray for my hubby, who committed to giving

me every commercial break for 2 hours

to help me do this....

PACK my 4 checked bags!!

Hooray!

They are filled (200 pounds) with love

from so many of YOU!!!

And thanks to 5 extra sweet

and generous people...

The extra baggage fees are PAID!!

Praise the Lord!!!

Sadly, all of this...

(and another one with toothbrushes/toothpaste)

didn't make it this round.

BUT...  This is only 1/4 of what we will be able

to take when John and the kids go with me,

so....  It's all good!!!

Thank you!!!  From all of them...

and so many other precious Ethiopians

who will benefit from my Bags of LOVE!!!

Need a little help...

I head for the airport next week to visit our boys at Kolfe Orphanage in Ethiopia. Once again, due to meeting up with people in the U.S. I will have 8 flights to and from the U.S. That's 24 hrs total of layovers.

When I first added up all the layover times, I began to listen to people suggesting that I get one of those book reader deals. (I don't have the room in my bags for books of my own... trying to pack my things light, so I can bless others.) Well, after looking at the prices, I've decided not to buy a book reader... After all, I'm taking the most important book of all, right?? A week with Jesus will be a good thing!

BUT, now I need some help... Do you have a verse or short devotion that you want to send with me to meditate on? Email or leave a message with a favorite, and I will print them and spend time with Jesus... and a piece of you! I am also open for prayer requests to meditate on!

Busy, busy, busy!!!

What's life like 2 weeks before heading to Kolfe?

Well...  it's a bit like CHRISTMAS!!! 

Kathy and her friends from church

mailed all of this from TX.

Beach balls, soccer balls/pumps,

raisins, games and videos!

Fun times are ahead at Kolfe!

Linda, her mom and sister sent

all these yummy foods from WA.

I am so excited to introduce

the boys to some new tastes!

 - - - -  - -

Also shown are 60 punch balls from Lana. 

What little boy wouldn't like to

make some noise with those?!

(And bonus... they pack very small!) 

My sweet daughter donated these...

 Hey, they pack small, anyone have

 any others to bless the boys with?

 

Veggie tales videos will be such a blessing to

 spread God's word to the littlest at Kolfe!

 Just for fun!

All of that fun has been wrapped around scenes like this at our house.

All four of us have been down and out with the yucks...

Silver lining?  You bet'cha!

I figure in 2 weeks, I outta' be healthy,

and leaving a healthy household behind!

God's timing is awesome!! 

As the energy comes, (in spurts)

I drag my pajama clothed body

 off the couch, to work on this.

Praying for large duffle bags at the moment.

I want to bring as much as possible, and some of

 my suitcases weigh too much EMPTY!!

Wig out is HERE!!!

I travel in less than 3 weeks...

and the excitement is growing and growing.

Today, when I went to the mailbox, there was a

 wonderful package.  Full of these...

WIG OUT GAMES!!

I bought them to take to Kolfe,

(and got some extras)

the boys/young men there LOVE this game.

There are two ways to play this game...

the boys above are using the cards to play "Pit".

You start with a mixed up hand, and trade with

other players to get a hand full of matching cards.

It's a fast and furious game with lots of laughing.

One of the older boys (hoping I can remember who!)

CHEATS like crazy..

Saying he is giving you three all matching cards,

but then only gives you mismatched cards... Stinker!

This game won the Best Toy Award.

Want one?

$8 local, or $11 shipped...

proceeds go towards our summer trip to Kolfe.

What do you need?

I have been getting this question a lot lately.... What do you need for your donations to the people of Ethiopia?  Well, I WANT Veggie Tale DVDs and 50 more punch bags for Kolfe.  I WANT soccer style/themed shirts for Kolfe.   But at this point, Kolfe may get overlooked a bit in my luggage...

My sweet friend Nickie has been here for hours and hours this week helping me tackle the luggage.  We sorted through boxes and boxes of baby clothes... keeping only the things that were new or great shape, and tossed the rest.  In the process we had a blast, and laughed until it hurt, but that's another story.


Boxes collected by a friend, and ready to
 be sorted, washed, folded and packed.


After she left, I washed 5 really large loads of clothing sized 0-5, and baby blankets galore.... and emailed Christy a sweet friend who's family has started Embracing Hope Ethiopia  to tell her that if she wanted the clothing, blankets and formula that I had, it was hers to use for the people of Korah who live around the garbage dump.

Life at Korah.... it's worse than you and I can imagine.

 Christy and her husband are in the process of opening a Day Care Center for Korah, so that the people there might have a chance to get a job, rather than dig through the trash each day for things to eat and sell.  YES, it's that bad. 

Her response...  "I cried when I read your email."   She went on to say that so far, they have 1 blanket (soon to be over 30!)  Someone had suggested that I just buy formula while there...  her response, "We'll have babies to feed, and I've been told that US formula is better nutritionally than formula here, so it would be great to have that, especially to give to any babies that might be sick or undernourished."  Babies whose mom's have little to no food do not get adequate nutrition being breast fed.

Forgive me for jumping around a bit, but here's the bottom line in all of this....

Ready for the laundry...

I can take a backpack, carry-on, and two 50 pound bags for free. 

Nickie and I folded, sorted and packaged up 50 lbs of clothing alone.  I also have diapers and 25 pounds of baby formula for Korah.  I have also been blessed with: 138 (with more coming) lunch sized raisin boxes (Kolfe), 12 DVDs (9 are Veggie Tales), 65 Soccer shirts (Kolfe and other Gladney orphanages), 46 Beach balls, 60 Punch Balls (still would like another 50 or so of these!), soccer balls and air pumps, Wig Out games, some children's books and magazines, and a few sponsor kid care packages.  Isn't God GOOD!!!!!

Washed, folded and sorted by size....

These items could wait until our next trip in 6 months,

but honestly, I can't figure out who NOT to care

about when choosing to leave items behind.

Seems to me, that if I CAN lug it, it should go!

Plus... I know you are going to

love the people of Ethiopia

 EVEN MORE when I get back and will want

to fill up August's suitcases as well!!!

 - - - - -

Christy's family homeschools as well,

and is in great need of someone to

bring their Spring semester books to.

I have told her I will do my best to make room

to have the company ship them to me.

 - - - - -

Should I choose not to love on missionary families?

I think not!  I know you are with me in this!

So, when people ask me from now on...

What do you need?  My answer will be...

someone who cares enough about all these people

to help me pay to take FOUR 50 lb bags...

FULL OF LOVE.

The cost?  With KLM's discount... $320 total.

A faithful friend

(Juli at Bargain Believer. You have to

visit her site!! It will save you big money!!!)

handed me a check for $80 last night.

$240 ($175!!! thanks Lorraine and Denise!)

$80 (thanks Linda!!!) to go,

UPDATED:  Thanks, Michelle! 

Money is raised and ready to pay the

luggage fees!  Whooo hoo!!!

and then I can tell these missionaries

to send me some of their homeschool books.

Would you be willing to help?

Even $5 would add up!!