formula and toys and uniforms, oh my!

Still trying to grasp the fact that I only have 23 days, 8 hours, 23 minutes and 13 seconds until until I leave for Uganda!!! WOW! Like, that's not a lot of time to get done what I have to get done. I met with Rachel on Friday for the first time face-to-face and we had an amazing day! I got to see pictures of the village we will spend a few days in doing health classes, more pictures of the kids in the orphanage and also pictures of the area in general. This is going to be an amazing trip because it's God's trip for me! He had me waiting patiently on the edge of my seat for 5 months while He worked out the details. Africa was one of the only in my dreams trips and I'm glad that I let Him pick the destination. I prayed for months that "I'll go WHEREVER you want Lord, just send me SOMEWHERE. But He knew my heart. He knew that I was lying. I would go WHEREVER, just so long as I had enough money for the entire trip before I booked the flight. And, unfortunately, those were only the destinations really close to home. Totally not where He wanted me to go. Have you ever had one of those hard lessons to learn, where months later you look back and you can't help but see how He went ahead of you and paved the way? Well, this was one of those times.

So, what can YOU do to help me get prepared for this trip?

FORMULA:

Photo courtesy of Brighton Their World

If any of you have any unused powder formula (any brand) please send it to Brighton Their World, PO Box 1975, Powder Springs, GA 30127. I first mentioned them in this post. For those of you who haven't read that post yet, Tymm & Laura started Brighton Their World in honor of their son, Brighton Asher, who passed away at his orphanage in Ethiopia before they could get there to bring him home. They have been an amazing source of inspiration for me and when I first started really praying about Uganda, I mentioned to Tymm that I wanted to start a formula drive so I could take some over with me. He quickly let me know that they would take care of that for me and even drive it over to me all the way from Georgia! Because I got such an awesome response from everyone at the very mention of collecting formula, I decided that it would be an awesome way for all of us to pull together and support their organization even after I have all that I need for my trip. So when I get home and share the pictures of what YOUR FORMULA DONATION meant to the orphanages, I hope that we all can continue to get formula to Tymm & Laura for future mission trips. They send out formula with anyone and everyone. THAT is the whole purpose of Brighton Their World!!! Join their Facebook page so you can keep up with where they are sending formula next! VERY excited for God putting this family in my path!

I will be reserving one suitcase JUST for formula! 30,000 children die each day from hunger or preventable diseases and if that is NOT OK with you, go check your cabinets! Even if you only have one small "sample" container, send it! Forward my blog to your friends in case they have some they would like to send. I raided Melinda's cabinets and found 4 containers that she was given to "try" for Marlie. Also, if you work for or know anyone that works for a pediatrician's office, I have been told that they have TONS of formula that they give away as samples. If any of it is expiring soon (within the next couple months), PLEASE send it because it will be used IMMEDIATELY! They need any and all they can get! I have a friend who didn't have any at home but wanted to help so she ordered some online and had it shipped to Tymm. They also have a baby registry at Babies "R" Us (Registry #45547788), so if you want to purchase it there, it will ship straight to them. On Saturday, June 26th, Tymm & I will do a formula exchange. He will bring me a suitcase full of formula and I will give him what all I have collected up until that point. I am very passionate about what they are doing and I love, love, love this family!

If you are a creative person, you are totally going to be all over this one . . . they have also started a "Covered With Love" ministry!! They are collecting "handmade" blankets, wraps, booties, head caps, etc, to send to the babies and children in the orphanages. There are no rules or regulations, so feel free to make them whenever you can and send them in your own time. As I mentioned before, they send formula with teams all the time, so your heartfelt, handmade creations will be placed in the suitcases as they send mission groups to each country.

Photo courtesy of Brighton Their World

If you have any questions at all about the "Covered With Love" ministry, please contact them through their website or post a message on their Facebook page.


TOYS:
During Rachel's visit, I suggested we go to Dollar Tree and I was humbled by that trip. Humbled. I kept picking up cute, cute things that I could take over with me and it broke my heart that I couldn't . . . like nightlights (and realized they have no power), hairbands (and realized they have to keep their heads shaved because of lice), etc. Unforgettable trip to Dollar Tree, that's for sure. But I DID FIND a lot of things that I would love to take them and that's where you come in :) There are 36+ kids (depending on whether or not any more have come in recently) and I would love to take each one of them their own gift, although some of these can be shared. I got one each of some of the goodies I found so I could take a pic to post:

I will have to find out the exact ratio of boys to girls and will update this post when I find out. Things like towels and toothbrushes, I will obviously need 1/child but some of the toys can be shared. It was amazing how light all of the things I picked out were. Even more excited to cram as much into a suitcase as I can!! There were a few more things that I found that I didn't take pics of, such as:
~ Pencils (sparkly ones)
~ Colored pencils
~ Stickers (assorted)
~ Puzzles (they have some small 25 & 50 piece ones)
~ Punch Balloons
~ Balloons
~ Soccer Balls (deflated - soccer is BIG there & balls are expensive)

If you would like to purchase any of these, feel free to do so and just send them to me at PO Box 401, Alabaster, AL 35007. If you live in Birmingham, I would be glad to set up a day for a group of us to all meet so I can collect what you guys have. If you would just like to donate the money and have me get the supplies, feel free to do so by clicking on the donate button on my blog.


UNIFORMS:
I would also like to purchase school uniforms for the 36+ children at the orphanage. The uniforms are available for sale in Uganda. I will be staying at the orphanage for a week and during this time I will be able to get lots and lots of pictures of the gifts that you helped give these children. I am not sure about the total amount needed to cover the costs of the uniforms but I will find that out and post it. Rachel has been corresponding with the orphanage owner but because the power over there is not very reliable, it may be a few days before I know an exact total.


Do you have some cool things that were a hit when you visited? If so, PLEASE SHARE!!! I will also need some gifts for the adults. These need to be more sustainable items. Any ideas???

Wow, and I promised this was going to be a quick post! Sorry, guys, I'm just VERY PASSIONATE about these children and I haven't even met them yet!! I will also be teaching them about Jesus while Rachel is teaching the "Family Planning" class, so I stocked up on some cute VBS supplies from Dollar Tree. I don't even know where to begin with teaching children that may/may not understand English but I am more than confident that God will put into my mouth the words that He wants me to say. Besides, LOVE is universal, right? Please keep my heart in your prayers, as well as the hearts of each and every person that I come in contact with. I need God to go ahead of me and pierce the hearts of these people, so that they might let me share the love of Jesus with them. They all NEED TO AND DESERVE TO know that HE LOVES THEM!

Please comment below if you bought any of the toys (and the amount) so we will know what has been purchased :)