One more sleep!

One more sleep to Africa! I'm like a kid waiting for Santa;)

I spoke with Monica's mum, Milly, at the orphanage yesterday; she was holding the youngest of the children in her arms while we spoke. Sarah is one month old. The next youngest is Ruth - at 1.5 months old. Milly says the kids are very excited I am coming!

Monica and I took the cash - most of it in 20 dollar bills - to the post office yesterday to wire it to the orphanage. Figured it would be safer then me travelling across East Africa with it.

They will have already received it by now and plan to start hiring builders asap.
I think this, by far, is the best Christmas gift I could ever have given or received.

Africa Bound

On Christmas Day, I'm heading to East Africa for a trip that has been brewing in my mind for a few years. It started with the gorillas; wanting to see the silverbacks before they become extinct. But, now it's become so much more than that.

I'm heading to an orphanage in Uganda, bringing with me well wishes from hundreds of Canadians and a substantial donation that will allow the orphanage to build brand new furniture for a new home they just moved into. How incredible is it that we were able to purchase new beds for all of the children there?

As a bonus, there were no overhead costs. Every dollar you donated will go directly to the orphanage. And all of that money will be spent in the local economy, hiring carpenters and purchasing local textiles.

I wasn't planning to blog, but the overwhelming response to the fundraiser suggests I should. I want to be able to share with you some stories on how we have touched the lives of 70 boys and girls in Uganda.