November is National Adoption Month and this Sunday is Orphan Sunday

Click on the link above to find an event near you and join Steven Curtis Chapman and others. Plan to be a part of this shout out to the world and help bring awareness to the cries of the orphan.

Steven Curtis Chapman Invities You to Join in on Orphan Sunday from Show Hope on Vimeo.

Derartu Tulu Wins New York Marathon!

Derartu Tulu, became the first Ethiopian woman to win the New York Marathon yesterday! She's an adoptive mom to 4 and bioparent to two children.

Derartu, a member of the Oromo ethnic group, grew up tending cattle in the village of Bekoji in the highlands of Arsi Province. The same village as Kenenisa Bekele, the male running sensation.

Her cousins Ejegayehu, Tirunesh and Genzebe Dibaba are all successful international long-distance runners, continuing the successful athletic history of the Oromo people.

Her victory came 17 years after she became the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the Barcelona Games. Tulu, who won her second Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia, has been carrying the banner for Ethiopian women since 1992. She owns a hotel and has a school named for her in Addis Ababa. The mother of Tsion, 11, and Ruth, 3, Tulu has raised four other children who are now teenagers.

One Family's Story in Video

I just love this video that I found this video on YouTube. Couldn't resist posting it....I feel

kinda funny about it because I don't know this family, I just hope they don't mind me sharing it with all of

you Pastoor watchers out there.

And she shall be called Amayah

A few months back we ran a Baby Name Poll for a series of weeks. Well, we would just like to announce that we have finally decided on a name for our little Ethiopian princess.

She will be called: Amayah Edith ______ Pastoor

Amayah, a name chosen by us as a family, and Edith, after my 92 year old Grandmother. Her Ethiopian given name will fill in the blank. As a side note, my brother PJ and his wife had a baby boy in May and named him after our Grandfather (passed away) so now my Grandparents each will have a child named after them. So sweet. (Actually, my Grandpa is one up on my Grandma because my parents named my brother Andy after my Grandpa too)

Cooper Charles and Amayah Edith. Cousins named after their Great Grandparents. Makes me smile =)

Have a great day!

Wendy

I Dare You.....

Update on AAI's Holiday Fundraiser

From Mandie, AAI's Holiday fundraiser Coordinator:

This week we received $700, bringing the total raised so far to $1890. We still need to raise $19,740, to meet our goal. (Last year we made the goal in 9 weeks... I'd love to beat our record, and announce it in 8 weeks this year!)

THE GOAL IS TO GET THE DONATIONS IN AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, so that we can
get the gifts/supplies purchased and sent over to Ethiopia with
traveling staff and families before the holiday.

Last year, more than $5,000 was raised for Humanitarian Aid programs.

This year, the project will be a bit different due to the news of famine and inflation in Ethiopia over the past year.

Children are starving and families are unable to buy food, or fuel to keep their

homes warm. With your donation of $30, fifteen of that will go to Hope Enterprises, which provides meals for street children and the needy.

Last year, some of the older kids were taken to volunteer at the soup kitchens many families purchased meal tickets from the soup kitchens to pass out on the streets. This is a great organization, and I'm very excited about AAI's Holiday Project partnership with them! At just over .40 cents per meal, imagine how much we can do!

This year, not only will you be making the holidays a little bit
brighter for a child or caregiver, you will also be contributing to
feeding the hungry in Ethiopia.

**Donations can be made by check or money order and sent (with a note
specifying "HOLIDAY GIFT PROJECT" and your preferences) directly to
AAI at the address below....

Adoption Advocates International
709 South Peabody Street
Port Angeles, Washington 98362

**Donations can also be made conveniently at the AAI website, by
clicking the "DONATE NOW" button, click on "Holiday project" and type
what portion of the project you would like your donation to go to,
in the Donation Designation Field.

www.adoptionadvocates.org

**An option is also available at the Benefit Orphans store, where you can also
find great gifts for the holidays that benefit the GRACE Fund and other AAI projects.

www.benefitorphans.org

Thank you so much, to each of you, who have donated this week! I will reply to every donation message that I receive, so if you have not heard from me regarding your donation, please contact me and make sure I've recieved it!

Halloween Fun

My boys found this yesterday and of course NEED to try it. =) Decided to pass it on cuz it is pretty cool! You can purchase the supplies for this and other science experiments at this website: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/