I don't know if this works but....

Coats (Visual!)

Here are the pictures of the coats. The kids were stoked to get these! They were beaming and laughing and jumping up and down excitedly and all the other stuff you do when your really excited. :)

Coats in detail

Well since getting a large request of (2) to explain more about the coats I will do so. :) I know this is annoying when people say this on blogs but I do have pictures and they will be coming. I'm currently at a internet cafe and don't have access to them but, as soon as I do they're going right on this very blog. Managed to accomplish getting 40 coats! Didn't think it was going to happen because of several reasons. One being that I had to go shopping in Mercado. Usually shopping sounds really exciting to me. But when it comes to shopping in Africa it's a whole new ball game. Mercado is one of the biggest markets in Africa so without a guide that knows the language and where everything is it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Luckily Dawit, one of the guys who works for the orphanage and lives in Addis was willing to help me out. This was the key in getting all the coats. Without this one man it would have never worked, so thanks Dawit! :) Finding 40 coats is also a difficult task especially when living in a small town, that's why I went to Addis since the little shops that are close to where I am wouldn't have had that many coats in stock. So we get to Mercado and it's packed, and we go to several different vendors since we wanted to get the best price. We finally settled on the fourth shop and that's when the bargaining began. I started out thinking that we were only going to get a few coats since I didn't really see much of a selection but I was pleasantly surprised. We picked out 10 coats and then he (shop keeper) would pull out more coats and then we got 10 more. Then another selection would be shown that was good so we got those too. By the time it was all over we only had to get 4 more coats for the littlest of the little kids. It was amazing! To explain the coats is a little difficult there a little lighter than a winter coat but look similar. Some are white with stripes across the chest and others are puffy with pink and purple (for the girls of course). You'll have to see a picture to get the full image in your head. The whole process was done in under two hours which I was really impressed by. We gave the kids their coats today and they were beaming. It was perfect timing for the weather here too since it's getting a little chilly in the nights. Today was also the last day at the orphanage so that was sad. It's crazy how much has gone on in the last four months. Have grown up alot but know I still have a long ways to go! Will miss the kids but know that God is leading my life and exciting for the road ahead.

Update

Here's a new post to you Mom. My only faithful reader. Haha. :) I am in Addis right now. Came with a Gimbie crowd that was headed to the airport. They picked us up at the orphanage on Sunday afternoon and we have been in Addis ever since. Why did I go to Addis? Well, some money was raised by some churches that wanted to give coats to the kids so I am here to buy them. Got to eat at a Mexican place two times while being here and it was EXCELLENTE!!!!! Wow, that's the one food I've been craving while being over here and this place hit the spot! Today is the day I'm going to buy 40 coats. I'm a little nervous about trying to find all these coats, but thankfully I have some trusty helpers (Olivia, Dawit). Wish me luck and hope you in the US are doing well.

sickness

Yeah, I’ve been sick for the past 7 weeks of the 11 that I’ve been here and I’m pretty tired of it. Mumps started it out then onto a really bad sinus cold, then to bronchitis and now to what some say is typhoid and others who say it’s not. Either or I’m still sick. So, out of all the sick days I have taken I am now going to take two weeks to recover and try to get my immune system up at Gimbie Hospital nine hours away from where I am. Why go to Gimbie, you might ask? Well that’s where Taylor (my brother) is and it will be nice to be around a relative that will watch out for me. There has been a lot of ups and downs while in Ethiopia, but as cliché as this sounds I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Mom and Dad, if your reading this I know this sounds kind of untrue. (I’ve called home crying a lot!) but I really do mean it. All the heart ache and ups and downs have been worth it so far and I’m not even half way done! Pray hard for us here. I know that it sounds so brave of us to be here, but it’s not. I’m the biggest wimp out there. It’s all God working through me to get through every day. Some days I just want to give up and come home. Some days I can’t stand the kids that we live with 24/7. But most days I can’t believe how God led us to the place that I’m at and how blessed I am. I love the laid back culture that isn’t focused on time. I love the kids who make me smile and how I am getting to know each personality more and more each day. They are GOOD kids. Kids that are trustworthy and hardworking, they aren’t perfect but they are so precious to me and are becoming more and more as the days go by. I hope that once I go to Gimbie and build my immune system back up that I will be okay to come back to the orphanage and stay for the time, but if not we’ll see what happens. Might come home or I might switch to another place in Ethiopia. I’m open to wherever God leads. Hope that the US is finding you well and that you’re doing some mission work over there. It’s a mission field wherever we are. ☺ Peace.

sickness

Yeah, I’ve been sick for the past 7 weeks of the 11 that I’ve been here and I’m pretty tired of it. Mumps started it out then onto a really bad sinus cold, then to bronchitis and now to what some say is typhoid and others who say it’s not. Either or I’m still sick. So, out of all the sick days I have taken I am now going to take two weeks to recover and try to get my immune system up at Gimbie Hospital nine hours away from where I am. Why go to Gimbie, you might ask? Well that’s where Taylor (my brother) is and it will be nice to be around a relative that will watch out for me. There has been a lot of ups and downs while in Ethiopia, but as cliché as this sounds I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Mom and Dad, if your reading this I know this sounds kind of untrue. (I’ve called home crying a lot!) but I really do mean it. All the heart ache and ups and downs have been worth it so far and I’m not even half way done! Pray hard for us here. I know that it sounds so brave of us to be here, but it’s not. I’m the biggest wimp out there. It’s all God working through me to get through every day. Some days I just want to give up and come home. Some days I can’t stand the kids that we live with 24/7. But most days I can’t believe how God led us to the place that I’m at and how blessed I am. I love the laid back culture that isn’t focused on time. I love the kids who make me smile and how I am getting to know each personality more and more each day. They are GOOD kids. Kids that are trustworthy and hardworking, they aren’t perfect but they are so precious to me and are becoming more and more as the days go by. I hope that once I go to Gimbie and build my immune system back up that I will be okay to come back to the orphanage and stay for the time, but if not we’ll see what happens. Might come home or I might switch to another place in Ethiopia. I’m open to wherever God leads. Hope that the US is finding you well and that you’re doing some mission work over there. It’s a mission field wherever we are. ☺ Peace.

a big thanks!

Hey just wanted to say thankyou to the people who have commented. All I can do is post blogs but I can't comment back. I know it has been a while since you have commented but if you do read this blog anymore than THANKYOU!!! :) It means alot that you care to read this sad blog which consists of bad grammar and bad writing but thanks anyway! :) Will try to blog more sooner than later. Love you to you all! :)