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If you have ever considered sponsoring a child from one of those television commercials, consider this.  Christie Cotney moved from Alabama to Uganda to build a school and educate 220 children.  You can choose from pictures and descriptions the specific child you want to sponsor.  Read the highlights below and then check out her blog: www.compassinmyheart.blogspot.com.

You can sponsor one of these children for an entire year for just $100.  (So for $100 today, you can do something for the entire year.  Resolution completed.)

Christie Cotney  writes...    
"Give the gift of education that will last a lifetime :)  If you would like to read the story about how God has asked me to find sponsors for 220 children, click here.

Here's what you need to know about sponsoring a child in the Bugabo Village:


or go to
www.compassinmyheart.blogspot.com for more details and to donate on-line.
You can sponsor by or by sending a check to:

Christie Cotney
PO Box 401
Alabaster, AL 35007
 
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We have been officially waiting for a referral for four months!  Our agency still estimates that the wait time for an infant girl referral will take 7 - 11 months.  We're of course hoping for 7 months.... or less! 

We are currently #15 on the waiting list.  Things have moved slowly these past two months for many reasons.  We haven't moved very far up the list, but we know that things will start moving eventually. 

We are hoping for an On Deck message (meaning that AWAA expects us to receive a referral within 3 months) soon!

 
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I am collecting new and used cloth diapers of any size and style to be delivered to an Indianapolis family who will be traveling to Ethiopia in January.  I will need the diapers by Monday January 3rd.

Leave me a comment if you would like to help!

 
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A fellow AWAA family experienced a true Christmas miracle last week!  Enjoy their amazing story! 

http://from3to4.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/a-miracle/

 
http://www.our-story-of-faith-and-grace.blogspot.com/

Thanks to several generous donations last week they were able to raise more than they needed to submit their dossier this week!
 
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I know what you're thinking... she finally stopped asking us to donate to her, and now she's asking us to donate to someone else?  Well, yes I am.

There is a very nice AWAA family just $600 short of what they need to mail in their dossier.  (Submitting your dossier means that you are finished with all of your paperwork and finally get to join the waiting list.)  I've been reading through their blog and it seems that they have been very smart about saving and planning for this adoption.  They finally have all of their paperwork ready to mail and can send it to AWAA as soon as they can save another $600. 

Now, if everyone who reads this blog today would donate just one dollar, we could raise $60 - $100 for them today.  Or if you are feeling generous donate more.  We're giving $15.  It's not much, but it all adds up.  Take it from someone who has been there... every single donation is a blessing.  We were/are thrilled to pieces over every single donation we received- no matter how big or small.  It is especially exciting to get a donation from someone you don't even know. 


Here is their blog.  They have a PayPal Donate button on the right hand side. (Don't use ours!  Use theirs!)
  http://www.our-story-of-faith-and-grace.blogspot.com/

 
From the Blog of TravisAgnew.org.  
Originally posted August 9, 2010

I don’t know how to say this in a politically correct way, so I’ll just say it how I see it: I forget my son is black until we are in public.


I’m not exaggerating.  I’m not trying to be spiritual.  It’s just the way it is.  When I go home at 5:00 today, I will have two boys run to the door to give my hugs and kisses.  When I see them, all I see is my two sons.  I don’t see one as black, one as white.  I don’t see one as adopted, one as biological.  They are simply my sons.  It is amazing how God works in your heart.

I see it that way.  But not everyone else does.  It’s interesting to me.  I will get the boys out of their car seats, and we will walk into a restaurant and all of a sudden the stares of other people remind me: your family is different.  And then I remember.

The stares are different.  Not all stares mean the same thing.

  • The Confused Stare – “Maybe these boys are just friends, but they are wearing the same clothes.  How can this be?”
  • The Disapproving Stare – “That just ain’t right” (these stares come from people regardless of race – you might be surprised).
  • The Blank Stare – “Huh? Why is that white man holding that black child’s hand?”
  • The Accepting Stare – “I don’t know how this happened or your story, but I think that is right on.”
We don’t mind the stares.  We have gotten used to them.  If our family encourages people or challenges them to think, that is a good thing.

I only concern myself with certain stares.  I am concerned with the stares from my boys.  When they stare at me, they see their daddy.  Not their white daddy, I am simply their daddy.  I want my wife to stare at me with trusting eyes.  I want my Father to stare at me and see a servant with whom He is pleased.

And at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.


 
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At ten o'clock on Sunday I posted that we could take donations for the Ethiopian orphanages.  Look at what we had gathered by noon on Tuesday. 

We just shipped five heavy boxes to a family in Wisconsin who are leaving for Ethiopia Friday morning.  They will be taking the supplies to the transition home where they will be sorted and distributed where they are needed. 

The most amazing thing about the amount we gathered is that most of it was just sitting around.  We picked up 99 cloth diapers that were no longer being used, we were given medical supplies and a high-calorie formula (used for malnourished infants) that had been sitting  in a closet in Bloomington for 8 months. 

Here is the list of items were able to collect in 38 hours. 
  • 25 cans of DuoCal formula
  • 5 boxes of infant cereal
  • medical equipment including gloves, wound care packages, feeding tubes...
  • 24 containers of diaper rash cream
  • 8 waterproof crib mattress covers
  • 48 waterproof diaper covers (size 12 mo - 4T)
  • 8 children's Tylenol and 6 infant Tylenol
  • 16 blankets
  • 129 cloth diapers
  • 100+ disposable diapers
  • 6 pair of toddler shoes
  • laundry basket full of infant/toddler clothes
  • baby powder, baby wash, medicated body powder, cough drops, barrettes, socks, teethers, pacifiers, bandaids, hand sanitizer, soap, tissues, q-tips...
We've shipped off five boxes, but we are not finished!  There are more families leaving all of the time and we can continue to send supplies every month. So, what do you have sitting around?  Who do you know that may have something we could use? 

Here are the greatest needs that we know of right now:
  • Cloth diapers and diaper covers (disposable diapers are fine too, but are used up quickly in an orphanage)
  • Waterproof crib mattress covers (crib mattresses in the orphanages are fabric and not covered with plastic like ours here)
  • diaper rash cream (due to the shortage of diapers, many infants have terrible diaper rash)
  •  infant and children's pain reliever
  • infant, children and adult multi-vitamins
  • infant/toddler clothes and shoes
Please continue to gather supplies.  We would be happy to pick them up from you or you may drop them off at our house, Lewellyn Technology, or Smidgens anytime.  The needs are urgent and we are fortunate to be in a position to have connections to families traveling to Ethiopia.  There is no reason for diapers, medicine, and clothes to sit in our closets! 



 
We have a family from Wisconsin who is able to take donations to the orphanages for us!  They are leaving Friday morning, so we're going to ship a box to them Tuesday evening.  We have a small collection we've already gathered, but they have plenty of space and we would like to send as much as we can.  If you are interested in helping, the most immediate needs are cloth diapers, plastic diaper covers, and diaper rash cream.  Other needs include infant Tylenol, antibiotic cream, vinyl or plastic crib mattress covers, bed sheets (twin and crib size), toddler shoes and clothes.  We can also accept monetary donations to send with the families to buy supplies for the orphanages while they are there.  You can also donate using our donate button on the side. 

Please have all donations to us by noon on Tuesday (December 14).  You can leave me a comment or send me an email.  We can pick up the items from you or you can drop them off at our house.  You can also drop them off at the Lewellyn Technology building or at Smidgens in Dugger during business hours. 


Do not worry about buying name brands or donating new items.  These donations will end up in one of the four orphanages that our adoption agency works with, so there is a chance that they will be delivered to and used for our daughter.  Even though we don't know who she is yet, she is out there somewhere, and there are so many more just like her, who need our help.

 
Check out what this awesome little eleven year old girl is doing!  Her parents must be so proud.  She is selling $6 bottle cap necklaces to raise enough money to purchase brand new shoes for 60 children in Ethiopian orphanages. 

Here is the link to her very own blog: 

http://littlegoody2-shoes.blogspot.com/