Stay tuned!

I think we have targeted an awesome project to spend the Kinshasa Kids fundraiser $$ on!  Please stay tuned as we are trying to finalize the details and will hopefully let you know all about it in about a week!  Thanks again for all your support!

And the winners are....

The kiddo's that need our help

Please visit the Kinshasa Kids Raffle tab for information on how you can help these kids!

Blog privacy

I am keeping this blog open and not making it private.  I am doing this in hopes that I will spread a wider net and hopefully raise more money with my fundraiser!  With that being said though, you will notice that I will be sharing no details about my travel dates or times or any details about my trip to Kinshasa.  I do have a private blog which has more of my personal and family information but will not approve anyone that I don't know.  If you are interested in following that, please contact me.  

Congo is a country that unfortunately has a very sad and corrupt history.  With that being said, bribery, even at an orphanage, hospital or airport is common and I wouldn't want to compromise anything!  I hope you understand that my lack of detail isn't because I'm not a cool chick because actually if you knew me you'd probably tell me I say TOO much, but because of my safety and the safety of my travel partners and the children we are helping!

Some things I will see and experience in Kinshasa

I've never been to Kinshasa before and I hope that this won't be my only trip there.  I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the things I will likely see and experience while I'm there.

• Some of the most beautiful people in the world
• Some of the greatest music in the world
• Someone trying to steal my stuff
• Someone asking for a bribe
• A child dying from starvation
• A child dying from malaria
• Holding a child that is dying
• Helping a child that is dying
• Looking in the eyes of the many children I can't take home or help
• Wondering why I am the lucky one
• Making friendships that will last a lifetime
• Seeing pure joy in the eyes of a child when I give them something so simple, like a ball
• Asking "why" a million times
• Sweating profusely and wanting nothing more then a bath, then picking up a child covered in feces and holding them tight and suddenly not caring at all
• Crying

I know these things, good and bad, are going to happen.  That is why I want to do everything in my power NOW to raise money for these children so that when these things are happening I am not mad at myself for not doing more.  

We're getting close!

We are hopefully just a couple weeks away now from starting our raffle!    I am getting very anxious to get it going !  Also, if anyone is in the Coeur d'Alene area, we are taking formula donations to bring with us to DRC!

What to expect

In the coming weeks I will be throwing a fundraiser where you can enter win some beautiful pieces of artwork.  Every dime used to purchase raffle tickets will go towards one of 3 orphanages in Kinshasa when we go to visit.  Raffle tickets will be able to be purchased either through me or through the non-profit organization "Our Family Adoptions."  All donations on the OFA site for Kinshasa Kids will be tax deductible so not only are you able to buy raffle tickets to win a wonderful piece of artwork that I will ship to you FOR FREE but it's tax deductible too.  It's *practically* like I'm paying you to help the kiddos in Kinshasa :)