Necklaces

Here are the necklaces that I am making to raise money for my trip to Haiti :) They cost $15 each and you can choose to have either the Haitian flag in them or the Ghanaian flag. If you would like to purchase one there is a button on the sidebar that you can press!!

Haiti :)

Hi guys! It has been awhile since I have written on my blog but I wanted y'all to know that I will be going to Haiti this July. We will be staying at an orphanage with around 100 children and we will be going to the out skirts of Port-au-Prince to do about three feedings. I am selling wristbands to raise the money for the trip. Each wristband costs $10. On the front of the wristband it says, "Love The Least Of These" and on the back it says "Matthew 25:40" (one of my favorite verses!!). If you would like to purchase one of these you can click on the button on the sidebar. The wristbands come in four different colors: maroon, white, yellow, and silver. I am looking forward to the great things God has planned for this trip :)

                                          

ME AND JAPHET, PETER, AND RICHARD :) I LOVE THEM!!

Pictures From Ghana :)

COMING HOME

Hey guys!!!! This is Hope. I just wanted you to know that I love it here!! I am sad to leave all of the amazing people that I met here. I am also really happy to be coming home with my little sisters and brother :) The other day my dad, my sisters and brother, and a few others went to the village that my siblings were born in and it was a wonderful experience but it was VERY HOT!! After going there I realized  I AM SO BLESSED!! We have so much and they have nothing. It made me think, I don't need my iPhone or new clothes, but they NEED food and clean water. God gave us so much and we should use that to help those who don't have as much. 10 people have died of bad water in the village of Moewakpor and we swim and play in it! After this trip to Africa I found that I want to be able to help those people. I will be happy to come back to America and sleep in my comfortable bed and eat McDonalds :), but I will never forget what I saw that day at the village.

Saying Goodbye

As most of you have probably heard by now our visa interview went great and our kids visas should be printed on Friday and they will fly out with Hope and Robert on Friday night and land in Chicago Saturday morning!!!!  We are so excited!  Today Hope and Robert and the kids went out to the village of Agbadzikope.  This is the village that they grew up in.  The pictures above are of them about a year and a half ago.  Today they went back to say goodbye to their relatives.  It was about a three and a half hour drive to their village.  They had hired a driver for the day and went out with another adoptive mom and her son.  The kids took along their belongings from the orphanage to give away to friends and family.  They had a wonderful day seeing where the kids had grown up, and also talking with their relatives.  Hope really loved getting to be there and see where her new siblings had lived and played and meeting the people who had taken care of them.  Tomorrow is another day of goodbyes.  They are having a going away party with the kids at the orphanage so please pray for the kids and their hearts.  They will have to say good bye to their best friends.  Please pray for Hope and Robert too that they could be a comfort to the kids during this difficult time of transition.

Finally some Fun!

After 4 days of sitting in government offices waiting on passports and medicals Hope and Robert and the kids got to have some fun.  They were able to go to dinner out at the "Next Door"  which is a restaurant right on the ocean and this is where the picture was taken.  In the picture with them is our friend Job who has been a good friend to our family in our many trips to Ghana this past year.  Hope told me that they also got to go down to the mall in Accra after going to get Lukes TB test checked at the medical facility. They ate pizza and hamburgers.  Hope said that Nestine in particular was no fan of pizza.  Maybe we just need to introduce her to Giordanos!  She is moving to Chicago after all home of the deep dish pizza. Then today Robert preached at the orphanage and then took the kids and a few of the others from the orphanage to swim at a local hotel.  Hope said that they had a lot of fun which was just what the doctor ordered after such a crazy stressful week.  Tomorrow morning is the big appointment.  Our visa exit interview will take place while you sleep tonight.  So as you go to bed if you will pray that we will find favor with the embassy employee doing our interview and that our visas will be approved and printed quickly.  Hope said to let all of you know she misses you and can't wait to share more about her trip when she gets home.  Internet access is very limited where she is and it is slow so loading pictures and videos will have to wait until she gets home.  Praying we have some good news to report tomorrow!