Garage & Bake Sale THIS SATURDAY!!!!

I feel as if I have been living under a rock for the past week - well not as much a rock as just a MOUNTAIN of stuff! The garage sale I have been telling everyone about for the past few months is finally here....why am I not more prepared?!? I have never seen my apartment in such disarray but that will soon be taken care of, hopefully. :)

This Saturday, August 7th, I will be having a GARAGE SALE & BAKE SALE at Grace Reformed Baptist Church (3930 Glade Valley Drive in Kingwood - right in between Walmart Neighboorhood Market and Kingwood Park High School). Everything must go!!! It's scheduled from 8 am - 12 noon and there will be signs directing you to the church along Northpark Drive.

I have to admit I'm a bit of a pack rat so I've accumulated quite a bit of "stuff" over the last 24 years and most of it I can't really fit into my suitcase to Ethiopia....SO, come enjoy the great deals and yummy goodies too!! There will be lots of

• electronics (TVs, pocket PCs, video games, cameras, VCRs, etc)
• designer shoes & purses (BCBG, Jessica Simpson, Gianni Bini, Steve Madden, etc)
• furniture
• movies (200+ DVDs & 100+ VHS)
• home decor (picture frames, mirrors, lamps, signage, candles, vases, etc)
• kitchenware (appliances, glassware, mugs, tupperware, etc)
• linens (pillows, blankets, etc)

...and much more!! All sales and donations will go towards my work in Ethiopia starting in September. Hope to see everyone's beautiful face on Saturday morning!

Inspiration to Uganda...& the World

When you hear the word "Uganda", it evokes many different responses from people. Most are negative - war, famine, corrupt, poverty, unsafe, death....all of which are true. Thinking of Uganda only brings one thing to my mind though --- Katie Davis.

Katie is a 21 year old, resident of Uganda, lover of Christ, mother to 14 girls, orphan advocate, and a true example of what being the hands and feet of Jesus looks like. If you have never heard of her or her ministry, Amazima Ministries, you MUST read about it!! I've been reading her blog for a while and always feel inspired with every new post. It's amazing how the Lord is using her, even though most of the world would disregard her because she's so young.

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in purity." -- 1 Timothy 4:12

One of her most powerful entries was the story of her call to Uganda (she was only 18), the intense struggles she faced while doing so, and how her obedience to God has drastically altered her own plans....and made her life so much richer than she ever dreamed. Read the entry here.

Here is a short look at her ministry and life in Uganda. Watch and be inspired!

Support Letters....CHECK!

FINALLY! They are mailed. It's been a long time in process, and I'm so glad to share with everyone all the crazy things that have been happening in my world over the last few months. I also made my blog public so I guess I now have to really keep it up-to-date....a little intimidating, but I'm ready for the challenge! Here is the photo card I sent in the letters:

As of today, it is T-minus 7 1/2 weeks until my plane leaves American soil!! The time is definitely flying by - just like everyone told me it would.

This week has especially given me a dose of reality since my amazing friend, Rachael, has officially moved and is now "settled" in Addis Ababa. She left Texas on July 5 with a church group from Austin to do mission work in Zeway, Ethiopia for about 10 days. Everyone in her group returned home to the US on Wednesday (7/14), while Rachael stayed behind to begin her 2 year commitment in ET. She will be running the Cherokee Guesthouse in Addis, helping volunteers from around the world get involved with various humanitarian efforts throughout Central Ethiopia. I am so blessed to be able to have met her only a few short months ago and for us to have become such fast friends - a friendship that will only continue to grow while we are in Ethiopia together....SO excited!! One more reminder that the Lord knows what He's doing...:)

"are you going to paint your skin brown before you move to Africa?"

...oh, the adorable, RANDOM questions of a 5 year old! I was fixing Scarlett Paige some lunch and chatting with her when, out of the blue, she turned around and asked me this. And she was totally serious!! Still laughing hysterically...:)

This week has been awesome....my first week officially unemployed, being able to focus on only the important things before the move, and spending time with my family. These last several weeks are so precious, and I am cherishing the sweet and funny conversations, questions, etc - especially from the kids about life in Ethiopia.

Isabella (8 yrs old): "What are you going to eat over there?"

Me: "Well lots of the same things as here - chicken, beans, bread, pasta, spinach..."

Isabella: (pause) "But i thought they were starving in Africa because they didn't have food? Where are they hiding all the stuff you just said?"

LAST day as a recruiter...BRING IT ON

Today, I take the plunge OFF the corporate ladder into the valley of the unemployed....and I am thrilled! I mean, I've had a fairly good experience and learned a lot in the last 1.5 years, but there's no job satisfaction like the kind when you work with "the least of these". I'm sure there will days in Ethiopia where I will wish for a desk job again - during the kids' temper tantrums, when I have to learn how to ride mass transportation, or when I have food poisoning from vegetables that haven't been bleached properly. BRING IT ALL ON!!

It still doesn't seem real though. It doesn't really feel like my last day or that I'll never be back in this office. I guess it just hasn't fully hit me yet...probably will have to wait until Monday when I realize I don't have to go into work. The rejoicing will probably begin about that time. :)

Thanks ABC...it's been great, but on to bigger and better things!!

Happy July 4th Weekend!!

Solomon is HOME!!

He's finally home!! It's so strange to think that he's just a few states away from here and not halfway around the world...it feels so surreal that the miracle has finally happened!

Solomon's story is something so unique and special that hundreds of people have now heard it. It all started over 2 years ago with an adoptive mother traveling to Ethiopia and her encounter with a 17 year old orphan named Solomon. Since then, this incredibly strong mother has done so much for orphan advocacy in Ethiopia, especially those older girls and boys who are often forgotten once they hit 8 years and older. Read her blog here for their whole story.

Solomon was the first boy I met when I went to Kolfe Orphanage in September 2008. We immediately started talking and asking lots of questions to each other while he led a tour (with tons of boys following) around the Kolfe grounds. He was such a gentleman and just one of those people you meet that you can never forget!

It has been amazing to watch his journey unfold, and I am so thrilled for him that he is finally home with his family in North Carolina! He will also be attending college and seminary on a full scholarship starting in the fall! Praising the Lord for his provision and faithfulness in ALL things! Here's the news clip that aired on the local news in Wake Forest tonight about Solomon and the Mestas family:

September 6th...More than just Labor Day

It's the day I leave for Ethiopia! That's right - the votes are in, tallied, and September 6th it is! It's the perfect date - right before Ethiopian New Year and the children in Gladney's program will only have to wait about 2 weeks for me to resume the reading program and begin the rest of the child development activities, instead of a month like originally thought. So instead of spending Labor Day like this.....

...I will be doing this...

...and this...

SO EXCITED THOUGH!!!

the ABC countdown has begun

It's official! My days of working a desk job are now numbered...10 days to be exact. :) I gave my 2 week notice today at ABC....WOO HOO!!!


I can finally talk openly about me moving to Ethiopia and not have to act like I am climbing the corporate ladder...not being able to talk about it has been killing me! My boss said he wasn't surprised, considering he had read some of my personal emails over the last few weeks and had figured out my plan....I know, I think that's a little sketchy too. Anyway, this chapter of life ends on Friday, June 2. Can't really say that I'm disappointed because I'm so excited for what's to come!

(FYI: I love Ace Ventura Pet Detective...just in case anyone didn't know where the picture came from...)

What does a Termite look like?

Pretty much like this....

And why is this important?

Because they are literally eating through my walls!! (in 4 different places)

So far, the apartment bug death toll is at 19....and counting:

• 7 termites
• 3 roaches
• 2 beatles
• 6 spiders
• 1 (very large) unidentified species

...and I am on day 2 at the new apartment. Apparently, they heard I was in town and were curious about their new neighbor.

God definitely has a sense of humor in getting me ready for life in Ethiopia...

Moving Day....6th time is a charm!

Yes, 6th time...in the last 3 years! I should be total pro by this point and yet I still have trouble getting everything together. This move did take a little different spin though, knowing that I will be moving to Ethiopia just 6 months from now. Since I just moved literally around the corner, I'm a little embarrassed to say that it still took 3 hours to get it all over here...maybe because the truck held a slight resemblance to this...



As soon as I walked in the new apartment with my first load, I was greeted by a HUGE roach crawling across my wall. Um....not cool. Of course, my neighbors got to know me really quickly as I let out a blood-curdling scream. I should probably explain that I have a bit of an irrational fear of roaches. Not sure why...maybe because my dad used to catch them when I was little, chase me around the house, and then throw the live bug on me. Thank goodness my friend Toni's husband was helping me move and was immediately recruited to take care of the intruder...he was laughing hysterically the entire time. I found absolutely no humor in the situation! I guess having roaches is the payoff for getting a 1st-floor apartment. All I can say though is that the exterminator will have me as a new best friend very soon. :)

Other than the bug trauma, the move went really well! The Lodge apartment management has been wonderful and so accommodating! They actually agreed to pay for the entire move - moving company, utility transfer fees and slashed $100 off my rent each month!! I was shocked! I shouldn't have been, considering I have been praying the last 2 weeks for my monthly expenses to somehow be reduced so I could better prepare for Ethiopia....never expected my prayer to be answered this way though! It's sad that I still act so shocked when the Lord comes up with a totally brilliant way of answering my requests...His way is ALWAYS so much better than mine!

My next goal is to get everything set up in the apartment in the next few weeks, and not months. I have a bad track record of completely unpacking before about 4 months of living somewhere. Thanks Toni for all your help (and dragging Doug along too!)...Couldn't have done it without y'all!!