Over the next few weeks and months I will be sharing stories from sponsors who have visited our care point in Kombolcha.   Their experiences have deeply moved me over the last year.    I hope you get a better sense of the journey, the transformation of sponsors and the children from these updates.

This is from Joy who went on the April 2012 trip.  

I'm a little bit of a clean freak. I'm the one who always carries GermX, you know the type!  While at our care point, having hundreds of little dirty faced kids kissing me every day was a different experience for me to say the least. I would sneak into the school building, use hand sanitizer and occasionally wipe my face with baby wipes. I loved the kids- they were precious, but I was having a problem.

I should back up and tell you that I got to meet my sponsor child while I was there.  I visited her little hut then went back to my hotel room and sobbed uncontrollably for about an hour. I was overwhelmed by the poverty, the living conditions and more.

The kids became familiar, their kisses more welcome, to share all that happened in my heart that week would take many, many pages so I will focus on one memory. 

Hayat, my sponsor child, grew in my heart until I thought it would burst.  How would I say goodbye? The last day came.  Hyat came to give me a hug and we said our goodbyes as best as possible with the language barrier then she went on her way into the sea of children. I stood there sort of numb.  I thought, well that wasn't as emotional as I thought it would be. Then I saw her, through the crowd on her knees bawling. Tears were soaking her face.  I ran toward her calling her name. I hit my knees, she came and lunged into my embrace. We sat there, her face in my face, my tears mixed with her tears. The taste of mingled tears was in my mouth. Dirty faces and hands didn't matter anymore. My heart was forever bound to her heart and it was snow white! I cried for weeks when I got home trying to work through the feelings of wanting her with me and not knowing how. God has helped me to see that I can help her and love her right where she is. Weeks later, Rahel, our wonderful translator, the children’s discipler, sent me a the pictures attached. What a blessing to have this memory captured in a photo. My memory of Ethiopia will be THAT embrace and the taste of mingled tears!

Sew important

A big THANK YOU to all the ladies who helped make Sew Important a success this year!
Here are a few photos of the items that arrived in the mail. Do you sew? We'd love for you to join us.  E-mail me- mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com we are going back to Ethiopia in October!

Visiting our carepoint

The team left last Saturday for Ethiopia.  It is not easy getting to our care point.  First, the flight to Ethiopia is 12.5 hours from Dulles airport.  Then there is a nine hour drive (on a good day, with clear roads) from Addis to Kombolcha!  Some people wonder why we go.  One of our team members, Carey, wrote yesterday:

today we washed the kids feet. They washed ours, the Care Point leaders washed each others. It turned into a way to honor one another. It was beautiful. Then we painted toe nails and the party got wild with Ethiopian music. After that we face painted. Ben was clever and started painting the Ethiopian flag on the boys cheeks. They loved it all. We had the feast- traditional Ethiopian food. Shiro, lentils, cabbage and potatoes along with lamb on injera . After that came giveaways and goodbyes. I've cried more this week than I have in a long time. It wasn't because I was sad. It was because this trip has been one of the most fulfilling things I've done in my life. The beauty of the heart is beyond measure.

We go because we care. We go because we are called.  We go to love and be loved.
I cannot wait to share the stories and the pictures. This smile says it all.

New clothes & food delivered

Last Saturday the following the items were delivered to the children at our Care point- Grace Baptist Church in Kombolcha, Ethiopia:

sweat pants, a jacket and socks for each child

2.5 litters of cooking oil for each child/family

 25 kgs (55 lbs) of Teff for each child/family

 I love the smiles on on the children's faces!! thank you sponsors!

One year ago we were in Ethiopia for our court date.  We were delighted when the judge granted our adoption of Merone.  We are delighted to be her parents.

Shoes!!

Our children at our HopeChest Care point in Kombolcha, Ethiopia received new shoes in January!!  Look at the smiles! 165 children received new shoes. big thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!

We still have some children who are not sponsored at our care-point. E-mail me mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com for details or click on the sponsorship tab on our blog. 

Project Sew Important

In April we are going to our Children's HopeChest Care point in Kombolcha, Ethiopia.  We will be serving 168 children, 96 of them girls.

I've debated about the post... should I share or not share... because it's sensitive, maybe taboo... not everyone is comfortable with the topic and I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this publicly.  But after sharing this with my close friends and receiving very positive feedback, I decided to risk it all and post the details of our newest project. It really is that important to me... to the girls at our care point.

The girls at our care point are vulnerable economically.  Many of the girls are orphans and receive their only meal at our care point.  These girls are in school because someone has cared enough to sponsor them so the required school fees have been paid. But they are still at risk.... Some girls miss school up to 4 days a month.  They miss the lessons, the practice time, the homework, the exams and if they have a part time job they miss time a work/income because they cannot afford hygiene products.  It happens every day in impoverished communities all over the world... it's happening at our care point. 

We want to change that at our care point.  We want to ensure our girls and young ladies have their own sustainable, effective feminine hygiene products. 

We've started "Project Sew Important".  If you sew and can help, please join us!  We have two patterns options provided by Days for Girls.   Please e-mail me at mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com for all the details.  We have a snap machine so we can finish off the products for you.   

If you cannot sew but would like to help you may buy the finished product online, here , Please contact me for a shipping address for one our our team members.  Please e-mail me for details.

Thank you for making a difference in young women's lives.

Update on the Kombolcha April 21-30, 2012 trip!

We have received several applications for the trip to Kombolcha, Ethiopia!  There are still spots available. 
All the trip details are posted here http://ethiopianadoptionspot.blogspot.com/p/kombolcha-trip-info.html:

Several people have asked about the hotel- does it have electricity and running water?  The answer is YES!!  Others have asked about the drive to Kombolcha from Addis Ababa.  The drive is breathtaking.  We will stop to see the monkeys in the highlands.  You will see the dry and arid regions as well.  If it's market day, the drive will be a bit longer but will be filled with adventure. We've posted a few videos of the hotel and the drive. 

9/11

I watched the 9/11 anniversary events with tears in my eyes.  We all remember exactly where we were when we heard the news ten years ago.
Five years ago, on 9/11 we moved from the Washington, DC suburbs to our new home.  A bittersweet move but it allowed me to stay home with Igor and Rob to work full time.  In hindsight, the move was a huge blessing for our family.

Three years ago on 9/11 we received our second referral from Ethiopia.  The picture of Henry was grainy and blurry but the smile on his sweet face was precious. 
This year we celebrated Henry's referral anniversary and Ethiopian New Year (which is on 9/11).  It was a sweet reminder of how precious Henry is and how grateful we are to call him our son.

Giardia Update

Yes, this little pest is still here... he is currently living in Henry's tummy.  Henry finished up his first round of antibiotics this week. 

We'll be breaking out "the kits" next week to test Merone- we are hoping she is parasite free.  Henry will be tested the following week. I am praying that we'll be done "sampling" by the end of the month.

The good news - Igor is parasite free!! 

Merone is with us!!

Here's a picture of our sweet girl after her first night with us at the guest house!!

 

Guess who turned 9?

Today is a big day.  We are on our way to Ethiopia!!  We cannot wait to see our girl!  Today is also Igor's birthday.  He turned 9 years old today.
Last night we had a party for him.  He was sooo excited to celebrate a day early.

 








his Star Wars LEGO ship





We were able to pick the first tomatoes of the season before we left! 









we hope to post pictures of our gotcha day tomorrow!!

And so it begins again- please pray...

We leave for Ethiopia next week!! We are excited but it is tempered by the current action by MOWYCA (similar to social services in the US).  MOWYCA does not appear to be writing letters required for court.  We have many dear friends who have been matched with their children, have gone to court but have not passed court because the MOWYCA letter was missing.  These families long to go back to pick up their child(ren).  We have other friends waiting for referrals but the delay for those who have not passed court is causing a ripple effect and referrals have slowed to a crawl.
Our friends in Ethiopia have put out this call for prayer and fasting-
Calling adoptive families, intercessors & orphan advocates: The director of MOWYCA (the agency that approves adoptions) in Ethiopia is not working for justice for orphans. We want to challenge each of you to fast and/or pray this week that her heart is changed or that she is removed from office. This is urgent as it will affect all Ethiopian adoptions. Not looking at circumstances, but on the One who changes them!


thank you for praying!

Embassy Appointment

We received an e-mail this morning with the sweetest news- We have a confirmed Embassy Appointment on June 23!  We are finalizing our travel plans. In less than two weeks we will be in Ethiopia with Merone.

  

Cleared for Travel!!!

The US Embassy has clear us for travel!!!  We are should receive our Embassy Appointment confirmation tomorrow!!  We are so excited to know we will be able to pick up our daughter soon.  We also learned that baby girl has the chicken pox!!  Please pray she has a mild case and recovers quickly.

Tonight we had a pancake dinner fundraiser to help bring Merone home.  We raised almost the exact amount of money needed for Merone's air plane ticket home.  Thank you God for providing!!!

Father's Day- a gift of giving

Father's Day is right around the corner.  If you are like me, I struggle to find the "right" gift for my dad.  This year we'll be blessing our dads with a gift from the heart, the gift of shoes.... no, not for them... the shoes are for a child in Ethiopia.
Grace Baptist, sponsored by Children's HopeChest, is a care-point for orphaned and impoverished children. Through the support of sponsors, Grace Baptist is able to provide food, clothing, education and Christian discipleship! However, the children have many other needs. One pressing need is shoes.

Tracy, a sponsor mom, and her brother are professionally printing and mailing out Father's Day cards to benefit the children at our care point, Grace Baptist, in Kombolcha, Ethiopia.  The printing and postage is being donated!  Your monetary gift will be presented to Grace Baptist and will go to purchase new shoes for all the children. One pair of shoes costs $18.   

Go to Tracy's blog to send a card to your dad.

Children who need a sponsor

We have several children who need a sponsor.  Many of these children at Grace Baptist Church are single or double orphans. They may live with a relative who can provide shelter but not food or clothing because of extreme poverty. There is also food shortages in parts of Ethiopia. Kombolocha is located North East of Addis Ababa. According to the Famine Early Warning map, Kombolcha is dealing with moderate to high food insecurities.
We can make a difference in these children's lives. $34 per month ensures that a desperately poor and hungry child will have one meal every day, clothing, basic medical care, education and Christian discipleship. If you would like to sponsor a child or receive more information, please email me- mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com
Here are some of the precious children we were with last week who need a sponsor

Rabiya is in 8th grade.  She lives with her grandmother.  She enjoys singing and music. Rabiya is now sponsored!!!
 

Miftah is 11 years old, he lives with his mother and loves sports.  Rob really connected with this boy. Miftah is now sponsored.

Abubeker is 11 years old and lives with his mother.  He is very curious and enjoys sports.  Abubeker is now sponsored!!  If you would like to sponsor a child or receive more information, please email me- mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

Kombolcha

We have returned from Kombolcha.  We had a great trip.
We were able to appreciate the breathtaking views as we crossed over the mountains.

When we arrived at the church  we were greeted by 300 children.  Hundreds of little hands extended to shake our hands.  "Hello.  What is your name?"  That's it, that's all the English they know.  They had been practicing in anticipation of arrival!  So, after hundreds of handshakes and saying, "My name is Candy," we were able to pass out jump ropes and the soccer balls.  the children were so excited!!

The next day we handed out care packages!  I have pictures of each child receiving their care package.  They were so excited to receive cards and pictures.  They loved the stickers.  They also loved putting them all over their faces.   When we return I will send you photos of your sponsor child.

Care Packages are arriving!

Next week we will be in Ethiopia!!  Sponsor families are sending us care packages for the children at Grace Baptist Church in Kombolcha, Ethiopia.  Rob and I are so honored to be handing out care packages on behalf of sponsors.  Everyday UPS and USPS delivers boxes and envelopes!!
Here is one of the care packages we received today!

Thank you sponsor families for all the care packages!  The children will delight in them!

The winner is....

Thank you to everyone who entered the Blog giveaway!!  I loved hosting the giveaway and may host another one soon!
We put all the entries in a bowl and Henry pulled out the winner.

Even though I failed to say it on the video clip- Congrats to our winner!!!  We hope you enjoy the magnet.
I wish we could give one to everyone who entered.  If you love the magnets you can buy them here.  Let Debi know which design you prefer- she makes each one to order. The magnets cost $10 each but Debi is donating $7 to our care point in Kombolcha, Ethiopia! The purchase of each magnet will feed one child for six days!
Thanks again to everyone who entered!