Hope

So I never forward any emails or anything like it but I really think this one my sister got from another family who adoped a child from Etheopia is worth us all reading and perhaps responding to. Its a little long but it brought me to tears...I hope we can help.
Merry Christmas
Becky

Hope is eight years old. We adopted her in 2003, and since then we
have had an unusual challenge every Christmas. You see, Hope is a
precious, polite and very well behaved young lady. Our challenge is
not Hope, it is fulfilling her annual Christmas wish.

Each year we ask our three daughters to choose three things they
would like to receive for Christmas. Hope's two older sisters do
well listing things they would like to receive. Hope, however,
presents us with wishes that no toy store, book store or Gap outlet
could possibly provide.

Last year, Hope told the mall Santa that she wanted "peace on earth"
and nothing else. I failed miserably at fulfilling that wish. The
year before that, her first year with our family, she asked
for "enough food to feed all the hungry children who live in
orphanages." Again, I could not grant Hope's one wish. So this year
I offered Hope some ideas for her Christmas list. I suggested a
Furby, a new Barbie, or a hundred other toys that have invaded our
home via the television over the past month. But, to my dismay, this
year none of those would do. "This year," said Hope, "I wish for
eleven sisters from Africa."

I explained to her that eleven children is a lot for one family.
But, since we know several large families, eleven doesn't seem too
large to her. I explained the logistics of adopting eleven sisters,
but this still didn't deter her from her one and only Christmas
wish. Finally, I pleaded with her to name just one other thing she
would like to find under our Christmas tree this year. "OK," she
replied. "I wish that every child at the Layla House orphanage in
Ethiopia receive three pair of new underwear." I'm not sure why she
chose three pair, but in her mind, that seemed just about right.
Hope added that she would ask God to help me, since this was a
pretty big wish, and she would understand if I couldn't grant this
wish for her.

Now here it is, less than two weeks until Christmas, and I know I
can't do this alone. I'm confident that with your help, I can
finally grant Hope this year's Christmas wish. Please help me give
Hope the underwear, in various sizes, that she wants to take to
Ethiopia. (We are currently waiting for a referral).

If any of you would like to help, please send the underwear to:
Hope, 6790 Moonlight Circle, Sun Prairie, WI 53590. We could all
bring joy to a very special little girl that has a heart as big as
the world. It is indeed the season of giving, joy and selflessness.
This we learned from a child over two thousand years ago, and are
reminded of the same from my child, my Hope...our Hope.

Thanks!
Sharon