Toloshi

Now that Jason, Bereket and I have settled into life as a family, it seems like its time to give back. We aren't making big payments to an adoption agency or purchasing expensive plane tickets to Africa, so I've been keeping my eye open for the right opportunity to do something meaningful. Last week, my heart melted the second I saw Toloshi's beautiful face.

My friend Paula (an incredible advocate for orphans and the mother of three beautiful children from Ethiopia) shared Toloshi's picture on facebook via Rivers of Living Water Ministries. Toloshi's sponsor could no longer afford to help her and she needed a new one. There was something so special about this beautiful girl, I immediately contacted Bonnie, the organization's founder.  She told me all about this sweet 7-year-old child. She told me how our sponsorship dollars will help provide her a brighter future through food, clothing, a school uniform (you aren't allowed to attend school without one), school supplies, Vacation Bible School and the assistance of two social workers.

Could we visit her?  Yes! We simply have to find our way to her village of Gojjo (2 hours west and one hour north of Addis Ababa..two hours on a paved road and then an hour on a rocky, primitive road through forest and jungle). We can stay in the village guest house for $10 a night.

Could we send her a care package? Yes! Bonnie was leaving for Ethiopia in two weeks. If we sent her something to her Montana home in the next few days, she would gladly take it to Toloshi.

When Jason got home from work, I showed him Toloshi's picture and told him all about the ways we could help her.  I told him how I loved that Rivers of Living Water was a small organization with very little overhead. We could feel good that our dollars were going right where they were needed. Jason agreed and within a matter of just a few hours, we had a new sponsor child!

Bereket and I rushed off to the store to try to find some fun things for Toloshi's care package. The shopping was fun but challenging because all of the items had to fit in a one-gallon size plastic bag and it could weigh no more than two pounds. I can't wait until we can bring her an entire suitcase filled with wonderful things!

I also sent Toloshi a picture of us and wrote a card saying how excited are to be her new sponsor family.

I know Toloshi has experienced a lifetime of heartbreak in her young life. I think of her every day and can not wait to go visit her. I pray that this sponsorship will bless her..and lead her to a happier future one day.

Family Camping Weekend: Let the Good Times Roll!

The Third Annual "Camping with Auntie and Uncle" weekend is officially in the books...and after the camp gear is almost all back in it's proper place and the laundry is almost all free of campfire smell, I can't help but think, "Wow, camping is so much fun and soo much work!" (I am determined one of these years we will actually pack up the campsite in under two hours!)

Isabelle and Daniel (our incredible 7-year-old niece and 5-year-old nephew) look forward to this weekend all year long and I do, too. This summer's trip had two new additions to make it extra noteworthy.

First, Bereket came along! It was her first camping experience and she is one happy camper! Whether we were roasting marshmallows or splashing in the creek, she was determined not to miss a second of the action!

Secondly, I made a last-minute, summer splurge purchase: a Coleman Instant Tent, promising set up and take down in one minute flat! The one minute thing was a little too good to be true, but we got the tent up and everyone inside just in time for an all-night rain! I am happy to report the tent was almost waterproof and the kids seemed to find the new tent just as entertaining as the old one.

The weather improved greatly Saturday morning and we were in for a weekend of fun in the sun. When my sister picked the kids up this afternoon, she asked what their favorite part of camping was. Isabelle and Daniel both agreed they had two favorites:

In first place, Auntie's amazing campfire pancakes: they were even better than last year!

And coming in at a close second, our afternoon at the beach!

My favorite part of the trip was this morning when I thanked Daniel for being Auntie's amazing hiking buddy. He responded, "Auntie, I'm Bereket's buddy first!"  I hope these little cousins will always be the best of friends and that many more camping adventures are in our future.  But first, we need to recover from this one!

My very tired happy camper.

Mommy and Daddy's First Night Away

In the 9 months Bereket has been with us, Jason and I have had exactly 3 dates. One of them was to an arts fundraiser in early November. My sister was there as well and convinced me to bid on a night at my favorite bed and breakfast in Lanesboro in the silent auction. The Habberstad House is where Jason and I stayed on our wedding night and we've always wanted to go back. When my bid was the winner, I turned to my sister and said, "You are a winner, too! You have just won a night with Bereket!"

The Habberstad House is so beautiful inside and out.

In December, I booked our night away for July 1st. Surely by then Mommy and Dadddy and Baby would all be ready for one night apart.

But in the weeks leading up to this special night, I became filled with anxiety.  Bereket still wakes up a few times in the night and lets out little screams until she can touch Mommy and Daddy's faces and hands to know that we didn't disappear on her.  What if she woke up and thought we had abandoned her? What if my sister was up all night trying to dry her tears and soothe her back to sleep? What if Bereket's little cousins were kept up all night with her cries? Should I call and cancel our precious reservation?

But friends reminded me how important this time with Jason was... and my sister's home was only 5 blocks away from where we would be spending the night. We could be there in just minutes if there was any kind of problem. And Bereket's cousins were so excited for her sleepover, they had been counting down to Sunday night all week long. So, we would roll the dice and see how things went!

And they started off fabulously! Bereket didn't even notice when Jason and I slipped out of my sister's house.

Cousin Isabelle sharing her doll with Bereket.

When we checked in at the Habberstad House, our hosts handed me a delicious glass of Pinot Grigio. After a few sips of that, we were shown to the beautiful Scandinavian Room. One look at the big beautiful whirlpool and my anxieties melted away.

Ahh....

Sunday nights in Lanesboro are fantastic with live music at our favorite little restaurant on the river and all the shops and art galleries are open late. We enjoyed it all! 

Local band at "Riverside on the Root"

After devouring a massive shrimp pasta dish, I was so full, I could barely move. But by the time breakfast arrived, I found myself hungry again! Our hosts severed us two incredible courses...starting with dessert!

The first course was a delicious cake with homemade ice cream! Yes, this is breakfast!

So Mommy and Daddy did great on their night away! And Baby? She also did great right up until bed time...then there was about 90 minutes of tears. My sister almost called us in for help, but Bereket finally decided to give up the fight..and drifted off to sleep.

After all the globe trekking Jason and I have done over the years, It is amazing that such a short, simple trip to my hometown is even noteworthy. But for our family, this night was a milestone.  And as great as it was, we're all happy to be back together again!