Welcome back, friends...or just plain "Welcome" for those of you who are here for the first time. 😊

Let's jump right in, shall we? It's almost unbelievable that 2 months have flown by since I last checked in, and what a 2-months it has been. Shortly after returning from Africa, I flew back to the Midwest to bring my aunt back for my father's funeral. On June 20, Military Funeral Honors were held for my father, a retired Lt. Col. in the USMC. Taps were played, there was a gun salute, and the U.S. burial flag was folded and presented to me. My parents' ashes were finally laid to rest at the Fort Worden National Cemetary in Port Townsend, WA. It was an emotionally exhausting day, a relief to have my parents' ashes finally buried together and also a horrible reminder that both of my parents are truly gone. That's how my days have been, moments of overwhelming grief juxtaposed with the feeling of having a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, allowing me to rebuild my life. All of it compounded by the fact that my parents were so proud and supportive of my volunteer work. Life can be a sticky mess sometimes, right??

So now it's time for me to focus on my future, especially my future with ITW. When I haven't been working or managing the details as the executor of the estate (gruesome business), I have been planning! Planning, organizing and streamlining my ideas about fundraising, both for myself and for supplies that could benefit the communities that I am working with in Africa. 

For any newbies in the crowd, the work that I do with ITW is strictly as a volunteer. I use donations and my own money to cover the cost of my airfare and in-country transportation, housing, meals and any additional supplies and incidentals that are needed during my trips. That's why donations are so important to me, I see first-hand where ITWs money goes, and the positive impact made by those funds. The longer I can continue doing this work without depending on ITW for financial support, the better!

I am also working with LuminAid to receive an NGO discount when purchasing inflatable solar lamps that provide light and are able to recharge phones and our portable ultrasound tablets when there is a power outage. The more solar lights I can purchase, the greater the discount. My goal is to be able to give solar lights to all of the clinics and healthcare workers that are enrolled in the training program with ITW, as power outages are a common occurrence in the areas that we service. 

I have started a GoFundMe, that can be easily shared with friends and family (hint, hint!), and you can designate where want your donation to go.

One of the many times I used my LuminAid solar lamp when power was out in Kenya.

I have also started an Amazon Wishlist for supplies that I can distribute to the trainees and ITW trainers that I work with. One of the items on the Wishlist are headlight beanies! I had bought these hats for the Uganda team and had one of my own to wear in Kenya, perfect for chilly evenings with no power and easily rechargeable. I immediately gave my hat to James as a thank you gift for all of the incredible ways he made our lives easier, and also because I realized that he (and most of the others) often traveled to and from work in the dark. He was so thrilled with this simple gift that I felt ashamed that I had not thought of bringing enough hats for everyone. I often work in very remote areas where clinic employees have to leave their homes while it's still dark in order to get to work on time. How incredible would it be if I could give everyone a headlight beanie that wanted one?? There are other items on the list, little things that we take for granted, that can be expensive or unavailable in the areas I travel to. This list will continue to change and expand as needed, so keep checking in. 

James, wearing his headlight beanie on a chilly morning.

By now you may be thinking "Sweet honey mustard! How am I supposed to keep all of this straight?" Well, I have got you covered! I have put everything in one spot...

https://linktr.ee/monkeybrainjo

This will connect you to my social media accounts, my GoFundMe,a and my Amazon Wishlist.

If you choose to "subscribe" to my blog, you'll get an email every time I write a new post. When I am on my trips, I try to write about my experience daily. When I am back on the home front, I just try to check in here and there with news about the next trip, fundraising progress, and to let you know I'm still here. :) I hope you stick around and join me on my personal journey, it's nice having you along!

Much Love, Jo (Monkey Brain)