Blankets

I have recently found out that Taiger and I need to be immunized to travel to Ghana. For personal reasons, I have not immunized Taiger, and I don't have all of my immunizations. This is a new obsticle in our way, but not one that I am willing to to allow to change our goal of helping the children of Luckyhill. We will figure out a way to either get immunized (perhaps with the immunizations specially prepared without mercury, or with receiving special treatments to reduce the murcury left in the body, etc.), or we will figure out a way to help from America. Something will work out. I know with prayer and faith, all things are possible. The entire reason I am wanting to go to Luckyhill is because I felt that is where God wanted Taiger and I. I have faith either He will figure out a way for us to get there, or He will make His will known so I can do as He wants. In the meantime, we have been informed that the nights are very cold at Luckyhill and the children have no warm clothes or blankets. The mothers adopting from there have rallied and are sending blankets to Luckyhill. I, too, am going to send what I can. I worry about the children at Luckyhill. I hope a blanket I send will bring someone warmth and the knowledge they are LOVED. If anyone wants to donate a blanket, please let me know! Also, blankets can be purchased within Ghana for about five dollars. If you would like to instead donate money to purchas a blanket, let me know.

My Spider Web outline

I have not posted on this blog because I have been so busy lately keeping my other blog up-dated. Brad came in to the warehouse the other day and together we layed out a "Spider Graph" (yes! Just like the ones from elementary school) about my orphanage. I let him do most of the brain storming, while I listened. Much of what he said was GOOD, BUT not at all in the direction I am trying to go. I kept an open mind and really tried to wrap my mind around his plans, which were not at all like MY plans. I tried to come to terms with them, and tried to accept them. I tried to see myself exicuting his goals...and I couldn't. It didn't feel...right. Not that anything was WRONG with his plan...it was just that it was HIS plan, not mine. So, today I wrote my OWN Spider Graph, and felt MUCH better! It felt like my plans were layed out and easy to follow. They went in the direction I wanted them to, and I feel more secure in what I want from Sixteen Small Stones. Now, I must decide how to proceed with Brad. He is kind and helpful...I just don't know if he is going to be the best person to help me with what I am trying to do. If my Spider Graph were written in "A B 1 2" format, it would look something like this (let's see if I can do this!): SIXTEEN SMALL STONES 1.) To Support Existing Orphanages a. Funding b. Education c. Nutrition program d. Formula program e. Staff training f. Building maintainance g. Community volunteer work h. Adoption support i. House-Style and Life-style improvement 1. Pictures for walls 2. Rugs for children 3. Beds for children 4. New household goods/items j. Child stimulation 1. Toys 2. Books k. Provide Love L. Music Education Program 1. Provide music classes to children interested 2.) Foster Home in China a. Provide housing for children and infants taken from the orphanage and placed in my Foster Home 1. Provide Housing 2. Provide Nutrition 3. Provide clothing 4. Stimulation 5. Love 6. Health care for at risk children 7. Well-child type check-ups 8. Health care for all children 9. Advocation for orphans in China 10. Education 11. Vocational training 3.) Safe Life Programme for Older Girls in Africa a. Provide a space for them to come spend time b. Provide food c. Provide clothing d. Provide assistance in continuing education e. Personal safety classes f. Music Education classes g. Vocational or Farming training h. Provide a safe place to sleep i. Provide a weekly or bi-weekly group meeting where the girls can come together and express their fears and concerns and talk about solutions to these issues. j. Provide ways for them to overcome their fears and concerns for the future. k. Help them with goal setting l. Teach them about child care m. Nutrition and Health Education

Some information on slavery in China and Africa

I was taking my own advice today and reading up on some of the things about which I feel strongly. I read about the slavery in China. WOW! I always learn more and more...even though I don't want to, I know it is important to. I found a website with interesting statistics, some of which I would like to share with you! This excerpt came from humanevents.com. It was an older article. Unfortunately, I think the situation is the same or worse. "...millions of Chinese work for meager wages under constantly abusive work conditions. Today China makes approximately 75 percent of the world’s toys. As noted by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), U.S. companies such as Disney, Mattel (maker of the Barbie doll), Hasbro, McDonald’s (Happy Meal toys), and Warner Brothers utilize factories in China to produce toys for virtually all major U.S. retailers, including Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart, and Target, as well as for direct marketing. Still, the AHRC documents that working conditions in the Chinese toy manufacturing industry are abysmal, just one notch above 21st century slave trade standards. Consider this AHRC description of a Chinese toy worker’s story: Average age of a worker in a typical Chinese toy factory: between 12- and 15-years-old. Typical wage of workers in Asian toy factories: from as little as 6 cents an hour up to 40 cents an hour (in U.S. dollar terms). Typical number of hours worked in a day during busy periods: up to 19. Typical number of days worked per week: 6. Young workers work all day in 104-degree temperature, handling toxic glues, paints, and solvents. Workers weakened by illness and pregnant workers, who are supposed to have legal protection, are forced to quit. The typical profile of workers in these factories involves single young women migrants from rural areas to the cities in search of jobs. " Also, over the holiday I talked to my brother, who takes a very active part in speaking out against slave labor in China and other parts of the world. He refuses to purchase products made outside of the US, or from companies who sell ANY product made outside of the US. He is a kind person, who is well educated and well informed. He watched a news report about the slaves in China who make the Marti Gras beads. He related the entire program to me. It was heart wrenching. I don't want to say to go make yourself cry, but IF you WANT to learn more, I am pretty sure you can find the program on youtube.com. Tonight, I did a little research also on blood diamond slaves. I found the website realdiamondfacts.org. It was informative, to the point and easy to navigate. The site also provided links of where to learn more about this topic.