All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

" 'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane ..."

I have my suitcases all packed ... one for the kids with another duffle bag packed inside to return with souvenirs, one for me, and one full of donations. (My sister is only taking one so we are still only at two per person). CWA shipped me a baby scale, five pairs of little shoes and a pile of socks to take; I found some flip flops at Walmart on clearance for 75 cents apiece so bought a pair for each of my kids (which might be their size) and six more pairs to donate. My sister works for a dentist so we have 150 toothbrushes to bring, and we also have about a dozen bars of bath soap, 6 jump ropes, 6 boomerangs (another 75 cent bargain!), 600 balloons, 100 packages of four color-crayons (like the restaurants give to the kids) and 10 packages of 20 colored markers. I would love to take more but ran out of space.

We leave one week from tomorrow on Monday March 24th! We'll arrive in London on Tuesday morning, stay with some friends for a few days for my final hurrah at a vacation for a long, long time and depart there on Saturday evening. We arrive in Addis Ababa early Sunday morning. My sister's church supports a missionary team with Christian Missionary Fellowship in Addis Ababa, and a lovely couple (whom we met several months ago when they were home to visit family) have graciously offered to meet us at the airport - even though an adoption agency representative will be there as well - and take us to church with them and then to lunch. What a nice welcome! Hopefully later that day I will be able to pick up the kids. Wow! It is so surreal to think that soon I will be the mother of two 8 year olds!

I am also completely thrilled to find out that one of the women whom I met last fall at an adoption training class in Washington state will be in Ethiopia at the same time we will be. We are making plans to meet and spend some time together. I just love her and her 14 year old daughter and am looking forward to spending some time with them as they pick up her new 12 year old son. Their being there at the same time is just one more sign that God has a perfect plan for all of our futures.

In addition, another new wonderful friend I met at an adoption class here in Colorado, is traveling to pick up her new 8 year old son from Rwanda and may be passing through Ethiopia when we are there as well. She is an amazing woman who who is the founder of He Knows My Name, a ministry which raises banners throughout Africa and the entire world proclaiming Jesus as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit uses her in a powerful way, meeting personally with political and military leaders to work towards peace. I count it as an honor to be included in her circle of friends. I encourage you to visit their website and pray for peace and this ministry.

"Don't know when I'll be back again ..."

Okay, yes I do ... we leave Ethiopia Saturday April 5th, and after a grueling 16 hour flight from Addis Ababa to Washington DC, and an 8 hour layover there, where I'm hoping we can all hop a tour bus to see some of nations historic sights, we will arrive home Sunday afternoon, April 6th.