Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Pure and genuine religion...

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
James 1:27



Hello Family and Friends!
We are beside ourselves with excitement about our upcoming court date in Ethiopia! It will be our first time meeting JP face to face and it will be the trip that makes him legally our son!!!! Sadly, we will have to leave the country without him until he is issued a Visa from the US Embassy. This can take 1-4 months after this initial trip. People usually travel within 6-8 weeks though. We will cross our fingers and pray for speedy proceedings.
Any who, this email is to get you involved in helping the orphans of Ethiopia. We will bringing 3 Rubbermaid tubs full of donations for JP's orphanage and the other 2 orphanages that are affiliated with Bethany Christian Services in Ethiopia.
We will be leaving Nov. 29 and coming home Dec. 5. I will need all donations by Nov. 21 to get them ready for taking. Don't feel obligated to donate, I just know there are several friends and family that want to help and be a part of the process. Not only will it be a blessing for our little man, but to other children without families that are struggling in an impoverished country.

Recommended donations:

Top five most requested items
1.Disposable diapers-all sizes,
2.Powdered formula,
3.Medications and toiletries: antibiotic cream, baby thermometers, diaper rash cream, baby oil/lotion, hand sanitizer, etc,
4.Clothing:sweaters, pants, socks, and shoes, especially for children ages 3-9. This request is for Bethany Sponsorship Families, not for the orphanages
5.Shool/craf supplies and education activities for all ages

Other items to consider:
Infant and children's vitamins,
Fer-in-sol infant iron drops,
One-piece PJs,
Shoes,
Blankets,
Crib sheets,
Baby bottles: plastic with normal nipples,
nipples for regular bottles,
Infant sippy cups,
Cloth Diapers

Personally, I would say the most important items to send would be cloth diapers. Most children are clothed diapered, including our JP. Disposables are more expensive in ET and therefore the nannies will only change their disposables about 3x a day. Which leads to the next item, diaper cream. Thankfully, JP has not been reported with diaper rash but I know several families that children had severe diaper rash to the point of open wounds and lesions. Formula and medication/vitamin's. Any typical baby item would be great and of course the little ones would love some toys, too. After all they are children:)

I hope this is informative but if you have any questions please email me. If you know of someone who would be interested in giving please pass along the information. Sunday school classes or your church or your child's preschool may be looking for a service project and we'd be happy to be your subjects!
Much love to all. Thank you in sharing in our excitement of finally bringing our son home.

1 comment:

Gaby said...

Tia, how exciting! I saw your blog on your e-mail. I have one too!
Congratulations and we will be praying for you and that time will fly by until you can bring baby home.