Day 6:                                                      SHE IS OFFICIALLY OURS!

Woke up after a very restless night of sleep for both of us with our minds racing! I'm not sure how it's possible to feel nervous and at peace at the same time, but those were my emotions exactly over the last 24 hours. We were picked up by 9 this morning and headed directly downtown Addis for court. It was quite a drive amongst the morning rush hour traffic, and I have to say now that I am extremely grateful for traffic lights! Even red ones now! There is only one intersection in Addis that has a traffic light. Who proceeds first through the remainder of the intersections in Addis depends on who values their car most, who is the quickest at accelerating and braking, and who has the most guts basically! I prefer to look out the side window rather than through the windshield on these crazy rides through  town. Once we arrived at court, we proceeded to climb 4 flights of stairs which in Addis is quite a feat I must say! At about 8,500 feet of elevation, we have definitely noticed we don't feel quite as fit as we thought we were. We were led down the hall to a waiting room full of people, both native Ethiopians, and also several other adoptive families (we assumed because of their skin color and the process we observed). This was an interesting experience, as our driver briefly introduced us to a man, and then walked out (to move the van we assumed). We had absolutely no idea who this man was however, as friendly as he was, and so we decided to continue with the theme of our trip: to go with the flow!  We eventually came to the conclusion that he was the social worker to help represent us.  The judge's chambers were just to the left through a small door through which one of the court employees would occasionally peep her head out and "shhhhh" as loud as she could to keep the noise down. The first thing I ached to know as I walked into the waiting room was, "Is she here?" Was "G"s mom sitting in this very room? I scanned the faces and my attention was drawn to two women in particular who both did not have the look of someone from the city. I told Aaron that if I had to guess it would be a younger woman wrapped in a bright green scarf because I thought the shape of her mouth resembled "G's". A woman right next to her however, caught my eye and bowed her head, placed her hand on her heart, and smiled. At this point, I wasn't so sure anymore that I had guessed correctly. As we waited while others passed before us, the woman in the green scarf was called into the courtroom, and as soon as she walked out, our name was called. It was then I knew that we had the privilege of seeing "G's" biological mother for the first time. We had little time to think or process this though, as we needed to appear before the judge. The time with her was actually quite brief, but we needed to make it clear that we understood that our decision to adopt "G" was final, that we have educated ourselves about the effects of international adoption, and that we would commit to raise her to know about her Ethiopian culture. The judge stated that she had heard everything she needed to hear, and she was just awaiting our final documentation (our MOWA letter). We had learned from another adoptive mom shortly before we were called in, that MOWA was due to deliver letters to court later that day, so this was not a surprise to us. Our social worker assured us that we would remain at court to see if our MOWA letter would arrive with the delivery, and that we could leave with our driver to go back to Hannah's Hope. I was a little disappointed that we didn't officially pass right away, but was hopeful in knowing that more letters were going to arrive today. This was an exciting, unusual, awkward, surreal moment, as "G's" biological mother rode in the same van as we did back to the orphanage. I so wanted to be able to communicate with her, but all we were able to do was exchange shy smiles. She is from the Kembata zone of Ethiopia, and so her first language is not Amharic, rather an entirely different language particular to her region, so the very limited knowledge I have of Amharic was not useful to me in this situation today. We rode back to Hannah's Hope through a not quite as crazy Addis, listening to "G's" birth mother converse with her translator. And all I could do was pray that God would bless the meeting that we would have shortly. We finally arrived, and as we got out of the van, I immediately took her hand, squeezed it and then kissed her on each cheek. She smiled shyly and we held hands as walked into the office building of Hannah's Hope where our meeting would be. We all had a few minutes to get situated and as the translator from Hannah's Hope finished some business. All we could do was look at each other and smile. We had written "G's" birth mother a letter and made her a small scrapbook of pictures we had of "G" and our family. These were both translated to her which was quite a process, because every bit of information had to be translated from English to Amharic to Kembaten, and then back again if she spoke. She seemed very receptive to what we had written her and would nod her head and smile sometimes shyly, sometimes sadly, sometimes with more joy from time to time as she listened to our words. And at other times she would whisper quietly to herself. "G" was brought into the room shortly after our meeting began and was handed to her biological mother to hold. I was so grateful that "G" stayed calm for the most part and fussed for only a short while. She calmed down quickly though when she was given a bottle. It was a very special moment, bittersweet really, for me to watch her have one last chance to physically love this little girl that she had given birth to. We were then given a chance to ask questions of this special woman. I am so thankful God gave us this opportunity—it was an incredible moment that I will never forget as Aaron and I were able to personally thank her for the gift of "G" and promise her our love and commitment to her child. I am so thankful that God gave us this gift that we can pass on to "G" as she gets older so she knows this part of her story and identity. We experienced such a mix of emotions today, that we really can't put them to words completely: sadness for this mother and her absolute sacrifice in love to save precious "G's" life, joy as we  celebrated the fact that "G" is ours now—a part of our family, and other feelings we really can't put a name to yet.

After our meeting was finished, we had to leave Hannah's Hope if we wanted an opportunity to visit Bethzatha, the orphanage "G" was first at when she arrived in Addis. We met many more beautiful children in need of families who were extremely excited to have visitors, and just someone new to pay even the smallest bit of attention to them. The orphanage's director gave us a tour of the facilities and led us upstairs to where the babies' room is: the room where "G" slept some of her first nights in Addis. As I turned around, my eyes were drawn to a phrase painted on the wall above one of the little white metal cribs, "I am my Father's daughter…" and was struck at how true this is for "G" and how this has been so evident in her life thus far. She is a daughter of the King. She has a plan for her life that has already been determined by the Maker of all things. We are so humbled that God chose us to be part of His plan for her.

Once again God's providence was evident as our visit to Bethzatha made us run behind schedule and the fact that we left our briefcase at Hannah's Hope resulted in us making a quick stop there before returning to the hotel.  Aaron and I wanted so badly to find out if we passed court today, but were not hopeful as the office closes at 5:00 pm and we returned around 5:30 pm.  Praise the Lord, at the very moment we pulled up to the gait Almaz pulled up in her vehicle.  Almaz came up to us and asked how our day had been and we informed her that all seemed to go well, but were still anxiously awaiting word back from court.  Almaz proceeded to tell us that she received word that everything was fine and that we passed court.  I immediately had a huge rush of emotions as I came to the realization that "G" is legally ours.  Tears of joy flowed as Aaron and I embraced and gave thanks to God and to our friends with us for their prayers.  To Aaron, all the joy and congratulations following an anxious waiting period, felt just like the experience following the delivery of Anaiya and Landon.  It really drove home the fact that we are now proud parents of 3 beautiful gifts from a loving and faithful God.

We ended our joyous visit to Hannah's Hope with a short visit with "G" to kiss her good night.  She was already bathed, bundled up in her pajamas, and sleeping in her crib.  She looks so beautiful when she is sleeping.  It is our prayer that she continues to sleep so soundly when she comes home with us.  Unfortunately, our unexpected visit to the nursery resulted in some children waking and crying, but not "G", she slept through it all.  We were very grateful to the special mother's for their patience and understanding, as they had to work frantically to prevent a domino effect of crying children.  After saying good night we headed back to the hotel elated with the news, exhausted from the day, and a little sad realizing we only get one more opportunity to see her before we have to return home. 

It was a blessing to be able to experience just one more small part of her story today in visiting Bethzatha, but heartbreaking at the same time in knowing that this is only 1 orphanage out of thousands around the world full of children who long for a home and a family. There are so many precious children just here at Bethzatha. We experienced more at Bethzatha today, but I'm having a hard time processing everything just yet and putting it to words. We do know however, that God is a God who sees. Our heart has been broken for what breaks His, even more so after today. We will defend the cause of the fatherless. We will not forget.

And so…tomorrow we have to say goodbye and leave a piece of our hearts in Ethiopia. We trust God in knowing we will be brought back to this beautiful country in HIS perfect time to bring "G" home permanently. We are so thankful for the many prayers we know have been lifted on our behalf: it has never been more real to us—we are so excited to share more stories with you over the next weeks. Until we return…

Blessings,

Aaron and Susie

Day 5:

Selam! (Hello in Amharic)

This morning was a lot of fun as we got to meet two families who arrived late last night as they have court the day after we do. It has been incredible to me throughout our adoption journey that we can have such an immediate connection when you have two main connections: first, belief in Jesus Christ; and second, adoption. These couples are here to adopt a 7 month old baby girl and about a 1 year old little boy, both absolutely precious! We enjoyed getting to know more about each other's families and getting the courage to learn /practice Amharic together with some of the staff at Hannah's Hope. After eating breakfast, all 3 of our families headed to Hannah's Hope. What a joy it was to be able to witness these families' first meetings with their children! It is so fun to be able to share your joy with others who just "get it."

"G" was sunning as usual this time of the morning: I never tire of seeing her dimpled smile when we greet her each day. She is such a "happy little bird" as another AGCI mom commented to me who had met her earlier. We had a little more time at Hannah's Hope today, so we were able to stay with her throughout her nap time until she woke up for her next bottle and a little more play time. She is a champion napper while she's being held, outlasting all the other babies in her group today! After she woke up today, Aaron and I had a wonderful time as the special mothers turned the music up and all started singing and clapping together with the babies. "G" seems to enjoy music and was very content watching the other babies in her group while being held by her daddy. I was trying to learn a little Amharic to use with "G" today, and learned how to say "I love you." Her eyes definitely perked up when I said it to her: definitely a different reaction than when I speak to her in English. This really made me want to learn more of her language so I can have some familiar comforting words for when she comes home with us next time. I also learned "beautiful child" and a word for comforting babies used here.

One little guy here has stolen our hearts along with "G". He has only been here since late last week, but immediately took to Aaron. If one us isn't holding "G" and he's awake, he finds us and wants to be held and talked to. Today he played with my hair for a long time, and put up a bit of a fuss when I had to put him down to leave. If we knew others weren't on the waiting list for this little guy, it would be hard not to start the process to adopt him as well!

I unfortunately wasn't feeling very well today. I think the business of the trip and fragmented sleep finally caught up to me and I basically had a migraine by the time we cam back from Hannah' Hope for lunch. I was out of commission in our hotel room until our dinner outing tonight, which at least I was able to attend: headache was finally gone, but I was still pretty shaky legged and light headed. I'm feeling a little better now thankfully as we have a BIG day coming up tomorrow: court.

The cultural dinner was so much fun this evening. We, the two other couples we met today, and two staff members from Hannah's Hope all went together and were able to share a traditional Ethiopian meal. It is custom here to share one big plate of food together. Before you eat, you wash your hands under a pitcher of water that is poured into a basin. The food was served on a huge platter covered with injera layed flat. Injera is the national bread of Ethiopia, and basically resembles a large pancake. It is spongy in texture, and more sour dough like in flavor as the batter ferments for 3 days before it can be used. Each separate dish then is spooned onto the injera, making a beautiful display of rich color. Rolled pieces of injera are also served on the side. It is polite to eat only with your right hand which you use to tear a piece of the injera and then pinch a bite of the food which you then eat together. The food was delicious! Some a little too spicy for my palate, but the flavors intense and very enjoyable. We also tried a bread made from banana root that is more popular in the southern regions of Ethiopia (where "G" is from) because it is much more difficult to grow "teff" there: this is a type of grain that I believe is grown only in Ethiopia that is needed to make traditional, authentic injera. Teff is a "super grain", extremely high in iron and played a huge role in preventing complete starvation during the famine that occurred in Ethiopia years ago. The southern area of Ethiopia is much more green with vegetation like coffee and bananas. If you travel North like we did earlier this week, it is not uncommon to see rounded piles of teff grass (kind of like a hay stack) sprinkled along the country side waiting to be trampled by oxen to separate the grain.

As we enjoyed dinner tonight, we were able to listen and watch live music and dancing representing different regions of Ethiopia: the dancers were absolutely fascinating to watch and have amazing endurance. They have very particular shoulder movements that jolt with the music in a way I never thought possible! One of our group members and his wife worked up the courage to try some of the dancing with the performers, and I have to give them credit! They were quite the hit with others attending the dinner tonight as they attempted to recreate the same type of shoulder movement as the native people: NOT an easy task!

Once dinner was finished, we of course ended with coffee, and popcorn. Yes, popcorn! This is a very common combination in Ethiopia, and I have to say, it was nice to have a "taste of home" with the popcorn! We were all getting pretty tired by this point and were brought back to our hotel for the evening.

Another great day in Ethiopia: I cannot believe that we only have two days left here. Although I'm really excited to see our kids back home again and miss them immensely, I'm dreading leaving our new daughter behind, along with her beautiful country. The people here are wonderful, hospitable, and have definitely made an impression on us.

Please pray for us as tomorrow we have court: we will be leaving our hotel at 9 in the morning, which is 1 a.m. for you Michiganders, so if for some reason you have insomnia or you're a night owl, please think of us and pray! We know God already knows the outcome, but we long to hear the words that "G" is officially ours before we leave the country. This would be such a blessing to us. Please pray that "G"s birth mother is there and that we can meet her after court: the plan is to have a meeting with her at 11:30 if all goes as planned. Please pray that all of our letters are there: especially our "MOWA" letter, as the office recently relocated and more letters have been absent than usual. Please pray for peace and calmness for us, and that we would feel the presence of the Holy Spirit tomorrow in all things.

And so…good night from Ethiopia! We will post about our court outcome as soon as we are able. Love to you all!

Day 4:

Finally, a good night's sleep! We woke up today feeling much more refreshed—I realized that if I go to bed and sleep as long as I can first and then take Tylenol p.m. when I wake up around 2 am, that I can go back to sleep much more easily! The trials of time change!

This morning we went right away after breakfast to visit "G". We found her sitting in a Bumbo seat in the sunshine just relaxing. It has been so much fun as each day she becomes a little more "verbal" for us: meaning we get to hear her sounds more and more. I like to think this is because she's beginning to recognize us: I hope this is true. Today I discovered a silly little game that would make her coo, smile, and giggle like crazy. She is absolutely precious when she laughs. Oh, how I love this little one! We met some of the other special mothers who care for "G" today. Each week at Hannah's Hope, the special mothers switch day and night shifts. So for one week they care for the children during the day, and the next they will care for them at night. It is so much fun to meet these amazing women who love and care for "G." I love to just watch them at work even if I can't converse with them. Their actions truly speak louder than words as I watch them caress the heads of these babies, kiss them repeatedly, massage their backs, sing to them, tickle them, comfort and rock them when they cry…their love is beautiful to watch and makes me incredibly grateful for the care "G" is receiving during this waiting period.

"G" followed her normal routine today, and just as predicted became sleepy. I gave her her bottle and then held her as she slept: her bottle is definitely her cue for naptime. So far, I think the longest she's stayed awake while taking her bottle has been maybe 2 minutes and then she's out! She keeps sucking though while she's sleeping. This seems to be the routine for most of the babies here, as the special mothers patiently hold their bottle while they sleepily suck away until finally the formula's either gone, or the baby is just too deep asleep. I definitely have noticed a cultural difference in cuing the babies that it is time to sleep. While we in the U.S. do everything in our power to keep blankets away from a baby's face, it is not uncommon at all here (at least at Hannah's Hope) for them to cover the baby's head and/or face with a blanket either while they are falling asleep, or even while they're sleeping. One little guy here must be close to giving up his morning nap, because he continually pulls the blanket off himself as the special mothers keep covering up his face. Too funny! The babies seem to like this though, as they settle quickly. This has been a little unsettling though, for this U.S. mommy who probably has done a bit too much reading on SIDS.

I love watching "G" sleep: she gets those little "smiles" from time to time; and her face is a true picture of peace. Beautiful.

While Susie held "G" sleeping, I (Aaron) decided to avoid another thrilling afternoon watching soap operas by going over and spending time with the older children.  The children, between the ages of 5 and 11, just craved individualized attention wanting held, wanting to be watched doing a particular activity they were proud of, and wanting to show me their favorite toy.  I wish I had enough arms to hold them all as they would just cling to my legs, hold on around my neck, and hang from my arms.  The younger ones were particularly sweet being the first to run over asking "up, up, up" with arms outstretched.  No matter what the age they all longed for and treasured affection.

 I had a blast throwing and kicking balls back and forth.  They loved to have their picture taken and look at it on the camera.  They were particularly surprised when they got to watch a video of themselves rather than a picture.  Another favorite was the buttons on my digital watch.  It is amazing how the smallest little thing can peak such interest.  The children would crawl over each other trying to push buttons on my watch to hear it beep.  I set the countdown timer so the children could hear the alarm and was impressed as one of the older children would count down with the timer backward from 10.

The experience gave me an appreciation for why children adopted often will hoard food or other items of value to them.  Although the older children were not unkind to the younger children, there was definitely a pecking order and the little ones relied on getting to things first or waiting until the older children were through in order to play with items.

After our time was done at Hannah's Hope, two of the staff, Wass and Tsigie brought Aaron and I for lunch at a local Italian (yes Italian!) restaurant in Addis. It was nice to order something somewhat familiar, and we had wonderful conversation comparing and contrasting Ethiopian and American culture, weather, and relationships with them. All of the staff here at Hannah's Hope truly are amazing. This particular restaurant is connected to an art gallery, and it was really fun to browse after we ate. Nothing caught my eye however, so we departed. I had shared with Tsigie that I was interested in purchasing some Ethiopian spices so I could pursue some of the culture's cooking, so she took me to a local supermarket and helped me make my first choices. We then headed to a local market area where we were dropped off at a particular stall that Tsigie trusts in terms of price and products. She and Wass had to travel to the U.S. Embassy to drop off some of the other children's documents who were past the court process. I am more of a browser when it comes to shopping, so this was a little out of my comfort zone as I was surrounded by 3 assistants who sat me down on a stool and proceeded to pull things out left and right for me to see. They weren't exactly high pressure, but let's just say very attentive! Very helpful though too, as I was looking for certain things and if they didn't have it, somehow shortly later they would come back with that item. I think that trading amongst the stalls must be a normal occurrence or something! We found a nice selection of items both to give "G" as she grows up, but also things to display in our home to demonstrate the importance of her culture to us. Our plan is to give her many of these other items when she marries. I of course, could shop forever, but I think Aaron is close to his limit after today. We have several more small things in mind that we would like to find for her, but otherwise unfortunately, this part of our journey is mostly finished. Learning about another culture and looking at different types of art, crafts, and clothing is fascinating to me—even if Aaron does think I just enjoy shopping!

By the time we were finished shopping today, it was time to head back to the hotel as Wass and Tsigie's stop at the Embassy took a little longer than expected. We had hoped to visit Bethzatha, the orphanage "G" first was at when she came to Addis, but it was too late for today. This will probably be on the agenda tomorrow or the next day. A part of me doesn't want to see this place, because I know the care is not like it is at Hannah's Hope. But the other part of me needs to see it, because it is part of her story. I was not aware until today, that Bethzatha has several branches in different areas of Ethiopia: one in Addis, one in the Gambella region, and one in the Kembata Zone which is where "G" was born. I had asked Tsigie how "G" arrived in Addis, wondering if her birth mother had travelled the 3-4 hours it takes to get to the city from Kembata. Now I know that "G" was relinquished at the Bethzatha in Kembata, and then eventually was transported to the one in Addis. My feeling is that they probably knew she was too sick to stay in Kembata and needed the medical care that was available in Addis. How I thank God she was brought here. As I looked at a tiny baby at Hannah's Hope today, I can't help but wonder if that's how "G" looked when she first came. It breaks my heart and brings tears to my eyes at how helpless and sometimes hopeless life can be for some of these little ones. I praise God for rescuing "G" and for helping her mother make the decision no mother should have to make in order to save her baby's life. This for her was a decision of love. To save the baby that she named "G" which means "wonderful."

Tomorrow we look forward to more time with "G" of course in the morning. We have a laid back afternoon (maybe!), and then in the evening we have the opportunity to attend a cultural dinner and enjoy traditional Ethiopian food, dancing, and singing. Can't wait!

Day 3:

What a day! Knowing we wouldn't see "G" until this afternoon, we had a leisurely breakfast and then made a point to contact the airport to see if our remaining 3 totes of donations had arrived yet on the KLM flight they were suspected to be on. Praise God! They were! After asking the airport what their hours for luggage claim were, we made plans to have the hotel shuttle bring us shortly after breakfast, but just as we were about to leave, the airport called us back telling us THEY would bring them to our hotel for us! God has been so good to us! Apparently this is very unusual for Ethiopia: according to Wass, our Hannah's Hope driver for today, he has never heard of this happening before. I was so thankful, because this was one of our "free" mornings, and we had hoped to do a little shopping for "G" and the kids, but we knew it would be unlikely if we had to make the trip back to the airport. Like I said before, God is so good! Because they couldn't deliver them until the afternoon, we decided to proceed with our shopping plans, and then another blessing! The taxi driver who was on duty for the hotel today happened to be "Solomon"—a driver who has been highly recommended by other AGCI families because of his hospitality and tendency to go out of the way.

Solomon took us into the city to two small market areas when we told him some of the things we were looking for, and on the way pointed out some important buildings and landmarks in Addis. What a blessing to have him with us today: he translated, helped us bargain a bit, carried our bags for us, and escorted us into every shop. We spent a couple hours shopping: I found two traditional, beautiful dresses for the girls, an outfit for Landon, 3 woven scarves, a table cloth, and some small wood carved animals. We hope to find things representative of the Ethiopian culture so we have gifts to give "G" each year on her "gotcha day" until her 18th birthday.

Our eyes were opened much more to the extreme poverty here in Ethiopia, but Addis specifically. The contrast here is really hard to take in: gated houses next to shacks of metal and whatever materials they can come by for shelter. Many people begging on the streets, filthy, with tattered clothing, while others walk by in business suits. As we shopped, I wished I could purchase something from everyone trying to make a living, but this of course is impossible. I have been impressed by the humility of those who live here.

 A definite highlight and honor of the day was when Solomon invited us to visit his home and meet his family and partake in a traditional coffee ceremony. This is very much an honor in Ethiopia. Aaron was a little nervous though, as he is definitely NOT a coffee drinker! As we entered the small compound where Solomon lives, we saw one main home in the middle surrounded by probably 8 smaller homes around the outside which is surrounded by a corrugated metal fence. These homes were mostly made of cement and corrugated metal with dirt floors.  Solomon explained to us that he rents his home from the landlord who lives in the middle. Solomon's home consists of a 2 room cement block building with dirt floors. A small living room area with two old couches to sit on, and then a bedroom that Solomon and his wife share with their two sons: a double bed on one side and a pair of bunk beds on the other. He proudly introduced us to his family: his wife and 2 sons who are 8 and 13. "Thanks be to God," with his hands raised toward heaven was a phrase he used often today in regards to his home which for most in the U.S. was probably about the size of one bedroom. Solomon's sons were extremely well mannered and shy. Solomon states they are good students who enjoy school immensely as well as playing "football," (soccer). His eldest enjoys physics and math in school. His wife has been ill and on medicine for TB, and so some of her friends have been staying with her during the day while she recovers her strength. She is trying to finish school so she can get a job to help with the family income.  Her friends assisted with the coffee ceremony today which began with them washing the coffee beans (raw and light tan in color). Next they roasted them over a small fire until they turned the characteristic dark brown. While this was happening, incense was burning, filling the home with a very intense smell of the sweetness of incense mixed with smoke from the fire and the roasting beans. Once the beans were roasted, they were taken outside to be crushed into coffee grounds with a mortar and pestle. I was given the chance to try this, and the neighbor was amused to see a foreigner attempting this task I think! Once this was finished, the coffee was then boiled and brewed over the fire, and then served to us. We probably used about 2 teaspoons of sugar in our espresso sized coffee cups: definitely stronger than what we're used to in the U.S! I was so proud of Aaron as he drank most of his coffee: this I think was a first for him! He knew it would be extremely impolite to refuse as this is an utmost sign of hospitality and welcome in Ethiopia. Coffee prepared in this way has a very different flavor than what we're used to because you can taste the smoke of the fire from roasting the beans. Very delicious! I was humbled today, knowing how little Solomon's family has but wanting to share what they did have with us.

As we visited with Solomon and his family over coffee, I asked him if his family needed anything, and the first thing he requested was shoes for his sons and his wife. When I pressed him a bit more, he told me that pants that his sons could use for school would be the next most helpful thing. And when I pressed him further to see what HE might need or what size he wears, he made it very clear that he takes care of his family first, but finally told me his shoe size and that medicine for his stomach (antacids) would be helpful. This man loves his family and wants to provide the best for them that he can, putting himself last in terms of needs. When we return to Ethiopia, I will be bringing some of these needs for Solomon's family. We exchanged addresses and look forward to keeping in touch with him in the future. We most likely will hire him again yet this week for one more short outing as he is going to help me find a coffee ceremony table to save for "G" some day. What a privilege, honor, and blessing it was to meet this man and his family today.

We returned to the hotel just in time to grab a quick bite of lunch before Wass came to drive us to Hannah's Hope for the afternoon. We were a little concerned that our donation totes hadn't been delivered by the airport yet, but decided to leave and let the hotel claim them for us if they arrived. Only down the road a couple miles, and Wass' phone rang. It was the hotel asking for us to come back because the airport staff had just arrived, but needed us to claim the totes in person. Perfect timing, since we could then bring the donations to Hannah's Hope right away. They were in great condition considering the journey they'd been through and everything was intact, praise God! These totes held the bulk of our donations with lots of formula, diapers, and medicine. We thanked the airport staff profusely for delivering them and were on our way!

Wass helped us find "G" who was awake and being held by one of her special mothers. I was able to get her to coo a little more today and even giggle a few times playing with her feet and talking to her! She seems to recognize me a little more now I think and smiled quickly today when I picked her up. After just a few minutes downstairs, they invited us upstairs to participate in her bath time! I was able to give "G" her bath today and then massage her skin with lotion and her hair with baby oil, and then diaper and dress her again. What a little cutie pie! She is tiny, but is chubbing up a little bit and has some of the cutest little wrinkles on her thighs! By this time this was all done, she was getting tired, so I gave her a bottle and rocked her to sleep. A short while later, in true "G" fashion, she woke up and gave us her precious little grin and looked back and forth between Aaron and I.

By that time, we needed to start heading out, but we were able to stay in the courtyard for a little while and meet and play with some of the older children at Hannah's Hope. The silly bands I brought were very popular, and Aaron was a big hit since he could lift the kids up and down. After doing this a number of times, he was getting tired, so we all started playing "ring around the rosy" and boy was this a hit! They would laugh and laugh when we "all fell down" and clap their hands in glee. Some of the kids were more hungry for affection than just attention and just wanted to be held and I was happy to oblige! A little boy and girl in particular wanted me to hold them at the same time and would just gaze in my eyes and play with my watch or necklace. The little girl loved to repeat English after me and would mimic everything, while the little boy was just quiet and would only speak if I had to put him down to rest for a minute, saying, "up, up!" Too soon we had to leave so Wass could drive us back to the hotel and I had the heartbreaking task to say goodbye—especially to the little boy as he clung to my neck when I tried to put him down. I gave him a kiss on the forehead, and then each of the kids who were outside gathered around waiting for their kiss too. Each got one, and several came back for seconds! Precious.

Another great day in Ethiopia: ready for another one tomorrow. First, time with "G" in the morning. We may be able to visit Bethzatha, the orphanage where "G" first came from,  and then the Hannah's Hope staff will bring us to a local restaurant attached to an art gallery, and then probably rest: or more shopping if I can talk Aaron into it!

Day 2:

We woke up to a beautiful morning, but not so beautiful smell! Our body clocks are still on Michigan time, so we both felt like we "napped" all night. But around 5:30-6 in the morning, I woke up to a smell that was like a cross between cigarette smoke and diesel fuel. It was so strong I couldn't go back to sleep, so I finally gave up and spent some time reading my Bible. The smell was so strong yet though, I thought it might help to open the window, but then I discovered the source. The hotel's diesel shuttle van was parked running right below our window which is 3 floors above the entrance of the hotel. They seem to make a habit of this, as last night they parked it out in front running until someone waiting with us in the lobby had the courage to go ask them to move it. I hope this isn't a repeated experience for us in the morning! So far, the only thing I don't like about Ethiopia (moreso Addis Ababa) is the diesel fuel! It is everywhere, and it is strong, and it STINKS!

After enjoying a big breakfast, we waited patiently (okay, I'm exaggerating for me anyway!) for the Hannah's Hope driver to arrive. I am definitely being challenged in terms of time here! 9:30 so far means 10:00 or a little after, and when I'm waiting to spend time with my new baby girl, that extra ½ hour feels like eternity! Thankfully Aaron's always there to bring me back to reality and remind me that this technically is extra time with "G" that we weren't originally going to have. And yes, he's right!

Danny brought us to Hannah's Hope today, and we arrived to find the babies sunning themselves—we saw more of the infants today—one little boy immediately caught our attention and took to Aaron. He is "new" according to the staff and is such a cutey! He kept mimicking Aaron and would use him to cruise around. We would take him home along with "G" if we could. And of course, I immediately went to "G" who was just finishing her bottle. Cute as ever, I noticed she was wearing a newborn size dress yet today—although I think she's going to graduate to 0-3/3 month soon! I cannot wait to go through Anaiya's clothes to see what might fit her when we return to bring her home. We spent the first part of the morning enjoying the sun outside together. These babies are kept on a schedule though, and right on cue, "G" started getting really sleepy after a little playtime so we changed her diaper and headed inside to the "napping room." I was able to give her part of another bottle before she fell asleep quickly in my arms. I held her sleeping the rest of our time at Hannah's Hope this morning, and actually had to leave her sleeping today. I love to watch her sleep: her black eyelashes fan across her cheeks, and her little mouth keeps sucking like she's still drinking her bottle. She makes the cutest little pout with her lips and is just peaceful. Aaron and I continue to marvel over her TINY hands and feet—I don't think my kids' hands and feet were that small even when they were newborns. This is a new experience for me! "G" has a head of beautiful black curls—the special mothers and staff at Hannah's Hope have commented several times that she has beautiful hair—"so different," I think because the curls seem a little looser. She has a sweet little cry, though I haven't heard much of it as she is comforted easily. She cooed a little for me today, but seems to be a fairly quiet baby, and just takes her surroundings in with her beautiful eyes. Aaron had the highlight of his trip today I think, as during naptime while I held "G" we watched a Spanish soap opera voiced over in English with the special mothers. They were very excited about what was happening in today's episode, and Aaron I know was equally excited! 

The special mothers at Hannah's Hope truly are wonderful women who love these children like their own. The way they speak to them and stroke their hair makes it completely evident that these little ones are loved in the best way possible until they can be home with their forever families. We are so blessed to have our daughter in their care while we're waiting to have her come home. Day in and day out they love these little ones knowing that eventually they'll need to say goodbye. Amazing.

Once we left Hannah's Hope for the day, we met a tour guide I had been referred to by a different adoptive family named Tsegaw. I had arranged for a small day trip north of Addis called Debrelibanos. He met us at our hotel, and we left immediately because of the long drive there: about 100 km outside of Addis, but 100 km of first very bumpy and crowded and diesel scented roads, then curvy roads, then roads with people and cattle crossing every few miles or swerving into the road (the swerving was because it's Saturday here and according to Tsegaw, is a ½ work day, and a day that many people spend eating raw meat—goat mostly—and drinking honey wine. This combination makes their walking skills not so reliable! It was a beautiful drive though, and as we rose above Addis, the landscape changed to hilly pastures with more traditional housing with the straw roofs and mud walls. We saw a lot of livestock today both off and on the road! Many of the herds are supervised by children with switches—a big responsibility to say the least. Tsegaw and his wife had prepared a home cooked lunch for us of some traditional Ethiopian food. He stopped at an old hotel off the side of the road once we were well outside of Addis and paid the owners a small fee to use their meal house. It was such a nice lunch break: we sat inside a building with a thatched roof and ate using a traditional injera table for our food. He kept feeding us until we finally had to beg mercy and tell him we couldn't eat another bite: seriously! The food was delicious though: rice with small bits of beef, some type of ground beef seasoned patty and meatballs, bread, and then… French fries! (not sure how traditional those were, but they seem popular here!)

We stopped briefly by the side of the road just before we reached the end of our first drive because Tsegaw spotted baboons just off to the side! This particular kind of baboon is specific to Ethiopia and are fairly numerous in this area. We snapped pictures, but the highlight for me was meeting several of the local children who greeted me eagerly in English: "Hello, how are you? What is your name? My name is… and I am ___ years old." You could tell they wanted to practice what they learned in school, but were so sweet and excited to meet someone from the U.S. Before we left they asked for ink pens which I was sooo excited to have, thanks to a fellow adoptive mom who sent some along with us when she knew we would be going to the North. Apparently, ink pens are very much needed for school, and so this small gift brought a smile to their face and a light to their eyes. Can you imagine: because of an INK PEN?

As beautiful and interesting as the drive was, I was relieved when we reached our first destination: Debrelibanos Monastery. This monastery is hundreds of years old and is located on the edge of a cliff in Jemma Gorge which has the Blue Nile River running through it—this river connects to the Nile river that runs through Egypt. The cliffs are beautiful—many shades of orange and red because much marble is found and mined in them. We had a very interesting tour led by one of the monks who told us much about the history of the monastery including its founder who according to legend, stood on one leg praying for 7 years and subsisted on one seed a year before eventually his spare leg withered away and fell off! The modern church was built in the 50's by emperor Haile Selassie to replace the original one destroyed by fascists. We saw beautiful paintings and stained glass depicting scenes from the Bible, and then many old religious artifacts that were used throughout the church's history. Very interesting. Our tour guide was very friendly and even shared a piece of his daily bread with us: yes daily bread. Monday-Friday, the monks get one meal of bread in the afternoon, which I have to say is definitely tasty in my opinion. Brown in color, and kind of sour/fermented tasting. He also explained to us why churchgoers wear shawls when attending service: they wrap one end over their left shoulder and the other around their right, making a "cross" shape to remind them of Christ.

After the monastery we drove to a nearby historical landmark called the Portuguese Bridge. The story behind this was fascinating. It was constructed of limestone and ostrich egg shells between the 19th and 20th century. It was built as a way for Christians from southern Ethiopia to get to northern Ethiopia to help those Christians fight the Muslims that were trying to invade. It is believed that the Christians were eventually able to defeat the Muslims because of the passage this bridge allowed. This was a beautiful area that overlooked the Jemma Gorge as well and during the rainy season has a beautiful waterfall. We spotted more baboon families and caves along the cliffs. We had two polite guides who shared the history with us, and we ended up purchasing a small basket and a cross carved of marble from them as a thank you for their time. We enjoyed a quick "soft drink" and headed for the journey home. Tsegaw insisted we finish the food he had packed, which I have to admit was still delicious even cold. The drive home was LONG—it was dark by that time.  Visually the trip back was not quite as interesting, but we were kept on the edge of our seats and trusting in God's protection as we swerved around curves, dodging people and cattle, and passing slow moving double trailer truck an hair pin turns, all with two small headlights to see.  Once we were back in town our tour guide decided to tell us about the overturned blackened double trailer oil truck that we saw on the side of the road going down the mountain.  Apparently, a month ago the truck collided with a minibus (like what we were riding in) and burst into flames, unfortunately killing 8 people. Tsegaw joked that he thought it probably wasn't a good idea to tell us what had happened until we made it home safely! He was probably right!

   It was a fabulous day, but we were so relieved to be back at the hotel. Now for some sleep! And then…more time with "G" tomorrow afternoon!

 Travel: Did You Say Snowstorm?!

This past Monday, my mom called me and said, "Did you see the weather?"  And I said, Noooo….whyyyy?" And I proceeded to find out that a gigantic  winter storm was on its way, headed directly for us, and scheduled to  hit the night before and morning of the day we were supposed to leave.  Can't tell you how emotional those few days were as all weather reports  confirmed this. I was like a pendulum on a clock with my thoughts going  between: "God's in control. When we get there, we get there. I'm not  going to worry because it's not in my hands." To….. "But this mama is  supposed to leave on February 2, and I don't care when on February 2,  I'm leaving February 2!" Aaron didn't' like the idea of possibly getting  stranded in an airport somewhere when he could just as easily wait in  our home. And I on the other hand really didn't care if we got stuck  somewhere as long as we "were on our way." So we decided to keep our itinerary the same, and roll with the punches.  After a small delay for a later departure, we awoke Wednesday morning  (Feb 2) and checked the  computer as fast as we could:  red….red….red….cancelled….cancelled……and then 2 blocks of blue on time  flights. And OURS is one of them! So off we went to the airport, chauffeured by my mom and dad through the  snow. We checked in: 5 duffels and bins packed full of donations for the  precious kids who call Hannah's Hope home, and our personal belongings  in our carryons. As we waited, our flight moved from 3:25 to 3:35, then 4:15, then 4:25,  and finally we were boarding. We ended up taking off just after 5:00. As  joyful as we were to be in the air, we had a sinking feeling that we  would miss our connecting flight in Detroit to Amsterdam. Our feelings  were confirmed after running off our plane to the desk. This also meant  we would miss our connecting flight to Addis Ababa. We were rebooked  onto the later flight into Amsterdam, but as we researched options of  when we'd get into Ethiopia, it was looking like it might not be until  the 5th. Thanks to Aaron's endurance on the phone with KLM, they were  able to form an agreement with Ethiopian airlines to get us into  Ethiopia on the morning of the 4th if we were willing to fly through  London instead. So of course we took it! Needless to say our travel plans ended up being nothing like we had  planned! Instead of flying almost nonstop for 18 hours, we ended up with  a nice 8 hour layover in London. We took the underground to Westminster  Square, and did a VERY fast walking tour of that area. We were able to  see and take pictures of Big Ben, House of Parliament, Buckingham  Palace, the Clarence House, and of course the double decker buses! As  much as we wanted to do a little more exploring, there was no way we  were going to risk missing our flight to Ethiopia, so we headed back to  the airport with 4 hours to spare before our flight was to depart. It  was a FUN, but tiring day! At 8:25 pm London time, we took off for Ethiopia on a VERY full plane.  We were supposed to have had emergency row seats for extra leg room for  Aaron, but there obviously was a misunderstanding, and he ended up  squished in the middle of a row of 3. We didn't care though: we were  finally really on our way to Ethiopia!   Day 1:  We Met Her! 8 hours of flight time later, and we're finally here! I think we  traveled about 36 hours total with about 4 hours of sleep at the most,  but we're here! And, yes! We can hardly believe it, but we've met our precious baby girl  already. What an incredibly special surprise after a long, long, trip to  get here. I'll back up a bit, and then describe our meeting today. We arrived in Ethiopia at 7:00 a.m. their time which is probably when  most of you were going to bed last night around 11 pm. We flew in to a  beautiful sunrise coming over the countryside. We got off the plane,  went through the Visa line with no problems, and then went to claim our  luggage. We were relieved that 2 of our bags of donations arrived, but  disappointed and concerned that 3 are still not accounted for. As far as  we know, they were all on our flight from Detroit to London, but London  could not track them since we switched airlines. Their thought is that  they will come in with the KLM flight tomorrow that we would have taken  if we hadn't been able to get on today's flight. Please PRAY! The 3 that  are missing have the most diapers and formula in them. After filing a missing baggage claim and getting through customs, we  walked out to find that no one was there to greet us as had been our  understanding. Knowing it was very possible that they did not get our  updated itinerary, we decided to try to call the Hannah's Hope staff.  Realizing we needed Ethiopian birr (currency) to use their pay phones  with no exchange place in site, we went with plan 2. I finally got up  the courage to approach another hotel's representative and explain our  situation. "No problem! I will assist you!" he said. And he proceeded to  use his personal cell phone to call the family coordinator for AGCI.  Long story short, he helped us find our hotel's driver OUTSIDE, and we  were on our way again. What a blessing he was to us! We arrived at the hotel after a very interesting ride through Addis and  were greeted warmly by the staff here. Imagine our surprise when we were  given our itinerary and it said that we would be picked up in just an  hour and a half to go to Hannah's Hope! We went upstairs, freshened up,  and then grabbed a quick bite to eat. "Wass" was the driver who picked us up today and as we told him who our  baby was, he said, "Ah yes! "G". She has a beautiful smile!" As we made  our way down the bumpy street that led up to Hannah's Hope, it was so  surreal: this is the drive I've heard so many other families describe,  and finally it was our turn: we pulled up the gate I've seen in so many  pictures, and then it opened! We were greeted by smiling faces of  toddlers who were playing in the court yard. Almaz (the orphanage's  director) came to greet us and brought us to her office to complete some  paperwork we'll need on the next trip and to prepare us for what to  expect with court next week. And after that, she said, "Let's go meet  "G"! We followed her into the "baby" house to find that it was naptime. "G"  was sleeping in a bouncer all bundled up when we walked in. Immediately  I was filled with love and amazement that this was my daughter! The one  I've been praying for before I knew her name and now by name since  November. THIS was our gift directly from God! Can I tell you that she  is absolutely perfect? She is everything her name says she is:  WONDERFUL!! I was able to hold her right away while she was still  sleeping and Aaron and I absolutely marveled over her TINY hands and  feet, her beautiful eyelashes, the way she kept sucking in her sleep.  She has the most delicate features: a tiny little nose and lips. After  holding her around a half hour or so, she started to stir and then she  woke up in my arms. This I feel was a moment given to me by God:  immediately she looked directly in my eyes and smiled! She would look  back and forth between Aaron and I and just smiled. It was one of the  most precious moments of my life and I will never forget it. Her smile  is beautiful, complete with little dimples. The special mothers clearly love her! They told us today that "G" is  very content: she typically only cries when she is hungry or tired. And  we found this to be true today. After we had played with her a little  while, she started fussing and I was able to give her a bottle which  calmed her immediately. We played a little longer just enjoying holding  her, talking to her, and doing the same with some of the other babies in  the room. I could tell she was getting tired, so I started to walk  around with her and sway with her while I sang "Jesus Loves Me." She  settled down quickly and fell asleep in my arms. Precious. Not long after, our driver came to bring us back to the hotel, and so I  had to say goodbye for the day. Oh how I wanted to stay! As I laid her  down in a Moses basket, she awoke and gave me the same precious little  grin, looking right into my eyes. Thank you God for an absolutely  perfect first day with my little girl. She's got Aaron around her little  finger already! I am so excited to go back tomorrow and just continue to learn more  about who she is! We will keep you posted as we are able: tomorrow we  get another morning with her, and then because it's the weekend,  Hannah's Hope doesn't have the capability to drive us back in the  afternoon, so we are taking a short tour a little North of Addis Ababa  to the Debrelibanos Monastery region.   

We're in London!

Hi friends and family!

Well after a long and drawn out day yesterday, we ended up being re-routed through London instead of Amsterdam. So here we are! We have an 8 hour layover, so we decided to take the train and we had a very fast walking tour of the most popular sights here: Big Ben, Buckingham Palace...

It's been fun, but we are exhausted and we still have our flight ahead of us to Ethiopia tonight. We had to change airlines and will be flying Ethiopian air tonight at 8:25 pm London time. We'll arrive in Ethiopia tomorrrow morning (the 4th) at 7:10 am Ethiopian time.

More updates as we can!

Love you all!

Aaron and Susie