Small Group Service Project

What a wonderful small group we are a part of!! So many of them were asking how they could help us prepare for our trip, so we decided to ask them to help us fill goodie bags for the children at the transition home and the orphanage we will visit. They were anxious to help!

We were able to fill 144 bags with various kid-friendly items. We had a good time working on them and can only imagine how excited the children will be to receive them. We cannot wait to make the delivery!

Thank you, again, to our small group. Jonathan and I are so blessed to have you all as friends : )

Things are Coming Together!

We have made tremendous progress this weekend! The bags are nearly all packed – with the exception of last minute toiletry items and anticipated (but not yet received) donations! We are feeling really good about having everything together without too much stress : )

 Does anyone notice anything out of place here?

It may be a red flag when the airline sends our bag through the x-ray machine and see a skeleton! Ha!

More Shopping!

Oh my – have I mentioned that we are having way too much fun shopping for our little girl?!?!

After work today, Jonathan and I went into Champaign to buy some additional items we needed to pack and items to have on hand when we meet our daughter. We have been advised – take what you think you need and then 10 times more – as we will have several hours to spend with her on the days that we see her and it can be a bit challenging due to the confined space, limited toys available, and the language barrier. So, below is a picture of the items we have bought (so far). I think we are done, but I make no promises : )

Rachel, can you spot the jelly bracelets?? These completely made me think of you!

Slowly, but surely...

Jonathan continues to work hard to finish the furniture for our little girl’s room. The bookshelf is done –

- and the dresser is getting closer…

The packing list is finished and has over 100 items – yikes! We are making progress on gathering items, though.

We will continue to keep you posted : )

Flight Arrangements Made

Okay - I have to admit - I woke up this morning and asked Jonathan, "did we really get a court date??" It is all just moving so fast, I thought I had dreamed it! But, it is getting more real each day!

We have made our flight arrangements and now know that we will be flying out of Chicago on the evening of Friday, August 3^rd.  We will have one layover and then arrive in Addis Adaba, Ethiopia on the evening of Saturday, August 4^th.

We are unsure of our specific in-country itinerary at this time, but do know that we will spend 2-3 days with our little girl, have our court appointment, and travel to the orphanage where she was before coming to the transition home.

It sounds like it will be a busy time, but we cannot wait! Please keep praying : )

We Have a Court Date!!

The twists and turns of this adoption journey never cease to amaze me! I have decided that I need to stop trying to figure it all out and just enjoy the ride!

We thought that there was no way we would get a court date before the courts closed for the rainy season, but we are glad to say we were wrong! The travel coordinator called us today to let us know we had a court date for August 7^th!

This means we will be traveling to Ethiopia in early August (around the 2^nd or 3^rd). Just in case you didn’t do the math, that means we are leaving in ~ 2 weeks! Yikes! We have a lot to do to prepare, but we will be ready : )

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We will keep you posted as we get more details!

Making Progress

We finished painting our daughter’s room this weekend! It turned out very nicely – a pale pink called sweet illusion  : ) Our plan is to get other decorations hung over the next few evenings and then post some pictures…

We also bought fabric for curtains tonight! Grandma Gloria will be working on those to coordinate with the bedspread : )