The "Traveling Light" part: Over the next 44 days (but who's counting?), we will pack, plan, and pack some more. I delight in traveling fast and light, and my sister is agreeable -- she either shares my backpack-and-laptop-only obsession, or she is too afraid of me to object! Either way, it makes me happy that we will be able to use all of our checked luggage allotment to carry donations to Hannah's Hope and Project 61.
Which brings us to...
The "Traveling Heavy" part: We will be allowed to check four luggage items on each trip. With careful measurement, this amounts to a total of eight 22-gallon tubs of donations (up to 50 pounds each). That's 400 pounds! If we are blessed with more donations, it will be a good problem to have. Our agency will provide us with a donation letter and, God-willing, we will convince the Lufthansa ticket agent to waive the $250 excess luggage fee. Pray for more donations, and for a soft-hearted person behind the ticker counter that we end up at...
So far, we have collected four tubs of donations, including:
- Two tubs of washable cloth feminine sanitary pads and underwear for Project 61. http://www.p61.org/ Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, has over 3 million residents. Korah, the community built up around the city dump outside of Addis Ababa, started as a colony of outcasts suffering from leprosy. Korah is now called home by tens of thousands of the poorest of the poor, including the ill, elderly, widows and orphans, who forage the dump each day to salvage waste to subsist on.
Project 61 is a privately sponsored mission and school serving the Korah community. This non-profit organization connects sponsors with families and children, providing a boarding school, clothing, and family support while working with local organizations to develop broader educational programs, community sponsorships, community centers, and income-generating strategies. Through feeding programs and child sponsorships, urgent needs are met to allow for development of long-term solutions.
Education offers the best hope for many of these children. While over 55% of children in Ethiopia do not attend primary school, the numbers are much, much higher in Korah; statistically, girls who do attend school drop out sooner than boys.
A group of adoptive moms, some of whom sponsor Project 61 students, recently visited Korah and learned that many girls drop out of school when they hit puberty because they do not have basic sanitary supplies. These moms came home and went to work, finding a pattern and sewing washable pads and waterproof carrying bags for each student. These simple supplies will make a difference in the lives of dozens of girls who are working hard to overcome their circumstances.
It is our privilege to carry two tubs of these supplies to Project 61 on our first trip in November. If you would like to participate, please visit www.p61.org/sponsorship.html to sponsor a child and/or contact me directly to donate underwear (there is still some room in the tubs that we are taking).
- Two tubs of new shoes and clothing for toddler, youth and teen girls and boys at Hannah's Hope. Hannah’s Hope is a home for orphans age 0 - 15 years, operated by our adoption agency, All God’s Children International. www.allgodschildren.org/sponsorship/ AGCI and Hannah’s Hope also provide families and children in the community with sponsorship and support. Because of the exhorbitant cost of shipping between the U.S. and Ethiopia ($200 for a small package), Hannah’s Hope relies on adoptive families to courier donations of food, clothing, and supplies, many of which are not available for purchase in Ethiopia.
While we are so excited to bring Isabella home, the children at Hannah’s Hope who continue to wait are close to our hearts. If you would like to help fill the remaining 4+ tubs, please let me know. (See list below - Costco sizes work well... :)
And so I continue to plan, pack, and give thanks: I will be traveling with my dear sister to Ethiopia to hold the daughter of my dreams for the first time. This trip is going to be filled with tears, laughter, heartache, joy, and probably a lot of other emotions that I cannot begin to fathom as I sit on my couch surrounded by all of the comforts of home.
Thank you, Kristen, for getting umpteen immunizations and taking this journey with me. Thank you to your mother-in-law for watching your girls for over a week, to Aaron and the girls for sharing you with me, to Grandma for staying at our home to take better care of Matthew than I do, and to Jon and Matthew, for promising to miss me while I'm gone. Thank you, too, to each of you, our friends and family near and far-- we covet your prayers and appreciate your love and encouragement more than you know.
Needed Supplies:
■ Disposable Diapers - all sizes including preemie. Disposable diapers are used when children are ill, and are in high demand; cloth diapers, washed by hand like all laundry, are used the rest of the time.
■ Disposable baby wipes
■ Bibs
■ Hand sanitizer
■ Infant and children’s vitamins
■ Formula: vegetable based Similac, soy based Similac as well as regular formula
■ Avent-brand bottles for both 8 and 12 ounce feedings
■ Rice Cereal
■ New children’s shoes (i.e. sandals, sport, and Crocs), underwear and spring/summer/lightweight fall clothing for boys and girls in sizes 5 - 12 (slim or adjustable waist please)
■ Diaper rash cream: Desitin is preferred
■ Baby shampoos and baby oil
■ Shampoo, conditioner and lotion for older children
■ Development toys for infants and toddlers (manual only, not electrical/battery operated please)
■ Inflatable balls
■ Children's DVDs
■ Men and women’s deodorant
■ Good quality electric shavers
■ Rechargeable Camping Lanterns (for when electricity is out)
■ Twin sheets (flats) in solid colors and/or children’s print patterns of pink, purple, red, blue, and green
YOU HAVE TICKETS!!!! Wooohoooooo! Praying they waive the fees!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! And I'm thrilled to hear you have tickets! YEA! Get that countdown rolling!
ReplyDelete