Aislynn & Alaina

One of my friends, Sarah, has a sweet little girl named Alaina (#5 of the fab 5) just a few months younger than Ais.  It's been so cool to see Aislynn & Alaina grow up into the fun, energetic girls they are (they even have simliar features).  Aislynn loves 'Laina'.  She got to spend a lot of time with her & Sarah while Michael was busy last Fall.  Sarah also has a blog and truly has a way with words!
She recently blogged about Aislynn's 2-year birthday party at the Children's Museum - and it was just too cute not to share!  (Thanks Sarah, for doing all the work - you summed it up perfectly).
Check it out HERE!
I'm so grateful for my friendship with Sarah and completely blessed by the little friendship that Alaina & Aislynn have formed.  I have to say... When Aislynn goes to church, she asks for "Laina".  She looks forward to seeing/playing with her (lets not forget Nate - Rachael's little man (#4 of the fab 5). Ais graduated to the 2-3 yr old class, but still wants to be back w/ the 12-24 mo olds b/c that's where Alaina & Nate are (but they are catching up, soon!)

Here's a shot of Alaina & Ais holding hands after church on Sunday 2 weeks ago.  A little blurry, but too cute.

Home! (Part 2)

I realized my last post was getting too long – so I’m going to break it up.

It’s been hard coming back to work. Mostly b/c I realized that if I’m going to spend 40+ hours a week working, I want it to be meaningful! I want to feel like I’m doing something to directly impact the lives of others – for God’s kingdom. I think about how there are 3,000 orphans JUST in Transnistria (even more “social orphans”) and that there are MILLIONS of other innocent orphans around the world!

God made it very clear, that we are supposed to take care of these children:
"Defend the cause of the fatherless..." Isaiah 1:17
“I will not abandon you as orphans – I will come to you” John 14:18
“The Lord cares for the orphans and widows” Psalm 146:9
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan…” Psalm 82:3

Since having Aislynn, I’ve been praying that God would allow me to stay home and take care of my family. My desire is to raise my kid(s) love what I do every day, to use the gifts God has given me to help people. I want to seek His will. I want Him to show me what He wants me to do. I definitely feel a stirring… This trip has opened my eyes up to the forgotten children who desperately need hope and love. I’m going to continue to ask God to reveal a plan for me & my family. I will be patient and wait.
Here are some more pictures from our trip (in no particular order)…

The house where we stayed.

My first grade buddies holding up the dolls we made w/ them

 (I'm in the back holding Nastia - yes, the 1st graders are almost as tall as me) 

Such a sweetheart, she was...

 The fireworks on Victory Day Eve

 I forget what this was called, but it was so awesome - drooling just thinking about it

 These 3 old guys were hilarious, they tagged along with us for a bit during the Victory day Parade

 A statue of Lennon (not the Lennon you're thinking of - some other dude)

 Mike, Anna, Me & Betty - having lunch after church @ Andy's Pizza

 Cheese makin' ladies @ the bazar

 Adorable Igor ("eegah")

 The cooks in the kitchen @ the Popenki Cafeteria

 The Popenki Cafeteria (they ate these meat patties & cabbage that day)

 A sideways pic of one of the new doors we bought for the orphanage

 Our team @ the Help the Children office

 Out front w/ the Director

Our sidewalk chalk art we did w/ the kids

 The deliciousness that the Secretary prepared for us

The beautiful fields of yellow (used for making Canola oil)

Anna & Kari, smilin, & burpin' Russian Coke! 

Me with my Russian Coke in front of a Moldovan gas station (ps, DO NOT walk on the grass... you'll get yelled at) 

A video of the Victory Day parade, as everyone started lining up.  The ppl w/ red flags were the communist party (booo).  Everyone walks down the main road, to the memorial where they lay flowers in remembrance.



A picture of the Danistra (sp?) River at the back edge of the orphanage property - it was a beautiful view.

Last but not least, my FAVE fashion pic from the trip...

 

Home! (Part 1)

It’s Friday, and it’s darn good to be home.
Quick recap of Monday:  It was a holiday (Victory Day - like memorial day, remembering those who lost their lives in war, and also celebrating their independence).  We went downtown to see the parade, only to find out we were part of the parade.  Everyone marches with flowers to the war memorials, then there's marching and orthodox blessings and such.  We got stuck marching behind the communists (booo) so we ended up ditching the parade to walk around - then to go to out for a nice lunch. 

I think it's funny that a 5-star restaurant like the one we visited, has bathrooms like this:

(one of the gov't buildings)

We walked to a local park that has some... "attractions"  the equivelant of thrill rides for Transnistrians.  So we rode the "spinny thing" and the ferris wheel, got a good view of the city. 

Let me tell you, the fashion here is "interesting".  Never have I seen so much acid wash, stripper shoes, and left-over 80's fashion than this place. We went back out Monday eve to see the fireworks - it was nice, nothing exciting.  We spent the rest of our evening packing - we were ANXIOUS TO GET HOME!

Our team left Moldova on Tuesday at 1:00 pm local time (6:00 am GA time). We flew to Munich then quickly hopped on our next plane to Chicago. It was nice to be on US soil and use our cell phones J We had a 3 hr layover before flying to Atlanta. We arrived in ATL at 11:55 PM! (18 hours later) We were so tired & greasy, but glad to be home. I ended up getting home at around 1:30 am, and dashed straight into my room where my honey & booka-girl were waiting for me.

Not sure what Aislynn thought at first, since it was dark & I had a hat on, but she quickly perked up & wanted to show me lots of stuff. I feel like even just in 10 days, she was already talking better. I gave her a “s’prise” (surprise) – a little stuffed kitty cat I picked up in Moldova. She hugged it and said “thank you mommy”. She just recently started saying thank-you, she used to only do the sign for thank-you. It’s so cute and genuine.

Then Ais kept saying “peese mommy, E-I-O? peeeese?” Michael had to translate for me, but that meant she wanted to watch “Baby McDonald”… e-i-e-i-o. Apparently she’d watched it about 50 times while I was gone. So, I put it on for her while I hopped in the shower & scrubbed all the airport grime off. It was nice to be in my own bed, with my own pillow – and my own baby girl and hubby J

I don’t know if I really felt jet-lagged - I just felt super exhausted! I woke up Wed morning around 8am and had to start working L. I stayed home though because while I was gone, my car decided to break. The fuel line cracked and started leaking lots of fuel. The whole inside of my car stunk. We had to take it straight in that morning (which is when we found out what was wrong). In addition, I also needed new tires and new front brakes – which we’d been putting off for too long. Nothing like coming home, only to spend A LOT OF $$ fixing up your car L

I felt exhausted all day. I ended up putting Aislynn to bed around 8:30 – 9:00 or so, and completely crashed myself. I slept until about 6 am, and felt wide awake. I did the same thing last night (crashed at 8:30 pm – slept till 6ish…) Maybe that’s what jet-lag is. I just can’t seem to stay awake past 9pm.

 Even though it’s been great to be home, I can’t get the Popenki kids off my mind. I can picture their little faces, going through their daily routine… wondering if they are thinking about us? I wish so bad they knew how special they were & how they MATTER! They have a purpose, and they have special gifts. Some people have asked me if I want to go back there, and the answer is YES! I’m planning on it.

(a cool building w/ a cool tree)



Saturday & Sunday - Transnistria

It's 11:30 am on Saturday, and I'm in the Help the Children ("HTC") office.  This is the day we're doing our Foster Parent training, and Staff training for HTC.  Anna & Betty are actually doing the training right now on parenting.  They're teaching them about how to properly address common discipline issues.  Some of the things they asked for help with are how to address stealing, lying, hyper-activity, running away, disrespect, etc... Many of them don't really know how to properly address or discipline the foster kids (or their own), so we've got some great information for them.
I'm not really needed for this part, so I'm using the computer to write an update on our last day @ the Popenki Orphanage (yesterday).

Observations:
I've never been overseas, so I've been observing so many differences in the culture.  Just to recap, we're in Tiraspol (sp?) the Capital of Transnistria (an independent territory in Moldova).  Their language is Russian, and their alphabet is so different.  It's "greek" to us, and weird knowing you literally can't read anything.  The country itself, is beautiful.  The soil is very dark, but everything is in bloom right now.  The highways are lined with huge walnut trees, which is how almost all major roads and highways look.  The main streets have lines in the road - but based on how people drive out here, lines are pointless.  Most people walk, ride their bike, or take the bus, so there's not a lot of traffic.  The busses are like ghetto looking vans (mercedes though!).  They don't hold a lot of people.  They also have an electric 'trolly' system, but they just look like our buses in GA.
The money is Rubles.  The $1 bill (or ruble) is the equivelent of 10 cents.  Their money is also smaller.  I asked Marc, our host, how much the average entry level policeman makes, he said about $200 dollars.  Our other hostess, Ana, only pays $60/month for her 2 bedroom flat.  The town is very interesting, and deffinitely has that 'village' vibe.  Every house looks so so old, something out of a Hansel & Gretel.  I feel like I'm in the set of a movie - filmed in the 40's.  Every house (literally every house), has a gate & fence around it, w/ a little garden area in the front.  There are tulips everywhere... it's very pretty.  Some gates are very run down, some gates are nice (depends on the wealth of the homeowner).  But, the rich live next to the poor.  There are also tall flats/apartment buildings that look like they are being held together by duct tape.  I haven't seen a lot of nice, new apt buildings.  Many are just old and run-down.  There aren't any big grocery chains, or restaurant chains - it's pretty much mom & pop shops all over.  Everything is in walking distance and everyone walks.  There is a chain of markets & gas-stations called "Sheriff" (Cher-eeeef). Which is owned by the President's son.  Their markets have generally the same stuff we have.  The workers wear funny blue uniforms.  Oh, one thing they don't eat here is peanut butter! we only found 1 jar in the entire store - most people dn't like it or have never had it.

Food:  The locals prepare & eat all meals at home.  And we're not talking heating up a frozen meal, or making a sandwich for lunch.... we're talking a home-cooked meal, 3x a day.  I've totally looooved the food and all our meals have been awesome!  We've been spoiled.  They eat a lot of chicken, rice, cabbage, pasta, dill (a common herb), fish, cucumber & tomato, bread, cheese... my mouth is watering thinking about the food we've had!  I just love the fact that they prepare all these home cooked meals.  There are restaraunts here, we'll hopefully go to one tomorrow.  But apparently people don't eat out a lot.  They also don't drink beverages with their meal.  They drink A LOT of hot tea.  Moldova is also one of the largest producers of Wine in Eastern europe.

****I didn't get to finish the post above, it's now Sunday MOTHER'S DAY****
So, the wine here is super cheap.  I just bought what I think is a nice bottle of wine for $5.00.  Cigarettes are also dirt cheap (if anyone was wondering) :)  You can get packs from .70 - $1.20.

This morning, we had breakfast & then went to church with Mark.  The church was being rennovated, so we met in the Sunday school room. It was a tiny little room w/ wooden pews.  It's weird how you can't understand what they're saying, but somehow you know what it's about.  They sang traditional hymns, one was "This is the day that the Lord has made" then they asked us to sing it in English.  There were 2 different speakers.  Then they asked us to each give a testimony.  I sang "How great thou art" and somehow avoided having a panick attack!  I was totally outside my comfort zone - but God gave me that gift, so it's really just all for Him.  It was a really neat experience.  Most of the attendees were little old ladies w/ scarves on their heads, then some young people. But God was there for sure.

After Church, we walked to an open air market or "bazzar"  It was like a giant flea market/farmer's market.  Very interesting variety of stuff.  Lots of fresh produce, herbs, lots of homemade cheeses - then all the cheapie plastic "made in china" type stuff.  We did find a local artist who carved these little figures out of roots.  They were so unique.  He got a lot of our business today. :)

We went to a restaurant called "Andy's Pizza" where they sold mostly American food.  However, it wasn't quite American - it definitely had a European flare to it.  It must be like the Chinese food we eat in America (not like traditional authentic Chinese food).  We went home, changed - then met up with Ana and a group of people from her church.  They play volleyball on Sundays in a school gym.  It was quite fun - I didn't stink as bad as I thought I would.  Anna, Betty, Mike and I walked home, stopping at Sherrif's (the local market).  We got some tea, candy & wine (just some stuff to bring back to the states).

PLEASE PAY EXTRA CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING:
Ladies:  If you ever visit the country of Moldova... Do NOT, I reapeat, do NOT wear any open toed shoes without stockings or socks.  You will pretty much look like the village idiot - and other ladies won't stop talking about your feet.  No lie.
Another observation... everyone is soooo bundled up out here.  Apparently, the weather has been much nicer recently.  It's Spring, and it was in the 60's most of the time, a little rainy, windy on some days.. but I would definitely wear a light jacket.  Out here, they look like Georgians dressed up for a snow storm.  Lots of layers, jackets, hats - boots... the babies & kids are sooo bundled up.  I guess I was just surprised - we didn't think it was that cold (another reason why we stick out so much).

When we were driving to the Orphanage this week, we were driving through the country.  There were tons of fields of yellow flowers, and we couldn't figure out what they were. We found out, that they were rape-seed plants used for making canola oil.  They were so pretty.  This is a gorgeous country... rolling hills, lots of farmland, trees... the people seem genuine, a little serious, lots of traditions & pride here.

Tomorrow is Victory day, the day marking Transnistria's independence from Moldova.  The only problem is that no other country in the world recognizes Transnistria as it's own country.  It's just an independent "state".  The money is worthless outside the borders.  There will be a huge parade & celebration all day.  I look forward to seeing that.  I can't help but think about all the orphans.  There are 3,000 orphans living in orphanages.  There are even more "social" or "economic" orphans (kids w/ parents in jail or who have substance abuse problems).  Total, there are 500,000 residents in Transnistria.  And to think, currently, there are no opportunities for Americans to adopt these children.  They are absolutely precious, talented, but living in environments that just choke out any opportunity to grow into their full potential.

We made some awesome progress out here... we developed great relationships with the Director of the Popenki orphanage.  She knows our hearts, that our intentions are good - and hopefully this will pave the way to get other orphans out, into foster homes, and eventually adopted.  Kari, Chris, Anna & Aaron are pioneering this - and we know God will lead them down the right path to find a way to make this work.

So, it's 8:35 pm, local time, and we're @ the office talking w/ our families back home for Mother's day.  I miss my baby girl so much - but didn't mind sharing some mommy-love to kids w/out moms.  I'm beat...

Happy mother's day to all the moms.  Thanks to everyone for the prayers this week.  I look forward to going home, but I'll be sad to leave this place.  Friday (day 4 @ the orphanage... our van broke down before we could leave, so we hired a taxi to take us.  We sat & talked to the staff a little bit, then watched the kids practice their marching for their Victory day celebrations.  We got to break out our kites, and fly kites w/ our 1st grade buddies.  Those kids have never flown kites before, so it was awesome to see their eyes light up.  We then rushed to eat a quick lunch... then over to the "babies" side (not babies, but 1yr to 7yr)  Anna got to spend a lot of time w/ Igor (her future son)  He's so adorable, sweet, and just AWESOME!  We played w/ all the other kids before saying goodbye.  I was sad that we didn't actually say goodbye to our 1st grade friends.

I've gotten such a different perspective being here.  We have so so so so so much.  Yet these people are content w/ what they have. I can't wait to come back someday...

bye for now...
Kari and Victor - one of the cutest little boys

 Anna & Igor

 these 2 little girls (and boy on the right) were sooo cute, they kept playing w/ my hair and wanting hugs

 Anna & Mike, right before lunch (that cake was DELICIOUS!)

 The toilet we had to use @ Popenki... (no TP)

 the cafeteria

 the kids practicing their marching (it was cold & windy here)

 Mike getting swarmed by kids...

 the resident goats - they use their milk for the babies.

 the little kids singing a song for us

 sad faces b/c they didn't have coke - they had no choice but to buy pepsi

Day 3 - Popenki

This was our 3rd day at the Popenki orphanage.  Just a quick update... Mike & Chris went to buy doors today.  When we got to the orphanage, we found out that the 1st grade class (the ones we've been hanging out w/ all week) didn't have classes today.  We played games and then went outside and did sidewalk chalk.  Such a huge hit!!!
We played outside some more, did games like "simon says", duck duck goose "or 'dah dah gess" since they can't pronounce it :)  We then went back inside to play with the 1st graders and they did a little choreographed dance for us.
The guys installed a bunch of lights today while the girls played w/ the kids.  the doors were delivered today too and the windows have been ordered.  We then left to come back to Tiraspool, where we were going to spend an evening with the transition students.  We made grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing (something they've never had), sweet tea (something they've never had) and banana pudding for dessert.  It came out perfect and they all loved it.  They made us these delicious 'things' called "placinta" ("plah-seen-ta").  It was a dough w/ cheese, dill & other stuff inside.  VERY "fcoosna" (delicious).

After dinner, they made me sing, acapella, in front of everyone, and I was totally embarrassed (Yes, I would rather sing in front of a crowd of thousands, than sing in a small room with all these faces staring RIGHT at you with NO music).  But, I survived I guess. 

We then played this game called "Mrs. Mumble" and we taught them how to play pictionary.  Anna & Kari & Chris, got to go meet with some judge who is a friend of Marc (our host) to get some more information about their adoptions.  It's literally unheard of, for an American to adopt a child from Transistria, there's soooo much legal red-tape and it's so difficult. They've been on a wild goose chase all week just to get more information about adopting. 

Right now, we're taking an email break.  It's 9:40 PM our time, and 2:40 PM EST.  Here are a few pics, out of order... some of our orphan friends, and random pics from today :)

Transnistria - day 2

I apologize up front for the spelling errors, and bad grammar, I had to type this fast.  I just sent this update to my family, and thought I would post here :)  Trying to get some pics posted.

Hey,
This is our 2nd day here in Transnistria (Tues) it's 8:15 pm, 1:15 pm EST.  Today we went to the Popenki orphanage... it was a 1 1/2 hour drive through the country.  It's gorgeous here, lots of farmland, very old buildings w/ a lot of character.  I keep saying it feels like we're on the set of some movie set back in the 40's.  We were so excited to get to the orphanage.  We met with the Director, she was really nice.  The building itself was totally like little orphan annie.  Old, old thick, bright colored paint, old wooden doors, very dimly lit...

When we got there, we thought we were going to talk to the Director about our plans for the week.  She had a surprise though.  Nastia ("Nah-stee-uh") is a little girl that my friend Kari fell in love with on a trip here 1 year ago.  They've been trying to adopt her, but it's not that easy.  She has an aunt & uncle who take her on the weekends.  They have a lot of social orphans here (orphans who's parents are in jail), so some of them have other family that will spend time with them on brakes or in the evenings.  Those ones almost never get adopted.

Annnyyywayyy... The Director brought the aunt & uncle, and Nastia, to the office so they could meet Kari & Chris.  Kari started crying... it was neat to see them get to see each other... they're trying to get to know eah other, to see if the Aunt & Uncle will let Kari & Chris adopt her.. (more on that later)

So while they were talking & hanging out, we went to one of the buildings with 7-8 yr olds.  Each class has their own "wing" with a girls room, boys room - and a large play room.  When we got there, they were a little shy at first... Then we started playing with them, and they totally warmed up.   They were sooo adorable in their little scruffy clothes & old hats.  The girls were just totally clinging on us, holding our hands, and not letting go.  They kept talking to us (they all speak Russian) so it was hard to understand them.  We learned how to ask what their name was, and we learned out to say our names "my name is" is "Me nah zavoot".  We played duck-duck goose & they loved it.  We also took a ton of pictures.  I started showing them their pictures on my camera and they lit up.  Then I started taking video of them and they got the biggest kick out of it.  They literally swarmed us!  This one little girl, Ana, held my hand and wrapped her arm around my arm the whole time.  She just kept staring at me, touching my hair... then she took me around & showed me her bed.  She kinda got possesive of some other kids that were holding my hand.  She pushed one little boy out of the room (it was funny, and cute).  then she just jumped up on the couch we were sitting on, and started french braiding my hair (they do each others hair).  It was so cute.

They just wanted to be hugged and be so close to us.  Anna had 2 little girls on either side of her, and they would put your arms around them.  We had fun though.  We ran to go get our candy & games that we brought, but the kids had to go eat lunch.  So we walked back to the office to check on Kari & Chris.  Kari got her hair braided by Nastia.  We then just walked around and took pictures of the kids.  I painted a real quick mural last night (just a picture of a flower w/ a bumble bee, and we cut out the faces so the kids could stick their head in the hole and take a picture).  So we took some pics of the kids and gave them candy

Today is a holiday out here, so the kids were free for the day.  They could pretty much do what they wanted, they didn't have class.  Tomorrow they have class, so after class - we'll get to do more games & play with them.  We're trying to get access into the little kids building (18months - 6 yrs old) but we're not sure.  The little boy that Anna & Aaron really like is in that building. 

After we took pics, we brought our lunch (just bread, ham & cheese, but kind of medeival style) :)  We ate lunch in the office area, and then headed back to town.  When we got back, we freshened up and ended up eating dinner.  The host family cooks breakfast & dinner for us every night.  All their meals (including lunch) are prepared from scratch.  It was weird to them that we brought stuff for sandwiches, b/c they normally eat prepared meals.  For dinner, we had baked chicken & rice, bread, sliced cheese, and a yummy salad w/ radishes.  Nothing looks like how you would imagine Americans making it though... it's just different some how.  To drink, we drink compote.

After dinner, we walked to the market & got a little money exchanged, then bought some food for tomorrows lunch.  Their money is weird :) the coins are so light, its like play money.  I learned how to say hello and thank you "hello = pree-vet" "thank-you = spa-cee-bah".  I swear we stick out like sore thumbs b/c everywhere we go, people stare at us.  I definitely think we look different, they all just have a unique look - hard to explain but you can just tell that we look (features) different.  The people seem so serious here.  Ana (the girl who's working w us) said the people are just kind of sad people.  All serious.  Us loud, goofy, giggly americans must just stand out.

Plus, the weather is very similar to GA weather, not too cold - a little overcast, but they're all bundled up here.  Even the kids wear jackets & beanies.  I'm not even wearing a jacket.  So after the market, we ended up coming here to the Help The Children office to use the internet.  We took a bus to the office (3 Rubles) (Rubles is their currency).  The bus was scarey.  You feel like you're in a tall hurse, it looks like a big conversion type van, doesn't look like a bus at all. 

Everything is just so simple here.  The houses all have fences & gates around them, it's like a village. The rich live next to the poor - the nicer & bigger the gate you have, the richer  you are.  I like it though - it's not like anywhere I've ever been & I'm just so glad to be here.  The best part, so far, has been playing w/ the kids.  They are just so excited to be around us.  We have a few days planned of games & crafts for the different groups.  Then, in the moring, we're going to work on the orphanage repairs.  We raised $2,150 to put towards orphanage repairs.  $400 will go towards new lihts & light fixutes, then we have to figure out the rest.  We're limited in what we can do (physically) b/c they have to hire contractors for a lot of the work.  Some walls need to be repaired.  they need new doors, stuff like that. 

The rest of the time we're here, we're going to meet w/ the transition kids, and do a potluck, where they prepare a moldovan dish for us, and we're going to prepare some american dishes.  I think we decided on potato salad, macaroni & cheese, & sweet tea :)  Maybe something else.  Then we're going to meet with the foster parents and teach them some parenting stuff.

I gotta go soon, just wanted to update. Love you all
Kim

Pics! one of the buildings in popenki orphanage

 me looking cool in front of the war memorial

 view from the orphanage, out into the hillside (there's a monestary way out there in the hillside)

 the 1st grade class we met & played with today

 me & sasha, the one who braided my hair & wouldn't let go of me :) so sweet.

 

Above, our breakfast, sweet rice, fried egg, bacon, cheese & bread...

Below, Betty, Kim, Anna & Kari on our way to Popenki Orphanage

We're here...

I gotta make this quick. We landed in Moldova around 5:30 AM, EST.  It was 12:30 pm local time.  The flight from DC to Munich was the longest flight I'd ever been on... 7.5 hrs!  The plane was totally huge as well!  We were smushed in the middle of course...
It really felt like we were transported back into time.  The landscapes are beautiful, rolling hills, with lots of patches of farm land (and real shepherds on the sides of the roads).  The alphabet is different here, so you really can't read anything.

We were picked up by Mark (one of the founders of Help the Children) and our driver Serge.  It was about an hour 1/2 to Transnistria. Going thru the boarder was fine... I was a bit nervous.  We got to our house and dropped our stuff off.  The house has a pretty garden in front, w/ a green gate (allt he houses have gates) We're staying in a bunk room - the showers & toilets are small, but everything is real nice.  We then walked around the area and stopped in a market.  It's just so so much different... the food is different, but some things are similar.

We had a home cooked meal which was delish!  Meat loaf type things (smaller) rice, fresh cucumber & tomato salad, bread... we had a quick planning meeting to nail out the details for tomorrow.  We're going to the orphanage to do games & crafts with the kids & meet the director.  We'll do that for the next 3 days.  We're at an English club right now, meeting some local 'youth' who attend these free english classes - I hopped on the internet real quick to post an update.

Thank you for the prayers - already having a blast, despite being insanely tired!  More later...

Our journey begins today...

It's almost 1:00am, & of course I'm still packing & have lots & lots to do. I started feeling anxious tonight... & I'm already missing Aislynn. That is going to be the hardest part for me. No, I'm not one of those moms who can't be away from their child for more than a day... But 10 days is a long time... & I'll be so far away. I know God will protect us both. I do trust Him, & know that He is the one who goes to battle for us, He's alreafy preparing the folks we'll come in contact with. He's our ultimate protector.

So as I take a break from my late night packing... I want to sincerely thank those that have supported me financially. It's such a blessing. And, to anyone praying for us - thank-you! Prayer alone will make big things happen while we're over there.

Not looking forward to 20 hours of travel... But, the iPod is loaded up & I got lots to keep me busy.

Please continue to pray for our team, for the orphans who we are meeting, & for our families who will be holding down the fort while we're gone. I don't think I can post pics from my phone (to blogger) while I'm there... But I'll see what I can do.

Very excited for what's to come!!