Day 1 and 2 Recap

We left Austin around noon, May 24. Our route took us to Washington D.C., then to Frankfurt and finally to Addis Ababa, arriving 8pm, May 25 (ET is 8 hours ahead of Austin). It feels familiar to be back, a bit like a homecoming. I kept fighting back tears thinking of not only our son's adoption but that this country is a huge part of him, and now a part of me too. I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be back in Ethiopia.

From the airport we were off to Bole Rock (hotel) where we would spend the night before driving to Zeway in the morning. We were thrilled to connect with our children via Skype knowing it was very unlikely we would be able to call/email while in Zeway. Lily's first question was, "have you seen any giraffe or zebras yet?" Next it was lights out, time for bed, turn back on the lights, battle mosquitoes, then lights off once again. I'm still glad to be back:-)

Tuesday, May 26 - Our group met up for breakfast with Kristen, an FHI staff who has been living in Zeway the past 3 years. She was on her way back to the U.S. to work on a master's degree at the University of Denver. You could see in her eyes how hard it was to leave. I wondered what it had been like for her living in rural Africa for 3 years, the impact she was able to take part in, the needs that still needed to be met, and the only white face in Zeway (population 30K). Here we also met Rob from FHI. Rob would become our glue - keeping us together, on task, on time, and out of trouble. I love this picture of Rob looking at his watch. His patience was remarkable.

We walked 6 blocks to the FHI office in Addis for a team meeting before heading to Zeway. Reading I Corinthians 12:12 and John 13, we discussed team unity and serving one another and ended our meeting by washing one another's feet. It was a first for me and humbling to have my feet washed. It definitely thickened the glue of our team.

We loaded up to caravan to Zeway. I looked forward to the 120 km drive, to see more of Ethiopia. We saw acacia and fig trees, camels, women walking carrying heavy bundles of wood strapped across their backs, small children herding cattle, goats and sheep. Driving in Ethiopia would be a challenge even for NYC cab drivers. Mike Gould, our worship pastor from Grace, was riding with us and aptly compared it to playing Frogger. Our driver, Alem, was wonderful, and aside from one very near head on collision, we felt very safe.

And then...we arrived to Zeway. This is where our trip really gets going. This is where we began to learn why we had come so far from Austin to Zeway. We chose to go on this trip primarily based on James 1:27 which says "pure and undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows..." Chris and I felt strongly God wanted us to go VISIT these orphans in Zeway. And, so here we are. We would quickly realize this trip held much more.

Arriving at the FHI compound in Zeway we joined a meeting underway between FHI staff and Zeway area community leaders (includes community leaders from Zeway and other nearby villages, including Christian, Muslim, teachers, govt, etc.). FHI had been working to engage the local community for quite some time. The staff shared a presentation on the CHH (Child Head of Household) project we started last Fall, explaining why we were in town. One of the community leaders then stood and shared the impact it made on him that we would travel so far to help orphans in his own community, and that because of it, he wanted to do more, get involved. The rest of the community leaders agreed. We had just arrived and already God was allowing us to see the fruit of our trip. We would later learn that leaders from Zeway and nearby villages committed to support 8-10 additional orphans in each of the villages! This is huge. We are talking about people who are already quite poor compared to U.S. standards committing to provide food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. to the most vulnerable in their communities - orphans. It was humbling. All we did was walk into a room. By obeying God's call to visit orphans, He was allowing us to be a part of something incredible.

And it is only 2pm.

After this meeting we broke into 3 teams and loaded up to go meet the orphans we have been supporting and praying for since last Fall. These faces we have been studying in photos, we would now get to meet face-to-face.

My team (Chris was in a different group) drove out to meet Beyelign, pronounced like "violin" but with a "B". This boy is in his early teens and lives with two brothers in a room smaller than my closet. Their home is one room with a dirt floor, and mud walls. Beyelign is going to school, his favorite subject is physics and he enjoys playing soccer. This small room he lives in, is part of the compound where his family lived before his parents died. Now he and his brothers rent out the rest of the compound to another family for income. We asked Beyelign about the meaning of his name. This is important in Ethiopia as parents continue to give their children names with personal meaning. Beyelign shared that his father died while his mom was pregnant with him. His name means "I wish you could have met your father." All I could think about what how his name sounded like the word "violin" which to me, its music often sounds soulful and haunting. When I asked what he would like to do after finishing school he replied, "I would like to do something to help orphans like me succeed." Much of Beyelign's story is heartbreaking. Yet I walked away hopeful. He has two older brothers. The family renting out the rest of the compound looks out for them and sometimes invites them into their home after dark, shares injera with them. At least there is someone closeby looking out for him. He is going to school and thinking about his future. He has a FHI social worker who sees him weekly and is building a relationship with him. It is not a life we would hope for our children but there is hope.

Our next visit was with Sophia. Sophia walks aided by crutches. She lives alone in a tiny 1 room, mud walls, dirt floor house that floods when it rains. She is in the 9th grade and also does embroidery to earn income. She hopes to one day start a small business with her craft. FHI is helping her look into this. She was cheerful and sweet. She loves children and storytelling. I loved her smile. She talked about her faith in Christ and how it filled her with joy and light. Again, I sat there and felt hopeful because she was hopeful.

We met back up with our group at the FHI compound, grabbed dinner and then checked into our Zeway hotel...which literally does not have a name. Our toilet did not flush. No water ran from the sink or the shower. I looked at the bed and was thankful I brought my own pillow, but wished I had also brought a set of sheets. Then I remembered all we had seen that day, got over my American over indulged self and crashed to sleep. Well, we might have stayed up a bit.