Tova and Zoe Kessler, who are coming with us on our trip, have collected even MORE clothing and toys and supplies for the orphanage than we have. It's crazy. They have tons of toothbrushes and toothpaste, donated by the dentists who saw Vika, they have coats, clothes, blue jeans (which are in high demand), and even more. We are having trouble packing everything we have, but how about them?

Headbands

         Thank you so much for the headbands Aunt Mickey! The girls at the orphanage will love something like this. I love them too. These are the headbands that we are going to give to the girls in the orphanage. 

Days Until Latvia

           ONLY SIX DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!! We need to get prepared!

Look What's Hanging Up in My Bedroom

Activities

           We got some games to play with the orphans such as UNO and Twister, some candy to bring them, and some other little presents. We also got a TON of gummy bear vitamins. 10 bottles (275 vitamins per bottle) to be exact. We went shopping ALL weekend to get some great games and things to do. There are also some crafts we are bringing to do with the kids. There is cord for friendship bracelets, patterned duct tape, some easy and harder coloring books, a sketch pad, colored pencils, markers, crayons, origami paper, and more. Now we have to figure out how to pack it all! :-)

Donations

             WOW!!! Look at all of these clothes! How are we going to pack everything? We have coats, pants, sweaters, sweatshirts, t-shirts, mittens, socks and more. Thank you so much to everybody who has donated money, clothing, or anything else. 

Bake Sale

               On Saturday, February 16 we had a bake sale in front of Crosby's Market in Hamilton. We sold cookies, cupcakes, brownies, tea, and hot chocolate. We raised $150, bringing our total up to $1,255! 

About

          My name is Emily Minster. My mom and I are taking a service trip to Latvia on March 13. We are going to bring supplies to an orphanage in Riga, the capital. Recently, some of our close friends, the Kesslers hosted an 11 year old orphan from Latvia named Vika. She stayed with them for about a month and we became very close. I am going on the trip with Vika's host mom, and her sixteen year old daughter. We are going to bring them supplies like clothes, vitamins, coats, and anything else they might need. This blog will tell you about Latvia, orphans, our fundraising and trip, and more, so stay tuned for updates.

Latvia

           Latvia is a small country west of Russia, whose capital is Riga. It's one of the three Baltic States along with Estonia and Lithuania. The Russians took over Latvia in 1721 and Latvia gained independence again in 1918. During World War II Latvia was controlled by the Germans, who killed many Latvian Jews. After the war, the Soviet Union took over Latvia, and they deported many people native to Latvia, moving many Soviets into the country. Latvia became an independent country once again in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Then, in 2004 Latvia became a member of the European Union.

Latvia

Latvia on Europe Map