The Starfish Book Drive...

Amanda at Starfish spends a lot of time in hospitals. When she was with Breanna for her heart surgery, she was required to stay in the hospital without leaving for many days. They did not provide her with a room or a place to bathe. She stayed on a couch in the hallway. This is a big part of her life as she travels all over China bringing the babies to different doctors who specialize in whatever their ailment is. While she was with Breanna I asked her what she did to pass the time and she told me someone had given her an old magazine. I asked her if she had any good books to read and she said she didn't. She spends her money on supplies for the babies and surgeries. She is very practical and very driven. She told me that she did not have access to a library, there weren't any in her area.
So, you know me....my mind started working. Actually, this one has been in the works for several weeks now. Thank you to my partner Verna for the wonderful header!

This is the project, if you would like to participate, please leave a comment and I will get you Amanda's address in China.

I would like to encourage anyone who would like to help to send Amanda a paperback book. It doesn't need to be a new book. It can be one that you have enjoyed in the past. Keep it paperback because shipping to China can be expensive, so the lighter the better. Please also send a card. I know that Amanda doesn't have a strong support group of ladies to help her face the challenges in her life. She is a strong Christian woman, so she relies on God. But I think that a kind word of encouragement would go a long way. She also spends nothing on herself, so if you would like to send something small and personal, like a bookmark or something..I think that would be wonderful. I did get out of her that she likes Robert Ludlum and books about Chinese adoption, that's all I could get without revealing what I was up to.

I asked her the other day if there were any small items that the children needed...I was thinking we could slide one in with our books.

This is the list she gave me:

Hyland's Infant teething tablets
Shaklee infant vitamin powder
Probotics for infants
Butterfly closures for wounds, small and large
Infant stool softener

If you would like to include any of these small items with your book, that would be wonderful!

Now, I want to prepare you that shipping to China is not cheap. The most cost-effective route is the US Postal Service, but the package will be handed over to the Chinese Postal Service where packages magically disappear on a regular basis. The best route is to use a major shipping company that tracks like UPS or FedEx. It's more expensive, but you know your package will get there. If you know someone with a discount at one of these places...ask them if you can use it. I know that Northwest Airline employees get a great discount.

Thank you.