Birthday Celebration

It's my birthday TODAY. I have one wish for my birthday today. For people to partner with us int he crops for widows program. I figured if everyone that wished me Happy Birthday on facebook would donate$5 each, we could really make a difference in the lives of women who are still getting hit HARD by drought. But it doesn't just have to be my facebook friends.

You can make a difference too!!!!!

Will you consider a $5 donation today for the crops programs? The fundraiser is already set up. You can give via paypal or credit card. It's super simple. It would be the best gift. Click here to give:

http://www.acharityproject.com/f/FOVCcrops

Coffee & Bees

Alright friends, I need your help. Our friends in Ethiopia need your help. What do you know about growing coffee trees and coffee bean production? How about bee keeping? Do you know a ton? Please share. Leave a comment or email me at tam4buit at hotmail. What's that? Are you saying that you don't know much? Okay, then, can you think of anyone you do know that would have knowledge in either of these areas?

Both of these pictures below were taken in October at one of the model farmer's farm. In the first one, there are coffee trees in the foreground that are being propagated. I was glad to see this couple so advanced in their farming techniques.

While we were there, and I was seeing all the different things they were doing, I wondered if they had any bees. Bees are great for honey. Honey is a great sweetener and a product that can be sold. But from the perspective of growing plants, bees play a hugely important role of pollinating plants. So, I began asking about bees and this is what the model farmer took me and showed me:

Yes, friends, those are bee hives hanging out in the shade. I was super excited to see this was occurring and immediately wanted to do more. This was the first time I saw bees in Ethiopia. I want to bring more bees to the Shanto area.

But 3 months after my trip, I've done very little with this thought. Well, my friends, that needs to change. I need a crash course but a thorough course in coffee production and bee keeping. Soon, we hope to develop both of those programs in our FOVC sites.

P.S. one of our FOVC sites is the location of the best coffee in Ethiopia. As I sit here early in the morning at my computer, I can just see how FOVC can start their own coffee exporting business. Wouldn't that be a cool way to support widows????

Necklaces Plus

I've sold the baskets and one necklace this week. Thank you Cassie and Nicole. There are plenty more. I have more in the process and will try to catch up with posting more pics after I'm finished with the Sweetheart Supper on Tuesday.

Check out the necklace page and scroll through to find one you like. Want a basket? I've sold the 3 that came home in my luggage but there are more at www.fovc.org.

Happy shopping,

Tamara B

Rockin' My World

Do you remember my friend, Boltase?

I wrote about her on my blog in a post titled Starvation is Real. She was one of my crops widows who was very near death. Tonight, I was able to chat with Desalegn, the guy who leads FOVC in Ethiopia. He shared that Boltase is doing well but has a shortage of food. That first part is music to my ears.

The second part is rocking my world. It's not like Boltase is the only one who has a shortage of food. Did you know the famine is still destroying lives in Southern Ethiopia. Yeah, I haven't been very good at sharing that. The famine was expected to be 4 months. And you know what, that 4 months is up but the famine isn't.

Right now, people should be planting maize for this next crop season. Only problem is that the rains still aren't coming. And my ladies, along with everyone else, aren't planting crops without water to get them to germinate. They are waiting for rain. For some of those ladies, I know they are praying for rain. Would you be willing to join them? Your donations of dollars are impacting these ladies. With the money you've given, FOVC is able to give widows seeds to plant. The problem is that it still needs to rain. A small amount of rain is needed to plant the crops. But it will be needed to keep the crop growing.

When I was chatting with Desalegn earlier he said "Sometimes I become sad when I see widows and children and some elders are crying for food and walking here and there to find food". That's heart breaking. I was there. I met those ladies and their children. I met the model farmer and his wife. They are all suffering. There is much greater need than the little bit I saw. Will you join me in partnering with FOVC?

I put this little fundraiser together because I care. Because I've been there and seen the need up close. Because I know the impact that your dollars make when I spend my vacation and money to travel to Ethiopia and train these widows. I would love to widen the circle of influence. I'd love for you to join me in raising $2,500 in the next few weeks to impact and change the lives of 10 widows. Can you give $25? Would you share this with at least 9 friends who will also give $25 and together you can sponsor one widow? Facebook, tweet, email, blog... whatever it takes. Join hands with your co-workers, classmates, siblings, girlfriends for real, sustainable, change. I promise, you won't be dissapointed.

Donate here http://www.acharityproject.com/f/FOVCcrops

New Things... Sharin' the Love

My sweet friend Nicole rocks! Knowing that I was selling bead necklaces to raise funds for my next trip to Ethiopia, and knowing that I still have lots of puzzle pieces to sell, Nicole emailed me to help. It's a way that she can get involved. Thank you Nicole! Nicole loves to upcyle and make domino necklaces. So, let me tell you a little more about them.

The domino is hand picked to be used. Her hubby drills the hole (it's more delicate work that you'd think) and she does the design. After the design is on the domino, she coats them with a thick resin and then cures them under glass for several days.

So, here's the deal.

With your $21 donation towards 3 puzzle pieces, I will send you one of these cool necklaces. I have the following domino necklaces ready to send to you:

• two "worth the wait" (pictured on the left)
• two "ethio flag" (pictured in the center)
• two "family hope love" (pictured on the right)
• one "love forever" (top picture on the right)

But guess what, Nicole is so creative and cool that she also offered to make some custom necklaces. Those look pretty awesome too. This one below she sent to my friend Megan:

So, if you want one of these cool custom domino necklaces, you can make a $35 donation and send the pic you want on the necklace.

Again, Nicole, I can't thank you enough for how you've participated in serving others. You may not be able to go to Ethiopia, you may not have a million dollars to donate to the organization, but you can use your gifts and talents. Nicole, you're doing just that. What a treasure you are!

On another note, I have a bunch of bead necklaces to get rid of. Donating $26 will get you a sweet necklace that directly supports my next trip to Ethiopia. But, it also impacts the ladies in Ethiopia who make the magazine beads. This one I just added. The magazine beads are interspersed with colorful glass beads.

This might be a little lengthy, but hang in there with me. I have one more very important thing to share.

Meet one of my sweet friends in Ethiopia. This is one of my widows. She's a beautiful lady. A hard working lady who serves FOVC in many ways. You are impacting her life. You are changing her family tree. As a widow in Ethiopia, she has nothing. Except her children to care for. With the assistance of FOVC, she has a job and an income. She's one of FOVC's widows. And when I was in Ethiopia in October, I would often find her preparing food for the children or working on a craft project. In this picture she's working on bracelets which can now be found on FOVC's website.

Our FOVC widows receive training in other areas too. While some are in the livestock program, others are in the crops program, and others are working on crafting. Check out these baskets they made that snuck into my luggage on my return flight. The sell of these baskets directly benefits my widowed lady friends in Shanto, Ethiopia.

As I've mentioned above, I have a few new things on my necklace tab here on my blog. Check them out and see what you can buy. If you order in the next two days, I can probably get it to you by Valentine's Day.

P.S. my birthday is coming up soon. One of my birthday wishes is to get everything on my necklace page sold so I can add some new stuff...

Coming Soon

I have some new necklaces completed and one sold from the necklace page. I hope to get that page updated soon. My to-do list is quite lengthy this week since my Judah is celebrating his 4th birthday on Sunday and we're doing a family gathering on Saturday. But hopefully in between Super bowl commercials, I can get my blog updated.

After all, you're really going to want to see the necklaces donated by a dear friend that she and her husband so neatly crafted. Can't wait to share those with you too!

What's New

I know I haven't written a lot here. But I haven't been doing a lot with Ethiopia stuff. I piddle some, dream some, and do some follow up, but nothing amazingly note worthy. On the flip side, FOVC is doing some cool things but it's just not directly related to what I'm involved with. I'll share two things about that:

1. The well drillers headed to Shanto this past week to finish up the well. It was dug and cased but needed the pump dropped into it and piped. Finally, the clean water that they dug to, will be pumped and given to the people of Shanto. How cool. Water is Life.
2. Desalegn reported that the drought is very serious. I can't imagine. I got goosebumps just typing those words. Here I sit with a keurig behind my laptop and a gallon of distilled water next to it and yet there are people dying because of a drought in the land where my son was born.

So, what have I been up to lately you ask?

I've been doing some personal things, hanging out with my husband, doing crafty things with my kids, sledding in the snow and then laying in bed for a few days when I pull my back out of normalcy. But I've also been doing some thinking about FOVC and how I share the story. So, I'm going to try to communicate with you what I've been thinking lately.

When I share with people about the work I'm associated with in Southern Ethiopia, I want to draw them in. Help them understand why they should care. And suddenly, after speaking to a group of elderly folks in care facility, it hit me that I might be doing this wrong. You see, I'm passionate about what I'm doing. And I also think that others should get involved. Because many of my blog readers include other adoptive parents, I've tended to focus on that general area. You know, I'm volunteering there because my kid is from there. And his birth family is still there. While I believe that's a hugely important role, it's not the only reason I'm doing it. I'm also doing it because I like to treat others how I'd want to be treated. Call it the golden rule, or reference the bible, however you want to look at it, they're people in need of help and I raised my hand.

So, here's my dilemma. As I've shared with lots of people about the work in Ethiopia, did I convey the right message? Yes, people have cared and have donated money, bought a necklace, or prayed for us. But does it break your heart? People are literally dying of starvation and tomorrow, even I will get up and go on with my day. Why aren't we more burdened for these people. Why are we day dreaming of our next trip to some dreamy vacation spot, when our brothers and sisters in the horn of Africa are DYING?

Friends, I don't want to share the yucky pictures of the effects of starvation. But I do long for you to know the truth. That simply put, our wealth is beyond measure in their eyes. Do I think wealth is wrong? No. But do I think that you and I both could give more of our wealth away. The answer to that is yes. All day long, it's yes.

And it's not just Ethiopia friends.

Do you even recall that it wasn't too long ago that Haiti marked two years since the earthquake? Two years. And what's being done there? How have I given to those people, who didn't birth my son? Have I cared about them? Cause they're mankind too? And if you claim to know Christ, they are your brothers and sisters. I know, I know, I can't save everyone. But I can't save even one if I don't start somewhere! So tomorrow, when I wake up, I hope to look at that with a little different view and a call to action. Will you?