And they are off!

 The team of 16 sponsors and friends left Saturday morning for Ethiopia!  With many bags packed full of care packages, sew important kits, balloons, balls and more.  Here is a photo of the some of the luggage packed containing 120 of the 166 care packages and 140 sew important kits.

At Dulles Airport the team saw the space shuttle on the tarmac. 

They arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday morning where they enjoyed a nap, some sight seeing and a traditional Ethiopia meal. 
The team left for Kombolcha early this morning.  They will meet with the children at our care point  this afternoon for soccer, games and a lot of hugs.  Tomorrow will start the 4 day camp program we have prepared for the children.  This will include handing out 166 care packages and a feast! 

Thank you for sending your care packages, donations and for praying.  We appreciate you all! 
The internet is not always available or reliable in Kombolcha so I probably will not have pictures of your children until the first week in May when the team returns.
Until then, please keep the team, the translators, and the children in your prayers.

Project Sew Important Update

In January I asked if  you would join our church for Project Sew Important.  Almost everyday I receive an e-mail from you, your friends, friends of friends, even your grandmothers asking about the project!!
I have been overwhelmed by the number of women who wanted to help. God was behind it all so I should not have been surprised but I was.

I wanted to thank you for helping, spreading the word and/or praying for this project. Our original goal was to provide kits containing reusable hygiene products for 96 girls at our Children's Hope Chest care-point in Kombolcha, Ethiopia. That meant sewing 192 shields and 960 liners- a very time consuming task. We knew it was a huge undertaking but we thought we could do it.

Because of the overwhelming response we have enough kits for our care point, and the girls at two other Children's Hope Chest care-points- Project Greenlight and Trees of Glory! Praise God!!

Project Sew Important will continue! We will continue to provide vulnerable girls with feminine protection.  Many are still sewing and we are receiving items for the kits.

Thank you all for caring for the girls in Ethiopia who miss many days of school because they lacked protection. I love how many came together to be the body of Christ and serve.

Next month we'll post photos of the girls receiving the kits.

I love going in to the office to see what's in the mail!  Here are just a few of the items sent in the last few weeks and items made by our church's prayer shawl ministry.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who made this possible

 Here's 550 liners of the 1,510 needed for the kits!

Completed kits ready for packing!!