An Amazing Journey

I think this will be my longest post yet...but I wanted to keep the flow of our trip going...and, well, I just wanted to get it all down. I have no problem talking for great lengths of time, so I figured typing for a while wouldn't be too hard either!:)

We headed to Seattle Friday the 11th of July. Our flight left Saturday morning at 7:30 so we had to be to the airport around 5 am and it just seemed easier to go the night before. My brother, Paul, met us and drove us to the hotel as well as to find a place to eat. We slept really well, considering, and we were on the shuttle by 5 am. Those flights were the longest I had ever been on, I ended up reading two books (you can never hear the movies anyway!) and sleeping very little. Ethiopian Air proved to be great and we were very thankful for the service they provided!

We arrived in Ethiopia Sunday night around 7:30 pm. We all clapped as the plane touched down! Getting our visas took the longest (over an hour) and I would say we were in the airport about 1 hour 45 minutes from start to finish. The process, though long, was fairly simple. Bryan was able to go and exchange some money into birr while I waited in the visa line.

We were driven to the Ethiopia Guest House along with two other couples...one couple we had been blessed with the opportunity of getting to know them better while we waited for our flight in D.C. It was such a wonderful way to start the beginning of our long flight overseas! We wished we had had even more time with them (they were placed at the other of the two Guest Houses) but we are so thankful for the time we did have and the sweet encouragement they were! Anyway, it was almost 10 pm by the time we arrived and we quickly took showers and headed to bed.

We woke up around 6 am Monday morning to the Muslim's call to prayer being blared over loudspeakers...all I could think is, "You have got to be kidding me...don't you people sleep?!!!!" :) I spent my own time in God's Word and had a call to prayer far different than those listening to the loud speaker...and, of course, started feeling my heart beat a little faster knowing that we would meet the boys in about 4 hours!

We met the other couples at breakfast and then waited excitedly for the van to arrive to take us to the care center. The ride over,
we had our eyes peeled outside...taking in the sights of a land our children were born in but would quickly forget (we took lots of pictures to help fight that!).
And, of course, there were those thoughts of wondering what it would be like to meet them for the first time...would they run to us? Would they run away from us? Would they recognize us? Would our reunion be one we'd remember forever or one that we would want to forget?

I laugh looking back on those thoughts. When we pulled into the driveway of the administrative offices and parked,
a door was opened up and kids came streaming out. It was not personal, it was actually a bit awkward, but it was also so beautiful as we looked for glimpses of the faces that have been etched upon our hearts for the past year!
I saw Caleb first and quickly closed the gap between us...our hug was brief and he quickly turned and ran away, seeking the comfort of those familiar to them. Samuel stayed by our sides. His face showed the fact that he knew this was where he needed to be but his eyes were watery and my heart ached at the uncertainty I saw there.
Samuel was SO affectionate, though, and that really helped to bridge the gap and my mommy's heart took full advantage of every hug and every kiss. Caleb was on the move from the first moment...back and forth, back and forth.
I think we "lost track of him" at least 3 times in that first hour! :) We spent the following hour giving them their new sunglasses and Boston Red Sox hat's (of course!) and playing soccer with them and thanking the other families who were well prepared with bubbles and cars and other things we never thought to bring!

We filled out the necessary paperwork, handed over the money that was due CWA and the Embassy and then set out to go visit the care centers (one for the boys and one for the girls) that Samuel and Caleb had lived in for the past 5 weeks. Samuel led the way...and, since I was holding his hand, he pulled me along to the front of the "pack" very quickly.
It blessed my heart to see how familiar he was with all the kids and how they seemed to love him back just as much...lots of hugs and goodbye's. They showed us the bed they slept in...but there was no desire to sleep there again...we could see it in their eyes and their demeanor.
The care centers were clean and neat and full of nannies that clearly loved the 50 plus kids that were in them.(CWA and CWAE is doing an AMAZING job! We are so thankful God lead us to them as our adoption agency!!!) There was one little 18 month old baby that Samuel took me too to "introduce me". The little guy was sitting in a baby chair and as soon as I got close to give him a hug he grabbed my hand and didn't let go. Truthfully, I didn't want to let go either. I still get tears in my eyes at the image I have in my head of that moment. Praise the Lord, he will be going home to his new mommy and daddy soon...but all I could think is...Oh, Lord...can we do more? (I am not sure Bryan holds my sentiment...but we both feel that we are not done with Ethiopia...whether it be simply financial aid or something greater).


We spent the rest of the day at the Guest House just getting to know the kids. For us, it was great having the other families with their kids there too as we were able to see them "in their own element"...playing, talking, laughing.
One thing we learned quickly is that they were not shy!!! It was a blessing to have staff at the Guest House that spoke both Ahmaric and English...they were often our translators! In fact, the first night after we laid the boys down, I went up to check on them and Samuel softly said one word...I immediately headed down the stairs repeating the word over and over in my head (what if he was sad? what if something was really wrong and I didn't know how to help him?).
I got to the reception desk and repeated the word to the gal. She got a smile on her face and said, "Candy...He want's candy!" Boy was the joke on me! :)

Tuesday was Embassy day...and I had to keep preaching to myself that God was in control and His plan for that day would not be thwarted by any human efforts or missing paperwork.
He would accomplish exactly what He had ordained, whatever that might have been. We were all picked up around 2:30 pm, took the long ride there, went through two security check points (just like in the airport) and then we were ushered into a room to wait until our name was called. We couldn't believe it when our name was called first...I prayed all the way up the stairs...and within 5 minutes the documents were signed (they asked for nothing else but our signature!)
and we were holding birth certificates in our hands with promises that the visa, passport and other important papers would be delivered Thursday before our flight! I was stunned how simple it all was after all we had prepared ourselves for! We continue to rejoice in God's grace and mercy in that specific situation!
We still had to wait for the rest of the families to have their names called (another hour and a half) and I was grossed out watching Caleb crawl around the floor with his car LICKING the wheels whenever they looked dirty to him!!! But, he was quiet and that is what was needed and of utmost importance while we waited! :)

Wednesday morning we took the boys with us to Acacia Village(if you haven't taken the time in the past to see exactly what it is, please click on the link!

We are so excited at the work, passion and desire of CWA to help families and especially, to help Ethiopian families (specifically the moms) so that these precious kids can stay were they belong the most...in their own families!). Although there is nothing much to write home about...we were so excited to see the first building going up and we were so glad we made the trip! Plus, the boys LOVE riding in a car (macina, macina...that's what it is called in Amheric and that is the shouts we heard every time we got into the van!).


That afternoon we both felt comfortable enough with how the boys were doing for me to leave and go shopping with a couple other ladies from the Guest Home.
What an adventure. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love deals...but the whole bartering thing just left me flustered. One of the gals who came with us, Kylie, (was not adopting but was a friend of one of the couples who was adopting and joined them for the week (she is working on a military base in Djibouti, Africa))was a lifesaver and so much fun to watch as she bartered for us getting deals I never thought were possible! I have some images in my head that I will never forget from that fun outing! And the driving...whew, you could not pay me to drive over there!
Our driver, Getcho, was great!!!

One thing we never thought much about in going to Ethiopia was what our stay would be like at the Guest House...or, more specifically, what type of impact the people that we stayed with would have on us. I never could have imagined such a sweet blessing...or such a great impact. The couples we spent time with were not only fun but they loved the Lord and He shone bright in their lives.
It was not always the easiest being crammed into one house, seeing our kids go to other people with more delight than they came to us (Caleb!), but there was a sweet, calm peace that was so visible just in clinging to the fact that God has called each of us specifically to this adoption, these children and had ordained even the moments we were there! We have gained friendships that I pray remain till we meet again in eternity! And, we were so blessed to find out that one of the couples lives near Seattle...only a couple of hours drive away from us! Their newly adopted son and our boys and a lot of fun playing together and we are looking forward to getting together ourselves soon!

Thursday was our day to leave...but not before I got to meet Bea's (the precious Ethiopian gal who lives in Seattle) sister and brother.
They took us ( a couple of the gals at the guest house came with me!)to a cafe for coffee and smoothies and then we went to the Christian Bookstore which was so neat! I brought back Bible books for the boys in Amheric as well as a music DVD of praise songs (and some other stuff). It was a real blessing to meet them and share that time with them.

We spent the rest of the day packing and just waiting...I think, by that point, we were all ready to get home! Our flight left at 10:15 pm and the boys ended up staying up until about 1:30 in the morning before crashing.
Caleb was completely fascinated by the light buttons and the "call" button...not a good fascination to have on a night flight. As you can guess, it ended in tears...his, not mine! :)

They truly did amazingly well on the flights. Once we landed in D.C. things started going down hill a bit(picture Caleb whining in the loudest voice possible, "Boo-boo" over and over and over again while we waited for our baggage in customs. Don't forget to picture the pairs of eyes that kept looking over at us staring like DO SOMETHING...that little stinker ended up with his second lollipop and a bag of popcorn from an Ethiopian man working in Customs!)...but we received some sweet encouragement in the form of a visit from my Uncle Steven, Aunt Sharon and cousins (and a friend) while we waited!!! They live about an hour away from the Dulles Airport and it ended up working out GREAT to be able to see them and for them to meet the boys. The last flight was a bit exhausting...at that point we had been up for about 38 hours and the kids were getting tired of sitting down! Praise the Lord it was only a 5 hour flight!

On the flight we kept showing Samuel and Caleb pictures of their siblings, repeating their names in hopes of a smoother transition. And, the whole time we were doing that...MY anticipation of seeing them again kept rising and rising! By the time we got to the escalator and knew they were at the top, my eyes were full of tears! I cannot thank my friends Tyffany and Stacey enough for bringing them down to Seattle to meet us (nor can I thank the Taylor's enough for keeping them safe and loved the week we were gone!!!). The reunion was so special!!!

We met up with my brother's Paul and David and his wife Michelle...along with Bea and her daughters and (thank you so much Michelle and David!!!!) had sandwiches in a park right off the highway from how we would get home. The kids all got a bit of time to stretch, play and get to know one another. By the time we got into the car to head home they had their arms around each other in the car and the air was filled with giggles and laughter the whole way home! Not only was it beautiful to our ears but it helped keep us both awake! :)


We returned home to balloons on the door, all the kids laundry being done, weeds picked around our house and my garden, food on the counter, in the fridge and in the freezer (does the body of Christ get any more precious than that?!!!!:))and hearts that were so thankful for the gift God had given to us in the children He has blessed us with!


"The Lord watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless...Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure...Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being!"

Psalm 147:5, 146:1-2,9