Ethiopia - Part 4

We woke up Tuesday morning and Sara was feeling quite a bit better.  Thankfully!  Because, we had our 2nd visit with our little guy!  We were up, ready to go and headed to the foster care center by 9:15.  Robel seemed a little more familiar with our faces so he was ready to play a little.  He loved to be bounced around by Bob! 

I was soon realizing though, that he likes to do things on his own.  So, we ended up following him around... a lot! 

Can I just say that I love the care givers at his home!  They are so sweet and take such amazing care of the kids.  Today they were taking care of all the little girl's hair, either braiding or putting in puffs!  Eventually, they started braiding Sara's hair.  Poor girl had no idea what she was in for.  She sat for a good long time while they braided her hair.  She was so sweet, and Sara was a trooper!

Sara missed saying goodbye to Robel because she was in the middle of "beauty shop," so when she was all finished I ran her back in so she could give him a quick hug goodbye.  He was sitting on the floor in the room when we walked back in.  He looked up at us and got excited.  My heart did a little flip...he may actually like us!!!!!

After our visit to the Care Center, we headed to the Leprosy Hospital.  We were able to visit the shop on campus and buy some trinkets and linens.  We really weren't there to visit the lepers as I we wanted to respect their privacy and not put attention on their handicaps.  However, as we were walking around we were able to see them work.  Women with no fingers being able to stitch and embroider....simply amazing!

Next stop was the Sabahar Silk Factory.  We got to see how they get silk from the silk worms.  The whole process, from the butterflies to the weaving of scarves was quite interesting.  The girls liked this little outing.

After the Silk Factory, we were told we were going to Hands for the Needy.  This ended up being my 2nd favorite part of the trip (1st being Robel, of course)!  Hands for the Needy is a NPO that ministers to children who live and survive out of the city dump.  Hands for the Needy sponsors children, sends them to school, and feeds them one hot meal a day.  On their compound they even have showers so that these kids can come and take showers when needed.  We were able to tour their compound and then help serve the kids their lunch.  Sara immediately noticed their manners.  Once each child was served, they waited until all were served.  They stood together and began reciting something.  After they were finished they sat and all began to eat together.  We were talking with one of the founders and ask him what they were saying.  They were praying the Lord's Prayer!  It was an amazing time!!!

We had had a full day and everyone was hungry, tired and overwhelmed with all they had seen that day. With every activity, outing, or event that we were participating in, I am realizing how much I am truly beginning to love this country and it's people. We have been so blessed to see the things we have seen and to have experienced so much so that one day we will be able to share a little of our experience and love of Ethiopia with Robel. 

We Passed Court!

So, my plan on the day of passing court was to write this post and put up as many pictures of Robel as possible.  Last week ended up being one of those weeks that I am glad is over and so here we are one week later celebrating passing court (which happened Jan 30) and introducing to the world our little man.  In case you may be wondering...We changed his name.  Originally we were going to name him Joshua, but after meeting him, we realized he is Robel (Roby for short).  We love it and it fits him perfectly.  So here is Robel Joshua Thomas...

 

Ethiopia - Part 3

So, the weekend was finally here and there really wasn't much going on so we made our own fun. Saturday was the Ethiopian Christmas so most restaurants and stores were closed for the first part of the day.  Bob and the girls decided to go for a walk and had quite an adventure. I always say that if Bob has the opportunity, he will meet and make friends with just about anybody that crosses his path. So the three of them found a cafe and had tiramisu, cokes, and a macchiato (of course)! They met new friends and had quite the adventure. I was sorry to miss out on that little excursion.

We then decided to take our girls and Kathleen's son to the Sheraton to swim for a few hours.  The kids had a ball!

Kathleen was going a little stir crazy so we conviced her to go to dinner with us. What we realized was that this was Beza's first dinner out. We had such a good time. 

Sunday was another quiet day, so we started the day off with a walk around town. We hit the grocery store for some apple juice and other non-essential things like chocolate!

The next day was our court day.  I was a nervous wreck.  We took a picture of the 4 of us, thinking that when we returned we would be a family of 5.  Unfortunately, that was not the case due some missing documents. 

However, we pulled ourselved together and enjoyed the afternoon.  We went to lunch at Lucy's (a restaurant by the National Museum) and then headed to Kechene, the government girl's orphanage.  These girls were amazing and LOVED our girls.  At one point I didn't think they were going let Abby come home with me.  Poor Sara started feeling ill (remember, she is my adventurous one and tried lots of different foods) and by the time we were headed out of the orphanage, she was losing her lunch.  Gross, I know!  But my reason for sharing that piece of information was that the Kechene girls saw us stop and then saw what was happening.  This mob of girls ran to the car and were trying to get to Sara to help her out.  They were almost pushing Bob out of the way to get to her. In the midst of their "discomfort" they were trying to comfort my little one!  That is something I will never forget.

Due to Sara's illness, it was an early night in and lots of rest!!

Peace

I have been wallowing.  It is kind of bad around here these days.  My kids will ask if I am okay, my husband tip-toes around me and I hate it!  I miss our little guy so very much and I feel an emptiness.  I don't know if that even makes sense after only spending a short amount of time with him.  The only rationale I can come up with is that God has already made us a family, and as his mama, I feel a piece missing. 

There are days that I feel on the verge of crying all day long.  There are days that I seem a little to aggressive (angry).  This is not me!  This is not who I want to be.  And I never imagine things would take this turn after our 1st trip. 

I am telling you all this to set the stage for what God is doing in me.  God is truly getting my attention and teaching me not to worry...I am convinced of this!  We have not passed court yet.  Our court date is Jan 30th and we are so hoping to pass.  Yesterday we received an email from our agency letting us know that the courts will be closed from Feb 6-27 for training.  My mind started reeling...would we pass court on the 30th; if we didn't pass court, our case could be pushed into March; if we did pass, would the court decree be written in time before the closure.  My brain hasn't stopped wondering and WORRYING about all the possibilities.

But through all my chaos, I hear God's whisper reminding me that He is on His throne working all things for His good.  I so desperately want His light to shine through me, even in the uncertainties of life and not let the possibilities of what could happen weigh me down. 

One point of the sermon at church on Sunday was the passage in Phillipians 4:  "Rejoice in the the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  I then opened my devotional today and the same verse was displayed across the top. 

I don't know what Monday holds for us, or even the next couple of months, but I do know that we are not walking this journey alone.  I read a response on someone's facebook page that said, "God does not see the big picture, God IS the big picture."

So, I am taking comfort in this very truth, in the promises that are spelled out in Phillipians.  I am working my hardest to not be anxious.  I am praying for peace in whatever lies ahead for us and I am going to rejoice!  Tonight I will surprise my family with the old mama again...we are going to have a fun dinner and play games and laugh!  And then, when we go to bed, I am going to pray for my kids...all 3 of them...and I will pray for His will to be done on Monday with our court case.  And then, I am going to trust... 

Ethiopia - Part 2

Today was the day we had been waiting for.  It had taken 23 months to get to this point.  I think I was kind of in denial that we were here and about to go meet our son for the first time.  After a great cup of coffee (those traveling for the 1st time may want to take powdered creamer...it was a life saver for me) and a little breakfast (I was slightly nauseous due to nerves and I think the altitude) we met our driver and we were off. 

Bob had packed 3 cameras...CRAZY and we were all giddy, to say the least!  When we arrived, all the kids from his room were playing outside.  Unfortunately, I did not see him right away as he was tucked behind a couple care-givers.  But when I saw him, I knew instantly that he was ours.  So not to spook him, we slowly knelt beside him and talked with him.  Eventually I stood up and held out my arms to hold him and he came right to me.  That was the best feeling ever.  I had prepared myself for him to be terrified of us and nothing like that happened at all.  He was pretty serious for awhile but eventually he warmed right up to us.

I did break the rules...sorry Gladney...but I took a ball thinking it might help break the ice.  Now I see why they say don't bring gifts and toys.  Once I pulled the ball out, I was a little afraid that there would be wars waged over that little toy.  Fortunately, we were able to distract some of the kids and I never saw that toy again.  I am hoping it found a good home!!!

We were able to spend the most amazing hour of the day loving on our little man and playing with some of the cutest little kids.  But our day had so much more in store.  So, we left the foster care center and headed to Kolfe which is the government boy's orphanage.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but let's just say that we truly had a great time with these boys.  They were so sweet, kind, happy, and fun.  They loved their pictures taken and wanted to see themselves on the screen.  

The boys were actually preparing for a celebration the next day to celebrate the Ethiopian Christmas (Genna).  So there was lots of music playing.  I attempted to dance with the boys.  We will not be posting that video.  I thought I had rythym until I saw myself.  Not so much.  But we did have fun!

After the visit and a quick lunch, we headed to the government orphange that houses kids 0-8.  This was such a hard place to see.  We saw little kids running around and were able to tour the baby wing.  My heart broke for this tiny little babies in cribs laying silent or wimpering.  I held as many as I could, but once I picked one up, I would see another that needed a little affection.  I would lay that one down and they would immediately start crying.  Those poor workers.  I was causing quite a ruckus.  But all I could think was that they all needed to human contact. 

After that visit, we were all exhausted and emotionally spent.  It was time to head back to the guesthouse.  I can honestly say that there are images and faces that will stay with me forever.  I wish we could just gather all those babies up and bring them home.  We would be crammed in here like sardines, but oh how I wish they all had homes and moms and dads to love on them! 

Court Update!

Before I continue chronicling our trip to ET, I thought I would let you all know the status of our case.  We have not passed court.  This was quite the bummer for us, as we were expecting to walk out of the judges office a family of 5.  No such luck for us.  We were given a new court date for the 19th...that is today...and we just found out that the documents did not reach the court house in time!  We now have a new court date for the 30th.  I must say that I am frustrated and saddened, to say the least! 

However, I know God is in charge.  I know He has worked miraculously in bringing us this baby boy and I can't wait for the phone call that says he is ours and I can share pictures with all of you!  So, until that time, I am trusting!  I am trusting that for some reason we needed these extra weeks.  I am trusting that God is working in ways we could never imagine. I am trusting that He will turn these tears of sadness into shouts of joy very soon! Until that time...here is a little preview!

Ethiopia - Part 1

So, just let me say that I was a bundle of nerves heading into this trip.  The older I get, the worse my fear of flying has become.  But I was brave and boarded the plane without kicking or screaming...I had to be a good influence on the girls, of course!  We flew Emirates Air and loved it.  They really cater to the kids.  The flight was looonnnnggg, I am talking 16 straight hours from LA to Dubai.  Thankfully we had a nice long layover in Dubai to recuperate, get some rest, and most importantly, a shower.

We were up the next morning bright and early headed to Addis Ababa!!!  I must say that it was quite a surreal experience.  We had been anticipating this trip for 2 years, and finally we were meeting our driver and driving through the streets, headed to our guesthouse.  We stayed at Bejoe's Guesthouse.  We loved it there.  The girls who work there were fantastic and we felt just right at home.  There was another mom already staying at the gueshouse who I was looking forward to meeting.  It was so fun to finally meet Kathleen, Koen, and Beza.  Kathleen had taken placement of Beza just a few days earlier.  I had become a follower of Kathleen's blog and was so excited to see her united with her daughter! 

We ended up eating at Makush for dinner that night.  Good Italian food.  But let me tell you, we were exhausted.  We were all kind of laying all over the table trying to stay awake.  At the end of the meal they brought us a macchiato.  I had heard about the macchiatos in Ethiopia and just so you know, they ROCKED!  They were so good.  However, the caffeine didn't help us too much so we quickly made it to the guesthouse and crashed!  We had a big day coming up...we were meeting our baby the next day!