You Can Help!!

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to start out thanking all of you for praying for us during the last 2 ½ years.
As many of you know we are close to the end of our almost 3 year journey to our daughter. It has been a long and sometimes very discouraging journey but we are following God’s plan for our family and we believe this now more than ever. The families we have met and lessons we have learned over the last couple of years have deepened our relationship with God on so many levels and now we are getting ready to travel and meet our daughter for the very first time. I can not begin to describe the emotions of seeing her for the first time or the love you can feel for a child you have never touched but is as real as anything I have ever felt.

We currently have a court date of May 20th, 2009 and if we pass we plan on leaving here around June 3rd. We will be bringing 2-3 extra suitcases full of donations that we receive that we can leave at the orphanage where our daughter is from. Right now, she is in a Transition Home where she is getting great care. The nannies are all very loving and she gets medical care weekly. Although, not all medication is currently available in Ethiopia so some things will have to be taken care of when we return to the United States.

Below is a list of items that the orphanages and the Transition Home needs.
We will be donating all the items to the orphanages where the need is so much greater and the families that have recently visited said the need will just break your heart and bring you to tears.

Other ways to help: you can send us a check or gift card and I will pick up supplies from Wal-Mart or Target. Other ideas is your place of employment can you pass around a donation envelope or does your employer have any of the available supplies they would be willing to donate. If you are interested in helping out more our adoption blog (www.gagnonadoptionjourney.blogspot.com) has the link to our adoption agency and any donations to them are 100% tax deductible.

I would like you to only consider this letter as a request and not for anyone to feel obligated in any way. Prayer is the most powerful way to help these orphans. One thing I have learned is that I may not be able to adopt every orphan I see, but sometimes one picture will touch your heart and God is asking you to be a prayer warrior for that child. There is a great video on our blog you can watch on Why Ethiopia? Please take a moment to watch it. It will give you ideas on how YOU can help and what to pray for.

Please follow our blog as we will continually update our adoption journey. I cannot wait for all of you to meet our new daughter. As soon as we pass court I will post a video on our blog with pictures of her.


Love and Blessings,

Dawn Gagnon


Items Needed at the Transition Home

Children’s Clothing(new or slightly used) Boys & GirlsSizes 0-8 years old
Diapers size for up to 30 lbs
Unscented Baby wipes
*Powdered Formula with DHA/RHA
*Alimantum Formula or Nutramigen – Enfamil Formula
A+D Original Ointment,Diaper Rash and All-PurposeSkincare Formula
Hand Sanitizer

MEDICATIONS NEEDED
Multi VitaminsTri-vi-sol(0-6 monsths)
Poly-vi-sol (6 months to 2yrs)
Chewable multi vitamin(2yrs-9yrs)
Adult Multivitamin 9 yrs +
Tylenol(acetaminophen)
Infants
Childrens Suppository
Syringes for giving meds (5ml)
Plastic disposable gloves
Baby nose saline spray
NeosporinMouth and nose masks
Benadryl liquid/elixir
Permetherin for scabies
Lice kits
Toothbrushes,toothpaste & floss

*There has recently been a number of very malnourished babies coming out of the southern providence where the drought has been most severe. The Alimantum and/or Nutramigen – Enfamil Formula is in dire need to save these babies.*

Ava's Drawing

Ava got the "Magical Friendship Garden" book at Easter, it talks about a family that adopts a little girl from Ethiopia and how all families come together different ways through adoption and how they are all still beautiful and full of LOVE. In the back it asks you to draw a picture of your family.

ONE MONTH UNTIL COURT!!!

Only 1 month until court!I am asking all our families and friends to PLEASE continue to pray that our court date will be successful on May 20th. I thought waiting 12 weeks from referral to court date would take FOREVER!! but it is coming fast, thank goodness!!!
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

Painting!and Shots!

I had FIVE shots on Wednesday and got 3 prescriptions for traveling(seems like overkill to me) and had already planned on painting G*** room this weekend. Yes, I am nuts. So after 5 gallons of paint, 3 shades of pink and green, I think I got it perfect and GUESS WHAT!? It is almost exactly the colors of Ava's room. I am truly mental. It has been a big deal, since it was going to be purple and Ava got upset because she wanted a purple room too. So, I decided, Who cares? G** hasn't had a pink room yet so we will do it PINK. I feel like I am writing sequel to Pinkalious or Purplelious. It is true, pink is powerful!LOL So anyway, Mike said anymore pink or girls and he is getting a Harley and visiting every 6 months.I will post some pics of her room later, it is not quite done and of course I want it perfect!

Hello,
Well, we only have 5 more weeks until court.LOL but it should go fast. Ava & I have an appointment tomorrow with an international travel doctor to start getting our shots. She really hates going to the doctor for ANYTHING!!So I told her if she does good I will take her to the new Hannah Montana Movie. I keep telling her she needs to be brave since she is going to be a big sister and will have to set a good example.Sounds like the chicken pox are going around the Transition Home where G*** is please pray she doesn't get it or at least has a very mild case. Poor baby, it is so hard not to be able to take care of her yet. I am going to start painting her room this weekend and then probably get to Ava's next weekend. There is the largest travel group in Ethiopia right now from our adoption agency and a couple of them are going to take some pictures for us. Can't wait to see her again.

Tenative Travel Dates!!!

Hi all,
We received our tenative travel dates to pick up our daughter. We are to be in Ethiopia by Sunday June 6th and will be there until approximately Sat June 13th. This our course, depends on us passing court on May 20th!!PLEASE PRAY that we will have a successful court date and all post court paperwork will go smoothly.