13 days - Mission Ethiopia! - Small update at the bottom

A huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you that donated to make this trip possible.
To God be ALL glory honor and praise!

I can't believe in less then two weeks Rachael and I will be on a plane to Ethiopia!

I can....but I'm still amazed at how BIG our God is. Just as I was beginning to wonder if this was Gods timing for my trip or not, as David and I prayed, seeking what God would have for us, it happened. As quickly as that. The rest of the funds for my plane ticket dropped from the sky, (which is precisely what I'd been praying for and when people would ask that's exactly what I'd tell them) that was all I needed to move forward. Not in my timing, but in Gods perfect timing.

So perfect that we were able to get tickets significantly cheaper then we'd anticipated. This provides for us to buy more formula and other things so desperately needed in Ethiopia.

I am still gathering donation items but I absolutely know that God will provide just what He wants us to take. In the 24 hours after God made it clear I was going He immediately started working out the details on what He wanted for Rachael and I in the two days we are there before the mission starts.

There were a couple things I felt the Lord wanted me to do but I wasn't sure where or how. I'd shared them with Rachael and she thought it sounded like a great idea as well. In that time I've heard from a couple of different people about unique needs within Ethiopia or connections from people here that know of needs over in Ethiopia. We are making ourselves available for those things and our schedule is taking shape. By dinner time on Monday the 26th we'll be ready to roll! God is GOOD! I am so excited to see what He is going to teach us, so honored that He called me to be apart of this team.

The team is made up of 21 like minded individuals. Some are adoptive parents, some are just people wanting to do more. Some are seeking information and looking for places to plug in while others aren't totally sure and felt God leading them to go. Every single person going on this trip has a passion for those in need and a desire to share the love of Jesus.

I've had several people ask what is needed as far as donations and I've compiled a list from a few different sources. Many of these first things will be used to interact with the children we come in contact with, the sheets are for the guest house we're staying at. They have trouble getting decent sheets in ET and this guest house is a non-profit ministry where all the money made goes right back to help the cause of the orphan.

Queen white sheet set (cheapest is sold at Walmart, canopy brand)

Bible Flannel Graph (tells Bible stories with felt figures)

Puppets and portable puppet show Bible puppets if possible

Coloring books and colored pencils (they have crayons in ET)

Bubble wands, bubble guns, bubble machines (no need to carry bubbles, we can make them)

Kids Parachutes (the kind with the handles that kids can hold on to)

Pop-up tent style play forts (the kind kids crawl through)

Deflated soccer ballsVBS and/or Awanas type supplies…craft kits, etc.

Lincoln Logs (a lot of people have these laying around…used ones are fine)

Children’s Bible DVDs of any kind…again, used are fine…with or without the case is fine

Shoes - a pair of shoes in Addis is about $60

Clothing (older children and boys clothing is greatly needed)

Formula - there is a huge shortage of formula in Ethiopia - they are feeding many of the babies water with a little bit of rice cereal in it.

Granola bars or other self contained style snack. We will use this to pass out to those we come in contact with.

Hot Wheels

Gallon and quart sized Ziploc bags for packaging granola bars to hand out to the street kids/formula so we can carry more in our suitcases.

Monetary donations will be used to purchase items needed for people in country or further supplies here. We will be exchanging money to give out small amounts to the people we meet on the street. When David and I visited Addis last year we were so deeply touched by the amount of gratitude the Ethiopian people have. I remember handing a man 1 birr (the equivalent to .10 cents US) and tears welled up in his eyes as if I had just given him the world. His face is forever etched in my mind. Showing Jesus' love in action.

Rachael and I are both purposing to pack lightly for ourselves so we can take as many donations as possible. If you have any questions or are interested in donating items feel free to email me. We leave January 23rd so we will need to have everything together by January 20th.

We covet your prayers as we make this trip. Pray that we don't get sick, pray that God puts the people he wants us to minister to in our path. Pray for unity as a team and safety for everyone.

UPDATE: Some have asked where to donate financially - You can either send paypal to erica.shubin@gmail.com or you can email me at that same address for a postal address to mail a check. We will be taking pictures of all the donations we were able to collect, if you have something in particular you want your money spent on please include that in a note and we will absolutely honor it. THANK YOU so much for all of your support. I am blown away by this amazing blogging community of friends.