Well we made it home on Wednesday and after several days we are starting to feel normal again. In summary our trip was hard, fun, exciting, interesting, emotional, and very educational. We were able to meet both birth moms of our children and learn about their pasts and their hopes for their children. This was the hard part. Meeting the person who brought them into this world and who had to give them up for a hope of a better life. I am still processing all this and even grieving for these moms and my children.
Everyday we spent several hours at the Care Center, where our children are currently living, to connect and bond with them. We certainly bonded with them and learned about their personalities and some of their challenges. Gebremedhin is extremely fun, intelligent, handsome, and has quite a sense of humor. He is also a hoarder. He hoarded every toy we brought out and hid it in his bed. He definitely wants to own his own items. I can't really blame him. G really understood we were his family. When the van would roll in to pick us up, he would go sit in the van like he was going with us. Through a translator, he would say, "I am ready to go with my family now."
Nazarite is tiny and snuggly. She loves being held, sang to, and tickled. She is also very intelligent. We can't wait to bring her home and beef her up a little and heal the sores and bald spots on her head. She cried most of the days we had to say goodbye to her. She understood we were more than just people stopping by for a few days.
Leaving Ethiopia was excruciating! It still is. When I was in Ethiopia I felt part of me was missing since Zach and Matthew were at home. Now that I am at home I feel half of me is still in Ethiopia. I am struggling with having my kids live in an orphanage for 2-3 months as we wait for the US Embassy to clear us. This is the hardest part. I am constantly trying to figure out a way to send me back to Ethiopia to rescue my kids from their current situation. I am trusting, however, that if God wants me back there, he will provide the way. Please pray that circumstances will arise for me to find my way back there soon to live with my kids as we wait for Embassy.
We had many fun and interesting experiences. Driving in Addis Ababa was quite the experience. There is no traffic control, stop lights, or lines on the streets. When they come to a intersection they all take they turns passing through and a inch slowly through four lanes of traffic. Katie had her hair braided by a couple who run their business out of a tiny pink shack. We just happened upon their business as we were looking for a place to have her hair braided. The couple who runs the business live, eat and work in a 4'x4' foot corrugated iron hut that costs $850 birr a month to rent, about $43 USD. They can't afford a place to work and live. We enjoyed meeting them and we were their first American customers!
We enjoyed a ethnic meal with music and dancing. We enjoyed the coffee. We enjoyed our drivers and learning about Ethiopia from them. We enjoyed a day with Reed, our pastor. We also enjoyed spending time with the children at the Care Center. There are several children, besides our own that we connected with. The children would smother us when we sat down. They need people to hold them, tickle them and play with them. Since we are connected on Facebook with many of the families that are adopting these children, it was a privilege to love on their children and send photos home.
Thanks again for all your prayers and encouraging words. They were felt and definitely needed. Please pray for patience and a speedy process through Embassy. Love you all.
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