Headed to Africa!

We have a date! We have our first court date in Ethiopia on July 28, 2010. This is BIG! Both Bob and I hope to arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on or before July 25th so we can spend time with the little girl we have only known in our hearts. We will be able to spend time with her only at Hannah's Hope as she will not legally be our daughter. After we meet and spend time with Baby Strobel we will attend our court hearing where we will legally testify that she is the child we wish to have join our family. We will then have a couple more days to spend at Hannah's Hope before saying goodbye until we can return hopefully within four to six weeks to bring her home. We are hoping she will be on US soil by early September!

So far it looks like we will be traveling with four other families who have the same court date. Each of these families has gone through the same process we have been going through with our same adoption agency All God's Children International. We look forward to meeting the families from all around the country who have the same heart for adoption. Should be great fun to hear how and why they have chosen adoption for their respective families. Can't wait to meet them all!

Part of the travel for us we hope will include some outreach work. We sponsor a child through an outstanding organization called Children's Hopechest and we have recently begun to sponsor a twelve year old boy who is growing up in a boys home called Kolfe Boys Home and we are eager to meet him and bring many supplies to meet some of the basic hygiene and emotional needs of the boys. We are looking for a source for deflated soccer balls. Any ideas out there please contact me! We will also spend time just seeing the sites and meeting the people of Ethiopia. We look so forward to immersing ourselves in the charm and the culture of where our daughter is from. We want to take it all in so we can share it with her as she grows up. Her heritage is so important and we cannot wait to take her back to have her see what people say is such a gorgeous land.

We see visiting Ethiopia twice as a huge opportunity. We can collect and take many supplies to benefit our orphanage. The needs are basic and so vast. Below please find the list of items needed to sustain the many orphans at Hannah's Hope : If you feel compelled to donate just drop off anything. My front porch is always a good spot. We can also pick up any supplies if you may wish to donate. If you have any questions let us know.

It will be an exciting month of preparation for us around here but we are so glad to see this process moving along. We have been at this for two years and some days it did begin to feel like fiction. I will be making may calls to now find the best travel arrangements. We will be making plans for the best place for our boys to be while we are away. We will be gearing up to hold a little baby girl who needs a family. We continue to pray that soon she will be ours and we will be the parents of four, yes four beautiful little gifts from God. We are coming baby girl!

Donation Items needed for Hannah's Hope Orphanage:
-baby formula- soy or milk based- soy needed most!
-newborn diapers
-small board books/toys
-Avent bottles
-diaper rash cream
-pjs for 4 year olds
- crocs/ flip flops- gently used our fine
-q-tips
-cotton balls
-children's iron drops or vitamin drops
-children's medicine- Tylenol, Maalox, Advil
-cloth diapers
-pink and blue bath towels
-crib mobiles
-shampoos or conditioners for curly hair
-soap and deodorant for staff