Laughner's Journey to Ethiopia

Last week on Monday afternoon we received a phone call asking us to be foster parents for about 2 weeks. We would need to pick up a preemie 4 lb. 9oz. 3 week old baby girl from the hospital the following morning. After talking it over, we decided that if this is where we were needed at this time we would do it! We picked up Baby Alana Tuesday morning. She had a visiting nurse on Friday, she weighed in at 4 lb. 10 1/2 oz. She had her first check up Monday (at 4 weeks old) she weighed in at 4 lb. 13 1/2 oz. She we will have another weigh in this Thursday. Please pray for her, her birth mother, prospective adoptive family, and our family as we give her the care she needs! Foster care, No this is not something that we signed up for or knew that we were cleared to do. With a completed home study with Wide Horizons For Children, they consider us able to foster care. When a need arises they turn to families with completed home studies and ask them to foster. So this call came as a big surpris...

Our dear friends the Nikolai's had a garage sale and added on a bake sale for our family. They sold baked goods with the profits going towards our adoption travel expenses! We received this sweet card and a check for $181.50! Thank you so much! We love you guys! If you are in the Milford IN, area my sweet nieces are having a snack stand during their garage sale to help bring their new cousin home! Thank you guys for all of your help!

While we thought we had raised the money we needed for our adoption, we were thrown a curve ball this week when we learned that Ethiopia has changed their rules for court approval. Now, both parents have to be present for the court proceedings (in the past, our agency could represent us). We are now faced with an additional travel cost, since we'll now have to travel to Ethiopia twice. There's an organization, Just Love Coffee, that helps families with their adoption fund raising efforts. We receive a percentage of every bag of coffee sold from the site. There are coffees from all around the world available. To order your coffee, visit: http://www.justlovecoffee.com/laughners Thanks for your support. Tom and Lori

Kevin Barry was the winner of the Ethiopian coffee and coffee pot. Here is the picture of him with the coffee and coffee pot, and a video of the kids drawing his name. Thank you to Kevin and everyone else who purchased entry tickets!

We have one large payment left to pay when we receive our referral. We still have 3 adult small and one adult medium green "PROJECT ETHIOPIA" t-shirts (these are $20 each). We also have all sizes, kids 2T up to adult x-large (unisex and lady cuts) t-shirts. They are gray and are the "THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT" design.($10 each) We also have canvas bags with the "THEY ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT" design ($10) I am also considering a fundraiser tag sale/bake sale... if you would have any items that you would be willing to donate (and live locally) please let me know. Our next big expense will be traveling to bring our daughter home. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support! We can't wait to share more of this journey with you!

There are only seven unsponsored kids at Kind Heart. That means that 68 children are now matched up with families here in the United States, and the orphanage is able to meet the needs of these children. In addition, Kind Heart is working to obtain permits in order to build a bridge over the filthy river so the kids don't have to walk through the water with the suffocating stench when walking to the drop in center from the town. Thank you to everyone for your incredible support. Because of the overwhelming support, and ongoing interest, I am going to expand our reach to another organization. Hanna's Homes is a drop-in center for children who have lost both of their parents. What's really unique about Hanna's Homes is that the children are placed in foster homes rather than having to live in an orphanage. It's a great model because the kids can receive the love and attention they need in a small home setting. I am gathering information and will share it as I have it...

Hi all. People are signing up for sponsorships. I've included below a few of the kids that are now sponsored, which means that Kind Heart is in much better position to feed, clothe, and educate all of the kids at this facility. Abenezer is four years old, and has been at Kind Heart for less than a year. He is a single orphan (one of his parents is deceased). Note the flies on his face. One of the things I noticed at many of the orphanages is that the kids don't bother to swat away the flies. Tibebu is four years old and has been attending Kind Hearts for less than a year. He is a "vulnerable child" which means he has relatives living but they are unable to care for him adequately. I met Tibebu when I was in Ethiopia. I'll post more pictures of him later. Wolnshet has attended Kind Hearts for two years. She is six years old. She is also a "vulnerable child." Yobetal is seven years old and has been at Kind Heart for less than a year. He is ...