USA here we come!! July 25, 2008

The dreaded day has come... 17 hours to Wash.DC-- 4 1/2  hour layover--5 hour flight to LA.  We are anxious to get home to the boys and have our whole family be together!! So time to grin and bare it 21 hours flying time!! 

SOME NEW FAMILY PHOTOS FROM ADDIS

We are done with all the legal stuff we need to do in Addis  so we get to play tourist for the last day and a half.  We have had some great guides taking us around and translate for us.  The best part is actually just driving around and watching Ethiopian life out on the streets.  We have gone to some great markets.  They say MERKATO is the largest open air market in Africa.  By the end we had a pack of street kids following us since we made the mistake of handing out some money early on.  The Ethiopian people are so beautiful and kind.  They love kids and everyone would stop and as Tess some questions.  I can't believe our stay here is coming to an end.  I'm trying to take it all in and etch these images in my mind so that I never forget what I have seen.

All the Little Feet Thank you!!

We were so very lucky to have great friends who got a big shoe donation for us to take to the orphanage.  Two companies...Ocean Minded and Crocs both did a great job sending us off with suitcases full of shoes.  We were not allowed to photograph the children's faces at the orphanage (for their protection) but we did get to photograph their feet!!!  Thanks again to the Yoders and everyone else who made it possible. Wish you could have seen their faces light up when they wore their new shoes...PRICELESS

New Ethiopian friends!!

Traditional Ethiopian food

This is the traditional injera dish that we had whenever we ate at Ethiopian restaurants. We stopped at this traditional place on our way back into Addis after going to visit ACACIA village.  It will be the new orphange for CWA. It was a great restaurant.  We had our friends order for us since it all kind of looks the same. (Ha-ha- such foreigners!!) Tess would eat this 3 meals a day if she could.  She just loves is! 

4 brothers adopted

This beautiful family adopted 4 brothers. They had an ebassy appointment at the same time as we did. We got to talk with them and hear their story.  They now live in China.  It was so touching. The boys were so loving with each other. Especially the oldest who was 14 years old.  God Bless them!!

Ethiopia Day 3-July 22 2008-Embassy date

Today is our 3rd day in Addis...and still no phone or internet!  This is the BIG day in Addis- our US Embassy date to get Tess her R4 visa to be able to enter the US with us.  She will receive an Ethiopian passport so she needs a visa.  We will have to re-adopt her through our homestudy agency when we return.

Our embassy appointment was not until 2:30 so we called one of our nice drivers (who speak great english) to drive us around Addis.  We consulted our trusted 'Lonely Planet-Ethiopia" guide for ideas.  We decided on the Ethonological Museum because it is on the grounds of the Addis Ababa University.  It was the old palace of Prince Haile Salassie.  The museum housed many old Ethiopian artifacts.  The grounds of the university were the nicest gardens we've seen outside the hotel.  It was great to see and talk to some of the students (we saw only men-maybe 5 women). Lunch was at Blue Tops- a great recommendation from Lonely Planet.

Our embassy appointment went well. We were there for almost 2 hours waiting but our actual meeting took 5 minutes.  My favorite part is meeting the other families who are there adopting.  Their stories are amazing....like this family who was adopting 4 brothers.

The firewood carriers

We had heard about the women firewood carriers prior to going to Addis...but seeing them was unbelievable.  The loads they carry were huge and many of them were very old.  Our guide told us they walk up to 35 km (22 miles) a day. The loads can weigh up to 75 pounds!! They looked like they barely weighed more than that themselves.  Most of these women earn less than $12 a month!!  When we passed them we would make the driver pull over and we would give them some money.  They were so thankful and had a great sense of peace about them. We will never forget them.

Tess's first swim!!

Tess was very excited to swim in the pool at the Sheraton.  After the first day, she asked to swim every day!!!  The first dat she would not let go of Christine's neck.  By the last day, she was venturing out on her own in the shallow part.  It was always her favorite part of the day!

More Ethiopia- Day 2

Ethiopia Day 2- July 21, 2008

Today we went back to the orphanage to work on paperwork for our embassy meeting tomorrow.  We were picked up by the CWA (christian world adoption) van. There were 2 other families in the van. One was going to get their 3 year old little boy and the other was a single mom who already had her 6 month old baby boy.  when we pulled up to the gates of the compound, Tess was very excited to see her old friends.  It made me happy to see her so glad to return. It tells me that she was happy there.  The case worker spoke with Tess for a few minutes and then turned to us and said "she is very happy!" While I filled out paperwork, Jeff and CHristine played with the other kids at the Orphanage.  They just loved Jeff! Every time I looked over he was holding a different child.  The children loved Christine's long blonde hair and spent the whole time touching it.  After leaving the children we drove around to a market. We found some great things to bring back as gifts for all the families who donated things for us to bring.  The caretakers told us we brought very important things and were so thankful.

First day photos with Tess

Sheraton Addis Ababa- July 20th 2008

Gotcha day!!

Thats adoption lingo for the day that you get your new child. So today, July 20, 2008 is our long awaited "Gotcha day".  Of course nothing went as planned. When we pulled into the orphanage gate, Tess came running out to greet us! We recognized her beautiful face right away! Jeff, Christine and I all started crying! She ran up, open arms and hugged us all!  So much for photos and filming. It all happened naturally and will have to be remembered in our hearts.  We said hello to the orphanage workers and many of the other children and then went back to the hotel with Tess.  Our case worker was ROBEL. He was so kind and helpful. He explained how the week would play out and told us that Tess would be with us from this moment on.  Here are our first photos with our new daughter...

A Room with a View

This is the view out of our room at the Sheraton in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Our first impression of Addis as we drove through was how heart breaking the poverty is.  There is an incredible juxtaposition of worlds here. Our hotel is beautiful, yet right outside...

We are now checked in and waiting in the lobby to get picked up by CWA and taken to the orphanage. This moment feels a bit surreal (and the jet lag doesn't help!) I want this moment to hurry and be over so we can be with Tess and yet I want to feel every single minute until we are together. 

As we wait we watch all the Ethiopians walk through the hotel lobby. The children are all so beautiful. Each one that goes by I wonder if Tess is that tall-or that bubbly-or does her hair look like that? 

Am I scared? Not at all. Am I excited? Yes! Exhausted? Yes!!! I wonder if it's OK to hug her right away? I don't want to frighten her. I was told not to expect the child to run up to us like she knows us.  Our plan is for CHristine to hang back and photograph Jeff and I meeting Tess for the first time. A new daughter...everything is going to be different from now on. 

Back from Ethiopia!

Hello from some very weary travelers! We just arrived home from ethiopia last night.  Our trip was an amazing life changing experience. We were unable to get on the internet so I "blogged" on paper everyday. I did not want to miss an emotion or thought! I am going to enter my posts and photos now so the actual date will not match the post dates.  We are so absolutely blessed by this entire journey and so thrilled to be starting our new life with our sweet daughter!!

CIAO from Rome!!

Ciao from the Colosseum, the Vatican and the Trevi Fountain!  We had great flights to Rome.  It is just beautiful here!  We spent the day touring around and seeing all this beautiful history!! We are absolutely loving every minute of it and we are especially enjoying the gelato!!

It's funny, but as we walk around taking in all this amazing architecture, my mind wanders to Tess and what she is doing right now.  

We leave tomorrow evening for Ethiopia.  It still seems surreal!  My prayer  is that God shows us what He wants us to see while we are there... that He opens our hearts and eyes to what we are supposed to witness and experience on this journey. 

shoes, wonderful shoes!!

We received an amazing shoe donation today from Crocs and Ocean Minded.  Our friends David and Karen Yoder were able to work with these great companies to get this amazing donation.  We filled 3 suitcases with shoes of all sizes.  I made up some thank you signs so the kids at the orphanage can put on the shoes and hold up the signs for a group photo.  We will blow it up and send it with a thank you to everyone involved!!  It's so incredible what we can do when we all work together! Yeah team!! Well Done!!

36 hrs to blastoff!!

We are in the final countdown!!  It's Monday night and we leave Wednesday morning...suitcases are packed (all 6 of them!!), fridge is packed for the boys (they're staying with Jeff's mom we're only bringing Christine), we have chargers and cameras and power bars and Pepto Bismol and assorted other things that we may or may not need. 

 We will spend the first 2 nights in Rome.  We're hoping that will give us a chance to get on a closer time zone and get our feet on solid ground before another long overnight flight.  Our case worker told us when we arrive sunday morning we need to be ready to "hit the ground running".  We're told we drop off our bags and go straight to the orphanage to get Tess.  We are completely buzzing with excitement, anticipation, adrenaline and every God given emotion possible...now imagine what sweet Tess must be feeling!!  

We travel a lot but nothing could have prepared us for this.  It is the unknown and our greatest Leap of Faith ever. 

"Let us not love with words or tongues, but with actions and truth" 1John 3:18

Summer fun

Do something...

As we meet new friends that are on our same journey and learn their stories, it is really hard to remain unchanged.  I thought it was just me, but Jeff and I had a great conversation recently which really moved me and made me feel that I am not changing alone...

We have been planning to build a pool.  We had plans drawn up last year.  The pool subject recently came up and Jeff said " you know, with the money it will cost us to put in a pool, we could build an orphanage". Read that again!!

  It made me feel so happy to hear him say that.  I have been quietly dealing with all these emotions stirred up by these children we are learning about. It was great to hear him open his heart and reveal that he too has been moved! ...and we haven't even been to Tess's orphanage yet. I'm telling you, it is impossible to remain the same once you know...  

So to all our friends and family, be prepared...you just may be invited on a mission trip to Africa to build an orphanage.  Don't say I didn't warn you because we're bringing all of you on this journey with us!!!

almost ready...

10 days to go!! We get 6 suitcases -50 lbs each.  We have 3 filled with donations for the orphanage already and we just found out our friends, the Yoders, have secured a donation from Ocean minded and Crocs for shoes...that will fill suitcase #4. Way to go Yoders!!  I guess Jeff and I can share a suitcase and Christine and Tess can share the other.  Any more donations and We'll all be in one suitcase! Thank you to all our sweet friends for all the requested items they dropped off for us to take.  ameu.seu.ge.nal.lo  (thank you in Amharic)

"Choose me"

We received Tess's birth certificate via email today!  Another milestone on our journey!  It was so exciting to see our names as her parents.  She was assigned a birthday...January 9, 2001.  Her new given name is Tesfanesh John Jonas.  I thought it was a mistake but my case worker told me they always assign the father's names to the children.  When we re-adopt in the US we will change her middle name.  

As I prepare for our amazing trip to get our daughter I am already thinking of all the kids that will be left behind.  Then I read a heartbreaking blog of a couple who just got back with their new baby.  While at the orphanage picking up the baby, a little 8 year old boy held this mom's hand the whole time. When it was time to leave he pulled her ear down to him and whispered "choose me".

This is not an easy emotional journey nor is it light. It seems that for every emotional high God balances it with a low. I reassure myself that "It's all Yours God, every child in Africa is Yours" and that God has his hand on each one of these little souls.

Ethiopian Food...YUM!

We had such a great day!  Cameron and I went up to L.A. to meet a group of families that has adopted from Ethiopia. (Jeff and Christine are still in CHina)  We met in "Little Ethiopia" at an ethiopian restaurant.  First of all the food was delicious-our first time trying it!!  Cameron got a kick out of eating without utensils!!  But the greatest part were all these beautiful Ethiopian children who were running around playing...so happy!! It will be a nice support system for Tess. There was a lovely Ethiopian man who had adopted 2 girls. He was so helpful. His name is Tseiga and he taught me my first amharic words!! He also told me  that her full  name TESFANESH means "you are hope".  How profoundly beautiful is that!  Tseiga also gave me his contact numbers and told me to call anytime if I needed him to translate anything for Tess! Thank you God because I know these things are not happening by accident!